Comments on: Ask Richard: Perplexed by Irrational Religious Explanations for a Suicide

By: hoverfrog

hoverfrog — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 05:49:37 +0000

@J. Allen, suicide rates are actually slightly higher in nations that are less religious. Sweden, perhaps the least religious nation in the world, has 13.3 suicides per 100,000 head of population compared to the USA’s 11 per 100,000. Iran in 0.2. Of course religion isn’t the only factor.

Also suicide rates increase slightly following widely reported celebrity deaths. Something else I can cite as evidence that the media frenzy of Michael Jackson is a ridiculous waste of time.

@Cypress Green, I know. Talk about depressing.

By: Luke Crowe

Luke Crowe — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:13:33 +0000

Excellent and caring advice. The final “you have a clear, rational mind… and sometimes it is best used as a companion who comforts and heals pain.” is both insightful and very helpful.

By: Autarkis

Autarkis — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:46:24 +0000

I must disagree with the neurological implications of your explanation of compartmentalization.

The mind isn’t compartmentalized, it is context-sensitive.

You inspired me to write my newest blog post on reasoning though, thanks for that: http://is.gd/1scJn

I’m following you on Twitter and regularly read your blog. Good stuff!

By: Alexis

Alexis — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:51:44 +0000

I agree that the funeral is not the time to bring this up. But here in this blog: in my experience you can either express yourself, or repress yourself . Repression leads to depression, or anger,or anxiety. If you live in a religious community where expressing yourself (closeted gay? closeted atheist? in love with the ‘wrong’ type of person?) can be dangerous (loss of friends, loss of family approval, community shunning), then when your views begin to diverge from theirs, you might feel you must repress yourself. The internal pressure builds up and at some point an explosion occurs. In such a situation, the person may feel a damned if you do, damned if you don’t feeling. Been there, done that, lived to get the t-shirt. Back in the 70′s a baptist minister told me that ministers’ wives have one of the highest rates of suicide.

By: Cypress Green

Cypress Green — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:21:47 +0000

@hoverFrog…the hell with THAT worry. I ain’t killing myself. I just don’t want to share a jail cell with someone convicted of suicide.

By: J. Allen

J. Allen — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:51:46 +0000

This may be a touchy subject, but I have a suspicion that religion and suicide are correlated together. Religious people tend to avoid secular therapy. They take on many sufferings as ‘tests’ from God. They are always trying to live up to impossible standards.

This could just be my bias though.

By: hoverFrog

hoverFrog — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:41:22 +0000

In England suicide is still illegal. I’m just saying that if you come over here and feel like topping yourself then it’s not a good idea. You’ll just get in trouble.

By: ash

ash — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:28:01 +0000

Abbie;

I’ve wondered if religious faith is a useful deterrent to suicide. Does the fear of hell (or any afterlife consequence) really stop anyone? Are suicide rates the same for theists and atheists?

religion may well be ‘a useful deterrent to suicide’, but it’s only helpful if it has any effect on the person’s mentality – else you get left with a miserable suicidal person too wretched and terrified to do anything but merely exist. Not a good thing, and whilst some religion for some people can provide a lifeboat, obviously for this person it wasn’t enough.
I just hope that for her, thinking suicidal thoughts didn’t hold sinful ramifications that made her unable to reach out to her community.

By: Cypress Green

Cypress Green — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:22:51 +0000

I’ve worked for years with many dying cancer patients and their families. I’ve heard so much religious illogic, rationalization and interest in alternative treatments that sometime I want to scream! Not to mention the tracts and gifts.

But these people really just want loving support so I listen, try to make them laugh and wish them the best. It’s the most kind. The time to reach people is before a crisis. Or long after.

I am touchy on the subject of suicide as I am bipolar, have been suicidal, have a family history, and lost a cousin and friend both to it.

It saddens me when I hear people are so misinformed about the causes, partly because it means they’re misinformed on the signs. If they understood how depression works, they could help the still living AND still believe the dead went to heaven. Win-win. Bonus: poor maligned Satan gets a pass.

All the people closest to me have a copy of the signs of manic depression (and permission to call my husband about it) to help me keep an eye on myself. People in a manic phase will INSIST they are just fine. That needs special watching.

I think part of the reason people hold conflicting beliefs is because they just don’t understand suicide.

The catholic church no longer considers suicide to be a ‘mortal sin.’

By: mikespeir

mikespeir — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:26:37 +0000

The one time act of salvation is understood to save one’s soul from from hell, permanently.

If you’re a Calvinist, ColinSFX. Not all Protestants are.