Suicide as a Christian , why I feel no shame or guilt for my decision

[RickyIsSad]

Hello all,

I am a Christian , as are many suicidal people I have met, some say that is what stops them from achieving voluntary freedom, however, I would like to elaborate on why I don't fear death as a Christian , even death by suicide.

Firstly, it can be argued that Christ Committed suicide. Jesus knew of his "death" and suffering on earth, and that the Father (God) sent Jesus (the son) to die on earth. Jesus said, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30) and "The Father and I are one" (Matthew 10:40). The New Testament equates Jesus with the creator of the universe (John 1:3).
And of course, God sent Jesus, the perfect lamb, to sacrifice for the sins of humanity.
John 3:16 in the Bible describes God's love for the world and His plan to save humanity through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life"

So God sent Jesus (Himself) to earth to die, and had knowledge of his death both as the Father and as the Son.
Jesus knew that God (himself) was going to ultimately sacrifice him and that Jesus would in a way be killed by God as part of Gods plan, and therefore would kill himself, since God and Jesus are one. Matthew 17:22–23 reads as following "He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it."
Matthew 20:17–19 specifically mentions his death
"Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"
Luke 9:21-22: And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."

So Jesus knew of his death, and was God. Jesus in a way, and yes, God in a way, committed suicide. I would definitely describe knowing of an event that will kill you and not stopping it (when you are able to) as a form of suicide. Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death.

Secondly, as a Christian, I take comfort in the fact that before Jesus committed suicide , he too, had doubts, anxiety, and fear Jesus experienced fear in the Garden of Gethsemane before his death and on the cross as well in The Gospel of John
Jesus says, "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour" on the cross as well Jesus's last words before he died were, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Suicide of notable persons in the Bible that are not Jesus

Samson, a Judge and hero in the Bible committed suicide, by praying to got to allow an event to happen that would kill himself and his enemies.
"And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed with all his might; and the house fell...upon all the people that were therein (Judges 16:30)."

the Bible does not specifically condemn it as worse than any other sin, or even say suicide specifically is a sin at all. A believer who commits suicide will not lose their salvation.
Going off the idea suicide is a sin. (Murder)
suicide is not the unpardonable sin.
Romans 6:23 ESV says "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord"



The Bible mentions 7 cases of suicide Most of the suicides in these biblical accounts took place in the context of war, during which the individuals were already immersed in the immediate context of death. We also see fear or shame as a significant factor in the accounts of self-killing. Correspondingly, there is evidence of a low self-image in some instances, as well as guilt in others. This highlights how an individual's mental health state can impact the decision to take one's own life. All incidents take place in the context of a highly emotional state of mind.

Revelation 21:4 ESV says "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."
I feel that after I die , for will

Ultimately, I believe that God will accept me, and embrace me when I die; because I am his child, and he knows my heart. My entire life on earth has been a struggle, spent suffering and being afraid. He knows I'm tired, he knows I need him to take me away from this place.

"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book" (Psalm 56:8) God keeps a record of human pain and suffering. God has already payed the price to forgive my sins, he knows my suffering, and I know when I die I will be with him in heaven, and I won't have to worry anymore. Even if the end is painful. I'm ready to die and be with God

 

[suffering_mo]

Jesus did NOT commit suicide....He allowed Himself to be put to death by others. That's a HUGE difference. I'm not trying to say this to you to guilt you. As a Christian, I am also trying to believe that I will be forgiven because my physical and neurological pain and suffering is too much for me (and God knows that) but there's still fear. Anyhow, I felt compelled as a Christian to say that I completely disagree with your comparison and saying that Christ committed suicide. Just not true.

 

[RickyIsSad]

Jesus did NOT commit suicide....He allowed Himself to be put to death by others. That's a HUGE difference. I'm not trying to say this to you to guilt you. As a Christian, I am also trying to believe that I will be forgiven because my physical and neurological pain and suffering is too much for me (and God knows that) but there's still fear. Anyhow, I felt compelled as a Christian to say that I completely disagree with your comparison and saying that Christ committed suicide. Just not true.

Interesting , but after all is being martyr really any different than suicide? Both are willfully killing oneself (for example a soldier who jumps in front of a bullet to save another)

 

[Lightkeeper]

Ultimately, I believe that God will accept me, and embrace me when I die; because I am his child, and he knows my heart. My entire life on earth has been a struggle, spent suffering and being afraid. He knows I'm tired, he knows I need him to take me away from this place.

I am a Christian as well (though I guess you could say a 'forced' one, since I am a rational person and none of it ever really made a whole lot of sense to me, but I experienced a miracle when I was 14 so I simply know in heart that God exists, even though I can't comprehend it) and I can completely understand how you feel. I've spent last 16 years idling in this place I hate, waiting for Him to tell me why did He force me to stay... I don't believe that people who kill themselves automatically go to Hell, but I also don't believe that it's as simple as you described. Just as @suffering_mo said, what Jesus did wasn't really suicide, it was a sacrifice, which is a big difference imo - the entire Christianity is basically about loving thy neighbour, so if you for example jump in front of a bullet to save another as you mentioned, you basically fulfil His will, whereas if you just choose to kill yourself because life got too difficult to handle, it's not not really benefiting anyone else... On this topic, I think it would be interesting to explore example the possibility of volunteering for deadly medical trials - I am pretty sure there's a lot of research being held back by lack of volunteers willing to die in the process, might be a win-win situation for a lot of people...

 

[suffering_mo]

Yes. Being a marty IS absolutely different. Martyrs are killed (by others) because of their religious beliefs. Big difference.

 

[RickyIsSad]

Yes. Being a marty IS absolutely different. Martyrs are killed (by others) because of their religious beliefs. Big difference.

Interesting.

 

[onelastcall]

God is dead - Nietzsche

 

[youwantitdarker]

Hello, fellow Christian. I also feel no guilt or shame, which is strange. Actually, if anything, I feel guilty for not feeling guilty. It's almost funny - I turned to religion for some sort of an answer/comfort and look at me now. I'm sorry friend, I can't help you...

 

[RickyIsSad]

Hello, fellow Christian. I also feel no guilt or shame, which is strange. Actually, if anything, I feel guilty for not feeling guilty. It's almost funny - I turned to religion for some sort of an answer/comfort and look at me now. I'm sorry friend, I can't help you...

I just like to imagine that I'll be with God, as someone who has never felt love I can't imagine what having the creator of the universe who loves you in the same room as you to be honest. Sounds amazing. I genuinely can't wait. Getting ready to order SN with my debit card tonight , and then I'm heading to heaven for the next stage of my existence

 

[axab43]

Hello all,

I am a Christian , as are many suicidal people I have met, some say that is what stops them from achieving voluntary freedom, however, I would like to elaborate on why I don't fear death as a Christian , even death by suicide.

Firstly, it can be argued that Christ Committed suicide. Jesus knew of his "death" and suffering on earth, and that the Father (God) sent Jesus (the son) to die on earth. Jesus said, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30) and "The Father and I are one" (Matthew 10:40). The New Testament equates Jesus with the creator of the universe (John 1:3).
And of course, God sent Jesus, the perfect lamb, to sacrifice for the sins of humanity.
John 3:16 in the Bible describes God's love for the world and His plan to save humanity through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life"

So God sent Jesus (Himself) to earth to die, and had knowledge of his death both as the Father and as the Son.
Jesus knew that God (himself) was going to ultimately sacrifice him and that Jesus would in a way be killed by God as part of Gods plan, and therefore would kill himself, since God and Jesus are one. Matthew 17:22–23 reads as following "He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it."
Matthew 20:17–19 specifically mentions his death
"Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"
Luke 9:21-22: And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."

So Jesus knew of his death, and was God. Jesus in a way, and yes, God in a way, committed suicide. I would definitely describe knowing of an event that will kill you and not stopping it (when you are able to) as a form of suicide. Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death.

Secondly, as a Christian, I take comfort in the fact that before Jesus committed suicide , he too, had doubts, anxiety, and fear Jesus experienced fear in the Garden of Gethsemane before his death and on the cross as well in The Gospel of John
Jesus says, "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour" on the cross as well Jesus's last words before he died were, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Suicide of notable persons in the Bible that are not Jesus

Samson, a Judge and hero in the Bible committed suicide, by praying to got to allow an event to happen that would kill himself and his enemies.
"And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed with all his might; and the house fell...upon all the people that were therein (Judges 16:30)."

the Bible does not specifically condemn it as worse than any other sin, or even say suicide specifically is a sin at all. A believer who commits suicide will not lose their salvation.
Going off the idea suicide is a sin. (Murder)
suicide is not the unpardonable sin.
Romans 6:23 ESV says "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord"



The Bible mentions 7 cases of suicide Most of the suicides in these biblical accounts took place in the context of war, during which the individuals were already immersed in the immediate context of death. We also see fear or shame as a significant factor in the accounts of self-killing. Correspondingly, there is evidence of a low self-image in some instances, as well as guilt in others. This highlights how an individual's mental health state can impact the decision to take one's own life. All incidents take place in the context of a highly emotional state of mind.

Revelation 21:4 ESV says "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."
I feel that after I die , for will

Ultimately, I believe that God will accept me, and embrace me when I die; because I am his child, and he knows my heart. My entire life on earth has been a struggle, spent suffering and being afraid. He knows I'm tired, he knows I need him to take me away from this place.

"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book" (Psalm 56:8) God keeps a record of human pain and suffering. God has already payed the price to forgive my sins, he knows my suffering, and I know when I die I will be with him in heaven, and I won't have to worry anymore. Even if the end is painful. I'm ready to die and be with God

I am a Christian. I don't agree Christ committed suicide because the Bible says He willingly gave up His own life, not took it.

The main part I am interested in is that other Christians feel the way I do and are struggling as much as I am. Not many will admit to it and it is interesting to see others here. Can I ask what plans you have for how you are going to do it? This is what I struggle with, rather than guilt. I don't feel guilty as I know God would understand. I do struggle with how to do this, as I can't think of a way I would be able to do this without overthinking it/backing out. I'm so ready to die but am wary about the pain, though it can't be any more painful than life!

Jesus did NOT commit suicide....He allowed Himself to be put to death by others. That's a HUGE difference. I'm not trying to say this to you to guilt you. As a Christian, I am also trying to believe that I will be forgiven because my physical and neurological pain and suffering is too much for me (and God knows that) but there's still fear. Anyhow, I felt compelled as a Christian to say that I completely disagree with your comparison and saying that Christ committed suicide. Just not true.

You will be forgiven. Can I ask how you plan to do this? It is so hard to do/think about.

 

[RickyIsSad]

I am a Christian. I don't agree Christ committed suicide because the Bible says He willingly gave up His own life, not took it.

The main part I am interested in is that other Christians feel the way I do and are struggling as much as I am. Not many will admit to it and it is interesting to see others here. Can I ask what plans you have for how you are going to do it? This is what I struggle with, rather than guilt. I don't feel guilty as I know God would understand. I do struggle with how to do this, as I can't think of a way I would be able to do this without overthinking it/backing out. I'm so ready to die but am wary about the pain, though it can't be any more painful than life!

My plan is SN. I am going to take XYZGrams, turn on Christian music, and go to sleep in the woods with my puppy next to me, (tied a little far away from me so he won't nip or eat my body, since that would get him out to sleep) my dogs collar has a tracker on it; the tracker is the first page of my phone, when my family realizes I'm gone, they'll check the tracker; and by then I will be dead, and they'll take my dog home and go on with life , probably throw me in a whole and forget I ever existed lol

 

[aespa]

As a Christian people have always scared me into not CTBing. i'm scared to do it to be honest but I need freedom somehow

 

[ready2gonow1988]

I just like to imagine that I'll be with God, as someone who has never felt love I can't imagine what having the creator of the universe who loves you in the same room as you to be honest. Sounds amazing. I genuinely can't wait. Getting ready to order SN with my debit card tonight , and then I'm heading to heaven for the next stage of my existence

I was raised christian and I am not sure God will easily forgive us for ctb. There are many youtube videos of people who attempted suicide and were taken to hell through a near death experience before returning to earth. I'm not saying this to scare you, I'm just trying to share what I've learned so far.
Maybe try praying first and ask God what you should do? I have been praying, and I feel I have been told that if things become irreversibly hopeless I can leave.

 

[OnlyOneSolution]

God is dead - Nietzsche

God is alive, Nietzsche is dead.

I just like to imagine that I'll be with God, as someone who has never felt love I can't imagine what having the creator of the universe who loves you in the same room as you to be honest. Sounds amazing. I genuinely can't wait. Getting ready to order SN with my debit card tonight , and then I'm heading to heaven for the next stage of my existence

I wish I was on the early journey with you. I will be there one day soon.

 

[It'sMyLife]

As a life long agnostic (questioned religion since 8 when I was forced to go to church) I never really believed that the crucifixion of Jesus was a sacrifice. I know this may outrage believers but this is not my intention. Did Jesus know he was going to be crucified early on and also know he would be resurrected? Or did this knowledge come toward the end?? Or ever have it at all? And if God had the plan as well as the ability to reanimate Jesus it's not really all that much of a sacrifice at all now is it? I've imagined the two of them laughing about it actually because so many actually fell for it. I guess I'd really like to know if Jesus knew he was going to be reincarnated all along but I'll never know this and I highly doubt anyone on this planet can prove it. In spite of this opinion I know I might still benefit from going to church at least occasionally but I don't. Reading the Bible does me no good either as it really doesn't make any sense to me. One thing I know for sure is no matter what you believe bad shit still happens to you including to Christian's who live as close to a perfect life as humanly possible. I'm mostly in the category of doubting that suicide will send you to hell if there even is one although it's probably needed. I've theorized that our planet is in hell which would make sense to me as I feel there appears to be a lot of needless suffering. Perhaps God sends us here just to suffer and still allow happiness to exist in its midst. I'm not sure it makes a bit of difference but god bless SS ( makes a nice rhyme )

Edit: I've watched lot of those NDE vids thinking I might come to some level of belief but in the end I'm still not really convinced. But I will not say there's nothing after this existence as I have no way to prove it. I've yet to meet an atheist who who can either

 

[Whale_bones]

I was a Christian for many years, and I eventually realized the same thing. An all-knowing, all-powerful God, who literally has the power and authority to design whatever system he so chooses, decided to design a system where he had to send himself (in the form of Jesus) to be sacrificed to himself. God could have reformed any part of the system so that Jesus didn't have to die, but this is exactly how he chose to do it.

The Christian explanation is that it's our fault, people are sinful so God had to send Jesus! But God knows every moment that will happen on Earth in advance... he knew that humans would be sinful and he still chose to make them that way, then he made the system where Jesus was the only one who could "save" humans and the only way he could do that is by dying. An all-powerful God could redesign any part of that system if he wanted a different outcome... so what happened is the outcome he wanted and chose.

All this is to say, your understanding and feelings about it are perfectly valid. Many fellow Christians won't agree, and I get that, because suicide has for so long been related with the idea of "sin" in Christian teachings, it will seem antithetical to some people that Jesus could have committed suicide.

But when looking at the facts plainly, I see the same thing you do. God went down to Earth in the form of Jesus, knowing from the start he was going to die, knowing he was the one who created those specific circumstances and knowing he had the ability to change it, and still choosing to go to his death.

 

[AAE]

And if God had the plan as well as the ability to reanimate Jesus it's not really all that much of a sacrifice at all now is it?

The thing is that Jesus didn't "just die", he was tortured in horrible ways and then, dying slowly on a cross where you apparently die from becoming too exhausted to keep yourself up to breathe.

An imagination I have myself also is: What if his pain through all of it was amplified by the number of people who would ever live, to truly sacrifice himself for everyone? An amount of pain incomprehensible to us.

Some days I really feel I want to die, but I live in constant pain and despair and can't handle any more. So I can't do any painful thing, so I end up suffering without end. Of course God/Jesus must understand, Jesus said "blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted".

Those who focus on suicide being a sin base it on "You shall not kill". And very, very often, they've never experienced anything near the level of pain one can be in, where one understands that anyone can cross that line and want to die.

And like some of you say, many Christians are suffering or are even suicidal because they see this world for what it is, they see the things Jesus foretold about the end play out today.

As for "hell", Jesus used the word Gehenna or Gaihinnom which means the Valley of Hinnom, a place outside Jerusalem where pagans used to sacrifice children into fire but which was at the time used as a trash dump site if I recall it right.

I think hell might very well be this world. And I remember one NDE I read about where the person asked Jesus about hell and got the reply: "Some people chose to go to hell. I have forgiven them but they have to forgive themselves." That makes it sound as if let's say, a very evil person dies, gets to see his life through enlightened eyes, and unable to forgive himself for his evil which he now fully understands, chooses to punish himself because he feels like he deserves it.

There's no way for us to know it all. And the Bible is put together by humans with countless scriptures left out or altered. Since it's all such a big mess I personally believe that the best thing we can do is to simply try and be as good as we can, which Jesus did teach us.

I forgive those who are in such pain that they can't handle living, I understand them. Then God should too, right?

 

[tpboy]

Could it not be argued that God had.....or at least allowed his son to go through horrendous death. How could a loving father do such a thing?

 

[Schnipsel]

this is an interesting post, from my perspective as an atheist/agnostic.

I don't remember my childhood and barley remember my teens, but one of my earliest memories is me being roughly 11 to 13 years old, crying at night, wishing I was religious more than anything else, because I wanted to ctb, but the prospect of nothingness was just too much for me as a teen and I desperately hoped there would be an afterlife, even if I could not believe in it. I knew the Bible said people who ctb go to hell, but even hell sounded preferable to nothingness (and my current situation at the time).

I think if ctb was your only option for peace only a fool would judge you for that. And if a god, or the gods are omnipotent then they are anything but (a) fool(s). They knew what shoes we walked in and that we had no other choice. There's nothing amoral about that.
Only a devil would punish you for wanting peace.