Francis M. Pineda 11 STEM- A EAPP Ms.
Mary Sheena Cruzado
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Title
According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, suicide is the act of killing yourself
because you do not want to live continue living it. Social knowledge about it are being
dispersed, interventions of government and other institutions are taking place but the
rate of suicides and suicides attempts are still ever rising. Continuous efforts are
evident, not just because of the fact that it is immorally perceived but for it is considered
as a crime for some and sin to those who are a believer of salvation through ‘asking’
repentance.
There is no amount of success that can compensate the mental illness nuisance to
the human brain. Several successful people have taken their own lives because they
cannot bear living it anymore. Take note of Kate Spade, Sylvia Plath, Adolf Hitler,
Vincent Van Gogh and Charles Bennington, who are known to excel in their profession
yet still find enough reasons to kill themselves. Different stories and several reasons but
they all boil down to one specific culprit – mental illness.
The question of whether you are a criminal or sinner, because you committed
suicide, have different answers. But in consideration of the cause, let’s say, due to a
mental illness, will suicide be still consider then a crime or sin?
“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man, shall his blood be shed, for God made
man in his own image.” This verse taken from Genesis 9:6 is related to the sixth
commandment – “Thou shall not kill.” In Matthew 5:21-26, Jesus brings out that to
commit murder means more than just killing someone, it means having an angry and
unforgiving attitude towards them. Basically, suicide is killing yourself. So if you are
suffering from a mental illness, does suicide is exempted from being called a sin?
It is the question now of considering medical issues as an excuse of the sin. But as
we all know, the Bible never have particularly mention the word depression or suicide.
Instead it is the manifestation of sin that divides us from God. There are numerous
stories of grief and suicide in the Bible that are mentioned. One known story is from
Samuel’s writings. King Saul experienced depression (1 Sam 16:14-17) and the Holy
Francis M. Pineda 11 STEM- A EAPP Ms. Mary Sheena Cruzado
Spirit was taken from him due to his disobedience to the Lord. Eventually, situation got
worse, resulting to his suicide (1 Sam 31:4). It is debatable that maybe he was suffering
with a severe mental health illness that was not mention in the Bible, battling the
pressure, the death of his sons and whatsoever but it is always up to the Lord. Though
The Almighty is fair and just, committing suicide is basically murdering His image. For
me, it is not about the suicide anymore but on the mere fact that a person decided to
disobey God and disconnect himself to His grace which eventually leads for that person
to suffer in depression and suicide. Though the person who committed suicide may not
be in his right thinking, suicide is the resulting act of committing various sins culminating
until that (suicide). Take note of Sylvia Plath, a writer who did not believe in God and
eventually committed suicide due to a mental illness. It is a sin but God always judge by
the purest intention of the heart and faith. But He is “...not willing that any should perish
but all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).
There are also laws that forbid someone to commit suicide. There is Suicide Act
1961 in UK that decriminalised the act of suicide in England and Wales so that those
who failed in the attempt to kill themselves would no longer be prosecuted. Unlike
before wherein the family of the person who successfully committed suicide may face
some punishment. But in some other countries like India there are laws that forbid
someone in committing suicide. The Section 309 in the Indian Penal Code says that
“Attempt to commit suicide: Whoever attempts to commit suicide and does any act
towards the commission of such offense shall be punished with simple imprisonment for
a term which may extend to one year or with fine or both.” However, it was set to be
limited in the effect by their Mental Health Bill 2013, “Notwithstanding anything
contained in section 309 off the Indian Penal Code, any person who commits suicide
shall be presumed, unless proved otherwised, to be suffering from mental health illness
at that time of attempting suicide and shall not be liable to punishment under the said
section.” My stand here is that, government can do intervention with such limitation
only. It is a personal battle of the person whether to disregard his privileged to live
maybe unknowingly due to his mental illness. It does not imply that suicide should be a
choice but certainly putting them in jail, if they ever fail, would not help. It is even worse
Francis M. Pineda 11 STEM- A EAPP Ms. Mary Sheena Cruzado
if your incriminating his family due to a mental health battle that is no longer in their full
control.
Whether it is a sin or crime or both, the privileged of living given by our Creator and
acknowledge by the law is something to be valued. Mental illness is indeed a disease
much more dangerous than cancer because it slowly eats your sanity and leads to
desperate thinking of peace. It is us who have the choice on whatever direction we want
to go but with mental illness we will be running in circles of negativity. So as long as you
have the right mind and sanity to choose right and value life, do it.
