The Specificities of Suicide

i work during the night, and i often just walk around thinking random thoughts. one i had tonight was about suicide, and organized religion's view on it. I've always been told by religious people that if you kill yourself, you go to hell, simple. but i was wondering to what extent do your actions in a situation count as suicide. i get putting a gun to your head, but what about smoking? i've always assumed that is slow suicide. what about talking or texting while driving, which leads to you dying in a one car crash? what about some adrenaline-seeking individual who constantly puts themselves in life-threatening situations, and one time it goes wrong? i guess what i am really asking is, in your opinion, to what extent are your actions counted as suicide? would the above situations count, since you consciously chose to do these things? just wondering what you think, from a religious viewpoint. or just your non-religious viewpoint, i don't care.

I'm not religious, but I'm pretty sure the things you mentioned aren't suicide. When you hang yourself your intention is for yourself to die. When you smoke, are a dare devil, or text while driving your intention isn't to kill yourself. Most people know that they could die, but as far as I know that's not their intention.

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Originally Posted by username695

I'm not religious, but I'm pretty sure the things you mentioned aren't suicide. When you hang yourself your intention is for yourself to die. When you smoke, are a dare devil, or text while driving your intention isn't to kill yourself. Most people know that they could die, but as far as I know that's not their intention.

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ok. so in your view, death has to be the goal? Suicide has to be on purpose? if you do something you know has a high probability of killing you, is it still not your fault if you die from it? i just think if you got up to the pearly gates, and you said to st. peter, "my life ended because i shot myself in the head" or " my life ended because i choose to inhale smoke for 30 years, knowing full well it would most likely cause cancer", it would end up with the same result: you going to hell.

The definition of suicide is "The act of killing yourself", so I guess it could be either way. When I think of suicide I think of someone intentionally taking their life because they don't want to live, so I guess it's debatable.

It's not about telling the guy at the gates how you died. It's about the thought that led to death. If your thought was "I want to die, I'll pull the triger" then you're commiting suicide... If you were just playing with the gun, put it to your head and for some reason or another you pulled the trigger without any intention to die or get shot, then it wouldn't be a suicide.

it's all intent. people don't have the foresight to connect smoking with suicide, and they don't intend on dying from it.
I think you're reading too much religion into this. it's just a problem of definition. intentionally killing yourself is suicide.

Bonsay is absolutely correct.