Do you believe that suicide means going to heaven or hell?

[Praying 4 a Miracle]

According to the bible, and most biblical scholars, committing suicide does NOT mean going to hell, heaven is still a very real possibility. It's definitely considered to be a sin, but it is a forgivable sin.

Whether we go to heaven or hell has far more to do with believing in, and having a relationship with God. The only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

Personally, I am a Christian and do believe in God, however, because there are so many variations and different denominations in Christianity (there are literally thousands), I'm an open-minded and non-judgemental Christian. I mean in my country of Canada, there is literally a different type of church on every corner.

I also don't judge people for having a completely different belief system altogether. It's not our job to judge others, because we're not God.

Whether we believe in a spiritual afterlife or not, there is no reason to believe that suicide automatically means we're going to hell. According to the bible, the much bigger issue is believing in him, and having a relationship with him.

What is NOT clearly stated in the bible, is what heaven is exactly. It may be a physical place, or it may be a spiritual realm. Some believe we get our physical body back, but in perfect condition, with no chance of disease, sickness, or any other problem. A new (your) younger body, (early 20's) for all of eternity, never growing old. There is also mention of streets of gold.

Other denominations believe that heaven and hell are spiritual realms, with no physics involved whatsoever. This would mean that time does not exist, since time is the King of all physical properties. Other religions of the world believe in reincarnation, Atheists believe there is absolutely nothing after we die, it's simply lights out. Agnostics aren't sure one way or the other.

For those of us who DO believe in God and heaven, one thing is for sure, and that is it's going to be unbelievably amazing. God knows if you are suffering, he knows why, and he does not want us to suffer for years on end. He gave us our life, and it is precious, so we shouldn't destroy it needlessly.

Myself, I am also suffering, and having thoughts of suicide. I'm also praying for a miracle, and doing my best to love, honor, repent for my sins, and have a relationship with him. I often wonder why he's allowing us to suffer like this.

According to the experts, he allows it so that we can grow spiritually. Not much personal growth and character will build if everything is going just great in our lives all of the time. Constant suffering for years and years with no end in sight, we all know is really hard to deal with, and maybe that is why he's saying that suicide is not an unforgivable sin.

If you look at the big picture, our time spent on Earth, even if we live to 100, is like the blink of an eye compared to eternity. If there is an afterlife, what happens to us there is going to matter a whole lot more than what happens to us here!

 

[pthnrdnojvsc]

I'm an atheist but where in the bible does it describe a hell or an afterlife ? there were some reddit threads and links that said there is no hell in the Bible .

i think you sorta covered some of this in your post that the bible does not explicitly define a heaven or hell. I think people just see that shown in the movies the depiction of hell with rivers of fire and heaven with the pearly gates and clouds and just believe what they see in the movies as they get most of their beliefs from the media , movies ,Tv etc. that is most people believe that the Christian Bible / religion depict heaven or hell because that is what repeatedly shown in the movies .

Hell, as a lake of fire for eternal punishment, does NOT exist in the Bible! — Paul McLellan

The concept of “hell”, as a lake of fire set aside for eternal torment simply is not found anywhere in the Bible. Here is proof that it does not exist but instead of a gross misinterpretation from “Sheol”, “Hades”, “Tartarus” and “Gehenna”!

www.paulmclellan.com

I just think a human is an animal , cells, a brain in a box called a skull so there is no afterlife , there is no hell .

I think A human is just neural networks shaped into patterns in the brain to create models of the world and the self. There is nothing there just the software enscribed in the patterns of the neural networks similar to an ai , fly , mouse that also have neural networks .

How Neural Networks Can Think Like Humans And Why It Matters

Some neural networks are now more similar to human cognition than ever before, according to a study published in Nature.

aibusiness.com

 

[EvisceratedJester]

I don't believe in a heaven or a hell because I'm an atheist. You die and that's it.

 

[Just_Another_Person]

I'm agnostic, so I have a mixed view about it existing or not. Depends on the religion and God/gods, but I believe if Heaven/Hell are a thing, then suicide doesn't mean a direct sentence to hell.

 

[divinemistress36]

A Loving God wouldnt send someone to hell for cbt for not being able to handle the pain. Earth is Hell to me. I feel like we just go to another dimension after death

 

[CantDoIt]

I am also agnostic, but I don't think one goes to hell and I lean towards the view that people with NDEs are closest to the truth.
If not these people, then I believe that oblivion "forever sleep" is closer to the truth than heaven and hell.
This would be okay because it is devoid of suffering.

 

[landslide2]

When I die, the neurons in my brain will stop firing. Like flicking a light switch to permanently off. The end.

 

[avalonisburning]

I've said it before, but these forces of the cosmos - God, Buddha, Allah, Karma, Cthulhu, whatever - in all of their vast mysteriousness and primordiality, having anything more than passing novel curiosity in the minutiae of specifically human taboos, much less dedicating themselves to enforcing them by punishing anyone who violates them, is a goofy and geocentric idea.

 

[schrei_nach_liebe]

Hell no, pretty confident about there being nothing of any consequence out there.

 

[Travelr]

Heaven, hell would continue in a life of suffering

 

[divinemistress36]

I've said it before, but these forces of the cosmos - God, Buddha, Allah, Karma, Cthulhu, whatever - in all of their vast mysteriousness and primordiality, having anything more than passing novel curiosity in the minutiae of specifically human taboos, much less dedicating themselves to enforcing them by punishing anyone who violates them, is a goofy and geocentric idea.

I agree they could care less what humans do

 

[Hollowman]

It's impossible for anyone to have a relationship with god. Suicide means going nowhere forever.

 

[brokeandbroken]

According to the bible, and most biblical scholars, committing suicide does NOT mean going to hell, heaven is still a very real possibility. It's definitely considered to be a sin, but it is a forgivable sin.

Whether we go to heaven or hell has far more to do with believing in, and having a relationship with God. The only unforgivable sin is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

Personally, I am a Christian and do believe in God, however, because there are so many variations and different denominations in Christianity (there are literally thousands), I'm an open-minded and non-judgemental Christian. I mean in my country of Canada, there is literally a different type of church on every corner.

I also don't judge people for having a completely different belief system altogether. It's not our job to judge others, because we're not God.

Whether we believe in a spiritual afterlife or not, there is no reason to believe that suicide automatically means we're going to hell. According to the bible, the much bigger issue is believing in him, and having a relationship with him.

What is NOT clearly stated in the bible, is what heaven is exactly. It may be a physical place, or it may be a spiritual realm. Some believe we get our physical body back, but in perfect condition, with no chance of disease, sickness, or any other problem. A new (your) younger body, (early 20's) for all of eternity, never growing old. There is also mention of streets of gold.

Other denominations believe that heaven and hell are spiritual realms, with no physics involved whatsoever. This would mean that time does not exist, since time is the King of all physical properties. Other religions of the world believe in reincarnation, Atheists believe there is absolutely nothing after we die, it's simply lights out. Agnostics aren't sure one way or the other.

For those of us who DO believe in God and heaven, one thing is for sure, and that is it's going to be unbelievably amazing. God knows if you are suffering, he knows why, and he does not want us to suffer for years on end. He gave us our life, and it is precious, so we shouldn't destroy it needlessly.

Myself, I am also suffering, and having thoughts of suicide. I'm also praying for a miracle, and doing my best to love, honor, repent for my sins, and have a relationship with him. I often wonder why he's allowing us to suffer like this.

According to the experts, he allows it so that we can grow spiritually. Not much personal growth and character will build if everything is going just great in our lives all of the time. Constant suffering for years and years with no end in sight, we all know is really hard to deal with, and maybe that is why he's saying that suicide is not an unforgivable sin.

To be honest to answer the salient question I don't believe committing suicide has anything to do with whether or not you go to hell or heaven.

There is a part of me that is curious as to why he allows suffering or even why some people have opportunities and others don't like myself. Not even to be successful on earth but also what about crowns in heaven as well which seems to be how the class system is designed.
Also how can God be a good God and allow all this suffering.

 

[locked*n*loaded]

In response to the OP's posited question - NO.

 

[Darkover]

The idea that life ends at death without an afterlife brings a different set of reflections on how we choose to live and find meaning here and now.

For many people, heaven and hell are seen as fictional or symbolic concepts rather than literal places. This view often comes from an understanding that these ideas were created as part of religious narratives to explain morality, the afterlife, or to provide comfort (or caution) about what happens after death. From a secular perspective, they are often viewed as metaphors that reflect human desires, fears, and cultural beliefs about justice, reward, and punishment.

 

[LaVieEnRose]

No, I believe it means escaping hell.

 

[Sunü (素女)]

To me, OP's question actually was one of the reasons I stopped believing. I was taught that those who CTB will all go to hell. To condemn those who seek an end to their suffering to everlasting suffering. I wouldn't believe in a God like that even if he does exist; I don't want to worship evil.

If I still believed in God, I think suicide would be, as you've said, just be a sin like any other. I'd want to imagine that people who've commited suicide would be judged fairly and potentially be welcomed to heaven.

This thread also reminded me of a parable: the parable of the lost son. I imagine those who choose to leave this world early would have the same fate as the young son in the parable.

Also, for those interested, here's a related thread to this topic: Suicide and Christianity

 

[Forever Sleep]

I'm hoping neither exist. I don't want to be under the control of the same God that created and rules this world. (If there is one.) The far safer bet to me is to hope there's nothing. From what I've witnessed in this world, I can't see how it's creator could be good or even fair, unless there'a a much bigger picture that I can't comprehend.

If God created all this, then they wanted there to be suffering- why would they want that? And if it's not down to them. If it's the influence of Satan or whoever then, we're equally screwed because, either God can't defeat them. Or, they are obviously in cahoots with them to test and then punish us. Still, I think religion can do good as well as harm, so I've nothing personally against people who have faith.

Was it Terry Pratchett who wrote that a person's afterlife would be whatever they believed it would be? That sounds nice. Regardless though, I don't fancy living forever anywhere. What on earth would you do with forever? Being immortal sounds like a nightmare. Plus, I've never seen the point in punishing someone in hell forever. Isn't punishment a teaching tool of sorts? There's no redemption at all if there's no chance for it.

To be honest, many aspects of orthodox religions deeply trouble me. On the one hand, they are seen as the immutable words of God that must be obeyed and mustn't be challenged. Which makes sense from some of the fire and brimstone terminology of books like the Old Testament (I'm guessing- that's the impression I get. I'm not actually familiar with it.) On the other hand though- these 'holy' scriptures are sometimes written by men literally decades after a prophet was alive. What's to stop them adding in a few benefits to them? Surely, the people that wrote them were of the ruling classes. I doubt peasants could write that well. Religious laws parallel civil laws in most aspects. To me, it seems entirely possible they were simply introduced to reinforce civil order. If prison didn't frighten would be thieves, murderers and adulterers, perhaps hell would.

Plus, religion is a business now- just like everything else. As people demand more liberty- equal rights for both genders, equal rights for whatever sexuality we are- religions either need to bend to accomodate them or, they lose their 'customers'- congregation. So- how can it still be the immutable word of God if it changes?

Because it's down to humans to interpret it. But- that in itself is massively dangerous eg. extremists interpreting it to persuade others to kill etc.

I remember the first time I heard the lyrics of the song 'Imagine' by John Lennon. It was maybe one of the first things I'd heard that actually questioned whether religion was good. I think many of us are just taught that it is. I suppose like many things, it can be really good or, really bad.

 

[FuneralCry]

Never, I believe that it just leads to one ceasing to exist where there is no more pain, no more suffering and all is finally forgotten about instead, I believe death to be true peace from this painful, torturous existence that to me was just a terrible, tragic mistake in the first place, in my case I only hope for eternal nothingness, I only hope to never exist again, I only wish for peace from the cruelty and futility of suffering in this existence.

 

[Sadgirl121]

I do not personally believe in heaven or hell, however, I do believe that when you pass, your energy gets released into the universe, and you travel amongst the stars as energy.

 

[pandorasactor]

I don't believe there's a heaven or hell. I believe that our sport may still exist on Earth but not in human form.

I think we can go where we like. For example. I am picturing me going to a place that's grassy and next to river it's warm and there's a slight bit of wind. That's my afterlife.

 

[HeartThatFeeds]

Despite being suicidal, the concept of death has always scared me, but I'd like to believe that some spiritual plane exists wether it be heaven or some other place, I'd really like to think that at least after death there is peace

 

[thenorthern]

According to the bible, and most biblical scholars, committing suicide does NOT mean going to hell, heaven is still a very real possibility. It's definitely considered to be a sin, but it is a forgivable sin.

Whether we go to heaven or hell has far more to do with believing in, and having a relationship with God. The only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

Personally, I am a Christian and do believe in God, however, because there are so many variations and different denominations in Christianity (there are literally thousands), I'm an open-minded and non-judgemental Christian. I mean in my country of Canada, there is literally a different type of church on every corner.

I also don't judge people for having a completely different belief system altogether. It's not our job to judge others, because we're not God.

Whether we believe in a spiritual afterlife or not, there is no reason to believe that suicide automatically means we're going to hell. According to the bible, the much bigger issue is believing in him, and having a relationship with him.

What is NOT clearly stated in the bible, is what heaven is exactly. It may be a physical place, or it may be a spiritual realm. Some believe we get our physical body back, but in perfect condition, with no chance of disease, sickness, or any other problem. A new (your) younger body, (early 20's) for all of eternity, never growing old. There is also mention of streets of gold.

Other denominations believe that heaven and hell are spiritual realms, with no physics involved whatsoever. This would mean that time does not exist, since time is the King of all physical properties. Other religions of the world believe in reincarnation, Atheists believe there is absolutely nothing after we die, it's simply lights out. Agnostics aren't sure one way or the other.

For those of us who DO believe in God and heaven, one thing is for sure, and that is it's going to be unbelievably amazing. God knows if you are suffering, he knows why, and he does not want us to suffer for years on end. He gave us our life, and it is precious, so we shouldn't destroy it needlessly.

Myself, I am also suffering, and having thoughts of suicide. I'm also praying for a miracle, and doing my best to love, honor, repent for my sins, and have a relationship with him. I often wonder why he's allowing us to suffer like this.

According to the experts, he allows it so that we can grow spiritually. Not much personal growth and character will build if everything is going just great in our lives all of the time. Constant suffering for years and years with no end in sight, we all know is really hard to deal with, and maybe that is why he's saying that suicide is not an unforgivable sin.

If you look at the big picture, our time spent on Earth, even if we live to 100, is like the blink of an eye compared to eternity. If there is an afterlife, what happens to us there is going to matter a whole lot more than what happens to us here!

I will probably go to hell. I do believe in it and had a near death experience ge with it. I hope everyone e here can go to heaven though.

 

[Praying 4 a Miracle]

I will probably go to hell. I do believe in it and had a near death experience ge with it. I hope everyone e here can go to heaven though.

I obviously don't know the details of why you feel this way, but judging by what you've said in this post, I think you'll likely go to heaven too.

 

[CantDoIt]

Despite being suicidal, the concept of death has always scared me, but I'd like to believe that some spiritual plane exists wether it be heaven or some other place, I'd really like to think that at least after death there is peace

Fear of death + suicidal is the worst.

 

[Trav1989]

Nobody really knows and NDE's as well as religious experiences aren't truly valid because the person was not actually dead. Sure, the body can shut down but death is not actually experienced unless a person experiences brain death and there is no coming back from that.

So there is truly no way of knowing what is in store for us until we experience it ourselves and anyone saying they know otherwise is basing an argument on personal bias.

As such pertains to my personal bias I can honestly say I don't know and it is one of the only things none of us will ever know until knowing in and of itself is no longer valid by definition.

I HOPE there is pure nothingness, a lack of anything as in an eternal slumber without dreams, worries, ambitions, anything. There could also be a some form of reincarnation be it "soul"-based, quantum-based, or some other variety we aren't aware of.

Then there is the biblical Heaven and Hell that is highly improbable (but anything is possible I guess) where both heaven and hell would be an endless cycle for an eternity which in all honesty sounds horrific to me as I can't even manage nor cope with a single lifespan, let alone one prolonged for eternity.

There are other theories but sometimes less is more and in relation to death I believe such to be true peace in nothingness.

 

[Coconut blue]

personally i think we just go back to the state we were in before we were born

 

[hoodymend]

I really hope it's just nothingness for eternity

 

[TiredKitty]

A lot of the opinions I used to be around were that people suffering should be shown compassion, but that life was the greatest gift God could give us, and anyone who took their own life would be irredeemable and sent to hell for the transgression. I haven't actually looked at the Bible since I was a kid so I'm not too sure what it actually says about the topic, if it says anything at all. I'm an atheist and haven't believed in years.

 

[Praying 4 a Miracle]

personally i think we just go back to the state we were in before we were born

Very interesting, seems similar to nothingness, which is what many in the forum are saying they're hoping for. Sometimes I think that's a definite possibility, and then I wonder that if this is the reality (for all of us), it just seems to make this whole life on Earth so utterly pointless. It would mean that all humans, in all generations, just live, run around the Earth for a while, have a few experiences, possibly procreate, raise their children, and then die, and that's it. End of story. When I contrast this with the possibility of an afterlife, it seems to give life on Earth far more significance and purpose. The idea of having eternal life, especially if it's awesome, seems really exciting to me. No judgement though, I love hearing about what everyone believes, and hopes for, after this life is done on Earth.