Venting Thank Abrahamic morality for the stigma surrounding suicide.

[tormentedhusk]

I want to preface this by stating that I do not object to all Christian teachings, and many Christian teachings have certainly done a lot of good for the world.

In Abrahamic (Christian, Muslim, and Jewish) tradition every life is considered sacred and had to be preserved at all cost, even against one's will.

Suicide was traditionally considered a grave sin in Christianity, despite the Bible not addressing the matter and lacking any passages condemning it. Cases of suicide recorded in the Bible are mentioned without any moral judgment. Those who died by self-inflicted means were denied the dignity of a proper burial and the privilege of resting on consecrated ground. The rise of Christianity ingrained this view in the Western world.

The dominance of Western civilization made it have a great influence on the world, spreading its culture and ideas around the globe. The influence went beyond moral and ethical frameworks, with movies, shows, literature, and music reaching worldwide audiences. Western legal systems, institutions, moral views, and practices were exported globally, shaping those in other societies, bringing with them western attitudes about suicide.

Even today, suicide is still viewed negatively by much of society. Instead of being treated like a criminal, they consider you a madman, absolved of responsibility for the act by your perceived insanity.

In Eastern tradition, the sanctity of human life doesn't exist as an unbreachable religious concept. Suicide is undesirable and discouraged, but it's understandable. There are even specific protocols for ending your life "virtuously" or as a form of ritual sacrifice.

To be continued...

 

[alwaysalone]

I disagree to an extentt. It's actually not abrahamic morality. It's the catholic church who decided suicide was evil.

 

[bl33ding_heart]

I want to preface this by stating that I do not object to all Christian teachings, and many Christian teachings have certainly done a lot of good for the world.

In Abrahamic (Christian, Muslim, and Jewish) tradition every life is considered sacred and had to be preserved at all cost, even against one's will.

Suicide was traditionally considered a grave sin in Christianity, despite the Bible not addressing the matter and lacking any passages condemning it. Cases of suicide recorded in the Bible are mentioned without any moral judgment. Those who died by self-inflicted means were denied the dignity of a proper burial and the privilege of resting on consecrated ground. The rise of Christianity ingrained this view in the Western world.

The dominance of Western civilization made it have a great influence on the world, spreading its culture and ideas around the globe. The influence went beyond moral and ethical frameworks, with movies, shows, literature, and music reaching worldwide audiences. Western legal systems, institutions, moral views, and practices were exported globally, shaping those in other societies, bringing with them western attitudes about suicide.

Even today, suicide is still viewed negatively by much of society. Instead of being treated like a criminal, they consider you a madman, absolved of responsibility for the act by your perceived insanity.

In Eastern tradition, the sanctity of human life doesn't exist as an unbreachable religious concept. Suicide is undesirable and discouraged, but it's understandable. There are even specific protocols for ending your life "virtuously" or as a form of ritual sacrifice.

To be continued...

I don't think suicide should be demonised but I don't think it should be seen as a good thing either. The fact that some people are in so much pain that they have to end potentially the one and only chance they get to exist is tragic, and should be treated as such. If society started having a more positive outlook on suicide it would most definitely encourage people that have the potential to overcome their problems and live happy lives to die instead. Even a fairly neutral outlook would probably be quite dangerous unfortunately.