Why do Christians believe that murderers can still go to heaven but suicides go straight to hell?

Question

It doesn't seem right. Murderers are doing harm to others and people who kill themselves are only hurting themselves. So the Bible is saying it's more sinful to hurt yourself than to hurt others? Why are murderers given a chance to go to heaven but suicides aren't?

I know the Christian church teaches this because I went to 5 different Christian schools between kindergarten and 10th grade. Every school would tell me that suicides go to hell but even people like Jeffrey Dahmer can go to heaven.

I don't think it has to do with suicides not being able to ask for forgiveness before their last sin. The thing that gets you into heaven is being saved, right? Having a clean forgiven heart right before you die isn't the ticket to heaven. It's whether you accept Jesus or not. That's what the church taught me. Also, think about all the Christian people who died suddenly (plane crash, etc.) and had committed big sins before they could ask for forgiveness. Those people are in the same position as the suicides but they can still go to heaven? So suicidal people and plane crash victims should both be able to go to heaven, but the church says suicides can't. It doesn't make sense.

I think the church has some holes in its teachings. This is one of them.

Answer 1

Not that i believe in that logic at all, but I think it has to do with the fact murderers have time to repent their sin, while a suicide does not.

Answer 2

I'm a Christian and I do not believe that suicides go straight to hell.

The traditional understanding is that if you have committed suicide, you are outright rejecting the very life you've been given by God, which is essentially the largest rejection of God you could make.

Now, in modern times, we know quite well that suicide is usually the result of depression, a mental illness. It is not a rational decision. Which is why more and more Christians are rejecting the old belief that suicides go to hell.

I have to say that I'm confused about the whole idea that it's because murderers can repent: the Bible says that Jesus went and preached to the deceased, so I'm not sure why repentance should only be available to the living!

Answer 3

The original Christian Church teaches that we cannot say with certainty that any particular person goes to hell. We do not know with certainty that Judas is in hell - or Hitler. There may be circumstances that strongly suggest to our human minds that certain people are lost, but that is for God to judge, not us.

As for suicide, there is good reason to think that at least some of these people may be saved. The original Christian Church teaches, as it has taught for 2,000 years, and as James tells us in the Bible, that there are certain sins that are spiritually deadly, and other sins that are not. The Church calls spiritually deadly sins "mortal", because "mortal" means "deadly". Such mortal sin is the only thing that can keep a person out of heaven. The Church teaches that there are three requirements for a sin to be mortal. (1) The act itself must by a grave moral evil (the deliberate taking of a human life is a grave moral evil). (2) The person committing the act must know of the grave nature of the act. (Probably most people know that suicide is a grave evil, but we can't speak for everyone). And (3) the person who commits the act must give full rational consent of his/her will. It is highly unlikely that a person contemplating the most irrational act of all - self-destruction - is in a position to give full rational consent of his will. Therefore, such people are likely to be judged as mentally incompetent, rather than mortally sinful, regarding the suicide. Probably the state of their spiritual lives before they became mentally ill will count more in their final judgment.

Answer 4

First of all, only the Lord can see in a person and judge them. Anyone who pretends to know where either could potentially go is messing with you and deceiving their own self. Do people in their right mind commit suicide? The only argument that I have heard to be yes was in WWII and there is info now to refute that idea. I heard an interesting interview on NPR with a Japanese woman who wrote a book on the WWII Suicide Bombers. They were convinced to take this action out of military duty to protect their homeland . . . they were not crazy zealots. If we are to render unto Cesar, then again, I don't think what they were asked to do was truly suicide. What about the modern suicide bombers . . . are they brainwashed? Are they really in their right mind?

Shedding of innocent blood involves removing someone's free choice and ability to make decesions. The murder may have an opportunity to repent, but what of the victim who's life was cut short? They were denied the right to repent. Again, the Lord can see into hearts and knows who the person is . . . we don't.

But I agree with you, if I really thought all these people spouting judgments were the judge--it would make no sense!

Answer 5

I don't know about other denominations but that is not what the Catholic Church teaches anymore. They revised that doctrine about 20 years ago, I think, because people who commit suicide just can't deal with their lives and often are psychotic or otherwise mentally ill, so they cannot be blamed for their actions. The Church used to say that it was a rejection of God's love, but it is not, so suicides get a chance to go to Heaven, and if you ask me they probably are more likely to go because they have suffered with Jesus.

Answer 6

I've often wondered the same thing myself - but I think you'll find the question lies in the concept that a murderer still has time to repent, whereas suicide prevents the individual from repenting as once the sin is successful, it's game over.
Although, taking that thought a step further, what if the suicide victim was not in their right-mind or had full control over their emotional and mental faculties? Are they still held accountable? Wouldn't an omniscient being factor this in a judge less harshly?

Answer 7

I'm christian,and people that are not in their right mind don't go to hell for killing them self and I think you'd have to be in an alter state to do it,I know I almost did it myself and I was not myself,and there's a lot of things about dying and the after life we want know til we die we just assume this and that about it,who knows what will happen on the other side.

Answer 8

I'm Quaker (a divison of Christianity) and we don't believe that. I guess the reason is that people think it's a sin to take your own life to get to God, but they think that murderers can redeem themselves but when you're dead you can't redeem yourself. My religon thinks that there's the holy spirit in everyone and it's everyware, I never really learned about that. I'll ask the Misitery of Worship- we really have no priests and the like.

Answer 9

Not all Christians believe suicides automatically go to hell. If a murderer repents (not just saying the words, but truly meaning it in his heart) he (or she) has as much a right to be forgiven as anyone else who has sinned (all of us). God also knows what is in the heart of one who has chosen to end his life. It all depends on knowing God as your Saviour.

Answer 10

Well to be saved from Hell, one must repent and ask forgivness of sin. Can a person do that after suicide? A murderer can become remorseful and ask forgiveness. Part of Salvation is putting yourself in the hands of God to allow Him to work in you... can you do this after suicide?

I dont know honestly if suicide is a ticket to hell in a handbasket, it might not be. But thats not something I would take lightly and if I tell a person it wont send them to hell, and they kill themselves believing i was right and I wasnt..... I wouldnt want that on my hands before God. It would be better for me to tell them it could send them to hell and show the reasons and then later God tell me "He was saved I took him Home with me" than to say it wont send them to hell and have to answer to God about that one dont you think?