Americans And Suicide Essay

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Approximately thirty-five thousand people commit suicide every year in the U.S. alone ("Suicide Statistics", 2017). As a Christian, this number can be especially despairing knowing that some of those people claim to be fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Their funeral services will probably include high praise of the individual that chose to end their life, yet one cannot help but wonder if the deceased's fate is heaven or hell. Even though God is the ultimate judge, He reveals his final plan of redemption that includes every sinner who becomes clean by confessing their faith in Jesus Christ. Though it may seem like a gray area, Christians who commit suicide go to heaven because faith in Jesus alone secures them a place in heaven.
Historical/Background …show more content…

In the Old Testament, two examples of the people who bring up suicide are Moses and Sampson. First, Moses was wandering around the desert, leading the ungrateful Israelites away from slavery, where they could not refrain from complaining. Tired of all of the Israelites’ fastidious whining, Moses beseeched God to take his life. In turn, God did not kill Moses, but He gave the Israelites food in abundance to answer their complaints (Barry, 1998). Through this example, the Bible elucidates that in response to wanting to end one's life, God will provide more than what one needs because He values life. Nonetheless, the story of Sampson tells a controversial tale regarding suicide. Sampson was a strong soldier for the Lord until he disobeyed God. In that moment of disobedience, God took away the strength that He had given to Sampson; as a result, the Philistines who were opposed Sampson and his people overtook Sampson and make him into a mockery. Nevertheless, God allowed Sampson to regain his strength to sacrifice himself and kill the Philistines (Barry, 1998). The controversy surrounding his death is whether this meant that he committed suicide, or if he died a martyr's death. This could imply that since he killed himself for God's glory, then there is hope for Christians who commit suicide. Some of these stories are a part of the establishing foundation regarding the debate on suicide and