Judaism

Suicide is forbidden by Jewish law. It may be an acceptable alternative if the alternative is the commission of certain cardinal sins

Self-sacrifice under Jewish Law

Although rare, there are instances within Jewish law that mandate a Jew to sacrifice his or her own life rather than violate a religious prohibition. One of these prohibitions is that no life should be taken, including one's own...

 for which one must give up one's life rather than sin. Most authorities hold that it is not permissible to hasten death to avoid pain if one is dying in any event, but the Talmud is somewhat unclear on the matter .

While suicides are theoretically buried in a separate part of a Jewish cemetery and not to receive certain mourning rights, in actual practice every means is used to excuse the action--usually by determining either that the suicide itself proves that the perpetrator was not in his or her right mind, or that the suicide must have repented after performing the deadly act but before death took place.

Assisting in suicide and requesting such assistance (thereby creating an accomplice to a sinful act) is also forbidden, a violation of Leviticus 19:14, "Do not put a stumbling block before the blind," which is understood as prohibiting temptation to sin as well as putting up actual physical obstacles.

Christianity

main article: Christian views of suicide

According to the theology of the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

, death

Death

Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....

 by suicide is considered a grave or serious sin. The chief Roman Catholic Christian argument is that one's life is the property of God

God

God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....

 and a gift to the world, and to destroy that life is to wrongly assert dominion over what is God's and is a tragic loss of hope. However, in the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church, Number 2283 states, "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."

Conservative Protestants (Evangelicals, Charismatics, Pentecostals

Pentecostalism

Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...

, and other denominations) have often argued that because suicide involves self-murder

Murder

Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...

, then anyone who commits it is sinning and is the same as if the person murdered another human being. An additional view concerns the act of asking for salvation and accepting Jesus Christ as personal savior, which must be done prior to death. This is an important aspect of many Protestant denominations, and the problem with suicide is that once dead the individual is unable to accept salvation. The unpardonable sin then becomes not the suicide itself, but rather the refusal of the gift of salvation.

Most Fundamental Christians (traditional Baptists) view suicide as any other sin. John Piper speaking at a funeral at Bethel Baptist Church in 1981 said, "No single sin, not even suicide, evicts a person from heaven into hell. One thing does: continual rejection of God's Spirit. Our friend, we believe, gave up that resistance and accepted the forgiveness of Christ. What sort of momentary weakness, what brief cloud of hopelessness caused her to take her life remains a mystery.)

The view of scripture on the topic is such that, once a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ, every sin they will ever commit is paid for (1 John 1:7), and "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). These Christians believe suicide to be a sin, but do not believe it is impossible to find salvation. (Romans 4:8). However, Judas, who committed suicide in despair, is generally believed to have been damned, for his suicide and/or for his actions which caused the death of another. However, it should be noted that Jesus Himself said that Judas was never truly repentant in life before suicide (John 6:70-71, 13:10-11, 17:12), and that marked his eternity, not the suicide itself.

Eastern Orthodoxy, on the other hand, has never made any absolute statement about people who commit suicide. There have been those in the history of the Church that have killed themselves rather than be tortured and demoralized by invaders (see Dance of Zalongo

Dance of Zalongo

The term Dance of Zalongo refers to an event in Greek history involving a mass suicide of women from Souli and their children during the Souliote war of 1803, near the village of Zalongo in Epirus. The name also refers to popular dance song commemorating the event. The same event made and impact in...

). They also feel that perpetrators of suicide are most likely “not in their right minds” and that God will have mercy on them. In any case the Orthodox Christians leave the fate of suicide victims up to God and avoid making judgements.

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, suicide is viewed as wrong, although the victim may not be considered responsible for the act depending on the circumstances.

Some other denominations of Christianity, such as The New Church

The New Church

The New Church is the name for a New religious movement developed from the writings of the Swedish scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg . Swedenborg claimed to have received a new revelation from Jesus Christ through continuous heavenly visions which he experienced over a period of at least...

, don't explicitly condemn suicide per se as a sin, even if suicide isn't viewed favorably; factors such as motive, character, etc. are believed to be taken into account.

Islam

Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

, like other Abrahamic religions, views suicide as one of the greatest sins and utterly detrimental to one's spiritual journey. A verse in the Quran instructs; "And do not kill yourselves, surely God is most Merciful to you." (4:29)

Most Muslim scholars and clerics consider suicide forbidden, but many do not include suicide bombing, which is determined by analogy (qiyas

Qiyas

In Islamic jurisprudence, qiyās is the process of deductive analogy in which the teachings of the Hadith are compared and contrasted with those of the Qur'an, in order to apply a known injunction to a new circumstance and create a new injunction...

) to be the equivalent of putting one's life in danger when fighting an enemy in war, and not suicide as such (i.e. there is a great risk of death when fighting in hand-to-hand combat; the only difference being that there is some chance of living). Often cited is the aforementioned verse in the Qur'an

Qur'an

The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...

 as a clear commandment forbidding suicide. Some Shafii scholars even classify suicide as an unpardonable sin, the equivalent of eternal sin

Eternal sin

Eternal sins or unforgivable sins or unpardonable sins, are a concept in Christian theology of sins which cannot or will not be forgiven, whereby salvation becomes impossible...

 in Christianity.

The prohibition of suicide has also been recorded and commonly accepted to be authentic statements of hadith

Hadith

The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....

, (sayings of Muhammad

Muhammad

Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...

). For example:

Hadith - Bukhari 2:446 Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, "He who commits suicide by throttling shall keep on throttling himself in the Hell Fire (forever) and he who commits suicide by stabbing himself shall keep on stabbing himself in the Hell-Fire."

Also, Hadith - Bukhari 7:670, Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, "Whoever purposely throws himself from a mountain and kills himself, will be in the (Hell) Fire falling down into it and abiding therein perpetually forever; and whoever drinks poison and kills himself with it, he will be carrying his poison in his hand and drinking it in the (Hell) Fire wherein he will abide eternally forever; and whoever kills himself with an iron weapon, will be carrying that weapon in his hand and stabbing his abdomen with it in the (Hell) Fire wherein he will abide eternally forever."

Hinduism

In Hinduism

Hinduism

Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

, there are a number of views regard to suicide. Generally, committing suicide is considered a violation of the code of ahimsa

Ahimsa

Ahimsa is a term meaning to do no harm . The word is derived from the Sanskrit root hims – to strike; himsa is injury or harm, a-himsa is the opposite of this, i.e. non harming or nonviolence. It is an important tenet of the Indian religions...

 and therefore equally sin

Sin

In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...

ful as murdering another. Some scriptures state that to die by suicide (and any type of violent death) results in becoming a ghost

Ghost

In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...

, wandering earth until the time one would have otherwise died, had one not committed suicide. Although not prescribed by any Hindu scripture; the currently defunct and proscribed practice of sati

Sati (practice)

For other uses, see Sati .Satī was a religious funeral practice among some Indian communities in which a recently widowed woman either voluntarily or by use of force and coercion would have immolated herself on her husband’s funeral pyre...

 facilitated self-immolation of widows in their husband's pyre in Middle age India.

Hinduism accepts a man's right to end one's life

Right to die

The right to die is the ethical or institutional entitlement of the individual to commit suicide or to undergo voluntary euthanasia. Possession of this right is often understood to mean that a person with a terminal illness should be allowed to commit suicide or assisted suicide or to decline...

 through the non-violent practice of fasting to death, termed Prayopavesa

Prayopavesa

Prayopavesa is a practice in Hinduism that denotes the voluntary fasting to death of a person, who has no desire or ambition left, and no responsibilities remaining in life. It is also allowed in cases of terminal disease or great disability. A similar practice exists in Jainism, termed Santhara.-...

. But Prayopavesa is strictly restricted to people who have no desire or ambition left, and no responsibilities remaining in this life.

Jainism

Jainism is one religion that permits suicide with restrictions. Jain munis & elderly have been known to starve themselves to death, though there is no record of application of any other violent means due to heavy insistence on non-violence. The practice of non-violent fasting to death which is sanctioned by Jainism is termed Santhara

Santhara

Santhara , is the Jain religious ritual of voluntary death by fasting. Supporters of the practice believe that Santhara cannot be considered suicide, but rather something one does with full knowledge and intent, while suicide is viewed as emotional and hasty...

.

Buddhism

According to Buddhism

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

, individuals' past acts heavily influence what they experience in the present; present acts, in turn, become the background influence for future experiences (the doctrine

Doctrine

Doctrine is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system...

 of karma

Karma

Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....

). Intentional action by mind, body or speech have a reaction. This reaction, or repercussion, is the cause of conditions and differences one encounters in life.

Buddhism teaches that all people experience substantial suffering

Suffering

Suffering, or pain in a broad sense, is an individual's basic affective experience of unpleasantness and aversion associated with harm or threat of harm. Suffering may be qualified as physical or mental. It may come in all degrees of intensity, from mild to intolerable. Factors of duration and...

 (dukkha

Dukkha

Dukkha is a Pali term roughly corresponding to a number of terms in English including suffering, pain, discontent, unsatisfactoriness, unhappiness, sorrow, affliction, social alienation, anxiety,...

), in which suffering primarily originates from past negative deeds (karma), or may result as a natural process of the cycle of birth and death (samsara

Samsara

thumb|right|200px|Traditional Tibetan painting or [[Thanka]] showing the [[wheel of life]] and realms of saṃsāraSaṅsāra or Saṃsāra , , literally meaning "continuous flow", is the cycle of birth, life, death, rebirth or reincarnation within Hinduism, Buddhism, Bön, Jainism, Sikhism, and other...

). Other reasons for the prevalence of suffering concern the concepts of impermanence

Impermanence

Impermanence is one of the essential doctrines or three marks of existence in Buddhism...

 and illusion

Illusion

An illusion is a distortion of the senses, revealing how the brain normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. While illusions distort reality, they are generally shared by most people....

 (maya). Since everything is in a constant state of impermanence or flux, individuals experience dissatisfaction with the fleeting events of life. To break out of samsara, Buddhism advocates the Noble Eightfold Path

Noble Eightfold Path

The Noble Eightfold Path , is one of the principal teachings of the Buddha, who described it as the way leading to the cessation of suffering and the achievement of self-awakening. It is used to develop insight into the true nature of phenomena and to eradicate greed, hatred, and delusion...

.

For Buddhists, since the first precept is to refrain from the destruction of life, including one's self, suicide is seen as a negative form of action. If someone commits suicide in anger, he may be reborn in a sorrowful realm due to negative final thoughts. However, unlike Christianity and other religions, Buddhism does not condemn suicide, but rather states that the reasons for suicide are often negative and thus counteract the path to enlightenment.

There is one Buddhist tale of a bhikkhu

Bhikkhu

A Bhikkhu or Bhikṣu is an ordained male Buddhist monastic. A female monastic is called a Bhikkhuni Nepali: ). The life of Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis is governed by a set of rules called the patimokkha within the vinaya's framework of monastic discipline...

named Godhika who had repeatedly attained temporary liberation of mind but was unable to gain final liberation due to illness. Godhika chose to take his own life while in a state of temporary liberation to be reborn in a high realm. The Buddha

Buddha

In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...

 was quoted as saying
There is a similar story of a bhikkhu named Vakkali who committed suicide upon becoming an arhant. Ultimately, tales like these point to a Buddhist belief that suicide may be acceptable ("good") if it will lead to non-attachment. However, people who have achieved enlightenment do not commit suicide. In both above cases they were not enlightened before attempting suicide but they became enlightened during or following their deaths.

In an entry in the The Encyclopedia of Religion, Marilyn J. Harran wrote the following:
The Channovàda-sutra gives yet another example of an arhant who committed suicide.

Religious cults

Some religious cults not only permit suicide but even actively encourage their members to commit suicides, as they believe that a suicide is an escape path for a soul to another, better world.

External links

• Catholic priest answers person's question on suicide.