Is self harm a sin?

[InvisibleExistence]

As you guys would probably know more about it then me. Yes, I do it and yes, i'm also a Christian. It's a difficult habit to break because i'm sort of depressed overall at the moment. I'm also getting bulimic and i'm not sure what I can do about it.

Praying hasn't got me very far so far... these feelings are still there and even if I think that God doesn't want me to cut when i'm doing it, I don't stop, I carry on which makes me feel even worse about myself.

Does anyone know where i'm coming from?? Is this a sin? Can I be forgiven?

Replies would be appreciated...

Jessie xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[Debbi]

Yes, you can be forgiven. The last time I cut my wrist and really believed that nobody cared, I went to church and people prayed for me. Someone gave me a message from God- God said that he still loved me. I was as low as I could get. I'm not sure how much a sin it is unless one is doing it to rebell against God. I was doing it because I was hurting so bad inside and couldn't express the pain in words. I know where you are coming from I think. But it is still a struggle for me to not cut either. People at church care but they just don't know what to say though. What helped me though was I would try to talk to God about what I felt and it helped. Also, I wrapped up in a sheet and prayed that someday I would be able to feel God's presence more real to me than the sheet I was wrapped in. I don't know if I'm any help though.
Debbi

 

[bliz]

I do not classify sellf injurious behavior as sin. I believe it stems from mental illness, and mental illness is not sin. Are depressed people sinning? Is someone who is bi-polar sinning?

It is usually done out of great emotional pain as a way to manage the pain. It is a coping mechenism that spooks a lot of peoople, but that does not make it sin.

If someone has a great Biblical argument for why it's sin, I'd be interested to hear it. Please don't bring up that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. They most certainly are, but where do we draw the lines on which activities are violating the Temple and which are not. Pierced ears? Tatoos? Make-up? Eating a doughnut? A Big Mac? Smoking? Eating carbs? Not eating carbs? Working to exhaustion? Being stressed? I am not saying that how we care for our bodies is unimportant, but when we try and think globally and timelessly, and about all cultures it becomes very difficult to claim a Biblical argument about specific behaviors that are not mentioned inthe Bible.

On several threads on this site, when people have been talking about "cutting" or SI a number of people have mentioned suicide attempts. Debbie, I'm not sure if that is what you meant when you said you cut your wrist, but that is what it sounds like. SI is not pre-suicide. Most people doing SI want very much to live, and to live happily and this activity actually helps them. They need to learn different coping behaviors and different ways to manage their pain, but there is no death wish inherent in people who cut or harm themselves. Yes, some people have commited suicide or who try to may have cut or may be activley cutting, but there isn't an automatic correlation between the two.

Without clear Biblical argument, I think calling it sin piles guilt on top of pain that exists in the first place and the discomfort and embarassment most cutters feel and to no purpose.

 

[TheMainException]

It is a sin and YES, it CAN be forgiven and if you are saved it has ALREADY been forgiven. Keep praying...god is there, but he may be using your pain to help others...two things that I want you to take a look at...my thread titled "For those who struggle" and a book by Brennan Manning called "Abba's Child." It has helped me see things differently.

I can't tell you where your depression is coming from or the cutting by they are totally together. Okay...although the verse below mentions that you don't do it for the dead...I would consider it doing so for any reason is unacceptable..

Deuteronomy 14:1- You are the children of the LORD your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead.

I am still looking for another verse that mentions cutting, but for now, that's what I've found... hope this helps.

 

[Debbi]

I wasn''t trying to kill myself when I cut the side of my wrist but it did bleed more than the other times. It was more of a last ditch effort to get help when previously, nobody seemed to be listening. If I really wanted to be dead by cutting, I would have chose around where I give blood. Watching blood pour out of my arm is fascinating and I saved 3 lives by giving blood. That was the only good thing about cutting, I can give blood without it bothering me. Sorry, I wasn't clear. I wasnt trying to die, just tried to get help before it was too late. I know that people cut themself to relieve stress. Oh, and I guess you know that there is a risk involved in cutting. People have died from it accidently by cutting too deep or couldn['t control the bleeding. Especially when one is depressed and cuts, one don't always know or care or feel how deep they cut till it is almost too late.

 

[TheMainException]

Okay...I got some more stuff for you....


In your heart, you need not ask anymore questions. I challenge you to search your heart and find if it is right or wrong. The desire and urge to play out cutting on one's own body is (most times) an attempt to act-out inner emotions in a way that shows control of them externally. The pain on the inside is intense to the point that a cut on the flesh seemingly brings release because it is now in your control. However, no one will say it seems "right" to do it.

OK, so then we add in the "New Creation" argument. So if someone believes they are a "Child of God" as the Bible repeats time and time again of His followers ... and in that we are encouraged to view God as our Abba (daddy) ... does it make further common sense to believe that our daddy does not get a little bit sad when his children cut themselves on purpose??

Now on to Scripture.

In the Old Testament, cutting was a practice associated with Pagan worship ... especially the worship of Moloch (a pagan god). In 1 Kings 18: 24-29, Elijah confronts these people and a reference is made to their practice of self-cutting.

Later, in the New Testament, (I'm looking for this verse) when describing the behavior of a man possessed by a demon, the Bible states, "he would cry out and cut himself with stones".

I won't even try to argue from the standpoint of saying "The body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit" simply because, well, for a believer, this means caring for the Temple is important, but it leads to too many open-ended questions from others.

Conclusion:

The Bible does not come out anywhere and say, "Thou Shalt Not Cut They Flesh" ... however, the magnitude of God's love, the sacrifice already paid by Christ, and the constant associations with cutting and pagan practices and/or demonic possession lead toward a very strong argument in saying the Bible (and thus God) does not condone self-cutting.
I hope this helps you out a lot.

 

[Mr.Cheese]

SI is an effect of a cause. It's not necessarily healthy, but the more I learn about it the more I am inclined to believe that it's not necessarily "wrong." I don't advocate or condone the behavior, but i don't condemn it either. It is very complicated.
Rather than a mode of suicide, self injury is a powerful coping mechanism, odd as it sounds. It is a hard behavior to fight.

 

[TheOriginalWhitehorse]

As you guys would probably know more about it then me. Yes, I do it and yes, i'm also a Christian. It's a difficult habit to break because i'm sort of depressed overall at the moment. I'm also getting bulimic and i'm not sure what I can do about it.

Praying hasn't got me very far so far... these feelings are still there and even if I think that God doesn't want me to cut when i'm doing it, I don't stop, I carry on which makes me feel even worse about myself.

Does anyone know where i'm coming from?? Is this a sin? Can I be forgiven?

Replies would be appreciated...

Jessie xxxxxxxxxxxxx

I'm sorry you're hurting, and your struggle is not an uncommon one by any stretch of the imagination. You're certainly not alone, and I agree that this is certainly something that should receive great care and compassion from others.

In answer to your question as to whether SI is a sin, the Bible is God's holy and perfect inspired word, and it has all the answers you're looking for. It tells us our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Here are some references for you: I Corinthians 3:16, 6:19, and II Corinthians 6:16. An example of how Jesus responded when satan tried to get Him to throw Himself from the pinnacle of the temple is in Matthew 4. So, SI is a sin because id does damage to the Lord's dwelling place: His temple. But God is very compassionate and is pleased to help His children overcome it if you give the situation to him. The fact that it is destructive to His temple is actually a safety net for you, because it gives you every advantage in conquering it.

Of course you can be forgiven! God loves His children and wants what is best for them, so He won't allow anything to keep happening that isn't good for you, as you do everything to leave it behind. There's an old adage that says, rely on God as if everything depended on Him, but do everything you can as if it all depended on you. Repentance is necessary, because it shows the faith inside you is living and active.

The Lord doesn't want harm for His children. He wants you to rely on Him rather than SI to heal your suffering. It may involve looking into some old wounds that haven't been dealt with, and that can be uncomfortable, but you will be delivered as you put your trust and obedience in His hands.

Blessings,
Whitehorse

 

[InvisibleExistence]

Thank you everyone. You've helped me quite a bit

 

[katylees]

Hiya ...i'm glad ppl have helped u a bit ...r u feeling better? how are things goin now?

 

[InvisibleExistence]

Hey. Well, I tried to stop doing it... and I guess I started again but there were some helpful bible references that I looked up and I guess that was helpful. It was weird to think there was a reference in the bible for that, but then there's probably a reference for everything if I looked in it hard enough!! xxx

 

[Deamiter]

I truly believe that SI is a sin. I did it for years, and even now I sometimes relapse, so I know what it's like to try to stop.

Even though it's a sin, I agree TOTALLY that it's not the problem, but a symptom! I tried many times to quit, but (along with therapy and medication for my anxiety and depressive disorders) I only really started to be ABLE to stop -- even after years in the mental health system when I realized that the SI wasn't what I should spend my energy fighting. The self-bashing thoughts and the isolation is what I needed to work on.

The whole while, I 'knew' that cutting was a sin, but as an addiction, I couldn't stop cold-turkey. I truly believe that that's true for many common sins in our world. You can't say that just because they're not the root problem, they're not also sinful. It's just that we need to fight one thing at a time -- and self-hate will bring us to our knees, and make us ineffective in God's kingdom faster and more effectively than cutting ever will! I think what defines cutting as a sin, is that the only purpose for it is to use the pain as an escape. Intentionally causing pain -- especially when it's addictive -- can't be God's will in my book, so even though I don't condemn myself for doing it (mostly in the past), I can't justify saying that it's just a coping mechanism.

 

[Cerulean_Butterfly]

I do it too... I dont think It's a sin. Sweetie, you can PM me anytime you need to... im going through the same thing. s

-JO

 

[bnkessler]

No offense to any of you, because I myself am I christian. BUT, I do not believe God alone is the answer. I've been cutting myself for 4 years, and unless you do it and understand what a person feels like to have to do this to themselves, I believe they have no room to talk. (I haven't read most of your replies, so this is just me going off on a tangent). Anyways, I don't think it's a sin. If it's a sin then so is smoking and eating chocolate cake. I mean we sin everyday as it is, and God is loving and he forgives our sins. I'd recommend therapy for you. NO doubt about it in my mind. That is what I'm doing right now, and it is working (slowly, but these things take time, especially for how long I've been SIing). The trick is to find one who will stick with you to the end. Someone you trust and is easy to talk to. You'll know when you find the right person because you can feel it inside. If I can help in anyway let me know. I'd recommend dialectical behavior therapy. Try looking for it where you live, if you need help then please PM me (since I probably won't be able to find this thread again..lol).
I understand.

Love,
Briana

 

[HomeChicklet]

Hey
self harm is a sin cause you are a temple of God as a christian.. well you arent alone tiher tonite makes two weeks since the last time i cut... its a dertermination thing... you have to wanna stop and you have to want it bad... and you have to be willing to pull close to God you can also be forgiven,,, in my past two weeks i have gotten really close to God and my life is pretty happy.. yeah i have some stuff going on.. that thoughts and wants to cut are still here too but i ignore them i refuse to think about them and its done me good for two weeks so far... anyways just know 1Corintians 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." its true... GOd will never tempt us mroe than we can handle i promise that i lvoe you and if you ever need anything or someone to talk to please PM me talk to you laters...

 

[Mother Vashti]

Let's not think of this behavior in terms of platitudes, like sin and righteousness, right or wrong. Let's just consider what deeper issues this behavior indicates.

InvisibleExistence, take a notepad and write down, in full honesty, what is happening within you. Pray about those issues, and read your bible all the while.

 

[InvisibleExistence]

Thank you everyone who's helped me with this issue. I really really appreciate it

Mother Vashti, I will try my best to do that.

Take care xxxx

 

[heavenliejediofthebeach]

i dont know if its sin..probably is though because its causing harm to what is our personal temple that christ lives in...yeah..im a cutter too...but i have not done it for two weeks...lets hope i can go longer.

 

[InvisibleExistence]

Hey, heavenlieisland. Well done for resisting for a whole two weeks! I'm trying as well but it's not as easy as I hoped. I can do it though, maybe.. I had a whole long prayer time to talk to God yesterday because i've been neglecting that for a while. I have never actually told Him what's going on even though he knows already. It helped to talk. Maybe you could try? Just tell Him absolutely everything that's on your mind, and not leave anything out because you don't want to talk about it. That's where I had problems I think. But it made me feel a whole lot better. But hey! Maybe you've done that already. Merely a suggestion!!

Take care xx

 

[Ave Maria]

Yes, it's a sin because our bodies are God's temples. And yes, you can be forgiven. All you have to do is ask God to forgive you.