I can see we are on a very touchy subject, where opinions are all over the place. I have a somewhat neutral take on it, which I am going to try to present the best way I know how, and hope people can understand what I'm am trying to get across. The thing with suicide is that it stems from depression and other mental illnesses. Many people fail to understand these issues, Christian or not. I understand some about depression and anxiety because it is real in my family. However, I don't understand a lot about suicide, even though it is heavily linked with mental illnesses, the reason being that I am not a professional on these matters and my slim knowledge is based soley on my personal experiences. One thing I know is suicide is not a casual thing we can just brush off. It is not performed under normal circumstances. My guess is that it stems from some sort of imbalance and people with mental illnesses do things beyond their control. This makes sense to me in the same way an epileptic can't control his/her seizures. It is something that needs attention, for sure. Now don't get me wrong, I believe the act of willful murder is a sin. Life is precious and a gift from God to cherish and take care of the best we can. But I also struggle with the issue as to whether or not suicide could be considered willful in many cases, seeing that mentally ill people are not in the right frame of mind when they do it. So as much as I don't really understand suicide, I still hurt for those who are contemplating it.
Another thing I observe is that depression and mental/emotional disorders in general tend to be overlooked by the church, and if not overlooked, they have erroneous thoughts regarding this very issue. Some also assume that true Christians can't have depression, and this is a misguided belief at best and downright judgmental at worst. Depression is not a sin, it's a sickness, and to say Christians can't suffer from depression is like saying Christians can't have diabetes, epilepsy, cancer, lupus, and other illnesses, and we also need to realize that none of us will be completely well until we get to Heaven and have our glorified bodies. In the meantime, the church in general should be ready and willing to come together to help the suffering, within the congregation as well as out. If church leaders and we as the body were more attentive in addressing these issues, there could be a real difference made. Granted, this is not going to eliminate it completely (after all, the church is made up of imperfect, struggling people). But I have heard stories of those who contemplated suicide, and are living testimonies to this day because somebody cared enough to reach out to them.
Anyway, that's my two cents, which I did my best to explain. I also understand that some here will disagree and/or fail to fully understand what I am trying to get at, in part or in full. If such is the case, please do so respectfully. I do not wish to debate as this is a confusing enough issue as it is. I only desire to present a fairly balanced view with some food for thought to ponder on, based on what I have come to know and experience.
Here are some links I hope are helpful. They seem to be fairly balanced and explain things much better than I can. I may look for more later.
5 Things Christians Should Know About Depression and Anxiety
God bless.
