Culture of death

Culture of death has two distinct meanings:
 * A term used in Colonial Europe to describe barbaric cultures that glorified or worshipped death. This was then used as a justification for the subjugation and colonization of these cultures. The usage has been revived to describe (Islamic) societies that revere suicide bombers as martyrs.
 * A term coined by John Paul II. It is used in contemporary political discourse in many countries, including the United States and Poland, to describe supportive positions on certain subjects, such as abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, poverty and capital punishment which adherents of opposing positions deem to be inconsistent with their concept of a "culture of life". Some commentators would add to that list homosexuality, contraception and other phenomena perceived to attack marriage and the family.1 2

Some claim that those who most vehemently oppose abortion, euthanasia, and stem-cell research often favor capital punishment and wars, therefore, that it is difficult to delineate the boundaries between the "Culture of Death" and the "Culture of Life."

Culture de la mort Cywilizacja śmierci