Why should it be when God is so random regarding who he helps and who he ignores? People who have suffered for years from depression and other horrible diseases and have prayed for years for relief or some small sign that God cares. And they get nothing. Sometimes their prayers are answered with yet another tragedy. For some of these people, all they want to do is to die. So after years of misery, they do. Why does God turn his back on some and randomly decide to help others?
BTW. For those of you who don’t believe in God, this would not be an answer that you can provide. Your opinion is already known.
Atheists may not be able to provide an answer from a religious standpoint, but how about from a logical standpoint.
In your OP, you addressed the reasons why suicide - those committed by people in the utter misery of chronic pain, or who are quadraplegics - should not be an unforgivable sin by a loving God.
It’s always interesting to see how those folks who believe in a loving God can rationalize how his “love” is demonstrated by not forgiving people who were in too much misery, or too befogged by clinical depression, to continue their lives.
I was referring to anyone who thinks they can speak for what God can (not) forgive.
Somewhere you must have come across someone who said it’s unforgivable. I know there were times in the past that many Christian faith expressions DID commonly claim it was unforgivable. Most have abandoned that stance – mainly because it is NOT our place to speak for God on what he chooses to forgive.
Draw understanding from the parable of the Prodigal Son.
Everything that son did in the story would have been unforgivable to the sensibilities of that age’s Jewish listener. It’s why Jesus spun that story. And it was all about the forgiveness of God embodied in the father in that story.
In reality, the father was the prodigal father. He gave, and kept forgiving and giving.
As for the larger question of why God seems to favor some and not others, it has plagued mankind since forever. In fact, it often seems that “favor” falls on the sinful, and calamity on the righteous. Lots of parables and writings look at that.
We’re not going to solve it here.
Check out the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man. How did that end?
From a human perspective, the rich guy lived lavishly and Lazarus lived a wretched life and died a wretched man. From a human perspective, that’s how it ends too. But do you limit yourself to that human perspective? The atheist does.
From my understanding it’s looked down on in the Bible but not a written down as an unforgivable sin unless you translate “Thou shall not kill” to “Thou shall not kill themselves”. Several figures in the Bible died by suicide and were celebrated figures.
It seems to me more taboo for Catholics than Protestants, the suicide rate is higher among Protestants than Catholics.
I absolutely believe God forgives suicide. If he forgives people who kill other people, why would he not forgive people who kill themselves?
We don’t and can’t see into a person’s heart or head, so we don’t know every factor in a person’s life that brought them to the point of making that decision. God does not protect us from every misery of life. We are subject to illness, physical and mental. We are subject to pain, physical, mental and emotional. God knows we are weak and sometimes we make foolish or rash decisions, yet he forgives us anyway, knowing in advance we will make more foolish choices in the future. I don’t believe he would draw the line at suicide…
There are people who live their lives constantly praying for forgiveness because they’re afraid that the commercial they just watched, or the meme they just enjoyed will damn them to hell. “Unforgivable suicide” is a consequence of OCD-like mental illness mixing with a person’s faith.
There doesn’t seem to be biblical support for the idea of a lawyer God who snatches away his salvation after every sin and gives it back when his children hastily breathe canned prayers.
There’s also an argument to be made that suicide is always performed under some sort of duress.
The teaching on mortal sin (murder (and therefore suicide would qualify), puts one in danger of hell (eternal separation from God). One would also have to desire (or be totally indifferent) to such separation. Suicide and murder have far reaching effects on loved ones of both the one who commits the act and the victim of the act. The point is, not to downplay the seriousness of the action, yet also understand that a loving and merciful God will take everything into consideration.
As far as seeking an indication that God cares…God is not a Genii who is ours to command, even under exceptional circumstances such as deep depression or serious illness. People tend to have their own standards and expectations as to how God should address their situation–and when God does not meet these expectations, it is branded as uncaring. Meanwhile, God may be helping (or trying to help) in a way to which we are totally blinded because we are too busy looking for what we want to see.
Suicide is a tremendously difficult situation, and I deeply recommend leaving this in God’s hands. Here is a question: How much do you love someone? God does not love them any less–but a great deal more.
I think that vengeful God imagery comes from places in the Old Testament where such interpretations could be drawn. But the progression of the Bible is a continuous revelation of God, culminating in Jesus FULFILLING with full revelation what was written in the Old. Christians see that as an “AHA!” revelation, whereas Pharisaical interpretations limit themselves to the Old, and therefore to incomplete scripture without that final fulfillment.
If you see my Dad tell him my brothers
have all gone mad they’re beating on each other.
I walked around, even tried to call
had that funny feeling, He’s not there at all.
