I know that the Orthodox Church considers direct suicide (as in killing yourself via a single specific harmful act, such as taking pills you know will kill you, hanging yourself, etc.) to be a "mortal sin" and as such the usual prayers for the departed are not said. I know someone who died when their body failed due to many years of poor care. This person drank an obscene amount of alcohol, ate very poorly, and did not exercise at all. I'm wondering is this considered a form of suicide (at least to the Orthodox Church)?

Judas Iscariot committed suicide when he realized the evil that he had done. > Matthew 27:3-5 (KJV) > > **3** Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, >
**4** Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. >
**5** And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. The passage in Matthew shows that Judas hanged himself, but Acts 1 says something else: > Acts 1:18-19 (KJV) > > **18** Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. >
**19** And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. Are these two passages contradictory? How did Judas die?

Could you go straight to heaven if you just kill yourself on All Souls Day? > It is observed on November 2. Roman Catholic doctrine holds that the > prayers of the faithful on earth will help cleanse these souls in > order to fit them for the vision of God in heaven, and the day is > dedicated to prayer and remembrance.

In separate startling incidents, two Parish Priests of Roman Catholic Church of India reportedly gave up their life recently after having undergone treatment for psychological condition. In many parishes, the priests lead isolated life and are prone to suicidal tendency in case they have psychological disorder. Such incidences could have been avoided if the priests were withdrawn from the parish and kept in community life under observation. My question is: Has the Catholic Church issued any standing instructions to Bishops in order to stave off such unfortunate incidents?

In the following quote from the Catechism, it seems to imply that you can repent of a mortal sin after death. How does that fit with the standard "Once damned always damned after death" view that the Catholic church teaches elsewhere? > Suicide > > 2280 Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it > to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are > obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and > the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life > God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of. > > 2281 Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to > preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just > love of self. It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly > breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human > societies to which we continue to have obligations. Suicide is > contrary to love for the living God. > > 2282 If suicide is committed with the intention of setting an example, > especially to the young, it also takes on the gravity of scandal. > Voluntary co-operation in suicide is contrary to the moral law. > > Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, > suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one > committing suicide. > > **2283 We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who > have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can > provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for > persons who have taken their own lives.** I'm curious about the phrase "salutary repentance". Does this mean that someone in Hell can repent?

In the movie [Constantine](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0360486/) , Rachel Weisz's character begs a Catholic priest to give her twin sister a funeral, but he refuses because she committed suicide. Is this an accurate depiction of Catholicism? I know expecting fair or accurate religious portrayals from the heathens that run Hollywood is probably expecting too much. Wondering how accurate that is?

**Can You Go To Heaven if You Commit Suicide?** According to Romans 8:31-38: > What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died–more than that, who was raised to life–is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Or consider 1 John 1:9: > If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Does this mean that God will forgive us, no matter what? Or is it saying that we must repent in order to be forgiven, and if you commit suicide, it is basically like apologizing for something, then doing it (the sin) right after. Suicide is not directly mentioned in these passages, but they give good context. Thank you for answering, I know this is a sensitive topic so also please answer with discretion. If you or someone you know is dealing with thoughts of suicide, please contact Suicide Prevention or call 988.

In "Orthodoxy" G.K. Chesterton compares in multiple places the difference in attitude between people who kill themselves and people who let themselves be killed for Jesus' sake. > The Christian attitude to the martyr and the suicide was not what is so often affirmed in modern morals. It was not a matter of degree. It was not that a line must be drawn somewhere, and that the self-slayer in exaltation fell within the line, the self-slayer in sadness just beyond it. The Christian feeling evidently was not merely that the suicide was carrying martyrdom too far. The Christian feeling was furiously for one and furiously against the other: these two things that looked so much alike were at opposite ends of heaven and hell. One man flung away his life; he was so good that his dry bones could heal cities in pestilence. Another man flung away life; he was so bad that his bones would pollute his brethren's. I am not saying this fierceness was right; but why was it so fierce? I don't believe that Christians will necessarily disallow suicides to be buried with everyone else these days. Has anything in Christian doctrine changed or is has the "fierceness" that Christians once hated suicide disappeared with modern understanding of psychology? Does this affect Chesterton's argument, is it yet another example he uses that's lost on the modern reader? _Expecting answers from a Chestertonian viewpoint if you can muster up one, otherwise something from Anglican / Catholic doctrine_

In May 1942, two Czech operatives (trained and armed by the British) assassinated Reinhard Heydrich , the Nazi governor of Bohemia and Moravia and a good candidate for the most evil man who ever lived. In the aftermath of said killing, the assassins were tracked down to an Eastern Orthodox cathedral with several other resistance fighters, where, following a lengthy shootout, they took their own lives in order to avoid capture. I imagine that sparing themselves the horrors that the Gestapo would certainly have inflicted on them was a factor in their suicides, but I imagine that **another factor was the desire to protect their families and comrades, whom they might well have put in mortal danger had they been taken alive**, by means of the information that would have been tortured out of them. I know that Christians generally take a firm stance against against suicide, and Roman Catholics are said to be particularly steadfast in that regard. **But is the case of spies avoiding capture, especially while fighting in a righteous cause, an exception in which suicide can be seen as self-sacrifice rather than self-murder?**

This question may sound rude but, if someone as holy as the pope were to commit suicide would he go to hell? Considering his devotion to god wouldn't he get some sort of pass? I think someone who gives up on life's desires and focuses on spreading faith shouldn't be sent to hell. And again if this is insulting then I apologize. I used the Pope for my question because I believe that one who holds the position of Pope would be extremely devoted and most likely the most devoted.

At Judges 16: 289-30 (NRSVCE) we see the account of death of Samson: >Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “Lord God, remember me and strengthen me only this once, O God, so that with this one act of revenge I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.” And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” He strained with all his might; and the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So those he killed at his death were more than those he had killed during his life. One is inclined to refer to the death of Samson as one akin to death at wartime. But then, he was also aware that he would kill himself if he brought down the structure. My question therefore is: Does the Catholic Church put the death of Samson in the category of suicide ?

In the 2003 movie *Luther *, there is a scene where, while still a monk, Martin Luther comes across a man who has hanged himself. The townspeople are treating the suicide with horror and disdain, believing him to be damned. But Luther says that the man is not responsible for "the demons in his mind" or something to that effect and personally chooses to bury the man as a reputable Christian would be. In real life, did Luther ever express his views on suicide? And if so, is there any evidence that he expressed them while he was a monk, as he did in the movie?

I don't want to set off any red flags here. I am not pursuing a suicidal lifestyle, nor do I have the desire to end my life. That being said: 1. Perhaps the greatest thing a person can hope for is to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 2. We are told that if a person truly accepts God as their Saviour, they promised an eternity in heaven. With this in mind, why not just accept Christ and then off yourself? We all want to go to heaven, don't we? Why prolong the wait and "misery" of living in a sinful world and just proceed to enter the pearly gates? Strictly speaking in a logical sense this is the best thing a person could do for themselves. I know in other faiths suicide nullifies a person's access to their promised land, but does the Bible say anything about this?

**In Matthew 4:5-6 - The Temptation of Jesus** - it is written: >Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." The way I immediately interpereted this was that Jesus was having suicidal thoughts. Is this correct, and if so, do we know why? Is this the only point in the bible where Jesus *does* have suicidal thoughts?

Do any Christian traditions allow suicide for women at the point of being dishonored (raped) by rampaging armies or thugs during war or persecutions against Christians? This tough subject includes the case of a father and his family who kill themselves to avoid seeing the mother/wife and the daughters/sisters raped and dishonored before their eyes.

Here is my understanding of Christianity and the Bible's teaching on this question: - Suicide is bad. - Giving up your life to save someone is good. So, if you commit suicide but at the same time donate your organs to save others, is that sinful or not? Do any christian groups think this is not sinful? Why?

What are the consequences of suicide according to the Roman Catholic church? Are there exceptions or special penalties?

There is a raging debate in the province of Quebec on the question "Does someone have the right to kill another because the first one is suffering?" There are more and more cases in the news that look like the following that arrived just yesterday. Here is a video of an example : http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/Canada/Montreal/1305551527/ID=2213970096 Does the Bible tackle the issue? From an evangelical perspective how do I answer this question/issue? **Edit :** I'm looking to a way to answer a fellow Christian with little knowledge of the Bible, and a non-Christian as well. The question is not simply assisted suicide, but it's implied therapeutic relentlessness as well.

We all know how Judas sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. The thing is he hanged himself before Jesus died on the cross so he went to (supposedly) hell. But after Jesus died on the cross he went to the underworld and preached there. Is it possible that Judas might have been redeemed there, or is it safe to presume that the only ones that Jesus preached to in the underworld were those who hadn't heard the gospel in their lifetime? What church doctrines/beliefs are there on these issues? Are they even related?