Part of The Student Room Group

  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

Christian views on suicide

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

Suicide Suicide is self murder and is therefore wrong. In the view of some Christians, suicide will lead to eternal damnation. Other Christians support organisations like the Samaritans because they believe people at risk of committing suicide need help, not condemnation. Only God has the right to take life. Most Christians are against this because taking a life is murder and they would seek to help to support and comfort the person through the final stages of their life rather than assist their suicide through euthanasia. Some Christians believe that if the quality of life is so bad that the person feels unable to go on living that the loving (Christian) thing to do is to help them. Suffering may have purpose and euthanasia could be going against the divine plan. ...read more.

Middle

It is disrespectful to God to take life or to ask for your life to be taken. Some Christian teaching suggests that the suffering which may come as result of a painful terminal illness is a part of a plan God has for people and those around them. People should not interfere with this possibly inscrutable plan. Others would take the view that whilst only God can take life, there are limits to what he would expect his creatures to suffer and that his compassion and mercy can sometimes require that a person is allowed to die. Some might go further and accept active euthanasia for the same reasons. In some situations the life and death issue becomes blurred by the ability of modern medical care to prolong life. ...read more.

Conclusion

rather than suffer torture Conservative Christians regard suicide as a grievous mortal sing because it violates the Divine Law, sanctity of life and Natural Law. Suicides faced severe punishment in Hell and were denied a Christian funeral or burial. Dante places suicides in the 7 Circle of Hell. 1 Corinthians: 'Anyone who destroys that temple will be destroyed by God'. Dante places suicides in the 7 Circle of Hell (alongside Murderers) Progressive Christians take a more compassionate view towards suicide because they follow agape teachings and the second of the great commandments love thy neighbour as thy self. CCC: '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'. ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Euthanasia section.

Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

or


Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related GCSE Euthanasia essays

  1. My hypothesis: Euthanasia should be legalized in the UK.I am going to answer a ...

    Some of these arguments are for Euthanasia, such as: * Can quickly and humanely end a patients suffering, and allows them to die with dignity. * Everyone should have the right to decide how they should die. * Can help to shorten the grief and suffering of the patients loved ones.

  2. “An acceptance of the practice ofvoluntary euthanasia is incompatible with Christian belief in the ...

    Maguire maintains that we have underestimated our dominion over life and death; we have been given the responsibility to discover the good and choose it, even when the good in question is death. Charles Curran (3) accepts life as a primordial value: he accepts the sanctity of life as a

  1. Euthanasia - the views of EXIT and Christians

    For example, in the case study, John may consider euthanasia if his condition deteriorates, his quality of life becomes very poor and he is a burden on his family. If euthanasia was legalised, I expect that many moral and legal problems would arise due to the potential for abuse, and

  2. Euthanasia is a loving, Christian response Discuss.

    So, is active euthanasia really a loving, Christian response? That's just another think to take into account. That brings me onto my next point: why should you have to pay someone to take your life away? Your life should not have a price put on it, because life is precious,

  1. Euthanasia - Christian view point in three questions and answers

    A2 - 'What biblical and Christian teachings might be used in the discussion about Euthanasia? Euthanasia means when someone wants to die because they have suffered too much stress or any form of pain. It can also mean the act or practice of killing painlessly.

  2. Euthanasia - What is it? Christian attitudes, and can it be justified.

    The bible teaches us to follow his example of his way of thinking and how he lived his life and apply this to our own lives. Therefore doctors should preserve life and not take it. On the other hand, the Bible continually talks about Christian love and compassion.

  1. What is the difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide?

    "The Nazi euthanasia program quickly expanded to include older disabled children and adults. Hitler's decree of October, 1939, typed on his personal stationery and back dated to Sept. 1, enlarged 'the authority of certain physicians to be designated by name in such manner that persons who, according to human judgment,

  2. Euthanasia - views for and against.

    They believe that Allah chooses how long each person will live and that human beings should not interfere with this. Islam explicitly forbids suicide and euthanasia ?Destroy not yourselves. Surely Allah is ever merciful to you? ? (Qur'an 4:29). For these reasons Muslims are unanimously against any form of euthanasia e.g.

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work