Sermon Sampler (August 30th) - Suicide

Let's start today off with a quick little quiz:
1) True or False - Teens are the most likely age group to commit suicide.
2) True or False - Women are more likely to commit suicide than men.
3) True or False - Winter is the season with the highest number of suicides.
4) True or False - A person is most likely to commit suicide while in the depths of depression.
5) True or False - Committing suicide condemns a person to hell.

If you answered true for any of the above questions, you would be incorrect. See the bottom for the answers to questions 1-4.

Now let's talk about question number 5, starting with what the Bible has to say about suicide. Suicide is mentioned in the Bible on a few occassions, most notably in the cases of Judas, King Saul, and Samson. Now in all three instances there is no mention of judgment or punishment for the person who committed suicide. As a matter of fact, nowhere does the Bible judge or condemn suicide. So if this is the case, then where have people (and the church in some times and places) gotten the idea that to commit suicide automatically condemns a person to Hell?

Historically speaking this idea comes from St. Augustine, in the 5th century, who in his work The City of God grappled with the problem of Christians volunteering for martyrdom. This means, that Christians were turning themselves in to the Roman authorities, knowing that they would be killed for their faith. This had become such a prevalent thing, that Augustine felt the need to combat it with some teaching to stop people from turning themselves in and being killed. Augustine looked to the ten commandments, specifically the one about killing, and reasoned that to kill yourself (as those who were turning themselves into the Roman authorities were doing) broke this commandment. From here Augustine stated that such a sinful act, which resulted in death, left the sinner no opportunity to repent, and therefore the result necessarily was damnation and Hell. Augustine might possibly have been the first person to formally write a manual for suicide prevention!

Throughout the centuries that followed this teaching was adopted by the church, and taken for granted as truth, but it was also twisted and elaborated upon by various superstitions and customs. In the middle ages, a person who committed suicide was not only denied a church burial and burial within the church cemetery, but they also might be buried in strange or unusual places (under a crossroad) and the bodies might even be mutilated (stake through heart). Such things were never part of official church law or practice, but none-the-less infiltrated common practice when dealing with a person who had committed suicide.

Today the stance held by most churches has softened a great deal regarding suicide, with denominations realizing that often those who commit suicide do so with various extenuating circumstances, and that those who are left behind deal with very real grief and hardship. For example, the Catholic Church's stance, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, which includes statements from the Catechism of the Catholic Church can be found here, while the United Methodist Church's stance can be found here.

As you can see, the United Methodist Church not only rests on the apostle Paul's teaching that nothing can separate us from God's love, not even death (Romans 8:38-39) but also encourages that we all work to break the stigma that often surrounds suicide. It is often the case that when a person dies from suicide, the family is treated differently. People often don't want to talk about the deceased, or even to the family themselves. Quite often this is because people "don't know what to say" or they "don't want to bring up painful memories".

I will tell you plainly, that in our own congregation we have had two families forever changed by suicide, and in conversations I've had with both they've assured me that nothing anyone says is going to make everything better, and secondly that they're always thinking of the loved one they've lost! They've also told me that they enjoy hearing about their lost loved one from other people's point of view. When we talk about those who have died we affirm that we have not forgotten them, and that they were special to us. This is one of the best ways we can support those who are hurting and begin to break down that stigma that often surrounds suicide.

So, maybe you're not an expert on suicide. Maybe you failed our little quiz up above. But now you know. Now you realize that suicide, while unfortunate and tragic, shouldn't be something that alienates those who are left behind or those who have attempted suicide in the past. Now you know that there are things YOU can do to begin to help break down the stigma that surrounds suicide and those affected by it.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor John

Quiz Answers:
1) The group most at risk for suicide is the elderly (75 and above)
2) Men commit suicide nearly 4 times more than women (look here)
3) Spring is actually the season where suicide rates are highest
4) A person is most likely to commit suicide when he or she begins to come out of severe depression. It is at this time that the person has the energy and motivation to go through with the act of committing suicide.