Does the Bible forbid suicide?

[Homie]

Does the Bible anywhere state that suicide is a sin?

And if it does, does that mean that all suicides go to hell, since it is their last act and they have no chance of repenting?

 

[Ecclesiastes]

Bingo, murder is a sin, and if your dead, you cant seek repentance.

 

[Perfection]

What if someone locked himself in a cage over a pit of lava suspended by a rope that would be cut via an electromechanical device after a set period of time? Since he couldn't stop the act once initiated, could he repent while locked in the cage?

 

[JonnyB]

Bingo, murder is a sin, and if your dead, you cant seek repentance.

Why not? Do you have to say the words out loud? Or is the soul no longer capable of thought?

Why is there a deadline for an immortal soul?

 

[Homie]

What if someone locked himself in a cage over a pit of lava suspended by a rope that would be cut via an electromechanical device after a set period of time? Since he couldn't stop the act once initiated, could he repent while locked in the cage?

Hehe. I was thinking that too, kinda. That if a suicide wasn't immediate, but there was no way to stop it, could one repent before one died? Your scenario was a bit more creative than mine; I thought if one jumped off a building and faced with death, realised the seriousness of the act, one might repent while still falling?

 

[Perfection]

Hehe. I was thinking that too, kinda. That if a suicide wasn't immediate, but there was no way to stop it, could one repent before one died? Your scenario was a bit more creative than mine; I thought if one jumped off a building and faced with death, realised the seriousness of the act, one might repent while still falling?

Well, I wanted something with an arbitrary amount of time needed to contemplate. People falling from tall buildings don't have much time.

 

[Homie]

Why not? Do you have to say the words out loud? Or is the soul no longer capable of thought?

Why is there a deadline for an immortal soul?

The thing is that when you die the jig is up, the afterlife is revelead to you and so it is too late to repent because then you have already been assigned a place in heaven or hell. Think about it:
If one could repent after dieing and being sent to hell, who wouldn't repent? Pretty much there would not be a single soul in hell, and Jesus says the opposite is true (That few are admitted to heaven)

 

[Perfection]

Pretty much there would not be a single soul in hell, and Jesus says the opposite is true (That few are admitted to heaven)

Where does Jesus say that?

 

[Homie]

Well, I wanted something with an arbitrary amount of time needed to contemplate. People falling from tall buildings don't have much time.

I don't know about that. You have at least a minute. Or you could jump out of a plane and unhook your parachute, or jump off Trollveggen in Norway (longest straight drop in Europe, about 3000 ft)

 

[JonnyB]

The thing is that when you die the jig is up, the afterlife is revelead to you and so it is too late to repent because then you have already been assigned a place in heaven or hell. Think about it:
If one could repent after dieing and being sent to hell, who wouldn't repent? Pretty much there would not be a single soul in hell, and Jesus says the opposite is true (That few are admitted to heaven)

Good point, but do we know how long the process of death is for a soul? Perhaps the concept of your life "flashing before your eyes" is a chance to review everything and make peace with your mistakes. But without revealing an afterlife.

 

[mayakovsky]

Why not? Do you have to say the words out loud? Or is the soul no longer capable of thought?

Why is there a deadline for an immortal soul?

Nicely said.

Although, I do believe that suicide is a sin. Taking one's own life is telling God that you have no faith in Him to guide you through the worst of times.

 

[Homie]

Where does Jesus say that?

Matthew 7:13-14

13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

 

[Homie]

I love that on internet discussion I can search Biblegateway.com for passages that I know are in the Bible, I just have no clue where. In real life discussions I will paraphrase a verse or just mention the content of it briefly to prove my point. Then they'll ask:"Where does it say that?" and I am left hanging, because I don't know chapters and verses, I don't even try to memorize, it is too much.

 

[Perfection]

I don't know about that. You have at least a minute.

Given that skydivers fall at about 120mph and adjusting for acceleration to terminal velocity and the possibility of a lower terminal velocity for the person I'd estimate you'd have at maxium 20 seconds.

 

[Homie]

I did the math and you're right; from a 1000 meter drop (if falling at 192 Km/h) you would have 19 seconds before you hit the ground. I thought we fell slower than that.

Well, the Bible is my domain, math is not. I hate that I have to take calc for my major, it sucks.

 

[Truronian]

Does the bible declare suicide as an act of murder? Personally I think suicide, while weak, is an act far from evil

 

[Lotus49]

An old woman dying slowly and very painfully from inoperable, terminal cancer - that chooses to end her suffering, after a lifetime of goodness and happiness... I would think, has nothing to worry about.

I don't believe suicide is a one-way ticket to Hell. However, upon arrival to the afterlife, you will be shown what you missed out on, what could have been - and that may haunt you, and make you somewhat miserable for a while. -Realizing you caved in to weakness, and failure, instead of being strong and gloryfing the Lord as you should have.

But, I do believe the Lord is merciful, and sometimes misery can be downright hard, perhaps even intolerable, to cope with.

I also believe that the power to get out of here, is one power everyone should have, at all times in their life. Basically, life here sucks. You have to at least give it your all, and stick with it as long as you can - see what's around the next bend. But, after a long time, if you're overcome by a great desire to get the heck off this... 'place', then quite frankly I'm sure God can... 'relate'.

It all depends on the circumstanaces, the individual, etc. Everyone is their own unique case, that can only be judged by themselves, and God.

But again, we're here for a reason - and God above all else is power and strength, not to mention endurance & patience. So, to glorify him, you should strive to emulate those traits as best you can, as long as you can (to the very end, ideally).

There's probably a special reward for those that never stop fighting, never stop believing, never get brought down by this life. That's what I'm striving for. Why? Because damn this place - I'm not going to lose. I'm going to beat this place at it's own game. -Because if you're actually superior -as you may like to believe- then in practice, you triumph.

Winning is not so hard. Just don't dwell on the negative. Plus, look on the bright side... life is short. You'll be out of here, before too long.

 

[Heretic_Cata]

In Dante's Inferno - those who commited suicide are turned into gnarled trees and are torn and eaten by harpies.

(they are on the 2nd fold of the 7th circle btw)

 

[El_Machinae]

It is Catholic dogma that suicide is a sin; there's no biblical support for this though, except by reading into certain texts ('though shalt not kill' for example, might refer to yourself as well).

In fact, the bible often encourages self-sacrifice, even unto death. Those are all types of suicide, though not commonly deemed such. Jumping on a grenade is suicide, but it's considered loving.

 

[classical_hero]

It is Catholic dogma that suicide is a sin; there's no biblical support for this though, except by reading into certain texts ('though shalt not kill' for example, might refer to yourself as well).

In fact, the bible often encourages self-sacrifice, even unto death. Those are all types of suicide, though not commonly deemed such. Jumping on a grenade is suicide, but it's considered loving.

You are not talking about suicide with the last paragraph. Suicide is taking your own life because you cannot handle living anymore and it is selfish. Those things listed are the exact opposite of suicide. They way you just described suicide is actually an insult to those people who have died in battle to make your country free.