Bree

Here's an entirely un-helpful interpretation, courtesy of my fundie mother:

God doesn't "give" us depression. We are depressed because, for some reason, we are not understanding something God has put in our lives. Instead of welcoming the thing which is causing our depression (family troubles, money troubles, even chemical imbalance), we decide to wallow in our grief. Depression is nothing but self-love, and we won't be depressed as soon as we realise that God is "testing" us.

Bleah, bleah, bleah.

Tom Sawyer

If you're depressed, it's because you're not enjoying the gift of life that God gave you. Regardless of whether this is due to external factors or some internal chemical imbalance, that's simply the cross that the Lord in His great mercy ahs chosen to give you to test your faith in him (see the Book of Job for more details).

If you commit suicide, you are taking away the gift of life that God gave you. It is God's decision when each man will die, so if you take it upon yourself to kill yourself then you're slapping Him in the face because you don't have enough faith to endure the trials that He has seen fit to test you with in this life so that you may more fully appreciate His love for you (see the Book of Job for more details).

It's amazing what you can chalk up as a sin simply by citing lack of faith as being a sin.

Spaz

But if you kill yourself, and god doesn't stop you, wouldn't that basically mean that it was god's decision to let you die then?

Rhea

When people on birth control get pregnant, that is God having His Way despite the puny efforts of humans to thwart Him. When a human succeeds in committing suicide, it is the human taking control away from God.

How this is reconciled is beyond me.

Seraphim

Why does God allow depression to exist, and why does he allow depression to get to the point of suicide, and is suicide reason for damnation since God technically could have cured the afflicted and prevented the suicide.

My reply : It exists because you made it exist ... not God.

Don't lock yourself up in the same place forever, see the world and experience new things. And Suicide is NEVER a solution to anything, it just a waste of life.

winstonjen

I agree, and that is mainly why I disagree with the theistic belief we must not usurp god's power. Hell, if he HAD the power, wouldn't he WANT to stop suicides so people don't get 'damned' to hell (by him, no less)? Looks to me like god ENJOYS condemning people to hell.

Amie

Hi wenbur84
I certainly do not believe you would have suffered eternal damnation because I believe that people who try to kill themselves are not in an emotionally healthy place, for the most part many are not mentally able to make the choices that they would normally make had they not been afflicted with their illness (depression). So they are sick and I don't think for one minute that God would send anyone to hell for doing something to themselves while they were sick and not capable of thinking any other way given the circumstances of their depression.

Spaz

I was always taught that suicide=hell and it made sense logically by the ten commandments as if you break one of the commandments and don't ask forgiveness you go to hell, and one of them was killing, so you just killed somebody, then you were dead so you couldn't really ask for forgiveness eh? But I don't believe any of that anymore anyways so whatever, that's just what I was taught.

The Naked Mage

Well my, my, my. Looks like SOMEone's never been depressed...


It's NEVER a solution? To ANYTHING? C'mon, use your imagination.

Amie

I never thought I would see the day where I actually agree with the Naked mage on something. Thus there really is a God
Hi Seraphim
The problem is in the midst of a horrible clinical depression many are incapable of doing this. Just getting out of bed in the morning requires a great amount of motivation that many people who are depressed just don't have at the time. Its truly a horrible thing. Its a medical condition and not so easy to snap out of.
Thats the problem, it *is* a solution. A permanent solution to what could end up to be a very temporary and treatable condition.
oh and Seraphim I absolutely love your user name