Catholic Doctrine and Suicide
Avrilo -
This is the first time I have joined in a discussion at the Forum. I am sure I do so now persuaded by the terrible tragedy that has struck the Spanish Royal Family and Crown Princess Letizia's family. As to Roman Catholic doctrine and suicide, I found this stanza on wikipedia - which also includes a very telling section from 1997 on Modern Catholicism and its view of suicide.
Modern Catholicism
In Catholicism, death by suicide has been considered a grave and mortal sin. The chief Christian argument is that one's life is the property of God, and to destroy that life is to wrongly assert dominion over what is God's. This argument runs into a famous counter-argument by David Hume, who held that if it is wrong to take life when a person would naturally live, it must be wrong to save life when a person would naturally die, as this too seems to be contravening God's will. Some mitigation of this contrast may exist when examining the Catholic doctrine of extraordinary means: the Catholic Church teaches that there is no moral obligation for a person to chose extraordinary methods of saving one's life in the face of possible death.
In point 2281 of the Catechism it is stated:
2281 Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just love of self. It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations. Suicide is contrary to love for the living God.
The 1997 Catechism of the Catholic Church indicates that suicide may not always be fully conscious – and thus not one-hundred-percent morally culpable: "Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide."
The essential context regarding the Catholic Church's condemnation of suicide is the Church's absolute insistence on the sanctity of life. It is in this regard, and taking into account the clear deliberation of the act by a thinking person, that the Church regards suicide as being among the gravest sins a person may commit and therefore creating the risk of eternal damnation.
The gravity of the Church's position resides in a twofold argument - 1. Suicide is a rejection of God's love for mankind, and mankind's love for God. 2. Suicide causes fracture to the social community of friends, loved-ones and broader human society.
As a catholic myself, I simply hope that Erika is in peace now. An ex-boyfriend of mine, and who I stayed friends with, committed suicide some years ago by hanging himself. I wasn't in touch with him at the time, and other friends knew this before I did. None of them told me about it until after his burial and funeral. The sadness nearly broke my heart. But, those who do committ this final act alone are most likely suffering and in enduring pain (emotional - physical - or both) for some time. The only thought that comforted me after his suicide was to know that now he must be in peace, no longer suffering and no longer in pain. No disrespect to my catholic upbringing or the Church itself... this is simply something I must believe.
RIP Erika - and sincere sympathies to CP Letizia and her family.
Avrilo -
This is the first time I have joined in a discussion at the Forum. I am sure I do so now persuaded by the terrible tragedy that has struck the Spanish Royal Family and Crown Princess Letizia's family. As to Roman Catholic doctrine and suicide, I found this stanza on wikipedia - which also includes a very telling section from 1997 on Modern Catholicism and its view of suicide.
Modern Catholicism
In Catholicism, death by suicide has been considered a grave and mortal sin. The chief Christian argument is that one's life is the property of God, and to destroy that life is to wrongly assert dominion over what is God's. This argument runs into a famous counter-argument by David Hume, who held that if it is wrong to take life when a person would naturally live, it must be wrong to save life when a person would naturally die, as this too seems to be contravening God's will. Some mitigation of this contrast may exist when examining the Catholic doctrine of extraordinary means: the Catholic Church teaches that there is no moral obligation for a person to chose extraordinary methods of saving one's life in the face of possible death.
In point 2281 of the Catechism it is stated:
2281 Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just love of self. It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations. Suicide is contrary to love for the living God.
The 1997 Catechism of the Catholic Church indicates that suicide may not always be fully conscious – and thus not one-hundred-percent morally culpable: "Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide."
The essential context regarding the Catholic Church's condemnation of suicide is the Church's absolute insistence on the sanctity of life. It is in this regard, and taking into account the clear deliberation of the act by a thinking person, that the Church regards suicide as being among the gravest sins a person may commit and therefore creating the risk of eternal damnation.
The gravity of the Church's position resides in a twofold argument - 1. Suicide is a rejection of God's love for mankind, and mankind's love for God. 2. Suicide causes fracture to the social community of friends, loved-ones and broader human society.
As a catholic myself, I simply hope that Erika is in peace now. An ex-boyfriend of mine, and who I stayed friends with, committed suicide some years ago by hanging himself. I wasn't in touch with him at the time, and other friends knew this before I did. None of them told me about it until after his burial and funeral. The sadness nearly broke my heart. But, those who do committ this final act alone are most likely suffering and in enduring pain (emotional - physical - or both) for some time. The only thought that comforted me after his suicide was to know that now he must be in peace, no longer suffering and no longer in pain. No disrespect to my catholic upbringing or the Church itself... this is simply something I must believe.
RIP Erika - and sincere sympathies to CP Letizia and her family.
I prayed for the Ortiz's yesterday. I hope they're all feeling better, even though I know they arn't.
