Is suicide a sin?

[Grosse vache]

Well, I must be rubbish at my job then. I don't know what I'm talking about. I'll shut up now.

[Dako]

I doubt that. You're in a prime situation to learn about the subject, so you probably know quite a bit.

Most of what I know is gleaned from my narrow view as a morose person, and involvement with other sadsacks who left or stayed.

[Daddy Bear]

I think you come accross as overly harsh, but I suppose that's your perogative.

Thanks, I think. "Passionate" might be a more polite way to put it...

 

I don't think telling someone who is suicidal that they are selfish and to think of other people besides themselves is going to help but hey, what do I know. I'm not one of them.

Again you put words in my mouth, yeesh... I've talked to many despondent, hopeless people--both here and in RL--and I've never once told one of them that s/he was being selfish. That isn't clinically justifiable. However, in general terms I don't see it as an act of altruism - do you?

 

And am I to understand that you, who explicitly accused me of not realizing how it feels to wish for death, have never spent a single day in those shoes?

[Grosse vache]

Now you're putting words in my mouth. I didn't say you didn't know what it feels like to feel like you want to die. I said you don't know what those people, themselves, are thinking because only they truly know what they're thinking/feel. I'm not explaining it very well but, oh well.

 

As for whether I have or not. Well, that isn't anyones business but my own and I'd rather not get into what I have and haven't felt if thats alright.

[HarleyHunny]

Thats all fine and well for you, however, I as an atheist don't need to worry about that. (Lets not turn this into a religious orientated argument - .......).

If someone is an anthiest then why even ask the question? or consider an answer to it? .... when the word sin is used, religion can not be left out of the argument.

[Daddy Bear]

Fair enough, Grosse vache. Sorry for getting personal. As a matter of fact, I was returning to this thread to edit out that last question.

 

Thanks for an interesting discussion.

[Torn_Then_Reborn]

"Thou shalt not kill" is pretty clear to me.

 

Yes, it's a sin.. However, if one has truly accepted Christ in his heart and then one day commits suicide, he will still go to heaven.. Jesus died on the cross to forgive us of our sins.. Jesus Christ died for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2) ..

 

In the bible, Samson (among 5 others) committed suicide and went to heaven .. So clearly you are contradicting factual evidence from the same book where you got that from ..

 

Furthermore, the Prophet's Jonah and Elijah were suicidal ..

 

And let's not forget about one of Jesus's very own disciples -

 

We make note of what the Bible says about Judas Iscariot.

1. John 13:26-27 Satan entered into him.

2. Matthew 26:47-49 He betrayed Jesus.

3. Matthew 27:3 He repented of his betrayal of Jesus (became born again).

4. Matthew 27:5 Judas HUNG himself. (Committed Suicide)

 

Moreover, Suicide is not related to the "unforgivable sin," however. The Gospel of Mark shows that the unforgivable act is a strange kind of blasphemy: to say that the spirit of power in Jesus—the Holy Spirit—is an evil spirit.

 

Why did Jesus say that blasphemies against himself could be forgiven but not against the Holy Spirit? Early Christians searched the Scriptures and discovered that Hebrews 6:4-5 is the only other place where something is described as unforgivable. "It is impossible to restore again to repentance those who … have become partakers of the Holy Spirit … if they then commit apostasy..

 

Those who are adamant that a person who takes his life is committing a mortal sin, and will go to hell, are basing their belief on church doctrine rather than on the Bible. There are no verses that say "He who takes his own life shall be damned." According to Scripture, only one sin does not have forgiveness, and that is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (see Mark 3:29 ). That means there is forgiveness for every other sin.

 

Some quote 1 Corinthians 3:17, which says that God will destroy someone who "defiles" the temple of the Holy Spirit. Yet, there is disagreement about what it means to defile the temple. Does this include suicide? Does it include illicit drug abuse (slow suicide), prescription drug abuse, cigarettes (deliberately breathing in poisons that will eventually kill), tattoos, over-eating (digging a grave with your spoon), or alcohol abuse ..

 

Futhermore, Jesus never sends us away from Him, and nothing can ever separate us from Him. Not even ourselves. No sin, suicide included is too powerful that God has not forgiven it by the blood of the Lamb.

 

Jesus died once for ALL sins... This means He knew what sins you would commit, including the taking of your own life and He still died for it. He loves us past, present, and future, and for all eternity..

 

So you can be assured that a born again Christian who takes his life is sinning yes...but being eternally forgiven of his sins, even the sin of suicide he will wake up in heaven. Sadly, he will lose reward and testimony for Christ, but he is saved and will not go to hell ..

 

And lastly, let's not forget the scripture "Whosoever dies in My name will live forever" . What if people commit suicide so that Satan can no longer have them? How do we know that the girl was not being physically violated and felt so ashamed and dirty that she could not handle it? Would our loving God condemn her for that? None of you are in any position to judge.

 

 

The Bible says there is only (1) one unforgivable sin .. the sin of rejecting Him. The Bible references people who have committed suicide but makes no mention of what happens spiritually when you commit suicide.

 

In one case, a man intentionally falls on his sword. In another, almost any entire city commits suicide to prevent falling into the hands of their enemies as their city fell. The Bible is full of stories of people who intentionally allowed themselves to be killed in God's name .. And all who were god loving went to heaven ..

 

More to consider---

 

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

 

 

If we continue reading in that passage, we get the answer to the question "How do you get to heaven?"

 

Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

 

 

Notice that the Bible says freely by his grace. Freely; salvation is a free gift from God, not something you can gain or loose based on your own good works or lack there of:

 

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

 

Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

 

Rom 5:1-2 thereforeeee being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

 

Once we accept the free gift of salvation, that was purchased with the blood of Jesus on the cross, we are then "new creatures" in Christ:

 

2 Cor 5:17 thereforeeee if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

 

As new creatures we are called to live our lives in a manner pleasing to God and to avoid sin at all costs. However, that doesn't mean that we will never sin again. All of us will struggle with sin until the day we die. Even Paul says that he struggles with sin (Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.)

 

Even after salvation we are going to commit sin at some point. So, the question then becomes "if we sin after salvation, and don't have a chance to repent (via suicide), will we still go to heaven?" Is it our repentance that earns our passage to heaven? Or, is it the gift that Jesus gives us? I think the verses above already answered that.

 

So, if a person is saved (has accepted the free gift of salvation), and commits the sin of murder in a moment of despondency (suicide), the payment for that sin was already paid 2,000 years ago by Jesus.

 

The question of who goes to heaven and who goes to hell is not answered by what sin they committed, it's answered by whether or not they have accepted Jesus' free gift of salvation..

 

End of story ..

[Torn_Then_Reborn]

And to add a bit to my last post.... Further proof that if you are a christian and commit suicide, salvation seems to still be --

 

We are saved by the grace of God, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9) and nothing can separate a Christian from the love of God (Romans 8:37-39).

 

 

Other verses that clearly teach assurance of salvation for the believer are

 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

-John 5:24

 

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand."

-John 10:27-29

 

"And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God."

-1 John 5:11-13

[girl friend]

I think if you went thru a hard time and committed suicide, Jesus would still love you. Its discouraged in the Bible, as is a lot of things, but the way i see it, even if the action is not acceptable, the person always is. Or almost always anyways. Its hard to be forgiving to everyone, such as the mass murderer at that American university. Yet he was suicidal.

[girl friend]

Isn't the triumph incomplete if a single soul burns in hell? Like Jesus said that without Judas the betrayer in heaven, it would have all been for nothing.

[MissTee]

I believe it is a sin... but then so is lying, stealing, cheating etc

 

I believe that we are saved by the blood of Jesus.

 

And like all sins, it is forgivable.

 

More than anything, I think it the most tragic and awful way someone could leave the earth. I believe that in most cases it is selfish and cowardice.

[Daddy Bear]

How can suicide be a forgivable sin when that very act makes it impossible to repent for it during one's lifetime? If transgressions are forgiven automatically with anyone who worships Jesus, what is the point of repentance, and why bother labeling anything as a sin in the first place, when people who don't do these things but don't believe in Jesus' divinity go straight to Hell, and people who do sin but believe what they've been told about Jesus go to Heaven?

 

What kind of messed-up system is that??

 

Or is it that repentance can occur after death, as one is being tortured by Satan? Who WOULDN'T accept Jesus the second they found out for a fact that the New Testament was the complete truth, and in that case, why not just send everyone straight to Heaven?

 

But then what would be the point of faith??

 

It just don't add up, people. The notion that suicide is forgivable sin simply doesn't fit in any brand of Christian dogma that I've studied.

[girl friend]

Most ppl dont die having repented for all their sins though, so what does it matter if they can't repent for suicide during their lifetime?

 

I think even if they could see Jesus, the truth and all, some atheists would still reject, heaven would be hell for the non-believer after all. A constant reminder that they were wrong. And heaven would be hell for the believer, without the non-believers... if a single soul burned in hell... who has the answers?

[MissTee]

somebloke as girl friend has said, how many people die who have repented all of their sins??

[girl friend]

I think sometimes we confuse God with organised religion. Jesus said nothing about suicide. The last thing he said to his disciples was to go out and make new disciples. He trusted them. And they did it. I think the message is that God trusts and believes in us. For better and for worse. If someone can't cope, and commits suicide, they're still God's child, and he still loves them. It goes against a lot of the teaching of the gospels, such as to make the world a better place, to live righteously, etc, but i don't think it makes someone 'unlovable' in the eyes of God. Thats the kind of loving God we should believe in anyway.

[Sweet Buttabean Jellayroll]

it shouldnt be a sin as hard as God makes life, and then ask you to trust in him in which he gives you zero help

[girl friend]

It can sometimes feel that way yes.

[girl friend]

I dont think we are ever really alone tho. Even in our darkest hour, he's there.

 

Psychology teaches that God is simply a projection of the parent's voice from early childhood. That it keeps people psychologically stable to imagine order and design in a chaotic world. Yet... it also teaches that our dreams are more real, more us, than the world around us. Maybe God is too. One of those things the most real.

[Sweet Buttabean Jellayroll]

if you want to believe hes there then thats fine, i have no problem with that, but ive been devoted t serving him for the longest time, and did everything i could according to his will.....not expecting anything butout of pure love and he turns around and takes a giant crap all over my life...i do what i need to do, but when i find it overwealming he does nonething.....i ask for help, hes no where to be found, so thereforeeee i have t weather the storm cz God is somewhere watchin television, thats why i say suicide i dont think is a sin

[girl friend]

IF bad stuff didn't happen, we wouldn't know good.

It helps us to morally grow. Shapes us, into the type of people we become.

 

''Pain is God's megaphone to rouse a deaf world. The blows of his chisel which hurt us so much are what make us perfect.'' C.S.Lewis

[iwishiknew]

After reading alot this..I do admit its a sin..Its murdering yourself

[girl friend]

It would be murder if it were to kill another person. But its not, its to kill yourself. But i dont believe God would see it as a sin, worthy of mortal torment forever. What if you had an illness like depression that made you do it. Would that be your fault? What if you had a lot of awful stuff come your way that meant you couldnt cope? Gods message is of love. It shouldn't be encouraged, but i'm sure he'd understand and forgive his children who had to do it.

[girl friend]

Hang on, what about pre-destination? If its all already planned out, and we have no control over it... then people who commit suicide cant go to

hell surely?

[Daddy Bear]

If everything we did was predestined, then we could not be held responsible for anything we did, including murder. With God in control of our every move, there would be no such thing as sin. This is clearly at odds with the teachings in the Bible.

 

In response to your prior post: the Bible says that God loves everyone the same, so there would be no distinction between killing yourself and killing someone else. The parable of Job is a good case in point: if he had committed suicide while being put through the worst tortures imaginable, would it have pleased God, or the Devil?

[Cimmie]

Catholicism teaches that suicide is a mortal sin: the sin of despair and self-murder. To kill yourself is to give up on God. Judas hanged himself after betraying Christ.

 

I'm as lapsed as lapsed can be, but the clear-cut prohibition on suicide has more than once made me think twice.

 

If the gospellers get to you early enough, you can never throw off their influence entirely, and in this case I'm happy about it.