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Religion and suicide.

Blackdog22

Well-Known Member
Well my computer BSOD and my whole post was erased so I am going to keep this short and simple.

If you were suffering to a degree that you and only you, could consider bad enough that dying would be preferred over living do you think spiritually that a god (whomever that may be) would damn you for it?

This is for people who feel a spiritual connection of any kind to any god. Do you think he would rather you suffer for the rest of your life or would he be understanding of the situation?

Also, please no judgements from people who have little to no experience with the kind of suffering I am talking about (suicidal). You would simply be talking from ignorance and that solves nothing.

BTW, not suicidal, just wonder what people think about this on a spiritual basis from whatever being they claim to be hearing from or whatever feeling they get from this being tells them.
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
If you were suffering to a degree that you and only you, could consider bad enough that dying would be preferred over living do you think spiritually that a god (whomever that may be) would damn you for it?
In most religions, he'd have to in some way.

Any religion that claims an afterlife that's better than the life we have now has to have a prohibition on suicide, otherwise the most logical course of action is to go straight to that afterlife right away.
 

outhouse

Atheistically
most theism gives a light at the end of the tunnel.


one who has these thoughts should seek proffessional help and worry about theism for another day.



NOTHING is better then a good day of living.
 

Trey of Diamonds

Well-Known Member
In most religions, he'd have to in some way.

Any religion that claims an afterlife that's better than the life we have now has to have a prohibition on suicide, otherwise the most logical course of action is to go straight to that afterlife right away.

And most also have exceptions. Putting your self in a position that will most definitely kill you for a good cause, like the protection of others, is also a sure ticket to Heaven. Suicide seems to have come to mean taking your own life for selfish reasons. If you give your life for altruistic reasons then it isn't called suicide. Aren't semantics fun.
 

Me Myself

Back to my username
Well my computer BSOD and my whole post was erased so I am going to keep this short and simple.

If you were suffering to a degree that you and only you, could consider bad enough that dying would be preferred over living do you think spiritually that a god (whomever that may be) would damn you for it?

This is for people who feel a spiritual connection of any kind to any god. Do you think he would rather you suffer for the rest of your life or would he be understanding of the situation?

Also, please no judgements from people who have little to no experience with the kind of suffering I am talking about (suicidal). You would simply be talking from ignorance and that solves nothing.

BTW, not suicidal, just wonder what people think about this on a spiritual basis from whatever being they claim to be hearing from or whatever feeling they get from this being tells them.

I believe in most scenarios you would suffer if you kill yourself because you are too sad. The reason being that I believe one own consiousness is one´s judge, and when you relase yourself of your body one is alone(r) with oneself so to speak, and all the sadness surrounding your own emotions would have to be suffered by you.

That said, I don´t think God would like that and I believe he could help you disippate this darknes both before or after you suicide so that you can attain peace before your next life.
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
And most also have exceptions. Putting your self in a position that will most definitely kill you for a good cause, like the protection of others, is also a sure ticket to Heaven. Suicide seems to have come to mean taking your own life for selfish reasons. If you give your life for altruistic reasons then it isn't called suicide. Aren't semantics fun.
Sure, but my point is that you need something in your theology that throws a monkey wrench into the thought process of anyone thinking "well, if Heaven's so much better, why don't I just go there now?" IMO, occasions for martyrdom are rare enough that they don't generally factor into this thought process.
 

Blackdog22

Well-Known Member
most theism gives a light at the end of the tunnel.


one who has these thoughts should seek proffessional help and worry about theism for another day.



NOTHING is better then a good day of living.


Well, consider one has tried for almost a decade now and has spent most of his money trying to find this cause and has seen multiple doctors yet, the signs that you have disease are there, but the doctors can't find a cause for it. Or lets say it was a chronic disease that seeking any sort of professional wouldn't help at all, since they have said so themselves and have given up.
 
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Trey of Diamonds

Well-Known Member
Sure, but my point is that you need something in your theology that throws a monkey wrench into the thought process of anyone thinking "well, if Heaven's so much better, why don't I just go there now?" IMO, occasions for martyrdom are rare enough that they don't generally factor into this thought process.

Agreed. I wasn't questioning your point, just adding to it.
 

Blackdog22

Well-Known Member
I believe in most scenarios you would suffer if you kill yourself because you are too sad. The reason being that I believe one own consiousness is one´s judge, and when you relase yourself of your body one is alone(r) with oneself so to speak, and all the sadness surrounding your own emotions would have to be suffered by you.

That said, I don´t think God would like that and I believe he could help you disippate this darknes both before or after you suicide so that you can attain peace before your next life.

Unless of course this person suffering from this was just another Job to God? Also, who are you to say that God would want to help me or anyone dissipate any darkness when the world is filled with it. Why would I be so special while millions of others are being ignored?

Lets all suppose this person has been to many faith healers, natural healers, etc and none have had any effect. Would suicide be okay then? If all signs of the supernatural are ignoring your plea?
 

Buttons*

Glass half Panda'd
I figure if you wanna go that badly, I won't stop ya.

However, would a god be judgemental? Well, depending on the book, yeah, that's true in that particular religious context. I don't know why it's that way, but I'm just going off of what is said in the books.
 

outhouse

Atheistically
Well, consider one has tried for almost a decade now and has spent most of his money trying to find this cause and has seen multiple doctors yet, the signs that you have disease are there, but the doctors can't find a cause for it. Or lets say it was a chronic disease that seeking any sort of professional help would well, help.


when ones life is stuck in a rut, often it only takes a small nudge in the right direction and one will find himself free.

Positive attituide is a must depite how deep the mud is.


new medication could always be around the corner that will set one free.
 

Levite

Higher and Higher
Well my computer BSOD and my whole post was erased so I am going to keep this short and simple.

If you were suffering to a degree that you and only you, could consider bad enough that dying would be preferred over living do you think spiritually that a god (whomever that may be) would damn you for it?

This is for people who feel a spiritual connection of any kind to any god. Do you think he would rather you suffer for the rest of your life or would he be understanding of the situation?

Also, please no judgements from people who have little to no experience with the kind of suffering I am talking about (suicidal). You would simply be talking from ignorance and that solves nothing.

BTW, not suicidal, just wonder what people think about this on a spiritual basis from whatever being they claim to be hearing from or whatever feeling they get from this being tells them.

Well, I can only speak for how we approach the matter in Judaism. It is true that suicide is technically a sin under Jewish Law. But we also say, in general, that no transgressor is deemed responsible for their actions if they were sinning while not in their right mind.

So today, in all the movements, we hold under Jewish law that if a person commits suicide, that in and of itself is proof that they were not sane at the time they killed themselves. Because by definition, in Jewish law, no one sane would deliberately kill themselves unless it was to save the lives of others (which is also not counted as the sin of suicide).

In this way, the relatives of the deceased do not have to suffer believing that their relative died a sinner, and we also hope (for those of us who believe in an afterlife) that no unpleasant consequences will accrue to the deceased (although we mostly do not believe in anything like hell, and none even of those of us who do so believe in eternal damnation).

So suicide is a sin that is essentially never sinned, legally speaking, in Judaism.
 

dawny0826

Mother Heathen
Well my computer BSOD and my whole post was erased so I am going to keep this short and simple.

If you were suffering to a degree that you and only you, could consider bad enough that dying would be preferred over living do you think spiritually that a god (whomever that may be) would damn you for it?

This is for people who feel a spiritual connection of any kind to any god. Do you think he would rather you suffer for the rest of your life or would he be understanding of the situation?

Also, please no judgements from people who have little to no experience with the kind of suffering I am talking about (suicidal). You would simply be talking from ignorance and that solves nothing.

BTW, not suicidal, just wonder what people think about this on a spiritual basis from whatever being they claim to be hearing from or whatever feeling they get from this being tells them.

I believe in a merciful God who loves His creation and understands His creation's pain. I believe that only God knows the answer to this, really but I lean towards the belief that God would take a more loving approach to such a subject than a lot of people would.
 

Penumbra

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Well my computer BSOD and my whole post was erased so I am going to keep this short and simple.

If you were suffering to a degree that you and only you, could consider bad enough that dying would be preferred over living do you think spiritually that a god (whomever that may be) would damn you for it?

This is for people who feel a spiritual connection of any kind to any god. Do you think he would rather you suffer for the rest of your life or would he be understanding of the situation?

Also, please no judgements from people who have little to no experience with the kind of suffering I am talking about (suicidal). You would simply be talking from ignorance and that solves nothing.

BTW, not suicidal, just wonder what people think about this on a spiritual basis from whatever being they claim to be hearing from or whatever feeling they get from this being tells them.
In my view, the whole concept of damnation doesn't make sense to begin with, anyway.

Apart from that, damning someone who is sad or suffering makes even less sense.

Logically speaking, a religion probably wouldn't last very long if it glorified suicide, though. Some cults did that and now those cults are gone. But suicide can be discouraged from both secular and religious perspectives by trying to offer help or solutions rather than threats.
 
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