Pagans: What's your view on suicide?

Question

What do you personally believe will become of one who has commited suicide? ie- would it be the same as anyone else who dies, or do you believe something else happens?
What's your views on the subject?

I saw a question pertaining to this subject earlier, and I thought I'd seek other points of view.

Answer 1

I think you'll get a lot of different views on this.

Personally I feel it depends on the reason you commit suicide.If it was,for example, to escape going to jail for the rest of your life because you'd murdered someone then I doubt the gods would approve.

If on the other hand it was because you couldn't handle life any longer because too much had gone wrong in it or you were physically seriously ill with no hope of improvement and lots of pain ahead I think the gods would understand and you'd be OK and go on to whichever afterlife your path leads to.

I'm a Celtic Pagan and the Celts were warriors but I don't think my gods would demand I fight a pointless and unwinnable war against a painful terminal illness or a totally messed up life.

As for what would happen in the first case-I have no idea.I think you'd possibly be reincarnated and have to do life over-perhaps as a human but equally possibly as an animal or plant.

Answer 2

IMO, there are three paths a person can go down when they die.
1. Their soul goes on to join other souls in a sort of great pool where they can A.) merge with the Supreme Being/Godd for a permanent vacation. Call it Summerland, Heaven, Nirvana, etc. Souls can stay there for eternity or they can B.) be reused/recycled/reincarnated and sent back to earth to live again.
2. Their soul remains on earth as a ghost/spirit/ghoul/etc. if there is still work that that person feels or Godd feels they have to do. Once they achieve that goal, then they can go down path 1.
3. The soul can skip 1A.) and go directly to 1B.) reincarnation back on earth, as anything from a human or another animal to plant or mineral or some supernatural being too, IMO.

IMO, killing yourself because you are depressed is always a bad idea. I think that suicides are more likely end up taking path 2. or 1B. than 1A.

Answer 3

I don't see anything wrong with it as long as a person is sure that they have accomplished what they needed to do and if they are sure that they aren't running away from any lesson that needs to be learned. If this is the case, I feel that it is simply a way to advance to another level. I feel that when we are truly finished with our lives that our subconscious mind (or higher self) will cause our body or surrounding events to change to cause our death anyway. Sadly, the vast majority of suicides are not the type that I've just described.

I feel that most suicides are the person's attempt to avoid dealing with things that they don't want to deal with. Whether it is grief, shame, fear, loneliness, or something else. I don't feel that these lessons will vanish just because this particular life ends. I feel that those who commit suicide because of these reasons will not be judged by anyone but themselves when they are reincarnated with the same basic lesson to learn.

I don't see much difference in the afterlife for those who commit suicide and those who die in other ways. I feel that we will all review our actions and prepare for the next incarnation. The only possible exception that I can think of would be in cases where someone chose to lose their life while saving that of others or those who chose to give their life for their deities. I believe that those people will receive special honor from their deities.

In a situation of a person who knows that someone else is going to kill them (such as a death row inmate with no chance of pardon), I see nothing wrong with allowing that person to take their own life rather than having another person kill them. If I knew for sure that someone was going to kill me, I would much rather do it myself. My reasons would be for personal honor. I don't see anything wrong with this type of suicide either.

For slower types of suicides like smoking, excess alcohol, or working in unhealthy environments, I don't see anything wrong with it. As long as the person is aware of the effects of their choices, I feel it should be an individual's right to choose.

In many places, even the attempt of suicide is illegal. This doesn't make any sense to me. I think that this should be a personal matter and I don't think that it is any business of the government if the person involved is sane. And yes, I believe that sane people can consider suicide.

Answer 4

I'll answer this as a former Pagan - with the view I held during that time - if that's alright. :)

I felt that suicide was always wrong. I read a story about two girls, I believe that they were Asian, that decided to committ suicide together in hopes of being reincarnated to a better life - a life of equality, of opportunites, of hope. That right there has to make one stop and think about suicide and if it is truely an option.

I believed, as I still do now, that life is a gift. That it is granted to us to be lived and to be enjoyed. That we are granted an enormous amount of pleasures and this cannot be by accident.

To take yourself away from all this, signals that you have fallen to a dark point, a point that no longer can find the hope and joy in life. For me, that point signaled that I must fight harder to reclaim my life, and when I did I was rewarded ten-folded for the struggle and sorrow. I still believe, that if possible then one should continue to fight for life even if it no longer seems worthwhile. To find that spark that is given to us, that source of the Divine and cling to it as we fight.

That being said, I do not think that those who are so terribly lost in the suffocating waters of depression are necessarily condemned or punished. If they are trapped beyond hope in a prison that their mind has created then they will have mercy and peace. I still believe that all measures should be taken to help them refind that joy of life. It is something we are here to do, to not only find joy but help ease the suffering of others. We are called to do this - because life is not only for ourselves but for everyone.

Answer 5

Once I thought about this question long and hard. Having been raised with the perception that every person is totally responsible for their lives, via their choices- whether they be conscious or subconsious- I began to wonder........what is NOT suicide? Most of us don't take care of our bodies and die of the dis-eases that ensue. We don't choose our own thinking and since thoughts are things that do manifest...well, I came to the conclusion that all deaths are suicide! We 'accidently' kill our body due to our severe lack of understanding the vast potential we have. I believe the body is capable of immortality but we kill it with our thoughts, neg. emotions and neglect. All of this is our responsibility, our choices.
So, suicide? Do what you gotta do. We all go to the same place after we lay the body down and design our next life for us to learn the wisdom available to everyone.
Blessings

Answer 6

i think that it would be a giant step backwards in the lessons were are here to learn. I believe that in each life, you're supposed to learn things and participate, contributing your own special skills. But if you get to a point that you feel that you need to end this chapter yourself before accomplishing your purpose, then there was something you clearly didn't learn. You may be required to do something over, or possibly another life to teach you again, but in a different way. I don't quite know how it works, and I won't until I get there.

Answer 7

I give a biased answer.
I attempted to kill myself at the age of 18. There is not rational thought behind it. The only think you are thinking of is ending the pain. You don't think of other's pain, you could give a flying flip about the afterlife and logic has no place in your plans. You are so low and sunk in such a deep, dark hole, that none of that matters.
Now, would the Gods punish a person for that? No. It's what we call MERCY. The Gods grant us what we earn and they expect us to be human.

Answer 8

I believe that they will still have to deal with problems that they tried to get out of by killing themselves in another life. Killing yourself also creates negative karma for you because you hurt everyone who loved you by doing so, so it has to catch up with you. You will suffer the consequences in your next life. It's like procrastinating on life's major struggles, you'll have to face them eventually. People who do kill themselves are also cowards since it takes so much more courage to live.

Answer 9

Everyone who dies receives the same fate. Don't believe the religions with their worldly dogmas.

Answer 10

Well, what I believe is reincarnation, that you continue through the life cycle until you've learned all the lessons your required to learn. Suicide is escaping the in-escapable, life. By commiting it, your just subjecting yourself to yet another life to learn the lessons you failed to learn in the current lifetime.