Is killing onself a sane thing to do?

Question

I know there are extraordinary situations in which killing oneself is the lesser of two evils (as in one is going to die anyway and due to unbearable pain wants to choose the time of their departure, or people in the WTC buildings who jumped rather than be burned or crushed or torn apart), but besides that, is killing oneself a sane thing to do?

And to make it appropriate for this section: was Jesus sane when he heard the voice of God (or himself, for those who subscribe to Trinity theology) telling him that he had to allow himself to die a gruesome, torturous death in order to "save" mankind? Wouldn't a sane person have said "God/Me, that doesn't make any sense. Why the blood sacrifice? Couldn't you/I just pick a daisy and then proclaim that by picking the daisy, all their sins are forgiven?"

Randy, so you're saying it was a sane thing to do because Jesus said "lookie here Dad, I don't think this seems reasonable" and God said "hey, you do what I tell you to do, and I'm telling you that you have to die" and Jesus said "oh...... ok"?

Answer 1

Jesus did question God in the garden before the crucifixion, and then He said not My will, but Thy will be done.

This is a good question, it calls into play should we have a say when we are dying in what kind of dignity we are allowed to have. From what I understand the Bible is silent when it comes specifically to suicide. There are those who say that it is murder because a person is intentionally ending a life, even if that life belongs to him.
I find it very interesting in a society where we kill criminals and allow abortions that we draw the line at assisted suicide. I honestly can say this is one topic where I am not sure what my opinion is, but I appreciate the thought provoking topic. Thumbs up to you.

Answer 2

Is killing yourself, if you know for certain that it will save other people, a sane thing? Assuming that Mr. Spock was right in asserting that logic demands that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, then I would say so.

If you recall your Bible (or your movie trivia), you must have realized that the human side of Jesus did have a problem with being tortured and killed, as any human would. Jesus had a long talk with God the father when he was in Gethsemane the night before his ordeal.

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I think that most people would never accept the idea that dying for a cause would be considered "insane". Perhaps it is not always wise (depends on the cause), but to suggest that dying for a cause is "insane" would suggest that everyone, say, who fought in the American Revolution, or that the firefighters who ran into the burning World Trade Center to almost certain death, were not in full possession of their mental facilities.

I cannot accept that.

Of course, if you do not believe in God, then I suppose that anyone hearing voices, seeing visions, or assuming that he was divine, must be considered insane, but that is a different issue than the implied suggestion that you seem to be making that courage must be regarded as some type or form of insanity. I cannot accept that either.

Answer 3

Very interesting question, as I've always been of the belief that killing anything sentient requires at least a temporary disconnection from sanity (or a brief digression into the realm of animalistic behavior.)

I think that people who commit suicide under severe duress (i.e. jumping out the window to avoid immolation) are a special exception. Self-preservation is a very strong motivator, and on a very primitive level, the brain probably says "Fire = immediate certain death, Leaping out open widow = imminent certain death." The organism will try to survive as long as it reasonably can, and the difference between imminent and immediate, while small, is still a difference. Plus, the pain from the smoke and flames surely has an effect.

It's been said the the human organism is motivated by two primary factors, the desire for pleasure, and the avoidance of pain. I would imagine most suicides are a result of the latter. Many suicides are very carefully planned out and meticulously executed, and while it's hard to believe an insane person could do this, there are different kinds/levels of insanity.

I tend to believe that most suicides are the result of extreme despair, bordering on temporary insanity.

Jesus was just a man, and he was apparently quite a troublemaker, which explains why he was put to death. I suspect he was insane when he died, not because he chose a convoluted means of suicide, but because he had a persistent delusion of godhood.

Answer 4

It might be answered that by picking a daisy, few mortals would be convinced that the act represented the annulment of all human sins. Christ has still fought to win converts.

But many humans have suffered far greater torture and agony since Christ died. His execution would be considered mild against what the Nazis, the Japanese during WW2, the Soviets at different times, or Saddam - the list goes on - have done to make people suffer. Christ's does not look like much of a sacrifice after a little inspection - no more impressive than the picking of a daisy.

Answer 5

The tough part about this question is in the word "sane."

Sanity isn't clearly defined by psychology; in fact, they don't even use the word. Sane vs insane is best described by the legal profession and they don't measure things quite the way your question seems to require an answer.

My personal opinion on suicide is just as you've stated in the details of the question, that in some cases it's justified. As for the situation Jesus faced, (if the story is even real and if he truly existed,) the idea of altruism comes to mind - he sacrificed his own life for the betterment of all.

Well, ... in the same altruistic vane, so did the Japanese kamikaze pilots of WWII and the Muslim terrorist pilots of 911. An altruistic sacrifice can certainly be a sane enough act to take part in... for some at least and in some cases.

So... the question then becomes one of "Is the cause worth dieing for and do you believe your personal sacrifice is going to make a difference?" I don't quite know what to say about any of the cases I've included here except for my own opinion that any of them, Jesus, Kamikaze or Muslim terrorist, were all equally nuts as far as I can see.

[][][] r u randy? [][][]
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Answer 6

Good question. I am glad to have heard all of the answers thus far, and a lot of people are on the same page. Funny how lots of us want freedom. Freedom to love, freedom to live, freedom to die? Why not? I appreciate choosing to have children or not. I appreciate not being forced into Christianity. And I most definitely appreciate having the choice to leave this life if need be.

I mean, for some, tortures and scars can never be healed or forgotten. Carrying so much heartache is torture in itself. Mentally disturbed or not, if one chooses not to get help and not to go on with life, we should let it be. That's part of being free. We complain about restraints from the government and society, yet we are hypocritical when it comes to suicide or assisted suicide?

Well, this is just my opinion. I see this body as a mere vessel for my everlasting spirit and nothing more. Suicide will NOT condemn me to hell. That being said, I plan on sticking it out until I'm about 90 years old...hehe!

Answer 7

Yes and no... to the person it may seem like the only available choice to take, when in despair or in defence of another. For example.. would it be considered insane if I threw myself in front of an attacking grizzly bear knowing I would be killed to save the life of my little sister...? I say yes and no. Yes it seems insane to cause your own death, but it seems perfectly sane to save the life of someone you love. If that means ending your life, then it is a practical choice motivated by love. Now if Jesus was real etc and he thought that by letting himself be killed he was saving many people then whether or not it was truth or delusion it was still a sane decision... If he truly believed everything about god etc and thought that his death would bring salvation to the whole of the human race then to him that would be a very logical choice to make. Like another answerer quoted the immortal words of Mr. Spock... "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" this can sometimes lead sane people to do insane things like taking their life, and it can lead insane people to make sane choices. If that makes any sense.. Now it is a completely different issue when you get into suicides where the people have no real reason to kill themselves.. a 21 year old girl in my town hung here self a few months ago, she was not sick or dying, she was mentally ill and depressed and she thought that life just wasnt worth living. That is not a sane choice, she didnt even believe she was doing any good for anyone else she just hated her own life so much that she ended it. Even if someone is clinically insane, if they think that by killing themselves they are saving the lives of others, that is still a sane choice.. when it comes down to the motivation for the act.

Answer 8

Killing oneself is probably more on the crazy side of the spectrum then the sane one.

Although am not sure what goes on in peoples head while theyre doing it, they probably convince themselves that its the best thing to do.

But hurting yourself is never a sane thing : /

Ask any psychologist or psychiatrist and theyll tell you its far from being a sane thing to do.

As for Jesus, Id agree with you. But then again, who am I to question the people who feel its okay for someone to die so they can go to heaven?

Answer 9

I say....trying to analyse situations whilst sitting back in what may be considered a safe, sound environment does not enable a person to fairly weigh the sanity or insanity of such.

Therefore all answers should be considered merely educated opinions. After all it is the sanity or lack of, (the dead) that you are questioning. In which case you will go insane trying to weigh the logical responses.

Answer 10

Suicide is obviously not wise. There is a way to overcome what would lead one to suicide.
The comparison to Jesus is not valid. He was sent to this earth for that one purpose, to die as our sacrifice. If He had wanted to question that decision, He would not have become human in the first place. The key is that He was obedient to His Heavenly Father and went to achieve His earthly purpose.
Suicide for one of us would not be an act of obedience, but an act of desperation and in a certain way an act of selfishness.