With what body are we going to rise from the dead?

1. Entity type Lemma
2. Original titleС какво тяло ще възкръснем?
3. Language term Bulgarian
4. Alternative title (за отношението на Църквата към трансплантацията на органи); (on the attitude of the Church towards organ transplantation) (en)
5. lemma author Nachev, Ivaylo
6. lemma category Ethics - Scientific theories and disciplines > Medicine
7. lemma work Карамихалева, Александра [Author]. With what body are we going to rise from the dead?
8. lemma manifestations Църковен вестник
9. Keywords transplants - organ transplantation
10. Lemma body

    1. The article analyses organ transplantation from the perspective of Orthodox Christian beliefs about suffering, truth, sacrifice and life after death.

       The author, Alexandra Karamihaleva, first gives a short definition of transplantology and draws a distinction between the idea of sacrifice as advertised by transplantation promoters and the sacrifice rooted in all world religions. While the first serves only human interests in a dominating atheistic culture, the religious concept governs the relation between man and God.

       The author then states that, unlike atheists, Christian believers are faced with the question whether the body used for transplantation will be restored in its wholeness in Christ second coming. She proceeds with the Christian conviction about the body as temple of the Holy Ghost and unique image of man as opposed to the flesh, which is the same for all living creatures. Since the flesh is used for transplantation and not the body, the belief in the resurrection bodies is not in itself an obstacle to becoming a donor.

       However, there is another controversial question, arising from the condition that a deceased donor should be ‘vital’ or somewhere on the border between life and death, which is very difficult to establish. Distinguishing between clinical death, biological death and brain death, the medicine takes into account only the physical aspects, while Christians believe that these states affect the connection between body and soul, thus taking into account the metaphysical aspects.

       Finally, the author discusses the ethical problems related to transplantation. In view of the soaring demand for organs, Karamihaleva sees a real danger of an increasingly commercial and pragmatic attitude towards death. She mentions the illegal trade with organs, the late abortions carried out for the sake of fetal tissue transplantation, the abuse arising from high demand and insufficient supply.

       As a conclusion, Karamihaleva states that transplantation is acceptable only in those cases when it is done out of love for God and neighbor and it is a result of voluntary decision. All other practices and motives are condemnable.