Suicide

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Suicide is the act of killing oneself. It is most frequently attempted, though not exclusively, as a result of mental ill health and, as such, represents a significant cause of preventable death as those at risk generally respond extremely well to timely intervention and treatment.

Contents

[edit] Religion

Suicide is viewed by various religions as a sin, including Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Christianity (despite Jesus Christ basically doing so),[1] usually because of "thou shalt not kill", sanctity of life, God's will, and such stuff. God is considered infinitely loving and compassionate, but has little or no compassion for those whose desperation and misery overcomes their survival instinct.

Treating suicide as a mortal sin is almost certainly a retrofit, due to the discovery that preaching eternal happiness in heaven, as the Christian faith does, led to people killing themselves in order to get there faster, a trend which ended with Augustine of Hippo's redefinition of suicide as a sin, rather than a valid means of martyrdom.[2]

[edit] Assisted suicide

Assisted suicide, a form of euthanasia, is where an individual is given the means necessary to commit suicide, or is voluntarily killed by somebody else. Assisted suicide is a controversial issue, and illegal in many countries.[3]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Suicide Prevention

[edit] United States

[edit] United Kingdom

[edit] General

[edit] Footnotes

  1. It is thought by some that Jesus' death counts as sacrifice (to forgive humanity's sins), however, this means an omnipotent God sacrificed his son and/or himself in order to forgive.
  2. Suicide:A European Perspective by Nils Retterstøl at Google books
  3. http://www.assistedsuicide.org/suicide_laws.html
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