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How to Prevent Further Suicides, pt. 4: Finding the Meaning and Purpose of Life

01/17/2012

Many, if not most, suicides occur as a result of the person seeing no real reason to live. They lose the drive to live because they do not see any reason to continue living. That is why, when considering the subject of “How to prevent suicide,” it is important to consider not just man’s origins, but also his meaning and purpose.

Again, this is where the Bible is so informative. The Bible emphasizes that each moment of life has a grand purpose, superseding any earthly or temporal connection. Life was given in the beginning by God for the purpose of serving God. We were fashioned for Him and for His pleasure.

So, no matter what may occur on earth—be it the loss of a loved one, a loss of a job, or some other ill turn of events—one ought to see that his life is not tied up in these fleeting and fickle things. His life is to be found in the Creator. Man was designed to live eternally and in harmonious communion with the Almighty.

This lively and eternal prospective radically differs from the prevailing philosophy of the day. Most people in America are taught and embrace (be it consciously or not) the evolutionary and materialistic[1] perspective that has been handed down from Darwin. According to this worldview a person’s life has but one end: the grave.

It is easy to see why this angle worldview enhances the possibility of suicidal tendencies, particularly when one is afflicted with the dark and gloomy thoughts that accompany a depressed spirit. One can, in that cheerless moment, easily come to believe that it is better to end one’s life sooner than later.

The most optimistic in this camp will say that life should be lived for the benefit of others or that life’s meaning is what you make of it. Yet even there one must confess that, despite great feats or pleasures, it is only a matter of time before the death bell tolls. One may still wonder if there is any use in delaying the inevitable.

Certainly the “Let’s make the best of it” philosophy is quite dire. It only serves to highlight the real means of preventing further suicides. Young people need to hear that life does have eternal and meaningful purpose. They need to understand that God has designed them to forever enjoy the bliss of His majesty and benevolence. They need to know that they are a part of a grand story and that God has given them a particular role in that story. They need to understand that they were designed to serve Him and commune with Him all the days of their lives.

When such principles are grasped, one may see that each day is worth living. No matter how dark the day may seem or how useless one may appear in the eyes of men, he or she has a relation to the divine and is called to fulfill their divinely appointed purpose in that day.

[The above article is the fourth in a series on How to Prevent Further Suicides.]

[1] Materialism is the belief that matter is the only thing that exists. It holds that there are no immaterial things such as a person’s soul, spiritual beings, etc.

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On Preventing Further Suicides, pt. 3: Dignity, Self-worth, and the Image of God, cont.

01/12/2012

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In the last article I argued that preventing further suicides necessitates a vigorous promotion of the Christian view of man. God created man in His image and, as a result, man has inherent dignity and personal worth. This, in turn, boosts an individual’s self perception and lowers one’s possibility of taking his life.

Unfortunately this notion, which can help to boost any depressed soul, is not advocated in our day. The contemporary philosophy that receives acclaim is the evolutionary view of man, a view which robs man of his glory and personal nobility.

The Darwinian worldview advocates that man is essentially a cosmic accident. He is a descendent of a germ that materialized by molecules randomly bumping into each other. To put it another way, man is nothing more than a product of random happenchance, having no real distinction from the grass that we mow down with our lawn mowers.

While there might be a few strands of DNA that separate us from grass, Darwinism cannot deny that there is no essential dignity that distinguishes us. According to their own reasoning, a few molecules came together in just the right way. Some of those molecules became grass; some of them became you.

With such a worldview it is easy to see why one can come to believe that taking one’s life is ok. Man is nothing more than a blade of grass that can be mown down at will.

As a matter of fact, the existentialist philosopher Albert Camus has even given excellent insight into just how dreadful his own materialistic worldview really is. Camus said, “The greatest question that mankind faces is not if one should take his life, but when.”

The good news is that not everyone who holds the materialistic/evolutionary construct sees the logical consequences of their line of reasoning. For this we can be quite glad. The bad news is that some, like Camus, do see the implications of their beliefs.

Without dignity and inherent worth nobody has any reason to continue living one minute. This is why it is detrimental to society for our schools, television stations, public officials, museums, etc. to promote the materialistic, evolutionary worldview. In promoting this perspective they become accomplices to the acts of suicide.

If we wish to bring the number of suicides down, it is imperative that the evolutionary worldview be repudiated wherever possible. The Christian view of man be embraced, and our young people ought to be given the foundational principles that coalesce with prolonging life.

[This is a series on preventing further suicides. To view the other articles in the series click here.]

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On Preventing Further Suicides, pt. 2: Dignity, Self-Worth, and the Image of God

01/09/2012

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Suicide cannot happen unless one’s perception of one’s self has been denigrated. A depressed spirit and the feeling that one’s life is worthless are the incubators of suicide. As a result, the only sure way to prevent someone from taking their life is to help them realize their life is immensely valuable.

This is why the Christian notion of humanity needs to be advanced. The Bible expresses that man is unique among creation, possessing inherent dignity and worth. This is owing to the fact that man bears the image of God. When man was created in the beginning he was set apart from all other material and immaterial things because he was endowed with the likeness of God.

This likeness has been defined variously, and certainly it entails many diverse things. At the very least it indicates that some of God’s attributes are reflected in man. It should be obvious that man does not possess these attributes in the same way or degree that God does. But, in a much more muted fashion, man expresses some measure of the divine being. These qualities include, but are not limited to, things like compassion, rationality, love, and hatred.

As well, man’s nature points to the divine as man is not just a physical being. God distinguished him from the rest of the created things by giving him an immortal spirit.

Much more could be said on the matter. However, this should be enough for now to make the point clear: Man, as the image bearer of God, possesses inherent worth and a profound dignity.

Indeed, this is what gives credence to the Bible’s command not to murder (see my earlier post). The Bible forbids this because the unjust taking of a human life amounts to an attack on God Himself. Since man bears the image of God, seeking to snuff out that image is virtually equal to an attempt at snuffing out God.

Embedded within the fifth commandment is the fact that man’s dignity far surpasses any plant or animal. Each individual’s worth is so immense that one ought to do all they can to protect and preserve themselves and their neighbors.

Affirming the Christian perspective of man then, provides a sound basis for personal self-esteem. While depression will certainly occur among young people, and not all suicides can be prevented even among Christians, a definite diminishing can occur when young people come to terms with the substantial grandeur of their personal constitution.

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On Preventing Further Suicides, pt. 1: Teach the Law of God

01/06/2012

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Much of Ashland has been astir as of late due to the recent teen suicides that have occurred. That there has been a string of such incidents means that we should pause and consider the issue in light of biblical reflection.

I want to emphasize this point to: The best way to prevent suicide is to teach and embrace the truths presented in the Bible. Any other worldview will only help to enhance the tendency towards death.

What motivated the series of suicides locally is unknown to me. I will not pretend to know what issues those particular souls struggled with. Neither will I say that all the guidelines below will prevent suicide altogether. Man is sinful at heart, and will carry out his evil designs. Nevertheless, there are serious issues of a worldview nature that ought to be considered so that these types of episodes are less likely to be repeated.

The first issue regarding these questions of worldview is that of law and the public affirmation of what God has decreed in Scripture regarding murder.

Doubtfully anyone will object to the fact that taking one’s life is against the sixth commandment’s prohibition on murder. Suicide is, after all, self murder. The Bible makes it clear that such an act is a gross violation of God’s law. Moreover, the implication of the law is that we have the opposite responsibility of seeing to the welfare of our persons and possessions.

Teaching such a position then is helpful for it reinforces the notion of self preservation. Even if one does not believe in God per se, the active promotion of this commandment helps to restrain such actions (see The Restraint of Evil).

Since God’s law is not advanced in our day by the schools and public officials the culture has devolved into a relativistic mindset. Without this absolute moral base kids do not have any legitimate reason to stave off their own deaths. The choice of suicide has become just as viable as the choice to have breakfast in the morning.

What kids need now is to understand that there is a higher Lawgiver to whom they are accountable. In hearing this publicly proclaimed they will recognize that they are not the ones who determine right or wrong by their own accord.

To be sure, the commandments of God promote life. These statues need to be taught because they will put in the minds of young people the understanding that they ought to do their best to safeguard their lives.

[The above material is part 1 on how to help prevent further suicides locally]

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