Posted on 08/14/2014 12:18:12 PM PDT by Graybeard58
WILSON, N.C. (BP) -- When news broke that legendary comedian and actor Robin Williams had died of an apparent suicide, people were saddened that someone who had brought so much joy to the lives of others had taken his own life. Immediately some began to speculate about his ongoing battle with alcohol addiction and depression as the cause of his desperate act. Others began to comfort themselves with the thought that Williams was now at peace from such battles. And a few observed that suicide is the ultimate selfish act.
There is little doubt that suicide is a fierce goodbye. It is a final and ultimate way an individual seeks to end their suffering and struggle.
When something like this happens -- whether to a celebrity or a fellow church member -- plenty of Christians are all too ready to comment. The most prominent reactions I have observed from Christians seem either to say that the individual is now at peace or to say something about the unpardonable sin.
Obviously, these two reactions are polar opposites yet both come from Christians. So, what should we make of news like this?
First, we need to be cautious about making absolute pronouncements about a specific individual's eternal destiny. Frankly, we are not in a position to know such a thing with certainty.
If we pronounce that someone has committed "the unpardonable sin," we need to know that Jesus mentions this sin in parallel passages in Matthew 12 and Mark 3. In those contexts, the religious leaders of Jesus' day were accusing him of casting out demons by the power of Satan. They were, in fact, attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. Jesus described their words as "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit." While scholars may debate exactly what Jesus meant by this, we can be certain that He was not referring to suicide.
Second, it is not consistent with a Christian worldview or biblical truth to suggest that someone who has taken their own life "is no longer suffering." Frankly, we do not know that.
Indeed, the Bible teaches that only those who are in a relationship with Christ are in a place of joy after their death. All others are in a place of torment. But, because we do not know -– with certainty –- the nature of a specific individual's relationship with Christ, it is neither helpful nor accurate to make statements about who is or who is not suffering any longer. For the person who dies apart from Christ, the tragic reality is that their suffering has just begun.
Third, I have occasionally seen Christians insinuate that suicide is not possible for a true follower of Christ. Such a view denies the reality of our fallen nature, the power of sin and the devastating effect of mental illness.
Christ is our deliverer, no doubt. But that deliverance is not complete and total until we are in His presence. The battle with depression and mental illness is not unlike any other human struggles. The enemy attacks us at our weakest and most vulnerable spot, and occasionally the battle with mental illness and depression is lost. Sadly, sometimes that loss is final.
Finally, some Christians believe that suicide is the ultimate selfish act, and it may be.
But, saying so is not very helpful to the family who are left to grieve the loss of their loved one. In fact, in a sense, when we say suicide is a selfish act, we are acting as if people exist in a spiritual vacuum. In reality, the opposite is true. People who are struggling with the desire to end their life are in a spiritual battle.
Jesus said that the devil has come to "steal, kill and destroy." While the individual is responsible for choices he or she makes, let us not fall into the trap of acting as if we do not have an enemy who is seeking to destroy as many lives as he can. When a person commits suicide, it is the ultimate win for the enemy. He has successfully duped another person into believing that his way of death and destruction is best.
When Robin Williams took his own life, the enemy rejoiced and a nation mourned. As Christians, let us be gracious before a watching (and hurting) world. Let us not make bold pronouncements about suffering. Let us not make sweeping generalizations about suicide.
Let us be clear that sadness and sorrow at the loss of one made in the image of God is right. Let us be clear that mourning and grieving the loss of a husband and father is right.
And let us be clear that, except for the grace of God, there go I.
I’ve known kids whose parents committed suicide. For the kids, they have been sentenced to hell.
Good, clarifying article. Thanks.
Yep. I’m living proof.
I am going to go who with an addictive personality and manic depression just died for $500 Alex! Why is it necessary for these people to hypothesize his reasons for suicide, especially bringing in a past abortion which he seems to have been just fine with. It’s pretty simple, Williams had a head full of bad wiring that finally shorted beyond repair, so he sent it back to the manufacturer.
I never watched the program Robins Williams was on nor most of the other shows common on every day T.V. but did hear of him.
I knew a 90 plus year old man who shot himself, and have no doubt the reason he ended his life was because he did not want to be a burden to some one else., he was that kind of a man.
Jesus said if you love your life you will lose it, he was not talking about losing this life, he was talking about losing eternal life.
But he said if you lose your life for my sake you will find it, meaning find eternal life.
Every thing else is in between, I have no idea.
I totally understand that way of thinking, but in reality you are providing an opportunity for someone else to show compassion and charity. My mother went through those feelings (even mentining suicide many times) before she finally died (of natural causes) and I always told her this. She sacrificed quite a bit to raise us 5 kids so now it was our turn to sacrifice. I think if we had acted as if she was a burden she may very well have killed herself. She always had a large jar of barbituates handy for her petit mal epilepsy, so it would have been pretty easy.
Better put Michael J. Fox on Suicide Watch.
(just a little gallows humor)
His friend Dennis Miller hung in there for a brief O'Reilly segment Wednesday night and said he needed to "know more," before engaging in more than mere speculation as to 'reasons;' for the moment he was, he said, "in mourning."
His cautionary statement wrapping that segment up was characteristically brilliant, after referring to Williams as "a locus of joy," and a unique person who seemed never to "default to mean, always defaulting to sweet," he said if this kind of dark despairing corner could be reached by the like of Robin Williams, we should each look to ourselves, and tune in to our neighbors, because it could happen to anyone.
"Don't," Miller said, "not make that call."
Good article. Now, just imagine the public discussion that would be taking place if he had killed himself with a gun,
I totally understand that way of thinking, but in reality you are providing an opportunity for someone else to show compassion and charity.
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