Atheists: Are you against suicide or don't care? You don't believe in sin, so what do you think about it?

Question

Do you think that people have right to die whenever they want ?

Answer 1

I think it should be based on the facts of the situation. Should someone jump because their GF broke up with them, No. Should I be allowed to die because I'm paralyzed from the neck down and will never do anything but lay in a bed the next 6 years while my body slowly stops functioning, YES.

Answer 2

I would like to start out saying that I am somewhat offended by this question.

I am an atheist who lost a friend to suicide a month ago and I want to point out that just because atheists don't believe in the Christian concept of "sin" does not mean that we do not have morals or know the distinction between right and wrong.

As far as whether or not I am "against" suicide...I don't think that issue is black and white. I believe that it is wrong to commit suicide but not in the way that a Christian believes it is wrong. I believe that suicide is the wrong solution to what seems like overwhelming problems. Do I judge or condemn those who commit or attempt to commit suicide? NO, absolutely not. I understand that persons who commit or attempt to commit suicide are in a mental state that prevents them from thinking rationally and they may not understand the extent of what they are doing. I believe that they may not understand the permanence of their actions. They also do not understand the impermanence of their current state of suffering. They do not understand that there ARE other solutions for their problems other than ending their life.

Answer 3

I don't believe in sin, I believe in goodness. Then again, I'm not an atheist...

Suicide, depending on the reasons, is usually an action taken by the mentally ill. Those people who are suicidally depressed should be able to receive the help they need.

Those who are terminally ill should have the right to end their life as they see fit and not be stopped because someone *else* thinks its a "sin".

Answer 4

Yes, I believe that people should have the freedom to make important decisions about their life, including how they die. Who else but the individual is qualified or has the right to make that kind of decision? That being said, I do feel great compassion for those hurt by the suicide of a loved one due to depression or mental illness. I would always encourage someone with suicidal thoughts to seek treatment.

Answer 5

i am a Secular Humanist.

i am not 'against' suicide, however, it think it's abysmally sad that a person could become so despondent that they'd be driven to such an extreme measure. it's certainly not a 'sin' by any stretch of the imagination...it is simply the result of a person in crisis who didn't get help in time.

people have the right to die however & whenever they want. it's their life, so it ought to be their choice.

IMO, Dr. Kevorkian's a good man. If I were facing a terminal disease that would render me completely paralyzed and/or mentally incompetent, I would call him in a hearbeat.

Answer 6

I'm against suicide in general because people who consider it are often unbalanced and untreated, therefore operating under a skewed and dangerously deceptive perception.

I'm not against euthanasia, though. I wouldn't support killing anyone and everyone who says "I shant make it, let me go now", but for those who truly are "at the end of their rope", so to speak, and have made a willfull, informed choice, well, it's their life (and death) to handle.

I don't believe in "sin" (since such a thing is an offense against a deity and no deities exist to be offended), but that doesn't mean I'm morally devoid.

Answer 7

Of course people have a right to die. But that doesn't mean you can't help them or try to talk them out of it. Atheism does not imply "do whatever you want without consequences." And there are always consequences to suicide. That's what keeps me from doing it.

Answer 8

Mixed feelings on it. It is their right HOWEVER it's wrong to inflict that type of pain on the remaining loved ones. But in the case of terminal illnesses I can fully understand it. More access to help and making mental health less of a stigma would be a better thing for all concerned.

Answer 9

I think suicide is ethically wrong only if you have dependents that need you to provide for them. It's really not fair to children if their parents off themselves and leave them orphaned. But if you don't have any dependents, I'd say that your life belongs to you and you can do whatever you want with it, even if you want to end it. In that case, I don't think you should feel forced to live a life that you don't want to live.

Answer 10

I think people who attempt it are ill and so should be stopped, because 99% of the time they go on to lead a full life afterwards and thank the people who save them.
EDIT: accept if they are very ill of course.