Views on suicide

Suicide is not often good for the people around the ones that do it. I agree that suicidal people should always look for help before making any rash decisions. Killing yourself because of temporary problems you can't cope with is sad and a big loss. However, it is the right of the people to do so. If I want to buy something big and important, like the first model T or a picasso painting, and sink it in a vat of acid until it's dissolved, that's my right. It's big frickin waste, and a huge shame, but that's my property and my choice.

Ok...By utilitarianism, you're right...except in the case of terminal illnesses, in which the people serve less of a use (to society, I still love them) than people who are without the illness.
A categorical imperative is not a moral theory. Here's the definition:a moral obligation or command that is unconditionally and universally binding. That means that you, who think your moral code is universally binding, would consider preserving your own life a categorical imperative. I, however, don't feel that way.
Ethical Egoism does not agree with you. Ethical egoism would be against jumping off a bridge for a laugh. However, if you're in constant pain, ethical egoism may actually advocate suicide with the contention that death is not the end of consciousness.
Social contract is not a set of morals. It is a set of rights, duties, and obligations of a society. So that's kind of what this is all about.
Divine command really isn't relevant, and do you know why? It's because nobody, NOBODY knows the will of whatever god there may be. You can base what you THINK god's will is on your books and stories, but those are written entirely by human beings. They do not account for error, imagination, deletions, additions, or anything else that human beings could do to change what they think god may be saying. Even if you base god's will on your personal relationship with him/her, what is that? A voice in your head? A feeling? The firing of neurotransmitters across a small gap induced by a particular makeup of the chemicals in your body? You may think you have a relationship with a divine being. You may believe it very strongly, with all of your mind and spirit, but you don't know, and there are no facts to support any communication of god's will to human beings.

A right (of this kind) is not an obligation placed on society. It is something the government is required to stay away from. Like the right to free speech. If I have free speech, that means that the government stays the hell away from my speech. I'm not obligated to speak at all, but if I want to I can. Suicide is a right given by nobody but oneself. If I want to kill myself, I give myself that right. I don't request anyone's permission, because it's not the government's business. If I choose to believe in your god, I may hesitate, but that is a personal religious belief that should not be slapped onto the shoulders of the people around me.

I myself would never commit suicide because I value this life I have. I value the beauty in the world around me, and the spirit in the people surrounding me. If however, I saw the beauty turn dark and the spirit dry up, I may not value my life so much, but that would be a complete repeal of the laws of science and nature. The thing is, if you believe in an afterlife of anykind, or sometimes even not, many people believe that things will be better when they are dead.

 

God would not allow someone to succeed at suicide unless it was in their best interests to do so. I don't advocate or defend it- only God knows when it is appropriate for someone to die.

 

God would not allow you to succeed at suicide? So what's He going to do? Stop the bullet ? LOL

FREE WILL is what God gave to people.. if they don't succeed it's because they didn't do something right.

 

Don't forget, Jesus was God, and He felt great pain when the people of this earth murdered Him.

 

It is never appropriate for some one to take their own life. It is breaking God's own law. Thou shalt not kill.

 

God creates each of us right?
God is omnipotent and omnipresent, exists beyond our concept of time.
God knows our path in life.
That in mind, he creates a being knowing it will commit suicide, go to hell, or whatever.
Free will? Doesn't work exactly.

Why does God create beings knowing they will commit suicide, go to hell, not accept jesus christ as their saviour(hate saying that), murder someone? seems a bit unfair to me.

I'd like a refund on that free will thanks.

And why does god need himself to die to forgive our sins? surely god can just forgive them instead of putting on a huge drama.

 

Just because God knows what we will do doesn't mean we don't have the choice while we are living.

Everyone is given the opportunity to accept the sacrifice of Jesus to pay for thier sins, or not to accept it.
Most are too proud to admit they are sinners and say "no thanks I don't need forgiveness" and move along on thier merry way.
Without good there is no evil, and without evil there is no good.
Without evil there would be no need for forgiveness, no point to life. We would all be walking around like programmed robots or puppets on strings. What the heck would be the point to even existing?
That's why GOd said, well if you're gonna follow me, i want it to be because YOU REALLY WANTED IT!! not because you were programmed to think that way.
that way it's all genuine.
oh, and to answer your last question, we recieve that forgiveness we need when we accept what Jesus did for us.
Without such a "drama" we would not take it seriously.
Christ defeated the grip of death when he ressurected, he did it to set us free from sin and to give us a second chance. Not to be "dramatic".

 

i meant to mention that i had a friend who was a Christian who hung himself one night, he had been involved with drugs and got sucked in too far. He had plans to go out with his mom for lunch the next day, and in the morning his borther found him hanging in the basement.


now...did he go to hell because of his mistake?
He was already saved, but became addicted to a substance and went too far.

many people, Christian or not, would assume that God could not forgive the sin of suicide. But, when we accept Christ's forgiveness through his sacrifice, it means forgiveness for the sins of the past and the future. This doesn't mean we are free to go on sinning, as it says in the Bible. It means we recieve the free gift and with his help we try our best to follow him. Still, it doesn't mean we are no longer humans who make mistakes....some which can be fatal.

 

I respond: I had never contemplated suicide that way before. The above quote is absolutely beautiful and deep.

Of course, a person's reasons for committing suicides may not be for going on to the next cosmic adventure but out of spite, anger at the quality of their life, personal loss, insanity, whatever.

Now, considering the Christian belief of the sinfulness of suicide, I wonder on what part of Sacred Scripture they base it?

The mass suicide by Jews on Masada rather than fall into Roman hands seems to suggest that the ancient Jews didn't have any qualms or relgious prohibitions against suicide.

 

and Jesus gave himself (allowed himself to be killed) What if i wanted to die for the well being of my family? Is this not the same?