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powerfully counteracts the urge to
self-destruct.
ls suicide ever morally justlflable?
The Bible chronicles only seven sui–
cides, without making any accom–
panying statement regarding the
morality of such acts. God even di–
rectly intervened to give Samson the
strength to kili over 3,000 Ph ilis–
tines-and himself, too- when he
pushed down the supporting pillars
of a public bui lding. But this is a
unique incident in the biblical ac–
count. It foUowed a long problem–
filled history of Samson's re lation–
ship with the Philistines and their
women which led to his capture, in–
carceration and brutally infticted
blindness (see the entire account in
Judges, chapters 13 through 16).
Also, Samson 's action could be
viewed as an act of heroic sacrifice
rather than suicide.
It is significant that most suicides
recorded in the Bible werecarried out
by spiritually bankrupt individuals
like Saul and Judas. And the sixth
commandment, "Thou shalt do no
murder," certainly covers self-mur–
der in principie. God gives human
life, and most of us would agree it is
His and His a lone to take away.
ls suicide an unforglveable sin?
Scripturally, an " unpardonable" or
" unforgiveable" sin can be
any
sin
that one adamantly refuses to re–
pent of. But even though a person
who kills himself has no time to re–
pent in this life, he may be given
that opportunity at a later date. For
further information on this subject,
send for the free reprint article "Is
This the Only Day of Salvation?"
Also write for the booklet
What Do
You Mean- The Unpardonable Sin?
Who ls most llkely to commlt sui–
cide?
Suicide strikes without prej–
udice, and no age group or leve! of
society is exempt from the problem.
However, certain groups are par–
ticularly susceptible. College stu–
dents, for example, are a high-risk
group. Under pressure to excel in
the number-in-a-computer atmo–
sphere prevalent on many large
campuses, those who fa ll short in a
tough system may develop a sense
of hopelessness about life itself.
Many colleges and universities, real–
izing tbe need in. this area, have set
up crisis counseting to help avert
such tragedies.
26
Old people are another vulner–
able group. Weary of living in con–
stant ill-health and struggling to
survive on grossly inadequate in–
comes, sorne find suicide " the easy
way out." And sorne healthy but ne–
glected elderly persons, lacking love
and meaningful activity, opt for
death rather than an empty exis–
tence. But this is a tragic and unnec–
essary situation. In societies where
the aged are respected and looked
up to- where they have an active
role in society-suicide among them
is rare. But in many Western na–
tions where people are usually man–
datorily retired at age 65 , turned out
to pasture with perhaps not even a
decent hobby to occupy them (and
family and friends either long gone
or far away), they may not have
.much incentive to hang on. Old men
in particular are statistically likely
to be victims of this lonely kind of
suicide.
For a more detailed breakdown
of suicide statistics, see the box on
the next page.
Why the sudden increase In youthful
suicide In the past decade?
Suicide
expert Calvin J. Frederick believes
"the most important reason ... is
the tendency among young people
these days to 'do their own thing,' to
cut themselves off from their par–
ents and society. While this exhibits
a certain amount of healthy ... in–
dependence, it calls for more
strength and wisdom than most
young persons possess." He goes on
to say that "once they cut loose, they
suddenly find themselves com–
pletely alone, unable to manage
their newfound freedom because
they have no sense of structure or
belonging. They become frustrated,
tense, lonely, and anxious. They de–
cide they can't cope, and their solu–
tion
is
suicide. The old stabi lity and
structure of the family unit is miss–
ing, with nothing to take its place"
("Suicide-How To Keep Pa tients
from Killing Themselves,''
Medica/
World News,
July 12, 1976).
Sam Hei lig, psychiatric social
worker and executive director of tbe
Los Angeles Suicide Prevention
Center, agrees: "The divorce rate is
skyrocketing, tibertarianism reigns
and kids no longer place any faith in
the family unit. They think it's safer
to live alone. But, only a family rela-
tionship- complete with marriage
and kids- can pr.ovide people with
the constant support they need, a
sense of belonging. . . . But kids
nowadays are just wandering
around, aimlessly hunting for a re–
placement that's just not there"
(Bella Stumbo , "The Lonely
Young- Their l solation Can Be
Deadly,"
Los Angeles Times,
April
28,
1975).
Dr. Herbert Hendin, associate
clinical psychiatrist at New York
City's Columbia University and au–
thor of
The Age ofSensation
(a sum–
mary of his six-year study of student
suicide), believes that another factor
in youthful suicide is that in today's
troubled bornes many children
have learned to numb themselves to
life- to "grow up dead,' ' as he puts
it. Suicide is this same defense
mechanism carried to its extreme.
The need for stable family life is
further underlined by this statement
from sociologist Jeanne Binstock:
"Danger once carne from inade–
quate food supplies, disease and
premature death. Today, danger
comes primarily from within our–
selves and from our relationships
with other people. What we now
must fear above all else is our ex–
clusion from a network of human
relationships that are now volun–
tary" ("Choosing to Die; The De–
cline of Aggression ano the Rise of
Suicide,''
The Futurist,
April 1974,
p.
69).
In high-technology societies like
ours, people are forsaking their
former network of kinship and com–
munity for the "freedom to give up
wives, husbands or other personal
relationships when interna! needs
are no longer satisfied"
(ibid.).
The
results are plain.
It
is obvious from
these and other findings that one of
the best ways to prevent suicide in
both young and old
is
to maintain
strong fami ly ties. In cases where
this is not possible, sorne sort of sur–
rogate family composed of carefully
chosen friends can substitute, al–
though usually not as effectively.
Even a deep friendship with one
other human being, however, can
sometimes make the difference be–
tween hope and despair.
Are people who contlnually threaten
to kili themselves usually blufflng?
No, this is a myth. Most people who
The
PLAIN TRUTH February 1978