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Re: Re: not really otr, more adressed to those who havereligiouspersuasions...
You see, now that the Wedding The Ate My Life is over, I'm catching up on all
my old mail. Brace yerselves.
In a message dated 7/19/99 12:04:32 PM, jnedsfox at moody_edu wrote:
>
>Suicide in the human sense of the word is sinful not (just) because it is
>the taking of a human life, but because it is an ultimate act of pride: in
>essence, you say to God that He was wrong to create you, and that you know
>better than he does how to direct the path of your life.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't think of suicide as a religious issue at all.
I knew a young man in college who was in such emotional pain that there was
absolutely no way out for him. I can't agree with his choice, but I can
understand he saw absolutely no alternative. He needed to end his pain. His
parents, miles away in another state, who had had no idea what had been going
on, were agonized by it, and in their grief, they had to contend with the
idea that in addition to being dead, horribly and by his own hand, they had
no comfort in their religion, which told them that he was damned for
eternity. I just don't get that.
Anyway, that's beside the point. My take on suicide is that there are just
some forms of pain that are inescapable except through death. We're not
indestructible beings, and we have the capacity to end our own suffering.
It's not a decision I think I'd make, but I have to respect that for some
people, it is the last, best refuge. I think some people do so without fully
appreciating the consequences-- children, families left behind in confusion
and torment (no, they will NOT be better off without you), but in those cases
where someone is slowly being eaten alive by an irreversible disease, where
they become a burden to life itself, where a rational, considered decision
has been made, we shouldn't stand between a human being and their right to
die with dignity, to end their pain, to finally find some measure of peace.
Having said that, I also think many people succumb to griefs or illnesses
which they do not see as curable, when in fact, they are. Taking the last
exit before you see there's an end to the road is, in my mind, the ultimate
tragedy. Which is why I support suicide hotline and mental health workers.
And getting help to friends who look like they might need it. Preventing
someone from committing suicide is one thing: getting someone to see they
don't need to try is even better.
Ysoie, climbing down off that particular soapbox for the evening....