Evangelical pastor John Piper was among the Christians expressing sadness at the death of Brittany Maynard over the weekend.
Maynard caught the attention of the world when she published a video in early October announcing her decision to end her life through assisted suicide on November 1 because of her terminal brain cancer diagnosis.
She issued several videos before her death defending her decision, and posted a final one on Saturday saying goodbye to all her friends and family.
"Today is the day I have chosen to pass away with dignity in the face of my terminal illness, this terrible brain cancer that has taken so much from me...but would have taken so much more,"she wrote.
"The world is a beautiful place, travel has been my greatest teacher, my close friends and folks are the greatest givers. I even have a ring of support around my bed as I type...Goodbye world. Spread good energy. Pay it forward!"
In her final weeks, Maynard became a key advocate for assisted suicide to be legalised across the United States - she ended her life in Oregon, one of only five states to allow it.
Fr Tony Medeiros, who created the WeLuvBrittany Facebook page as a collection point for prayers and well wishes before her death, said he was "saddened" to hear of Maynard's passing, describing her as a "wife, daughter and sister to all of us".
"As we prayed for her, loved her, and cared for her in life, so now let us pray for her in her death," he said.
"May God, our Almighty Father, forgive her all her sins and give her rest and peace in His presence in the Kingdom of his Son, where 'He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death...no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain' (Rev 21:4).
"Brittany we love you! Rest in Peace."
Maynard's decision sparked a nationwide debate around assisted suicide and she spent her final weeks fronting the Compassion and Choices charity, which is lobbying for its legalisation.
The reaction of Janet Morana, executive director of Priests for Life, was one of sadness, saying that Maynard "gave up on hope" and that her actions reflected an increasing "culture of death" in the US.
"Now our concern is for other people with terminal illnesses who may contemplate following her example," she said.
"Our prayer is that these people will find the courage to live every day to the fullest until God calls them home. Brittany's death was not a victory for a political cause. It was a tragedy, hastened by despair and aided by the culture of death invading our country."
John Piper shared in the sadness, tweeting, "O Brittany, Brittany, the sorrows of your death are only surpassed by sadness of its message."
He linked to a lengthy article explaining why he does not support assisted suicide. Quoting from Scripture, Piper said the body belonged to Christ in life and death, and that while God has given humans the privilege of being able to lessen pain, he has not given us the right to end our lives.
"They [our bodies] are not ours to dispose of as we will. They are his. And they exist for his wil, and his glory," he wrote.
He pointed to the example of Paul who endured a lifetime of suffering as a Christian but always looked to the life beyond.
"The suffering of our final days is not meaningless," Piper said, quoting 2 Corinthians 4.17 in which Paul says they are "preparing for us an eternal weight of glory".
"They are not aimless tortures," Piper continued.
"And the grieving spouses and mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters are not merely watching. They are serving, caring, loving. Yes, suicide spares them the pain of watching.
"But it also denies them the privilege of serving. There are moments in the tireless care of the dying beloved that are so intense with self-giving love that they would not be traded for any death."
Read Piper's thoughts in full here
