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I'd like the perspective of ALL the established religions, actually, but if it's going to founder here, sure...
It's up to you. Let me or mensaguy know; however, if you do want what you say in the first part of your sentence, we can leave it here. I'm also curious as to the outlook of other religions on the subject, as well.
Good, but we shouldn't stop there. Spirituality and philosophy can contribute as well. Sometimes matters blur the lines, and we could have a bit more completeness.
Or a bit more digression...
It's a shame posts can't appear on more than one forum; it's often difficult to know where to put them.
Well, you heard it. If you're capable of discussing a topic logically and objectively, you're a sociopath!
Biblical scholars? Of whom I know there are plenty on this forum...
You know? Sometimes I have to wonder - when the only people you want to hear from are Biblical scholars.
Keep emotion and opinion out of it. Just turn a topic that is already rife with emotion into a boring academic discussion - as if it has no bearing whatsoever on the lives of real people.
So yeah ... you did hear it. And I stand behind it.
You know? Sometimes I have to wonder - when the only people you want to hear from are Biblical scholars.
Keep emotion and opinion out of it. Just turn a topic that is already rife with emotion into a boring academic discussion - as if it has no bearing whatsoever on the lives of real people.
So yeah ... you did hear it. And I stand behind it.
Just curious what religious/biblical scholars have to say about this now that it's available since suicide itself, as least as I was taught in Catholicism, is a sin since it represents despair and thus a lack of faith in God and also interferes with God's plan/will for one's life. In the face of terminal cancer or other life-ending disease, however, does the same apply? I would think so, but am interested to hear what others believe on the subject...
I was taught in church that if you committed suicide that it would be your final act, and one of sin for which you would never get a change to repent and be forgiven for, therefore you would go to hell.
The irony is that people claim this is "playing god", but they're happy to do just that in strenuously trying to avoid death with every possible medical intervention, with prayer, etc. If they really wanted to let god have his way they would just passively languish until they died, refuse pain killers, and so forth.
Every time we gain some new mastery over our environment, it makes humans more confident and self-sufficient, and we can't have that; we'e manufactured a need for / dependence up on god to get through our days, and proud independence from god is a no-no, regardless of what drop-dead obvious benefits it provides, or harms it avoids. I suppose this is why Christians reflexively thank god when their doctor cures some disease or repairs some injury. To the point that doctors are so used to it that they don't even think about it, often. Christians have to somehow explain medical intervention as god's instrument.
There may come a time in my life where for various reasons good and sufficient to me, I no longer wish to have more experiences. It would be great if I could make that decision and if my physician would respect and assist with it. This has nothing to do with being depressed or morose. That's a different thing, and easily distinguished.
One part of such a calculus, especially in the dysfunctional healthcare environment of the US, is that I would not want my final illness to bankrupt my family and leave them destitute or needlessly constrained. I would also not want to burden them with home care if, say, I were a drooling, incontinent idiot. So there are considerations apart from my own levels of physical pain and discomfort or quality of life.
Excellent point, why spend a lifetime working and saving to leave your family an inheritance (something the bible itself calls a good thing), then have your dying process undo you life's effort. Just hand me the morphine drip button an I'll squeeze it till I'm out.
I was taught in church that if you committed suicide that it would be your final act, and one of sin for which you would never get a change to repent and be forgiven for, therefore you would go to hell.
I was taught that since Jesus died for all of our sins, that because our sins were judged in him on the cross, that God doesn't turn around and judge us when we get around to committing the sins that Jesus already died for. If God intended to judge us for our sins then there was no point in sending Jesus to be our substitute. Yes, sin can bring divine discipline in time and loss of rewards at the Judgment seat of Christ, but we can't lose our salvation because of sin.
No one has actually even responded to my first post in the thread. I thought this part of the quote would at least get some conversation going:
Quote:
Is suicide a sin? Many people assume the Bible condemns taking one’s own life. However, even a careful reader will search in vain for any explicit prohibition of self-killing in the Bible. In fact, the biblical attitude toward suicide ranges from ambivalence to praise. There are seven unambiguous examples of suicide in the Bible: <snip>
Even if she begged for death? You'd just sit there and stare at her impassive to her pleas?
To me the larger point in terms of logic is the fact that if it weren't for the Oncologists/Medications/Chemo/Radiation etc. ...God would have taken her long before he did.
That is harsh and I apologize that it is actually a person that BF knows... and recently happened...
But it just seems strange to me that the very thing God seems to want for that person can't be helped along by the Doctors if the suffering person desires such an outcome.
I'm not sure why God would care if you went a little bit earlier and avoided extended suffering.
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