Religious people only: what is your religion's view on suicide?

Question

I am an agnostic/atheist and I am interested in this subject.
One thing that 'coloured' my view of religion was the way a priest spoke about an aquintance of mine, who commited suicide.

I am asking because I want to find out what diverse views there are within religions.
I am not after a flame war and will not express my own opinion about any of the answers.
The 'best answer' will be based on merit, not the opinion it contains.

Answer 1

for Catholics suicide is an unforgivable sin, they say that if you kill your self you will go to hell. Christian’s say that if you kill you self it just like any other sin, and it is forgiven like any other sin. ( i am Christian by the way ) ( oh and am suicidal and have tried to kill myself ones) when i talk to people about suicide they say it is selfish, its taking the easy way out, if they only knew what it is like... i'll try to describe it a little… when one is suicidal they are of course depressed, most people don't get what depression is. depression is when( in simple terms ) the chemicals in your brain are unbalanced, the ones that are for dealing with stuff are in short supply, and there is a lot of ones that make stress . so stuff that for the normal person is a little bad, is really bad for the depressed person. ( i'll get to the religious part in a sec ) when people say “the easy way out” it tics me off. Nothing is freaking easy, when people try to reason with it, it’s so freaking annoying. Its not something you can reason through, life sucks, life is not worth the trouble, there is no light at the end of the tunnel, there is no end to the tunnel, it keeps on going and going with no end, until you die. So when people say it is “taking the easy way out” it’s not easy, the people that say that have never tried to kill them self. do you have any idea I hard it is? Nothing is easy any more every thing is hard, every thing. So its not the easy way out, it’s the only way out Or the hard way out, but not even close to easy. If it was easy I would be dead right now. I just want to sit all of the people down that think that is the easy way out, and tell them what it is like... so back to religion…ones life is not there own it is God’s, it is not our right to take ones life, it is Gods. but that will not stop me, and did not stop a lot of people. it is a choice and a option, a option that many people take.. It is shunned upon by all most every religion, they say it is a sin( and it is ) and for some like Catholics, it will not be forgiven.
I do not say that a person I hear about that killed them self is selfish I say, why was there no one they could talk to? why did they feel so alone is the world? why did they hate there life? Why did know one know something was up?
Let all of them rest in peace, and let not be called selfish but let them be called the forgotten.

Answer 2

human beings devote suicide at the same time as they are ill. I actually have some adventure in this container and it really is a psychological ailment. i think the basically exception is that if someone kills themselves to flee a worse death. The suicide bombers are genuinely ill. they are in a state of psychological imbalance brought about through mind washing. How else might want to some actual believe the ridiculous tale that they are going to finally end up in paradise with ninety 2 virgins because the 9/11 terrorists must have done and under no circumstances be mentally disturbed

Answer 3

I think each person, no matter what religion, has their own view on this subject. I am a christian and I truly think suicide is something very sensitive and sad.

I have also lost a few close friends through suicide and wish not to condemn their actions. As a christian I believe in a God of understanding and love. Sometimes life can just get the best of someone and that person should not be judged by only one thing he did, but by his life.

I was only 13 when one of my friends shot herself. She was also only 13 years old. Our school got a counselor to come and speak to us about the event which truly shocked the whole school. He explained that if you give a really small dog a huge bone, the bone might get too heavy. Even though the dog really wants the bone, there comes a time when he just gives it up because it is too draining to try and carry it around all the time.

Suicide should never be the answer to one's problems though. It is a pity that not all people can be reached in time and given the love and support they need to life a gr8 life.

Answer 4

I am a Buddhist yet I am also secular, I do not believe suicide is a sin, only a shame, not for the person who ends their life but for a society that allowed them to sink so low in their emotions.
People who commit suicide are victims of their circumstances and emotions, they should not be further more ridiculed or persecuted for feeling worthless, we should at least have compassion for these poor people when they have committed the act, if a little late in preventing such tragedies.
In Buddhism all that would happen to these people would be rebirth (reincarnation) in a next life and many more until they can purify their Karma, in other words work on their emotional and psychological issues, until they find peace and enlightenment.

Answer 5

Well, I'm Wiccan, and I don't know as Wicca holds a particular stance on suicide other than the Rede - an it harm NONE, do what ye will. None includes yourself. So given that your karma is tied to how you live the Rede, suicide will probably make your karma a little messy in the next life.

Also, from my personal view as a Wiccan, suicide seems a little silly as a concept, since I believe in reincarnation. If you commit suicide in this life then you clearly didn't learn what you needed to learn, so you'll just be working on the same issues in your next life. You'll be prolonging the spiritual process for yourself, but it is not for me to judge. Each person's life and spiritual path is their own. While I certainly think life is preferable to suicide in most cases (terminal illness is an entirely different story), it is not my place to decide for anyone else what they should do with their life.

)O(

Answer 6

Usually people who commit suicide have been individuals who have been suffering for a long time due to a number of circumstances, and usually have certain mental disorders. If you think there is a God up there who chooses to punish these people on top of their suffering than you're f*cked in the head. At the worst I believe a soul may linger awhile on Earth before they go to the great beyond and find peace, but I don't see the sense in punishing them for all eternity. What the hell would that accomplish? Murder is an act of taking life out of malice, usually for selfish gain, but there are always other circumstances. Suicide is the taking of one's own life in order to relieve one's pain and suffering. I don't endorse it and I do believe it is selfish in a way for the pain it causes loved ones, but ultimately it is that person's decision. All you can do is try to help a person to get help with something like that but criminalizing them or damning them for it is sick.

P.S. I don't think religion should have anything to do with how you analyze something like suicide and it's almost different from person to person. Regardless of religion, christian, jew, or muslim...if you've lost someone to suicide, God's opinion is usually the first to go out the window.

Answer 7

Catholics believe suicide when committed in full knowledge and deliberate consent is a complete turning away from God (a mortal sin) and will send a person to hell.

There are 3 conditions of a mortal sin: grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent.

While suicide (or any kind of murder) is always a grave matter, people who commit suicide may not always have full knowledge of what they're doing. Drugs can definitely impair one's thinking, as can other things, such as diseases, intense pain, or anguish.

Therefore, suicide is not automatically treated as a mortal sin.

We are commanded by Christ not to judge others so we leave final judgment to God who alone knows each person's heart.

With love in Christ.

Answer 8

I am a christian, non-denominational. I believe suicide is a sin, it falls under murder. But, suicide is no worse a sin than, say, stealing. The wages of sin is death. However, if that person that commited suicide either has never heard a true form of the gospel, or was a christian, in both belief and action, then they will go to heaven.

Ryan

EDIT:
Someone put "Thou shall not kill" up above. This is a common mistake. It's actually "Thou shall not murder." And, yes, there's a difference.

Answer 9

Having been an RN for 40 years, I've seen the struggles and unbearable pain. I have vacillated personally on this subject for years. I have also known people with intractable emotional pain. My religion teaches taking a life, yes, even if it is your own is wrong.
Personally, now I believe it is wrong. I've known a couple of healthy people who chose to do it and always believed had they not, they could have eventually found peace. For the terminally ill, their suffering can be managed. I finally have settled on the personal philosophy our own lives are not for us to decide when it is over.
As far as your friend is concerned, who knows? they may have gone "out" with a prayer for forgiveness, and we believe God is merciful. As far as the priest is concerned, his duty was to pray for the persons soul, and for the comfort for the bereaved family. His duty was not to offer his opinions of condemnation.

Answer 10

I am not sore exactly but if they are teaching us from the bible it says that there is only one sin that is unforgivable, it isn't that clear on what it is, but i don't think self harm is the one, Jesus came to relieve the world of All sin, it says that in quite a few places,so I'm guessing that the only sin that is unforgivable is the un-belief of Jesus being the son and saviour that re-connects us to our father God.I think whoever your friend was, needed to feel there was more,and was desperate in his/her situation,i think tha the would be judged the same as the priest and the sinner alike. religion can be a very harmful thing,but knowledge of the bible can be the remedie of that.