Suicide=Sin?

[christiangirrl]

I dont understand why this is a sin.. because that person is ruining the lives of the people that loved them? But what if their life is just really bad? Any explanations for this? dont worry, it's not me, i just have been curious about this subject.. thanks!

 

[Dream]

When you commit suicide, you are taking a life. You are committing murder.

God has given each and every one of us an extraordinary gift of life. Imagine what it must be like for Him to see us just destroy that wonderful gift.

Imagine this: for your younger brother/sister's birthday, you decide to give them a gift. But this isn't a regular gift, you make it yourself. You give it them, and he/she has some fun with it, but one day gets frustarated and throws it away. How do you think that you would feel?

That's exactly how God would feel. When you commit suicide, you are just throwing away the gift that God so perfectly designed.

 

[geocajun]

2281 Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just love of self. It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations. Suicide is contrary to love for the living God.

2282 If suicide is committed with the intention of setting an example, especially to the young, it also takes on the gravity of scandal. Voluntary co-operation in suicide is contrary to the moral law.

Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide.

2283 We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.

 

[Irenaeus]

Suicide may not be a mortal sin if the one who does it was psychologically disturbed. There are very many mitigating factors that the wonderful world of psychology have opened up to us; suicide is grave, but not always mortal.

 

[Dream]

Suicide may not be a mortal sin if the one who does it was psychologically disturbed. There are very many mitigating factors that the wonderful world of psychology have opened up to us; suicide is grave, but not always mortal.

Yes. Christiangirrl, you must understand that there is a difference between somebody who kills themselves because they are unhappy and somebody who kills themselves because they have a psychological problem, in which they can't help themselves.

 

[frettr00]

I think in a situation where someone knew they would soon undergo torture of some sort, or maybe hard suffering from disease then if they commited suicide to spare themselves that it wouldn't automatically be a trip straight to hell.

 

[Machiavelli]

Wouldn't someone have to be psychologically disturbed in the first place to take their own life? The thing is, I don't think that it's ever anyone's first preference to die prematurely. There is always a reason behind this action, whether it is a feeling of profound pain, suffering, torment, frustration and/or helplessness. It's the end of the line - the point at which the person doesn't know what else to do.

 

[marc37]

when a person kills himself verry often or maybe even always this is the work of the devil.

 

[Jamme]

I guess its a balance between allleviatign your own suffering and considering the feelings of those who love you.

It's normal to wonder about suicide - everyone gets depressed sometimes - but it's not normal to commit a murder and to hurt all those who love you.

IMHO

 

[Benedicta00]

I dont understand why this is a sin.. because that person is ruining the lives of the people that loved them? But what if their life is just really bad? Any explanations for this? dont worry, it's not me, i just have been curious about this subject.. thanks!

Because it is murder. The lord only is the one who has the right to give life and to take it, we do not- not even our own.

With that said- it is a sin theoretically speaking. God reads the heart- if the person was mentally ill and truly knows not what he does then that is different but if someone deliberately killed themselves knowing what they do- that is a sin and what is also a sin is falling into despair and taking ones life because they have despaired against God. But again- only God and no one lese can judge the person’s heart so we do not damn those who have committed suicide. We trust them to God’s mercy.

 

[PolskiKrol]

To be at the point where one feels they must commit suicide, there has to be a lot of things that brought them to that point, not all intentional. Suicide CAN be a sign of cowardice or defiance, but I think in our society today is more often a manifestation of depression, a psycological illness.

If one is in proper state of mind, to commit suicide is to reject the salvation that Jesus Himself offers us after his sacrifice on the cross. The Lord meant for a person to live every moment that he lives, otherwise He'd simply snuff us out (He's done it before in the Bible, can't think of exactly where right now.) A person who feels compelled to commit suicide often lives outside of the grace of God, for with the grace of God, we can handle any situation. Its not so much a question of the suicide itself, but what led to it that God would judge men's hearts.

 

[Rosa Mystica]

Just out of curiosity, how often is suicide a mortal sin when committed by an individual w/ clinical depression? Or is this not for us humans to know?

Also, how sinful is suicidal ideation in the context of clinical depression? I've been bordering on suicidal a fair bit recently, and am trying to get help for it, but I know that it will take me a while to completely heal from this misery.

 

[Paul S]

Just out of curiosity, how often is suicide a mortal sin when committed by an individual w/ clinical depression? Or is this not for us humans to know?

Also, how sinful is suicidal ideation in the context of clinical depression? I've been bordering on suicidal a fair bit recently, and am trying to get help for it, but I know that it will take me a while to completely heal from this misery.

I don't think we can know, because mortal sin depends on the person's state of mind, which only God knows and He knows us far better than we know ourselves.

What's "ideation"? If it's thoughts of suicide, I'd say such thoughts can be sinful, if you wilfully dwell on them, but probably not mortally sinful unless you start making plans to carry them out. We all have thoughts that pop into our heads, sometimes of sinful things, but since this is not conscious it's not a sin. This is one of the things you should ask a priest - I'm no expert on these things. The depression probably takes away full consent of the will, but it's best not to dwell on these thoughts for both your mental and spiritual help. Good to hear you're getting help, and I'll definitely pray for you.

 

[ukok]

i think this is worth a bump

geo ~ 2283 We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.

 

[Rosa Mystica]

I don't think we can know, because mortal sin depends on the person's state of mind, which only God knows and He knows us far better than we know ourselves.

What's "ideation"? If it's thoughts of suicide, I'd say such thoughts can be sinful, if you wilfully dwell on them, but probably not mortally sinful unless you start making plans to carry them out. We all have thoughts that pop into our heads, sometimes of sinful things, but since this is not conscious it's not a sin. This is one of the things you should ask a priest - I'm no expert on these things. The depression probably takes away full consent of the will, but it's best not to dwell on these thoughts for both your mental and spiritual help. Good to hear you're getting help, and I'll definitely pray for you.

Thank you for the prayers. I truly appreciate it.

A clinical depressive can have a really hard time not wilfully thinking about these kinds of things, mind you.

Forgive this post, I've had a hard day.

 

[Jesus'TroublesomeAngel]

God is supposed to never give us any more burden than we can carry yet people take their lives and I can see why. I have always been a Christian and even I have come close to taking my life. At present life to me doesn't feel all that worth living but I am hanging on for Gods' sake and for the promise of a better tomorrow.

I am totally, 98% sick to death of life and how cruel and ridiculous it can be. If miracles happen I could sure use one but more importantly, the people that REALLY need God like the hungry, lonely, depressed etc need a miracle more than I do. And it kills me to see bad stuff happen when God does nothing and He could if He wanted to.

But no, we're here on Earth alone and Free Will rules-not God. We live in a horrible world of sin and I have to wonder what kind of Father lets his children play in such a dangerous playground un-supervised. And it IS unsupervised because He doesn't step in to save a lot of us despite the fact many say "God is watching".

Maybe He is watching, but as far as I can see He isn't doing anything. We have to fight our own battles, deal with our own loneliness and pain, and tough for us if we don't have anyone else to lean on but a Father who speaks to us through a book that foretells of fire and brimstone if we don't act like good happy little children grateful that He died for us so we could live on this same wretched planet that claimed His Sons' life.

If even Jesus, the Son of God was crucified and died, then what hope do any of us have???

And if everything that happens is Gods' Will, then is our "Free Will" God directing us? For example, if I help an elderly lady across the street, is that ME doing that or God? And if it's the "God in me" does that mean if I kill someone it is the "Satan in me"?
And if so, and if God and Satan influence us to do stuff, then how is that our FREE will?

 

[Jesus'TroublesomeAngel]

Rosa-depression can make you wonder about these things. Don't apologise for asking about something like this. God Bless You.

 

[PolskiKrol]

everything that happens is Gods' Will

because he wishes us to have our own free will, and we do excersize it, whether it is for His plan or against it.

ME doing that or God

Remember that God gives us the grace to do things, but its our choice to accept it.

If even Jesus, the Son of God was crucified and died, then what hope do any of us have???

Persecution and death are not the ultimate bad things that can happen to us; Sin is the worst thing that can happen to us. Its a difficult concept to grasp, but all Christians should desire to share in Christ's sufferings, not avoid them. For that suffering for righteousness is the 'containment of all delight'. We stand for something greater, purity and virtue, so that the afflictions of the body does not weigh in more than the affliction of the soul.

 

[Jesus'TroublesomeAngel]

So rather than want to be happy, well and Loved we are supposed to delight in suffering-even ask for it?

 

[PolskiKrol]

lly, delight in the will of God, everything else is irrelavant. Its harder to follow and praise God in times of grief, but if we do, we are blessed even more cause we have shown our devotion.

I personally have trouble praising God and His greatness when I physically suffer. It takes a greater man (woman) to love God fervently rather than following Him grudgingly.

We are called to love God as much as we can, and some saints loved Jesus so much they wished to share in His sufferings, and recieved the stigmata. I can't imagine that felt really good, but they delighted in it as a gift from Jesus, to be able to put their love for Him above physical well being.