I read the news of a suicide and it was not fun to read. not fun to think about. not fun to blog about. However, though I am sure this man was nice and did honorable things - at the core, it still seemed to not be enough.
Though this sounds trite, and hard, and not sensitive - but I would follow in his footsteps if it was not for something More.
Everyman must deal with the fact that something does indeed exist.
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11 comments:
Does having "More" guarantee that you would never follow in his footsteps though? I don't believe the security of our salvation nor the love that we find in and through God serves as a litmus test for the ability to commit such an act.
There's a difference between having More, and not knowing that you have More.
There is also a difference between thinking you have More and actually having More.
When you have More, know More, and, at the heart of your being, rejoice in having More, it's highly unlikely you will follow in his footsteps.
Whether or not this person was a believer or not, I don't know, but I can say he saw no other way at the time. He believed, as we all believe on some level, that God cannot accomplish the impossible. He believed, as we all believe on some level, that there was some effort required of him that he simply couldn't afford to pay.
Put simply, I don't think, at the time, that he believed and understood the love to be found in God. There's a great difference between mental adherence to a set of facts, and a heart steeped in love. There's two kinds of "know" when it comes to knowing God's love. I think he only had one.
I agree with Carrie.
Suicide doesn't always happen because of what someone believes or "knows". Most of the time, it is the end result of a depression and the irrational thinking that often goes with it. And, most of the time, depression is not based on how spiritual you are, but on some chemical imbalance in the brain or body.
Put simply--as if suicide could ever be simply put--a suicide is a desperate act that occurs often when someone is sick. And we should treat that sickness as we would treat someone with a heart attack or a broken leg.
I was discipled by a wonderful woman who was depressed and wanted to kill herself everyday before anyone knew how to treat it with drugs. It took her everything she could muster to get up out of bed to meet with me to pray and check my memory verses. We were in college back then and she graduated cum laude, top of her class. Years later, after we graduated we met in Seattle and talked about that time. She was finally getting the right treatment and doing well. She told me that she was a completely different person now and can't remember anything about discipling me. But she left a profound mark on my life through just being there when no one understood what she was going through. Not even me.
Sometimes, a Christian wants to believe but for some reason that is no fault of their own, they can't.
Please, David, do more research before writing about this subject.
Arnold knows the woman who discipled me--they had a little debate a while ago about Elderidge's Wild at Heart. He might not know about what she was experiencing--I don't know who else she discussed her state of mind with besides me.
I agree, suicide could be (and likely) is due to something psychological.
I have a hard time looking at things through view because that is not my wiring and I am not versed in that area. No to say that I am well versed in logic by any stretch, but I was blogging from that view point.
"More," whether that be a comet that is coming 10 years from now to bring in the new world or a Savior - the logical conclusion of nothing would surely spell suicide for me. The biological benefits from staying alive would just not be worth the hassle of it all - quite frankly if you are a nihilist the only rational conclusion would be the "final experience".
Another Note - being that this is a blog does not necessarily warrant a reader to be well versed in any certain subject. The medium that we have chosen, Blogs, lends itself to opinions - it is for the reader to be well versed in valuing the information rightly.
If I were a "nihilist" I would conclude that for me, I am everything there is if there is nothing. Self gratification (at any expense, mine or others), not self destruction, would be my logical conclusion.
Therefore, destroying or removing anything or anyone that makes me want to kill myself, would appear to be a better option as far as I could control it, [short of a comet heading towards my immediate location.] Because the cost of someone else's biological function would hardly be the worth the hassle of it all. If I was a nihilist--or at least, a smart one.
Biologically, when something goes wrong with the serotonin or other brain chemical, then you've got a real nihilist ascribing to your conclusion. Which I agree with in the first place, anyway. What Carrie is referring to and David is talking about, is whether or not a Christian would commit suicide. Which is the point I am talking about.
I am not well versed in philosophy, or biology, or psychology, or actually, I don't know much at all, but that's just my opinion.
suicide or hedonism as a logical conclusion to nihilism i guess is a matter of choice, i would surely choose the former - i have yet to experience anything so great outside of a perspective offered by Christianity worth sticking around for. the sex thing may entertain me for a bit, but i think that would even grow weary.
self preservation for rational creatures is a choice.
Are you really Roy? Or an "alias" of perhaps, Arnold?
I will take that as a compliment, I think Arnold is way cool. Regarding your blog - u have good thoughts, why no recent posts?
Yes, I meant it as a compliment. I've known Arnold a long time. I have GREAT Arnold stories...but that's for another time.
As for my blog, I worked on and re-worked on my post on Gregg so much that I got tired of writing for awhile. There's a lot more to Gregg's character that I didn't feel I could publish on a blog, he and his family are amazing survivors. I really wanted to write about his mom since junior high but I never summoned to courage to ask Gregg if I could meet with her for an interview.
I'm working on posts to publish on Phil. 4:8 right now, but it takes me a long time.
Thanks for reading! I enjoy your blog as well!
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