Is it religiously wrong to commit a suicide?

[VioletVortex]

Is it religiously wrong to commit a suicide?
I believe that no one has the right to take their own life or another life. God created each and everyone of us and only God can end that life when our number is up. We are all here by the Grace of God and our time on this earth was noted in God's timetable, before the world began, as to exactly when our life would end.

ronandcarol

So, you are saying that someone has no right to take the life which was forced upon them without their input whatsoever? But, it's apparently right for god to just kill everyone when it's "their time"?

 

[psychoslice]

For me personally there is nothing wrong in suicide, we have the right to live or not to live, no one has the right to take that from us.

 

[Smart_Guy]

My answer to the title is this: in Islam, yes, it is religiously wrong to kill oneself. The norm for who do it is going to Hell, but that's just the norm and it really depends on circumstances. Those with mental problems, for example, are seen as an exception. The reason is because in Islam it is believed that humans were created mainly (not only, mind you) to worship God, humans don't ultimately (but not perfectly, if that makes sense) own their bodies, and because killing oneself (again, within the norm at least) shows the ultimate despair, and that's forbidden in Islam. The Quran does say it in a direct order tone in two places; do not kill your selves & do not send yourselves to your demise with your own hands. If we think of it logically, tons of cases in this life have those who either depend on them, care for them, love them, want to be with them, lent them stuff... and in so many cases there are who could receive serious damage losing who kill themselves. The other day I read about a suicide case that left behind two wives and 6 children (or was it 10?) here in Saudi Arabia. Imagine the possible hardship because of their loss in a male dominant country (the world is male dominant already, but that's a different subject).

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

So I really wonder if it is okay or not based on religious aspects to take your own life?

God had multiple opportunities to fix the intensely sad person's problem. The only thing I hope for is that God is kinder and cuts them some slack on the other side. They were already IN hell ... no point in threatening that they are going there.

In the ten commandments, i haven't seen any references to the fact you can kill someone if its war..
Or if he is a murderer...
Or if he is trying to kill you..
Or whatever reasons we humans find...

There are over 600 laws wherein thou shalt find the fine print.

My late grandmother..
She begged for death so many times and i wish it was okay to help her.
She unfortunately suffered so much in her final months it was a shame to see her fade away as she did.
I think it would have been only human to allow her to die with quiet and ease instead of the rough rough way she had to spend her last few months.

We end the lives of nonhumans when they are suffering. So why is it bad to do it for our loved ones who ARE human? I, too, have seen much suffering, both in my family and in the workplace, both as a nurse's aid and then a nurse. I am fine with hospice staff "making them comfortable." (In nursing school, a test question revolved around whether or not you would give morphine to someone on hospice even though they were barely breathing as it was. The people who decided not to give it were considered incorrect, because, hell, they're dying anyway, might as well make them not suffer.) People who berate the suffering ought to experience it for a few moments before judging. I need to get mine signed, but I have an Advanced Directive and I hope others will do so as well. This can cut out a LOT of drama towards the end (as long as the wishes are respected).

God created each and everyone of us and only God can end that life when our number is up.

Sometimes people die by guns, cars, explosions, etc ... not by "God", per se. How do you know God isn't allowing the suffering to be comforted with "coming home"?

As for my own opinion, I think God would be merciful to those who kill themselves out of severe distress and despair. He understands. I'm often suicidal, myself.

Me too. Haven't been lately (moving was my last real dark times), but I have a long, sad history of it (and obviously failing).

 

[Super Universe]

No worries..
Only asking cause i really am intrigued about the subject...

So I really wonder if it is okay or not based on religious aspects to take your own life?

Now, if the answer is no.. Why not?

I Can assume that it got something to do with the fact that our body is not really ours to end and it is only up to god...
If so, How come its okay to take the life of someone else?
And of course not... I'm not talking about murder.. I'm talking about "Justified" murder...

Who claimed its OK to kill person A and not Person B?
In the ten commandments, i haven't seen any references to the fact you can kill someone if its war..
Or if he is a murderer...
Or if he is trying to kill you..
Or whatever reasons we humans find...

Now.. assuming GOD did say.. Ok ok... do not murder unless it is someone who tries to take your land or it will be safer for the environment to kill him or whatever...Than it's fine...

So if that is true, what if I know I am about to commit a terrible thing and the only thing to stop my self is to kill myself?



Please help a confused man

It is religiously wrong to commit suicide but religion doesn't exactly know why. They just go by what their books say.

You're not supposed to kill yourself because you are the reason the universe exists. It's not the galaxies and suns. It's not dead planets and asteroids. It's not even plants and animals. It's you. You allow God to have a unique personality experience.

Also, you're not supposed to kill yourself because your soul has to evolve into something that can support you in the next level. This takes time and usually many lives. You have to be completely willing to do the will of God. This is why Jesus allowed himself to be crucified. He could have destroyed them all. He could have turned them to stone instantly or set them on fire.

We're not supposed to see this life as our life. We're supposed to see it as if we're playing a role in a movie or video game. Everything you do, do it as if you are showing God a unique perspective of it. Your view of His universe. Show God something you haven't seen before. Realize something you haven't thought of before.

 

[Acim]

No worries..
Only asking cause i really am intrigued about the subject...

Suicide (according to my dictionary) equals: the action of killing oneself intentionally

I think for me, the "intentionally" part is key word. Not stated in definition is the timing aspect. If I intentionally set out to kill myself over the course of 3 years, am I committing suicide? I would say yes. If I do it over course of 80 years, is that still a yes?

I wonder what phenomenon, if any on this planet will not lead to eventual physical death? And once one understands that all such phenomenon has quality to 'end life as we know it' though generally not immediately (with most phenomenon), then what is the intention? No really, what is the intention?

I get that the desire may be to live forever in a physical existence. But as we have exactly zero cases of that occurring, then I find it plausible that all living creatures since the beginning of time have engaged in suicide. Many, I believe, would claim they did so unintentionally. Scapegoating own intentions as much as humanly possible.

So I really wonder if it is okay or not based on religious aspects to take your own life?

I think permissible, but not 'okay.' Obviously depends on religion, but really really depends on language and conception of 'taking life.'

I think permissible because I'm unaware of any way in which it could be prevented OTHER THAN if reincarnation does occur - such that leaving the physical in current body doesn't mean 'you' will not return to the physical to work out whatever it is religion(s) say you must work out.

I think not okay because apart from the longer range considerations I'm invoking, I can't see any life affirming paradigm that would encourage an action (assuming that to be less than 1 day's time) which would mean ending one's (current) physical existence. Instead, I think that would be presented as 'not okay' (as in not permissible) by pretty much all life affirming paradigms, and possibly presented as 'wrong' or punishable if such a desire / action is invoked. Though, that would have a lot to do with that paradigm's concept of how to handle wrong actions, and essentially whether there is a deified force that doles out punishment.

Who claimed its OK to kill person A and not Person B?
In the ten commandments, i haven't seen any references to the fact you can kill someone if its war..
Or if he is a murderer...
Or if he is trying to kill you..
Or whatever reasons we humans find...

Now.. assuming GOD did say.. Ok ok... do not murder unless it is someone who tries to take your land or it will be safer for the environment to kill him or whatever...Than it's fine...

So if that is true, what if I know I am about to commit a terrible thing and the only thing to stop my self is to kill myself?

Please help a confused man

IMO, the only thing to stop one's (physical) self from committing a terrible thing is to forgive one's self. Perhaps that deserves a wall of text explanation, but I'll go with sound bite version and say forgiveness means to overlook the fundamental error being made (that killing is possible). Let's say that's not possible to 'see' the fundamental error and that actual forgiveness is not found. Then I would say, though must acknowledge a couple levels of ignorance at work in such logic, that it is permissible to kill own self to stop self from killing another. Though, I don't think I can stress enough how ignorant such a consideration would be, and yet very forgivable.

 

[viole]

Is it religiously wrong to commit a suicide?
I believe that no one has the right to take their own life or another life. God created each and everyone of us and only God can end that life when our number is up. We are all here by the Grace of God and our time on this earth was noted in God's timetable, before the world began, as to exactly when our life would end.

ronandcarol

Can we possibly mess up God's timetable? Did He also took note of the time of death of a kid dying of cancer?

I can only imagine Him thinking: that kid died as planned, good, but that silly guy is causing me a lot of paper work by dying before what I expected, despite my omniscience.

Ciao

- viole

 

[Milton Platt]

No worries..
Only asking cause i really am intrigued about the subject...

So I really wonder if it is okay or not based on religious aspects to take your own life?

Now, if the answer is no.. Why not?

I Can assume that it got something to do with the fact that our body is not really ours to end and it is only up to god...
If so, How come its okay to take the life of someone else?
And of course not... I'm not talking about murder.. I'm talking about "Justified" murder...

Who claimed its OK to kill person A and not Person B?
In the ten commandments, i haven't seen any references to the fact you can kill someone if its war..
Or if he is a murderer...
Or if he is trying to kill you..
Or whatever reasons we humans find...

Now.. assuming GOD did say.. Ok ok... do not murder unless it is someone who tries to take your land or it will be safer for the environment to kill him or whatever...Than it's fine...

So if that is true, what if I know I am about to commit a terrible thing and the only thing to stop my self is to kill myself?

Please help a confused man

Would it not be better to ask simply if it is right or wrong? Do not circumstances and societal norms where you live not dictate what is right or wrong?

 

[Ethics Gradient]

No worries..
Only asking cause i really am intrigued about the subject...

So I really wonder if it is okay or not based on religious aspects to take your own life?

Now, if the answer is no.. Why not?

I Can assume that it got something to do with the fact that our body is not really ours to end and it is only up to god...
If so, How come its okay to take the life of someone else?
And of course not... I'm not talking about murder.. I'm talking about "Justified" murder...

Who claimed its OK to kill person A and not Person B?
In the ten commandments, i haven't seen any references to the fact you can kill someone if its war..
Or if he is a murderer...
Or if he is trying to kill you..
Or whatever reasons we humans find...

Now.. assuming GOD did say.. Ok ok... do not murder unless it is someone who tries to take your land or it will be safer for the environment to kill him or whatever...Than it's fine...

So if that is true, what if I know I am about to commit a terrible thing and the only thing to stop my self is to kill myself?

Please help a confused man

If you subscribe to a particular religion then you could argue on the basis of scripture either way depending on how ambiguous it is.

Generally speaking I think it's wiser to review it on a case by case basis and I suspect that there are religious people who would agree regardless of the generally accepted stance of their religious beliefs scriptures.

 

[Aquitaine]

There's no word suicide in Jewish law. The Law depends on the reason behind the death. If it was done in a permitted case of martyrdom, it is permitted. If it was done in a prohibited case of martyrdom or for other prohibited reasons (almost everything else) its prohibited under the prohibition of taking one's own life. If its done out of emotional sickness then its still prohibited, but its part of the requirement to guard one's life (ie. health).

Though what would happen if your health was jeopardised by disease (for example); isn't that a case of God sabotaging one's attempt to preserve their own life?

 

[Sees]

Depends on the circumstances involved for how Heathens would tend to see it. A blanket statement or dogmatic decree doesn't fit. Ideally, it wouldn't happen.

 

[roger1440]

There's no word suicide in Jewish law. The Law depends on the reason behind the death. If it was done in a permitted case of martyrdom, it is permitted. If it was done in a prohibited case of martyrdom or for other prohibited reasons (almost everything else) its prohibited under the prohibition of taking one's own life. If its done out of emotional sickness then its still prohibited, but its part of the requirement to guard one's life (ie. health).

How does the martyrdom in the seventh chapter of Second Maccabees sit with Judaism?

http://www.usccb.org/bible/2mc/7

 

[rahulps108]

I think according to islamic law u can blow yourself

 

[Tumah]

How does the martyrdom in the seventh chapter of Second Maccabees sit with Judaism?

http://www.usccb.org/bible/2mc/7

Maccabees is not canonical and I've never read it, so you;ll have to give me a brief summary.

 

[Tumah]

Though what would happen if your health was jeopardised by disease (for example); isn't that a case of God sabotaging one's attempt to preserve their own life?

That's the same as any other test G-d gives us. We don't say since G-d made someone poor, we shouldn't give them charity. We have to do what we have to do and G-d does whatever is best regardless.

 

[Aquitaine]

That's the same as any other test G-d gives us. We don't say since G-d made someone poor, we shouldn't give them charity. We have to do what we have to do and G-d does whatever is best regardless.

I see. Though for a significant portion of human history such "tests" have claimed plenty of lives. Can it really be much of a "test" if your life is drastically cut so short to begin with?

 

[Tumah]

I see. Though for a significant portion of human history such "tests" have claimed plenty of lives. Can it really be much of a "test" if your life is drastically cut so short to begin with?

The amount of time a person lives is already determined. Losing or gaining time depends on the person's merits or sins.

 

[psychoslice]

 

[roger1440]

Maccabees is not canonical and I've never read it, so you;ll have to give me a brief summary.

check out the link
http://www.usccb.org/bible/2mc/7

 

[Tumah]

check out the link
http://www.usccb.org/bible/2mc/7

This is one of the types of permitted martyrdom. If a Jew is told to transgress a Law in public or doesn't happen in public but is due to a general decree against Judaism, then he is required to martyr himself. According to the Talmud, in such a case, even to change a communal custom like the color of one's shoelaces one is required to martyr oneself over.
So in this case where they are commanded to eat pig, this was during a general decree against Judaism, so it was permitted.