This is a sincere question. Suppose a friend, loved one or close acquaintance became despondent and wanted to commit suicide because they believed they should go to hell. At what point would you stop treating this as a problem of faith and start thinking of it as a mental health problem? How would you decide?
2007-03-20 06:35:07 · 26 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
BTW this is hypothetical, a values and judgement question. No one I know is like this.
2007-03-20 06:45:38 · update #1
(Warning: Longer post than I'd intended. What can I say, you hit a nerve)
Right away. Spiritual issues can go hand in hand with emotional and mental illness. Prayer is good, prayer alongside some cognitive behavior therapy is much better. Reading a Bible to someone does no good for a chemical imbalance.
I went to a counselor at a Christian college I went to, telling him I was suffering from depression. I was told my faith wasn't strong enough and I needed to pray more and come to think of it he hadn't seen me at chapel that week. It didn't help, I felt worse and more unloved and I dropped out of school.
I went to a cognitive behavior therapist and was given some exercises to do on positive self talk (it worked so I didn't go on medication). Now I'm not suicidal anymore. I still prayed, I still read the Bible, I still went to church, but I also sought professional help. It wasn't just a spiritual crisis, it was an emotional disorder I was suffering from. You can't just tell them it's part of God's plan and if you have faith it will get better. Earthly medicine is a fantastic thing.
Someone who is suicidal needs immediate active help. They can't just have faith and gut through it (the advice given to me by my father before I was informed the world didn't owe me anything so I better just get over it). Once you reach suicidal you are well past the realm of 'faith healing'
EDIT:
Man there are some posts here that make me want to smack the poster in the mouth. Not a very Christian attitude I know, but . . . . sweet merciful Zarquon! Depression is not something you can just pray away!
2007-03-20 06:55:31 · answer #1 · answered by LX V 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think any person of faith would realize that thoughts of suicide are not necessarily spiritual matters, although certainly their spirits are low.
But we also know that some Rx drugs can cause depression and suicidal thoughts, as can bad diets, drug abuse, abuse from spouse, a new child in the family, etc. Any person of faith worth their salt will first advise a visit to the doctor to make sure all is well physically.
Only then would I suggest they see a Christian psychiatrist, who can help them determine if it's spiritual assistance they need, or mental assistance (as in medications and therapy).
But never would I ignore the physical and the mental and tell someone who is hurting so much that all they need is a spiritual uplifting and some prayer.
2007-03-20 06:47:25 · answer #2 · answered by arewethereyet 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That is why in the catholic religion if you comit suicide it is held as a sin and aren't even given an open burial only family is allowed to come and if you do kill your self you are not buried as a Catholic but as a non believer but...... If someone thinks they should go to hell so they are going to commit suicide then it is a mental problem because if you realy truely believed you would know that God will take you back no matter what you did. So it is an illness to think God so cruel he shall cast you away even if you repent.
2007-03-20 06:46:33 · answer #3 · answered by scarletfangg 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think that any time someone is talking about commiting suicide it is something to be taken seriously and the sooner the better. Mental illness is real and is not something to be made fun of or treated lightly. It is a killer indeed.
Trying to "descern spirits" or asking questions to try to unmask what is really going on are very arrogant ways of approaching this problem. It is probable that no on on this forum has any qualification to be able to determine how serious someone is about committing suicide no matter how "spiritual" they are.
2007-03-20 06:45:50 · answer #4 · answered by Bud 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think it would be a problem of both faith and health. I would address the medical issue first, as there is a Biblical precidence for this.In James 5:14 the instruction is for the elders to pray and administer oil. Oil was used for medicine then. So I would pray for the person WHILE taking them to their doctor, or while calling for an ambulance, etc...
Our brains are delicate parts of our body. Sometimes it is effected by illness that needs to be treated with medicine. Once the person is stable medically I would address the spiritual issues causing the depression.
2007-03-20 06:43:30 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I honestly understand that this is a sincere question, but I would think that they were crazy and needed help so I guess that makes it a Mental Health issue~! I believe that when people truely want to kill themselves that they dont tell any one in fear that someone will stop them~! I would defintaly take it serious as I am not telling you to ignore the situation~! Talk to the person or if this person is a minor talk to their parents~!Good Luck~!:)
2007-03-20 06:41:07 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That's mental health problem, anytime a person thinks of committing suicide is a mental problem. going to hell is just an excuse for suicide. . .
2007-03-20 06:42:26 · answer #7 · answered by rosemarie 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
can you explain what is a menthal problem?Because Jesus said only about demons..not mental ilness..By the way...nobody says today..he has a demon..everybody says ..he is ill...
To my best knowledge Jesus said that if we say some is mad ..we deserve hell..but we can be forgiven..of course..
So nobody is ill eveything wrong or evil in the world comes from satan ..because so it is in the Bible..satan tempted with taht fruit and then the Evil entered the world..so that suppose friend shall go to heaven is he is afraid of hell..because it seems he rejects the hell and he is sorry for sinning..When you are afraid of hell it is a good thing not a menthal ilness..saints from theology recomanden the fear of hell ..to kepp us away from sinning..
So your suposition is wrong. I guess none who is afraid of hell can comite a suicide..he can comit it from other points of view but they are all false..because it is a mistake and a sin to comit a suicide.So acctually those who are afraid of hell ..they ask forgiveness..and don't comite suicide..Even if a man is possesed by demon..God can save him...and the he will be alive..
Let's say ..those who sin are having demons..I read that those who are sleeping around are having demons..so do they have a menthal ilness if they sleep around with many people ?No it is not considered a menthal ilness because it is a pleasure..
2007-03-20 07:00:19 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I would treat is as both from the start... if it became clear that the mental was the controlling factor then I would advise seeking treatment for that from proper professionals... while still dealing with the spiritual faith issues.
2007-03-20 06:40:15 · answer #9 · answered by idahomike2 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
OOO, at the point they wanted to commit suicide. Suicide is a serious depression problem. If you are in your right mind and a lover of Jesus, suicide would not cross your mind. You would know you are forgiven. Have you ever read the Left Behind Series? Hattie was seriously depressed because she was being influenced by Satan.
2007-03-20 06:40:53 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋