Atheists: are you against suicide?

Question

If you dont believe that your life was given to you by God, therefore no one but God can take it, why would you be against suicide?

lol, am not targetting atheists here people, its a simple question in order to understand what goes on in the minds of people who have different beliefs than I do.

which is why I think I deserve a serious answer rather than the usual: 'omg youre an idiot'

Answer 1

Wow. You value life that little?

I really feel sorry for you.

Answer 2

If I don't believe my life was given by god, no one but god can take it?

That makes no sense at all. I do not believe god exists. Period. There is nothing else after that. No god, no questions.

As far as suicide is concerned, if someone is so miserable that they feel the need to end their life, that's their choice. I would intervene only to provide support for whatever is making them miserable and guide them to therapy or counseling because I hate to see people suffer. But in the end, it's their choice.

I know some very bad people could murder others and claim it was suicide but modern forensics can see through the vast majority of such schemes and the bad people will get what is coming to them.

Again... no god to be concerned about taking my life... that would be murder anyway, another being taking my life, right? Wacky stuff there.

Answer 3

I am a former psychiatric nurse. I dealt with suicidal people all the time. I knew someone personally who took his own life.
Suicide is a permanent answer to temporary problems, and a heinously stupid thing to do. As an atheist, I know this is the only life we are going to get, and suicide is a waste of life.
Having said that, I am aware also of the kind of desperation that leads to suicide, the feelings of abandonment, and the hopelessness. By the time someone has made the decision to take his or her own life, gods are of little consequence or help. Most of the "Christians" I talked to who had attempted suicide did so because they felt their gods had turned away from them, in spite of their constant prayers.
I believe life is precious, and fleeting. I don't need to have any mythological beliefs to come to that conclusion. It's just reality.

Answer 4

I'm not against a person using their body as they see fit. If they want to end it.....then end it. If not, then don't.


And there are other reasons to be against suicide that "because God gave me this life". People can find something worth living for aside from god.

Perhaps they think that a life is not worth giving up and that they may get a chance to help somebody else in a time of need.

A person does not need God to be able to have their life mean something.

Answer 5

My atheistic view of why suicide is wrong:
1. It seems like an awfully permanent solution to what is invariably a temporary problem.
2. a lot of people have invested a lot of time and effort to bring you into this world, keep you healthy and safe, educate you. It's your obligation to be a productive member of the society that raised you.

I do believe that there are some cases where it's OK. Such as in the case of a painful terminal disease. No reason to extend the suffering.

Answer 6

Aside from religion totally, suicide...IN MOST CASES...is a totally selfish method of opting out of life. The people you leave behind pay the price...

having said that and before anyone writes me an email...I do believe there are jusitfiable reasons for suicide (not bombing in a war or to terrorize)...

I also believe the great majority of people who attempt suicide feel they have no hope and believe by some magic that if they do this to themselves they will somehow wake up the next day and know that their pain is gone.

The Ol' Hippie Jesus Freak
Grace and Peace
Peg

Answer 7

Suicide is the cowards way out. Suicide is for people who can't deal with their problems any other way. It's stupid, and it's cowardly. It's a lot harder to have to live.

Has nothing to do with God, for me. Has everything to do with self-respect and self-love.

BTW - you do realize that this question should also apply to those who artificially extend lives too, right? Doctors play god every day... If God is the only one who can take a life, then why does God allow doctors to save lives? Doesn't that throw a wrench into His plans?

Answer 8

I am not an atheist, but I can come up with all kinds of reasons to be against suicide anyway.
It's very painful for loved ones and is a disservice to all society. It hurts the mental health professions who exist to help people especially in such extreme pain, it is horrible to do to the parents who raised you, to the siblings who loved you and the friends who would have helped had they only known your pain.

(This is just off the top of my head in the 10 seconds I took to think about it.)

Answer 9

This atheist is not against suicide. I would only hope that a person really thinks about whether they would want to really end their life. sometimes serious medical conditions or alcoholism dictates suicide in individuals. however, I don't consider it morally wrong. where are you getting your stats from anyway. never heard the comparison of atheists and the way we feel about suicide.

Answer 10

I personally wouldn't commit suicide and I think that every life have value..without a belief in god.
Whatever other people want to do with their life is their choice whether I agree with it or not.

Answer 11

This life is MORE precious because it's the only one we have. If someone wants to kill themselves, they are likely mentally ill (depression or that kind of thing). You don't let ill people harm themselves. It would be wrong.

If, on the other hand, a person wanted to make the choice to end their own life and they had sane and good reasons for it, that would be fine. Oregon has a law that allows doctors to assist suicides of terminally ill patients. I think that's great - and we do that for our pets - why not allow people the same dignity?