Suicide

Introduction

There is much speculation about the fate of those that take their own life. I will discuss here why there is hope and to keep going in life. I will also talk about what a serious thing that suicide is. I will conclude with a look at how unqualified we are to make a final judgement on an individual who has committed suicide.

Why To Not Commit Suicide

The Lord is With Us
Elder Jeffrey R Holland, Like a Broken Vessel, General Conference October 2013
"Whatever your struggle, my brothers and sisters—mental or emotional or physical or otherwise—do not vote against the preciousness of life by ending it! Trust in God. Hold on in His love. Know that one day the dawn will break brightly and all shadows of mortality will flee. Though we may feel we are 'like a broken vessel,' as the Psalmist says,¹⁰ we must remember, that vessel is in the hands of the divine potter. Broken minds can be healed just the way broken bones and broken hearts are healed. While God is at work making those repairs, the rest of us can help by being merciful, nonjudgmental, and kind."

Matthew 11:28-30
28 ¶Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

My Thoughts on Matthew 11:28-30 in This Context
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If we truly turn to the Savior and let him carry our burdens with us we can overcome our feelings of suicide.
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Romans 15:13
13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Moroni 7:41
41 And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.

It Is a Grievous Sin

First, President George Q. Cannon of the First Presidency made a clear statement about the seriousness of suicide when he said: “Man did not create himself. He did not furnish his spirit with a human dwelling place. It is God who created man, both body and spirit. Man has no right, therefore, to destroy that which he had no agency in creating. They who do so are guilty of murder, self-murder it is true; but they are no more justified in killing themselves than they are in killing others. What difference of punishment there is for the two crimes, I do not know; but it is clear that no one can destroy so precious a gift as that of life without incurring a severe penalty.” (Gospel Truth, 2 vols., Salt Lake City: Zion’s Book Store, 1957, 1:30; italics added.)

President Spencer W. Kimball made an equally strong statement in 1976. “It is a terrible criminal act for a person to go out and shorten his life by suicide,” he said. (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982, p. 187.)

The State of Those That Commit Suicide

Man Cannot Judge the Accountability of Those That Commit Suicide

The late Elder Bruce R. McConkie, formerly of the Quorum of the Twelve, expressed what many Church leaders have taught: “Suicide consists in the voluntary and intentional taking of one’s own life, particularly where the person involved is accountable and has a sound mind. … Persons subject to great stresses may lose control of themselves and become mentally clouded to the point that they are no longer accountable for their acts. Such are not to be condemned for taking their own lives. It should also be remembered that judgment is the Lord’s; he knows the thoughts, intents, and abilities of men; and he in his infinite wisdom will make all things right in due course.” (Mormon Doctrine, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966, p. 771; some italics added.)

“Peace came to me only when I recognized that only the Lord could administer fair judgment. He alone had all the facts, and only He would know the intent of the heart of my friend.” (Elder M Russell Ballard, “Suicide: Some Things We Know, and Some We Do Not”, October 1987 Ensign)

“I feel that judgment for sin is not always as cut-and-dried as some of us seem to think. The Lord said, “Thou shalt not kill.” Does that mean that every person who kills will be condemned, no matter the circumstances? Civil law recognizes that there are gradations in this matter—from accidental manslaughter to self-defense to first-degree murder. I feel that the Lord also recognizes differences in intent and circumstances: Was the person who took his life mentally ill? Was he or she so deeply depressed as to be unbalanced or otherwise emotionally disturbed? Was the suicide a tragic, pitiful call for help that went unheeded too long or progressed faster than the victim intended? Did he or she somehow not understand the seriousness of the act? Was he or she suffering from a chemical imbalance that led to despair and a loss of self-control?

‘Obviously, we do not know the full circumstances surrounding every suicide. Only the Lord knows all the details, and he it is who will judge our actions here on earth.

“When he does judge us, I feel he will take all things into consideration: our genetic and chemical makeup, our mental state, our intellectual capacity, the teachings we have received, the traditions of our fathers, our health, and so forth.“ (Elder M Russell Ballard, “Suicide: Some Things We Know, and Some We Do Not”, October 1987 Ensign)

“Suicide is a sin—a very grievous one, yet the Lord will not judge the person who commits that sin strictly by the act itself. The Lord will look at that person’s circumstances and the degree of his accountability at the time of the act. Of course, this gives us no reason to excuse ourselves in committing sins,” (Elder M Russell Ballard, “Suicide: Some Things We Know, and Some We Do Not”, October 1987 Ensign)

My Thoughts

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We do not know what spiritual torment a person has already gone through that lead to suicide.  We do not know how a merciful, loving Father of mankind would allow the atonement of Jesus Christ to be applied, even for a person that has not understood Christ and accepted Him in this life.

God does not pronounce final judgement on us at the time we die.  There is still time for those who did not have Christ given to them to learn about him before the final judgement.

I believe that God is merciful and has provided means to present us with the opportunity to be saved until we are truly lost.  I do not believe death is the time when we are determined our place in eternity. I believe Christ will judge each of us, all who have ever lived, at some point after He returns.

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Faith and Works

Proverbs 16:2
2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.

Jörg Klebingat, Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence, October 2014 General Conference
“Choosing this day whom you will serve is lip service only—until you actually live accordingly (see Joshua 24:15).”


Luke 6:46
Matthew 7:21
21 ¶ Not every one that ^asaith unto me, ^bLord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that ^cdoeth the ^dwill of my Father which is in ^eheaven.
Luke 9:62
62 No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
29 And shall ^acome forth; they that have done good, unto the ^bresurrection of life; and they that have done ^cevil, unto the resurrection of ^ddamnation.
Those who have done good will be raised to life. Those who have done evil will be raised to death. Good things are those things which God has commanded us to do. This includes, but is not limited to, believing that Christ is the Son of God and our Savior.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, The Way of the Disciple, General Conference, April 2009
"It is not enough merely to speak of Jesus Christ or proclaim that we are His disciples. It is not enough to surround ourselves with symbols of our religion. Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessings of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes."
Matthew 3:13-15
13 ¶ Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be ^abaptized of him.
14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
15 And Jesus answering said unto him, ^aSuffer it to be so now: for thus it ^bbecometh us to ^cfulfil all ^drighteousness. Then he suffered him.
If it was necessary for Jesus to be baptized to fulfill all righteousness, then why would it not be necessary for us? What was the purpose if not to show us the way? He had no sins to wash away.
Matthew 6:24
24 ¶ ^aNo man can ^bserve two ^cmasters: for either he will ^dhate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and ^emammon.
If we are not doing good works and serving God we are serving Satan. Can we accept Christ and serve Satan?
Matthew 7:13-14
13 ¶ Enter ye in at the ^astrait ^bgate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to ^cdestruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because ^astrait is the ^bgate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto ^clife, and few there be that find it.
The way is narrow. Yet we have so many churches having their own doctrines.
Matthew 12:36-37
36 But I say unto you, That every ^aidle ^bword that men shall ^cspeak, they shall give ^daccount thereof in the day of ^ejudgment.
37 For by thy ^awords thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
It would appear that the judgement will be a judgement of assignment and not of determining how big our house will be in the eternities. If we disobey and don't repent we are condemned and not just get a smaller mansion.
It says that our words will justify or condemn us. Not just our faith.
The chapter goes on to tell of witnesses that will rise and witness to whether we obeyed God or not. These witnesses will be used to condemn us if we have been slothful and have not repented. This would appear to apply to everyone including those that have taken Jesus name upon them. I would reason that there would be more expected of those that took on them the name of Christ rather than them getting a free pass to do whatever they want.
Matthew 19:16-17
16 ¶ And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have ^aeternal life?
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none ^agood but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into ^blife, keep the ^ccommandments.
Mercy is for those that love him AND keep his commandments
Mark 16:16
16 He that ^abelieveth and is ^bbaptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be ^cdamned.
It says he that believes AND is baptised shall be saved. Two points. One, you must do something as well as believe to be saved. Two, one of those things is baptism.
James 1:26
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his ^atongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is ^bvain.
If one does not do the works listed, their religion is in vain. If there religion is taking upon them the name of Christ then that would be in vain without doing the listed works.
1 Timothy 2:15
15 Notwithstanding ^ashe shall be saved in ^bchildbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and ^choliness with ^dsobriety.
They will be saved if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. Why would one have to do these things to be saved if we are saved by faith alone?
2 Peter 3:9
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is ^alongsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should ^bperish, but that all should come to ^crepentance.
We must come to repentance or we will perish. Repentance is something we must do in addition to saying that we accept Christ.
Hebrews 5:8-9
8 Though he were a Son, yet ^alearned he ^bobedience by the things which he ^csuffered;
9 And being made ^aperfect, he became the ^bauthor of eternal ^csalvation unto all them that obey him;
"eternal salvation unto all them that obey him" We must obey Him if we want to be saved.
John 3:5
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be ^aborn of ^bwater and of the ^cSpirit, he cannot ^denter into the kingdom of God.
One can not enter into the kingdom unless they do something, which is be baptised.
Doctrine and Covenants 59:6
6 Thou shalt ^alove thy ^bneighbor as thyself. Thou shalt not ^csteal; neither commit ^dadultery, nor ^ekill, nor do anything ^flike unto it.
What are things that are like adultary? Pornography, speaking irreverently about sex, watching television programs where people are having sex out of marriage, and so forth.
Mosiah 4:16-18
16 And also, ye yourselves will ^asuccor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the ^bbeggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.
17 Perhaps thou shalt ^asay: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—
18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.
We must take care of each other or we must repent.
Revelation 3:15-16
15 I know thy ^aworks, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art ^alukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will ^bspue thee out of my mouth.
If we are apethetic, lukewarm, Then he will put us from Him. If we do not sin, but we do not do good then we will be separated from God.
Revelation 3:21
21 To him that ^aovercometh will I grant to ^bsit with me in my ^cthrone, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
If we overcome, as He overcame, we will sit with him on his throne not float on a cloud playing a harp. Overcome not just say that we believe in him.
Revelation 22:14
14 Blessed are they that ^ado his ^bcommandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Those who do the commandments may partake of the fruit of the tree of life, which is eternal life and may enter into the kingdom of God.
Romans 1:18
18 For the ^awrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, ^bwho ^chold the truth in ^dunrighteousness;
The previous few verses talk about living faith to faith, which could be misinterpreted to support the faith only doctrine. He follows with verse 18. The wrath of God comes against those who hold the truth with unrighteousness.
Romans 2:6-7
6 Who will ^arender to every man ^baccording to his ^cdeeds:
7 To them who by ^apatient ^bcontinuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and ^cimmortality, eternal life:
One must seek eternal life in patient continuance, not just say we believe.
2 Nephi 25:23
23 For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.
Hebrews 12:2
2 Looking unto Jesus the ^aauthor and ^bfinisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him ^cendured the cross, despising the ^dshame, and is set down at the right hand of the ^ethrone of God.
James 2:14-26
14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my afaith by my bworks.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham abelieved God, and it was imputed unto him for brighteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Faith in Jesus and works go hand in hand. If you are not performing good works and keeping his commandments then you have no faith. Your faith is dead.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast
The works do not save you, but the faith is not present without the works. The atonement overcame physical death brought about by Adam and spiritual death brought about by our own disobedience. Even if we lived a perfect life we would not be able to be saved without the atonement, but we can only partake of that atonement, that grace, by exercising faith and obeying the commandments. Yes we may fall, but we get back up, repent, and obey. We may do this thousands of times in our lives, but we have the potential to improve. That is also part of that grace, where he makes us stronger than we would be alone. See James 2:14-16 for a discourse on faith not being present without works.
1 Timothy 4:16
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
"shalt...save thyself"" is an interesting phrase, since many would say that one is saved by faith only. Now just like we can not take those scriptures about being saved by faith and think that faith is the only thing that we need to be saved, we also can not just take this passage and assume that preaching the gospel is the only thing we need to do to be saved. The point is that if we are not doing our best to do the things that God has asked us to do we can not be saved."
Matthew 6:12, 14-15
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
To be forgiven of our sins we must do something. One of those things is to forgive others.
James 4:17
17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. It then lists several sins that would make one unrighteous. This is an example of something that one must do or in this case not do to enter the kingdom of God. We must do our part to be saved.Exodus 20:6
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Mercy to those that love Him AND keep His commandments.
Works and faith are much like study and revelation. Both are necessary to accomplish the goal.

 46 ¶And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?


Once you have accepted Christ as your Savior, if you cease to do his work you are not fit for the kingdom of God.
John 5:28-29 28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the ^agraves shall ^bhear his voice,

Daniel 9:4 4 And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my ^aconfession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, ^bkeeping the covenant and ^cmercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;

Obedience and repentance are the hands we receive the atonement with.

We must do our part and God does what we fall short. Much like a father might ask his son to work if he wants a bike and after he judges that the child has done his best he pays however much the child is short.
It reminds me of a couple of sayings that I have heard for years even by people that are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "God helps those who help themselves" and "Pray as though everything depends on God and work as thought everything depends on you."
Our work is not sufficient to save us, but it is necessary.

He is the finisher of our faith. He finishes it after we do our best.

Faith

Jörg Klebingat, Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence, October 2014 General Conference

“Choosing this day whom you will serve is lip service only—until you actually live accordingly (see Joshua 24:15).”

Chi Hong (Sam) Wong, Rescue in Unity, October 2014 General Conference

“In conclusion, may I share with you one more hidden treasure found in this scripture account. It is in verse 5: “When Jesus saw their faith” (emphasis added). I had not noticed this in the past—their faith. Our combined faith will also affect the well-being of others.”

Moroni 7:33
 33 And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me.

Moroni 10:20-2120 Wherefore, there must be faith; and if there must be faith there must also be hope; and if there must be hope there must also be charity.
21 And except ye have charity ye can in nowise be saved in the kingdom of God; neither can ye be saved in the kingdom of God if ye have not faith; neither can ye if ye have no hope.

Russell M. Nelson,

Face the Future with Faith, General Conference April 2011

“[People} will encounter people who pick which commandments they will keep and ignore others that they choose to break. I call this the cafeteria approach to obedience. This practice of picking and choosing will not work. It will lead to misery. To prepare to meet God, one keeps all of His commandments. It takes faith to obey them, and keeping His commandments will strengthen that faith.”

James 2:19-22
 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without bworks is dead?
 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect

Hebrews 11:1
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:6
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Without faith it is impossible to please Him. We need faith in addition to works. We must believe that He is and that He rewards them that diligently seek him. Not just say they believe, but diligently seek him. Faith is believing and seeking. Some might call the seeking works. Actions are more powerful than words.

Dallin H. Oaks, "The Lord's Way", P50, Last partial paragraph
"The source of the ancient conflict between (1) reason or intellect and (2) faith or revelation is the professor's rejection of revelation, not the prophet's rejection of reason."


Alma 32:21
21 And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.    


Alma 32:28-34 

  28 Now, we will compare the word unto a ^aseed. Now, if ye give place, that a ^bseed may be planted in your ^cheart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your ^dunbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to ^eenlighten my ^funderstanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

  29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.

  30 But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow.

  31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own ^alikeness.

  32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.

  33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.

  34 And now, behold, is your ^aknowledge ^bperfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your ^cfaith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your ^dmind doth begin to expand.

Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 264

“Faith is a gift of God bestowed as a reward for personal righteousness. It is always given when righteousness is present, and the greater the measure of obedience to God’s laws the greater will be the endowment of faith”

Hebrews 11:31

  31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

This seems to indicate that faith is doing something, since she had faith when she received the spies.

Bishop Richard G Edgely, Faith—the Choice Is Yours, General Conference October 2010

"Be aware that faith is not a free gift given without thought, desire, or effort. It does not come as the dew falls from heaven. The Savior said, “Come unto me” (Matthew 11:28) and “Knock, and it shall be [given] you” (Matthew 7:7). These are action verbs—come, knock. They are choices. So I say, choose faith. Choose faith over doubt, choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and the unseen, and choose faith over pessimism."

"Yes, faith is a choice, and it must be sought after and developed. Thus, we are responsible for our own faith. We are also responsible for our lack of faith. The choice is yours.”

“But while I don’t know everything, I know the important. I know the plain and simple gospel truths that lead to salvation and exaltation. I know that the Savior did suffer the pain of all men and that all repentant people can be cleansed from sin. And what I don’t know or don’t completely understand, with the powerful aid of my faith, I bridge the gap and move on, partaking of the promises and blessings of the gospel. And then, as Alma teaches, our faith brings us to a perfect knowledge (see Alma 32:34). By moving forward into the unknown, armed only with hope and desire, we show evidence of our faith and our devotion to the Lord.”

Ether 12:6

6And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.