Can christians answer this inquiry?

Question

It is a proven statistic that the suicide rate is highr than the homocide rate. The link I provided is from 2001. And the ratio for suicide to homocide was 3:1. And for 2000, it was 5:1. That means it jumped from 1:15 to 3:15 in just one year(these are homocide and suicide deaths). And the majority of those who commit it successfully in this country are native americans. And the attempted suicide ranges from 8-25 per successfull suicide. Do you believe that all of these people end up in hell for eternity for not accepting jesus as thier personal lord and savior? Or just for committing suicide? I personally won't accept that doctrine. It just does not seem "just" to have a people's land stolen from them, make them lose thier ancestrial heritage, suffer for the covets of mankind, and then say they are damned to hell. Where is the justice in that? And do all of the slaves that were tortured, murdered, and labored for free to build this nation go to hell also? Where is the "justice"?

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/suicideprevention/suifact.cfm

Let me put forth an analogy for you. There is a man standing by a cliff just enjoying the view. Next thing you know when he turns around to go back, the world behind him has changed. So he just sits at the cliff because the view is one of the last comforts he has from the world behind him. Next thing you know, here comes a man. Slowly antagonising him and nudging him towards the cliff. Sooner or later, the man will nudge him off the cliff completely. So he just decides to jump. Get my point.

Het msender, that is why I put the link. That is where I got my info from.

It seems to me that a lot of christians who answer are the ones who would take jesus as lord and not the father. With respect to the christian religion.

And no, they are not the same. One prayed and the other didn't amongst many other differences.

Answer 1

I have been taught that to commit suicide you can kiss your afterlife goodbye.I had a friend who was a terrible alcoholic. If you are a bad enough alcoholic it effects the way you think. He was at the bottom of a dark pit and could take no more. He shot himself.He was in so much pain and was not thinking right. I can't imagine GOD turning His back on him.I don't care how many answers you get and who tells you what, none of us can tell anyone with absolute certainty, what will happen to those people.they may say they do know because.....Unless they got an email from GOD, they couldn't possibly know.

Answer 2

The answers to your questions are long and a lot of typing, but the short version is yes most of those people are probably in hell. God does not direct you to take your life so you are disobeying God when you take your life. There may be some exceptions but each case will be dealt with individually by God and he will do what is just.

All of us are sinners and all destined for hell. Jesus died on the cross so that we could be saved. The Bible tells us how to recieve Christ and forgivness and if we don't do it then it is up to us.
There are very few people in the usa that have not heard this and when they hear they choose to investigate or not, so they have decided one way or the other..
I will tell you one thing, God does everything just.

Answer 3

The Bible indicates that there will be a resurrection of righteous and unrighteous persons (Acts 24:15). That is consistent with God's quality of mercy and his sense of justice, because millions of people have died without knowing about the Creator or his means for our redemption, namely Jesus Christ. Millions died before he was even born. When they are resurrected they will have the opportunity for eternal life without the conditions that drive people to suicide. The problem is the publicity seeking, gold-digging preachers that promote the false ideas that you resent with good reason. The Catholic Church usurped the idea (of torture in a fiery hell) from existing pagan sources at it's beginning in the fourth century C.E., and most of the Protestant churches continue to teach the doctrine along with other doctrines (or dogma) that don't originate with the Bible. It is interesting that many of the negative comments about "Christianity" are coming from people that endorse paganism and the things they object to about nominal christianity are all of pagan origin. Some of these people in here need to read the Bible before they criticize it if they want to be taken seriously, a great deal of the comments are based on here-say.

Answer 4

Mitchell,

This is a really good question...and one I'm sure others are wrestling with. I am a Christian, so I will give you my thoughts on it.

Yes, I believe that if a person does not accept the forgiveness that God offers - only through His Son Jesus - that God will honor that choice forever. That is hell: eternal separation from God. God won't jam a relationship with Him down anyone's throat.

No, you don't go to hell just for committing suicide. Any sin is forgivable...save one. (Not accepting God's forgiveness through Jesus)

I'm not sure about the connection you are making with slaves. It seems you're saying slaves all go to hell. (Obviously, NOT true.) Your assumption seems to be (correct me if I'm wrong), that those slaves DID NOT accept God's forgiveness through Jesus, and then were horribly and unjustly treated, worked, and killed - and were thus denied any opportunity to know God. If you look at the tradition of slavery, you'll note some of the most SPIRITUAL and GOD SOAKED people in history. Their faith and embrace of Jesus was pure and firm. They are basking in their eternal reward as I write.

The stark question: what gets me into hell? what gets me out? is difficult, because it lacks context. God is not into punishing people. His way of salvation is not hidden or difficult. It is open to all and His desire is that none should perish. Is it not 'just' of God to let people make their own decisions?

Someone who has really helped me on this journey is a guy named Rob Bell. He's a pastor in Michigan (http://www.mhbcmi.org ). He is in the middle of a series ("Jesus wants to save Christians)...which is very good IMO...and dealt with the topic of hell (Sept. 24, Pt III - week 400). I think you'd really benefit from it - and it's not a sales job or beating you over the head. ( http://www.mhbcmi.org/listen/index.php )

Another message I found helpful was from Erwin McManus (http://www.mosaic.org ) He's doing a series on tough questions and one is "Does God Care?" I found it in the video pod cast (which is currently down, but should be up soon.) Sept. 10th was the date. I hope that helps...

Answer 5

The Bible states people go to hell cause they broke God's ten commandments; the law; not because they didn't believe in Jesus. In the book of Romans in the new testament, it says the ten commandment are put on everyones hearts since birth. They know intuitively what is right and what is wrong. When a man seeks after God with all his heart, mind, and soul, he will find God through Jesus Christ. The bible says God desires none to parish but for all to have eternal life.

Answer 6

IF a person comitting suicide is very mentally ill NO they would not be sent to Hell.
IF a person is comitting suicide for selfish reasons, retaliation, etc they will most definately go to Hell.
IF a person was never taught about Christ and Biblical hope, and then they die NO they will not go to Hell.
Where is the justice? Well, we all have free will to do and believe as we choose. The Bible plainly tells us that there is a narrow path and it is the ONLY way to Heaven.
http://www.biblegateway.com for any information about teachings from the Bible and God's word.
In your editing you tell a story of a man on a cliff....what does that have to do with Christians?
God competely knows our suffering, He tells us we will suffer BE GLAD FOR IT all of our suffering and persecution will be rewarded.
MANY blessings on your journey.

Answer 7

Only God can judge this person. One thing to remember is that God has a special provision for mentally ill persons. And anyone who kills himself has got to be mentally ill . It is inculcated in us to want to live at any cost so to override this is not in the normal ranges.
Leave it up to the almighty because there is nothing anyone can do about it. It is against the law to commit suicide in America but once you do you suffer a more permanent term than a few years in jail..you are gone forever...never to look at another sunset or childs face or to hear the birds or the rain.

Answer 8

The fact is, you do not know who goes to Hell and who doesn't. Our God is a loving God who has mercy. He can see the torment that some go through. If a person is chemically imbalanced (such as depression) or mentally impaired in some way so that they can't make a legitimate choice, then I don't believe God would hold any actions they commit including suicide against them. But if one is trying to find a loop hole so that you can kill yourself and still be sure you will go to heaven, then you are showing the ability to make that choice and I believe God will hold you accountable accordingly.

Answer 9

Remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it. -1st Corinthians 10:13

Listen, O heavens, and I will speak! Hear, O earth, the words that I say!
My teaching will fall on you like rain; my speech will settle like dew. My words will fall like rain on tender grass, like gentle showers on young plants.
I will proclaim the name of the LORD; how glorious is our God!
He is the Rock; his work is perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!
But they have acted corruptly toward him; when they act like that, are they really his children? They are a deceitful and twisted generation.
Deuteronomy 32:1-5

Answer 10

Although self-inflicted death is never justified, never righteous, the apostle Paul did hold out a beautiful hope for even some unrighteous ones. As he told a Roman court of law: “I have hope toward God . . . that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.”—Acts 24:15.
The harsh verdict of being “beyond redemption,” or hopelessly consigned to hellfire, carried the judgment-at-death argument to its shaky extreme. Admits the National Catholic Reporter: “Two of the church’s greatest doctors railed against suicide—Augustine branding it ‘detestable and damnable wickedness’ and Aquinas indicating it was a mortal [unforgivable] sin against God and the community—but not all churchmen have agreed.”
Happily, we can avoid such “inner contradiction” by accepting two compatible Bible truths. First, “the soul that is sinning—it itself will die.” (Ezekiel 18:4) Second, the real hope for dead souls (people) is to live again through “a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Acts 24:15) What, then, may we reasonably expect for people who commit suicide?
A Merciful Opportunity
Stunned friends of a suicide victim may thus take comfort in knowing that “Jehovah has shown mercy to those fearing him. For he himself well knows the formation of us, remembering that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:10-14) Only God can fully understand the role of mental sickness, extreme stress, even genetic defects, in a “suicidal crisis,” which, the National Observer noted, “is not a lifetime characteristic [but] often a matter only of minutes or of hours.”—See Ecclesiastes 7:7.
Granted, one who takes his own life deprives himself of the opportunity to repent of his self-murder. But who can say whether one driven to suicide might have had a change of heart had his fatal attempt failed? Some notorious murderers have, in fact, changed and earned God’s forgiveness during their lifetime.—2 Kings 21:16; 2 Chronicles 33:12, 13.
Thus, Jehovah, having paid “a ransom in exchange for many,” is within his right to extend mercy, even to some self-murderers, by resurrecting them and giving them the precious opportunity to “repent and turn to God by doing works that befit repentance.”—Matthew 20:28; Acts 26:20.
The Responsible, Scriptural View of Life
Life is a gift from God, not something to be abused or to end at one’s own hand. (James 1:17) Hence, the Scriptures encourage us to see ourselves, not as immortal souls, but as valuable creations of the God who loves us, who treasures our being alive, and who looks forward with joy to the time of the resurrection.—Job 14:14, 15.

Taken from:
Watch Tower 1990, Sept. 8, pgs.22-23

Other articles of interest:
Why People Give Up On Life?
http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2001/10/22/article_02.htm

Have You Lost A Loved One To Suicide?
http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2001/10/22/diagram_03.htm

Suicide A World Wide Problem
http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2001/10/22/article_01.htm

Risk Factors And Warning Signs
http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2000/2/22/diagram_01.htm

Given A Desire To Live
http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2000/2/22/article_02.htm

What Really Is Hell?
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2002/7/15/article_02.htm