Why or how is suicide sinful? (moral, tradition, doctrine, church)

[porkchop]

Originally Posted by Ozzie

I consider suicide sinful because it is against life. I am interested in religious opinion on why or how suicide is sinful, or not.

As a christian, its taking life, and that is a sin.
Personally, i think it is the most selfish act a human can do, with no regard for the people they are leaving behind, though they will always claim in a note, ( or if they failed and are here to tell the story) that they were doing it for everyone else, theyd be better without them,etc.. I dont believe it, the reason ( i think) people commit suicide is for themselves, so they dont have to feel the pain they feel, or have to live the way they are, or have peopel upset or dissapointed with them, but they forget about the amount of pain, hurt and suffering that family members, loved ones, friends, and sometimes the people who witness suicides when the person decides to not think of anyone but themselves and kill themselves publicly, go through.
Please do not think i have no sympathy for how these people feel,i would help anyone feeling suicidal, they must truly ache with pain, but please dont tell me it is not selfish, cause it truly is, there is always a way to solve problems, especially these days, and life is too important and precious.

[love]

Suicide is a permenant solution to a temporary problem.

[Anti-World]

As people grow older and mature some of us realize that the pain and hurt that we feel is something that will follow us around for the rest of our lives. This is true, any knowledgable psychologist will tell you this. If you've got some unbearable pain you can cover it, bury it, or live with it, but you can *never* get rid of it. People that commit suicide know this. They know that they have to make the choice of living with a dagger in their heart for the rest of their lives or die. Many people can't understand what they are going through and therefore you say it's selfish and possibly cruel for a person to commit suicide but is torture more merciful than death? Honestly ask yourself that question and you'll learn alot about the viewpoint of someone that attempts suicide. Imagine feeling like your own mother, father, or closest person in your life just died. Try to grasp that feeling. Now imagine that you felt like that every day. It never got better, in never dulled, it's just an ongoing pain. Many of you who don't or havn't felt this way are optimistic and say that this can be overcome but, honestly, it can't. Welcome to the real world. We have people in pain every day to which there is no cure and the only solution is to die.

The only advice that I give to suicidal people is to focus on something that is important to you, like your family, kids, wife, etc and don't pay attention to the pain. Bury it. Because if you let it control you it will only get worse.

[porkchop]

[quote]

Originally Posted by Anti-World

As people grow older and mature some of us realize that the pain and hurt that we feel is something that will follow us around for the rest of our lives. This is true, anyknowledgable psychologist will tell you this.

Are psychologists knowledgeable were you live???

If you've got some unbearable pain you can cover it, bury it, or live with it, but you can *never* get rid of it. People that commit suicide know this. They know that they have to make the choice of living with a dagger in their heart for the rest of their lives or die. Many people can't understand what they are going through and therefore you say it's selfish and possibly cruel for a person to commit suicide but is torture more merciful than death?

I value life, and i do think that this kind of 'torture' you refer to is liveable, but you can also get rid of it too. I understand that if its coping with the loss of someone, their heart must be breaking and feel like theyre never going to get over it, but there is always help for people, and my advice, of course, is Jesus.

Honestly ask yourself that question and you'll learn alot about the viewpoint of someone that attempts suicide.

I feel i know enough from the viewpoint of a suicidal person to talk on this debate.

Imagine feeling like your own mother, father, or closest person in your life just died. Try to grasp that feeling. Now imagine that you felt like that every day. It never got better, in never dulled, it's just an ongoing pain. Many of you who don't or havn't felt this way are optimistic and say that this can be overcome but, honestly, it can't. Welcome to the real world. We have people in pain every day to which there is no cure and the only solution is to die.

My grandad passed away two weeks ago, so, yeah, i know what your on about. Thankfully i have Jesus to get me through it, and i feel for those who dont.
The pain will go away in time, you may always miss them, but it doesnt mean you should take your life because someone you love died. Its like saying you are worthless without someone else, i get that it may feel this way, but its not true.
I do believe anyone can overcome anything with the right help/frame of mind/ and definately with God by their side, its not being optomistic to say that, its true if your willing to try, and not only think about yourself.
Death is never the solution to any problem.

[Tigress]

Suicide is a subject that hits close to home for me. I've considered it numerous times--I've even attempted it, so pardon any bias on my part.

I suppose suicide could be considered a sin--it is the taking of a life, after all. Nevertheless, it's different than taking the life of another, as unless you believe that your life belongs to some higher purpose, it's yours to take. As for being selfish, I suppose suicide could also be considered selfish, but so could asking a person to live, especially if it's so that you don't have to feel the pain of loss. Thus, the selfishness is inescapable.

This thread reveals a couple of things. It reveals those that have been at the brink, and those that haven't. It reveals those that have a shoulder to cry on, should they find themselves in such a situation. Often times people forget that not everybody has someone--a place to call home--means--and that not everyone is going to give that kind of someone a chance. It's a sad thing, but it's a real thing--to feel like you're falling. Sometimes no matter the tides, death is the only peace.

Sometimes the point is to hurt those close to you, and sometimes that 'temporary problem' isn't so temporary.