1.

Introduction

Suicide is the impact news of human life in the modern era. According to the World Health
Organization in a year around one million people commit suicide whereas in the world wide 10-20
million people commit suicide in every year. The majority of suicide case is happening among the
teenagers. According to national suicide rates females are committing suicide than the males.

Today suicide is increasing in the world. There are many reason the people can see increasing of
sickness day by day, depression, suffering fear mental disorders this all the reason which lead a man to
commit suicide. Through this paper the present writer would like to explain about suicide, the reason,
method Christian responds, and religious views.

1.1. Meaning of Suicide

The meaning of suicide is to ‘kill oneself’. “Suicide is an act that primary aim is to intention and
deliberate falling of ones own life.”1

1.2. Epidemiology

According to official statistics, about a million people die by suicide annually more than those
murdered or killed in war. “According to a 2008 report from the Johns Hopking Bloombery school of
public health center for injury research and policy, the rate of suicide in the United States is increasing
for the first time in a decade.”2 The increase in the overall suicide rate between 1999 and 2005 was due
primarily to an increase in suicides among aged 40-64. “The world wide suicide rates increased by 60%
in the past 50 years, mainly in the developing countries.”3 The most suicides in the world occur in Asia,
which is estimated to account for upto 60% of all suicide.

1.3. Reason for Suicide

Most of the people who commit suicide do so far personal reasons. “The death of a close friend
or relative may lead a person to commit suicide, fear of the future or of failure in school causes some
student suicides. Some children commit suicide if the feel that there parents do not love them. Mental
illness may also lead to suicide. Some people believe that patients suffering from a hopeless illness
should be permitted to kill themselves.”4 Moreover people commit suicide because failures of love,

1
Ruth Shone Cavan, “Suicide,” Encyclopedia America (USA: N.P., 1996), 257.
2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/suicide.
3
Ibid.
4
David Lester, The World Book Encyclopedia (Chicago: Word Book Inc., 1989), 964.

1
marriage many women are committing suicide after their marriage because of the punishment of
husband for the dowry.5 These are the some reason people commit suicide.

1.4. Method of Suicide

There are many methods can see how people are committing suicide. Some of the method is
“by hanging, by eating poison, jump into water, jump before running vehicle, by burning, by making
injury.6 These are the method people use for committing suicide.

1.5. Suicide on the Indian Scene

In India the suicide increasing than the birth. “A careful look at the statistics indicates that more
suicides have been committed in the 18 to 30 years age grove 43% 30 to 50 years age group 34%. 50 and
above age group 13% and below 18 years age groups 14%. It is also noted that more man commit
suicide than woman.”7 Since Indians are familiar with poverty and poverty is an accepted way of life,
many suicides take place because of poverty. “In deed, given the present environment of an ideological
vacuum, collapsing values, increasing corruption, ever multiplying bird burning and dowry deaths, it is
highly essential to have awareness on the concepts leading to suicide.”8 “Human life being of infinite
value and fundamental good, it should be promoted, protected and preserved.”9

1.6. What Does the Bible Ethics Says about Suicide

The word suicide is not mentioned in the Bible. The Bible gives several examples of suicide, king
Saul (I Sam. 31: 4-5), Ahitophel, Haman, Zimri (I King. 16: 18) and Judas Iscariot (Matt. 27: 5). Some
scholars have pointed out that even Samson’s heroic death is a case of suicide while others feel that it is
a case of approved suicide (Judg. 16: 30).

“It is God who directs the lives of His creatures, every men’s life is in His power (Job. 12: 10). He
has been given by God and belong to God”.10 Suicide has been condemned infertile in the Bible. The
Bible has given some very definite guidelines on how to live our lives. “The sixth commandment in the
Decalogue says: “thou shall not murder” (Ex. 20: 13).11 If a Christian should not murder somebody else

5
T.J. Jose, Streethadhanavum Samoohya Prashnangalum (Angamally: Print Craft, 2007), 26.
6
Baby V.S, Attitude of Suicide among the 18th to 25th Age (NLBS; G.Th., 2003), 39.
7
Emmanuel E. James, Ethics a Biblical Perspective (Bangalore: Theological Book Trust, 2001), 325.
8
Ibid.
9
David Wilkerson, Suicide (New Jersey: Spire Books, 1978), 57.
10
Emmanuel E. James, op. cit., 324.
11
Ibid., 325.

2
than he must not murder himself because suicide is self murder.”12 Human life is sacred because we are
created in the image of God (Gen. 1: 27). “Since God has given us life, it is he who has to determine
when it is going to end (Job. 1: 21; I Cor. 6: 19).”13 In other words, death is under God’s control.

1.6.1. Suicide as Sin

Suicide is wrong, in the Christian view, because it violates the prohibition of taking innocent
human life. “At one pole, is suicide so light a sin, so unlike murder, t hat attempted suicide should go
unpunished sin. At the other extreme, is successful suicide on unpardonable sin.”14 Is suicide wrong?
How wrong is suicide? There is tension between two biblical principles. “The believers are not the
owner of his body, and furthermore, it is the home of God Himself, so suicide is very serious sin.”15 So it
is unpardonable sin because God is owner of our life so do not commit suicide.

1.6.2. Suicide as Crime

Suicide is clearly a sin, violating God’s law, but American society does not treat it is a crime-
those who attempt suicide are not persecuted as attempted murders. “But assisting suicide should not
be decimalized.”16 As with lying and stealing, when these are done to someone else and are not self
inflicted, they rightly become criminal. The role of the life preserver has shifted to the role of
terminator under the guise of compassion. Furthermore, the specter of assisted suicide, opening the
door to involuntary “suicide” is no fantasy.17

1.6.3. Euthanasia Practices

Proponents project a self limbing number of compelling cases in which competent, pain wracked
terminally ill patients exercise a responded right to receive compassion in dying and death with dignity
through the physician assisted suicide. Because of the legal and medical rejection of both assisted
suicide and euthanasia throughout the world. In 1992, for example, Timothy will advocated only
physical assisted suicide and opposed practicing euthanasia because of the risk of abuse it presents.”
Doctors are now beginning openly to admit what the profession once kept secret. That doctors some
time kill patients who ask to die, or help such patients to kill themselves.18

12
Ibid.
13
Ibid.
14
McQuilkin, An Introduction to Biblical Ethics (Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 1995), 328.
15
Ibid.
16
Ibid.
17
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/suicide
18
Edward J. Laron, Different Death (Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 1998), 226.

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1.7. The Religious View of Suicide

1.7.1. Islam

Suicide is not allowed in Islam. “However, martyring oneself for Allah is not the same as
completing suicide. Suicide in Islam is seen as a sign of disbelief in God.” The use of suicide attacks is
strictly forbidden in Islam. However it is practiced by radical group such as Hamas and Alqaida in Iraq.19

1.7.2. Hinduism

In Hinduism, suicide is frowned upon and is considered equally sinful as murdering another.
“Hindu scriptures state that one who commits suicide will become part of the spirit world wondering
earth until the time of one would have otherwise died, and one not committed suicide.20

1.7.3. Judaism

Judaism focuses on the importance of valuing this life and as such. Suicide is tantamount to
denying God’s goodness in the world. “Despite this, under extreme circumstances when there has
seemed no choice but to either killed or forced to betray their religion, Jews have committed individual
suicide or mass suicide and as a grim reminder there is even a prayer in the Jewish liturgy for when the
knife is at the throat, for this dying to sanctify God’s name.” This acts have received mixed responses by
Jewish authorities, regarded both as example of heroic martyrdom, whilist others state that it was
wrong for them to take their own lives in anticipation of martyrdom.21

1.7.4. Christianity

According to Christianity suicide is considered as sin. As well as the life is a gift given by God
which should not be spurned and that suicide is against the natural order and thus interferes with God’s
master plan for the world. Taking one life no more violates God’s law than does curing a disease, and
that a number of suicides by followers of God is recorded in the Bible with no dire condemnation.22

1.8. Christian Reasons towards Suicide

There is little in the Bible concerning the morality of suicide and also the word suicide does not
appear. “The early church, however, soon came to regard suicide as akin to murder and therefore as

19
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/suicide.
20
Ibid.
21
Ibid.
22
Ibid.

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prohibited Christian opinion is that suicide is morally wrong. In the Westminster larger catechism, “the
sins forbidden in the sixth commandment.”23 Considered Christian opinion is that suicide is morally
wrong. In the Westminster larger catechism, “the sins forbidden in the sixth commandment are talking
away the life of ourselves.”24 According to Judaco Christian tradition “only God is in His sovereignty
suicide therefore is seen as a challenge to the sovereignty of God.

Conclusion and Evaluation

The attitude of suicide is increasing day by day in the world. People are committing suicide in
order to get sudden death. Bible does not support rather prohibiting the people from the suicide. If any
one is committing suicide He/she is violating the law of God. The human becomes are not spouse to
disobey the law of the Lord but to obey. The human beings don’t have authority over his life because it
come from above so none can destroy his/her life. So people have no authority to kill oneself. Thus it
means God does not allow committing suicide.

Bibliography

Cavan, Ruth Shone. “Suicide.” Encyclopedia America. USA: N.P., 1996.

Harris, B. “Suicide.” Christian Ethics and Pastoral Theology, edit., David S. Atkinson. Illinois:
Intervarsity Press, 1995.
James, Emmanuel E. Ethics a Biblical Perspective. Bangalore: Theological Book Trust, 2001.
Jose, T.J. Streethadhanavum Samoohya Prashnangalum. Angamally: Print Craft, 2007.
Laron, Edward J. Different Death. Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 1998.
Lester, David. The World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: Word Book Inc., 1989.
McQuilkin. An Introduction to Biblical Ethics. Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 1995.
V.S, Baby Attitude of Suicide among the 18th to 25th Age. NLBS; G.Th., 2003.
Wilkerson, David. Suicide. New Jersey: Spire Books, 1978.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/suicide.

23
B. Harris, “Suicide,” Christian Ethics and Pastoral Theology, edit., David S. Atkinson (Illinois: Intervarsity
Press, 1995), 825.
24
Ibid.