Atheists (or non): What do you think of my brother-in-law who hung himself?

Question

had a great job (but was recently divorced) hanging himself at

age 58? My thoughts are: if he had a higher Power to turn to

in his life, I don't think he would be dead now. (Not to mention

what awaits him in the hereafter.)

Answer 1

I feel very sorry about that. He must have been very miserable. I wish he would have turned to Jesus and he would probably be alive now.

Answer 2

I think he was inconsiderate to say the least. But that's another topic.

Would he have killed himself if he believed in god? That's a question which cannot be answered. There's absolutely no way to know for sure.

I sincerely hope you're an atheist troll masquerading as a christian! Because if not, WOW! The intolerance and condemnation is mind boggling. I sure you hope you have shown more compassion to the widow.

Answer 3

I think some people are mentally unstable and unable to cope with difficulty because they were pandered to as children and had all their problems solved for them by mommy and daddy. Or, they needed counseling and never got help. There are emotionally weak people of all faiths and non-faiths. I've known Christians who killed themselves, too. So the point you were attempting to make is moot. Not all people who commit suicide are Atheists and not all people who have a higher power are emotionally stable.

Answer 4

dont be afraid to die dead is dead ..Ecclesiastes 3
I also thought, "As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. 19 Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath [b] ; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal [c] goes down into the earth?"

Ecclesiastes 4

2 And I declared that the dead,
who had already died,
are happier than the living,
who are still alive.

3 But better than both
is he who has not yet been,
who has not seen the evil
that is done under the sun

the scary thing is to want to live again to slave for GOD now thats scary na give me death any day...

Answer 5

David Koresh had someone higher to turn to. So did Jim Jones. At least your brother in law didn't take a bunch of mislead followers with him.

It's too bad he didn't find help from a doctor, or was religion the only acceptable option in your clan?

Also, as I recall, jesus also planned his own execution, which was suicide through police.

Answer 6

My thoughts are: He should have had someone REAL to talk to. Since there's no such thing as a higher power, he should have been seeking psychiatric counselling.

Nothing awaits him in the hereafter. Since you addressed this to Atheists, you should understand that none of us believe in your fairy tale "Hell".

Answer 7

I think that he had chemical imbalances that skewed his view of the world. This would have made him feel hopeless or alone or perhaps he felt he did have a higher power who failed him.

However he explained it to himself, it was a chemical imbalance that led to his depression and inability to make valid decisions.

I feel it is such a waste as tomorrow could not possibly have been any worse.

Answer 8

I've known a few people who really did believe in a God and who committed suicide. I don't think religion or lack there of is a factor. People commit suicide because they are in pain, either physically or emotionally. If he was recently divorced, that was no doubt a major factor.

Answer 9

Want to do a statistical comparison between rates of suicide in the religious vs atheists, thats the only way to find out? I am sorry for your loss but one case is not conclusive, and I know where my money is.

Answer 10

That's just your particular band-aid for human weakness - "faith" in fairy tales. Everybody knows that religion began as a way of dealing with pain and death, by promising adherents some such reward as immortality for their servitude (and tithe money). The "atheist" is simply the guy who asked to see the securities, and, finding organized religion bankrupt, decided that his "faith" was in no faith. Your idea is that he should've stuck with the banal soothing-syrup that gets you through the day. But his problems didn't begin or end with religion or lack thereof - religion, again, is just one method of coping, and a superficial one, in my estimation. My condolences BTW, not that you seem to care, gloating as you are over his chances in hell like a typical "religious" hypocrite.

Answer 11

I think you are clueless
you have as much insight into it as I do and I have no idea about what led up to this happening i was no where around maybe if he had freinds and family to turn to he may not have took his own life