Q: Do you have any info on suicide? The WT has been very hardcore on this subject but has softened a little. I appreciate it's a subject not to be taken lightly as the taking of life is a serious matter! The reason I ask is I battle with suicidal thoughts on a daily basis, ever since my teens I've had this struggle. I manage my condition with medication and regular assessments with mental health, I have clinical depression. I've been in and out of therapy for many years. I know I will battle with this affliction until the new system but your reasoning on the subject would be appreciated. I've been down the last couple of weeks so this is why I bring the subject up.
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A:  I am sorry to hear about your clinical depression and your daily thoughts of suicide. That is a terrible struggle to have to deal with. It is not uncommon for anyone of us to get depressed at times; for we are living in Satan's world and under his rule depression is the norm for many people. Even the sure hope of God's kingdom may not bring us relief from depression at the present time. Success in life may in itself not guarantee happiness. We read about famous people who seemed to have it all, money, fame, good looks, everything that most people can only dream about, only to learn that he/she committed suicide. Happiness and a purpose in life still had escaped them. Others suffer to such an extreme from a physical or mental affliction that they welcome death as their only escape. So what can a person do when their medication no longer helps, perhaps even adding to their suffering by becoming addicted to it, and they have run out of options? Recognizing their situation, some countries have made assisted suicide legal. (Ps. 104:15)

Our present lifespan is relatively short. It hasn't changed from the time of Moses, which is still seventy to eighty years. (Psalms 90:10) But to a person undergoing suffering, even those seven or eight decades may be too long. Suffering without hope of relief can even cause a faithful and righteous person to want to die. The Bible tells of the rich man Job, who, although praised by God as a righteous man, came to curse the day he was born and expressed his longing to die, on account of his extreme suffering from a painful and loathsome disease after he had already lost all his possessions, including the death of his ten children. He mistakenly believed that it was God who was responsible for his suffering and thus prayed that he would hide him in the the grave [Sheol] until his anger had passed. (Job 1:1-5; 3:3, 11-13, 21; 14:13,14)

Does Jehovah view suicide as self-murder, as the word is described in the German language [Selbstmord]? There are no Scriptures that indicate that. The Scriptures do tell us, though, that we all die on account of having inherited sin and death from our original parent Adam. The apostle Paul explains: "That is why, just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned." (Rom. 5:12) God recognizes that we, as Adam's offspring, are not at fault for having inherited the consequence of Adam's sin, and therefore he made arrangement to buy back the everlasting life that Adam lost for us. Paul further explains: "God recommends his own love to us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. For just as through the disobedience of the one man [Adam] many were constituted sinners, likewise also through the obedience of the one person [Christ] many will be constituted righteous." "For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive." (Rom. 5:8, 19; 1 Cor. 15:22)

We certainly do not want to minimize the preciousness and sanctity of life in any way, and for that reason some people even think it wrong to wish to die. But there is something that is even more important and precious than life itself, something that makes life worth living—and that is having a close relationship with our Creator. If Adam had remained obedient to God, mankind would never have experienced the pain and suffering that sickness and death brings. When we have an unshakeable faith in God's unfailing promises of fulfilling his original purpose, then our present life becomes bearable at best. Imagine yourself living on a planet that has become a global paradise where there is no more sickness, or pain, or death, or any other causes of suffering. And although that is the hope of many, it does not alleviate their suffering at the present time. (Isa. 65:17-25; Rev. 7:15-17; 21:3,4)

Our life is a gift from Jehovah, the Creator and Source of all life; and when we die it returns to God "who gave it," with whom now rests any hope of us returning in a future resurrection. (Eccl. 12:7; Psalms 36:9; Luke 20:37,38; John 5:25-30; Rev. 4:11) But, like in the case of Job, there might come a time when a person may "feel a loathing toward life," because rather than being the gift it is meant to be it has become a curse; and he might then feel that it would be better, yes, it would actually be a blessing if God were to take back the "gift of life" and hide him in the grave; at least until this old system has been replaced by his promised "new earth." (Job 10:1; 14:13; 2 Peter 3:13) If after having pleaded with God for help over an extended period of time, and the person's prayers have seemingly gone unanswered, would it be wrong for him to consider taking matters into his own hands? Would God condemn such a person for seeking relief through Selbstmord? Since our natural lifespan is still only about seventy to eighty years, suicide at the worst cuts that life short, rather than dying of "natural" causes, as dying of old age is often referred to.

Suicide is not the same as murder, as is illustrated in the Law God gave to Israel. To take something that belongs to another person without his permission is stealing, and in his Law God included the command, "You must not steal." (Ex. 20:15) If a person stole a bull or a sheep from his fellow man, and he was caught with the animal in his possession, he was to return the animal to its owner and make compensation with double of what he stole. If, however, he had slaughtered the animal then he had to make compensation with five bulls or sheep. Other kinds of articles were to be compensated double. (Ex. 22:1-9) It well illustrates the just and righteous laws of our Creator. According to him, there is no justice without appropriate compensation. What, though, if it was the life of another person that was taken?

The life we have belongs to us and to God from whom we received it. (Rom. 5:8; 1 Cor. 6:19,20; 7:23) To take the life of another person is murder. In Noah's day the earth had become filled with violence and bloodshed, and therefore God resolved to bring that world to ruin. After God had destroyed that wicked generation he decreed for all future generations, saying: "Listen carefully: Do not eat any meat with its life-blood still in it. More than that, do not spill the blood of any human. If anyone spills your blood, I will hold him responsible. It makes no difference whether it is a man or an animal, both will be accountable to Me! If someone murders a fellow human being, then I will require his life in return. Whoever sheds the blood of a human, that person’s blood will be shed in return by another for God made humanity in His own image." (Gen. 9:5,6; The Voice Bible)

God requires a murderer to pay compensation for the life he has stolen with that of his own. The life of a bull or a sheep is not worth more than that of a man. If God required fivefold compensation for the life of an animal, how much more will he require it from someone who takes another person's life who is "made in God's own image." But how could a murderer possibly make compensation five fold? That of course would not be possible, not even double compensation. Therefore God's justice demanded that the murderer pay with his own life. Nothing less would compensate for the life that he had taken. God did not accept any ransom for the murderer, he was to be put to death without fail. On the other hand, God made merciful provision for the accidental killing of a person, but yet not without cost. (Ex. 20:13; 21:12; Num. 35: 9-15, 30,31)

What is the lesson we can learn from this? That suicide is not murder! Suicide is not the taking of a life that belongs to another person, which requires paying compensation. Yes, he is taking a life, but that life is his own, it belongs to him. Under normal conditions we value our life and do everything within our power to preserve and protect it; yet someone may lay down his life while attempting to save that of another. Such a person is usually praised as a hero. Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13, ESV) No one wants to die, but when death rather than life has come to be viewed as the blessing, and at present the only relief from suffering, then some seek it out in their desperation. Job cried out in his anguish, “Why must a suffering person continue to live? Why let anyone live such a bitter life? Such people want to die, but death does not come. They search for death more than for hidden treasure. They would be happy to find their grave. They would rejoice to find their tomb. . . When it is time to eat, all I can do is sigh with sadness, not joy. My groans pour out like water. I was afraid something terrible would happen, and what I feared most has happened. I cannot calm down or relax. I am too upset to rest!” (Job. 3:20-26, ERV)

Jehovah sees the suffering of his people, and he hears their prayers for help as they cry out to him. (Psalms 34:6, 15, 18,19) He provides help to the extent possible under present circumstances. This may include the relief that a physician through medicine may provide. But the complete cure and release from all suffering can only come under his kingdom rule, when the root causes of all affliction and pain will be removed forever. At that time Jehovah will remember all who are presently sleeping in the memorial tombs and raise them up again to life, just as Job had faith that God would remember him also. (Job 14:14,15; Acts 24:15; 1 Cor. 15:22) The apostle John, who recorded these blessings, writes: "I heard a loud voice shout from the throne: God’s home is now with his people. He will live with them, and they will be his own. Yes, God will make his home among his people. He will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain. These things of the past are gone forever. Then the one sitting on the throne said: I am making everything new. Write down what I have said. My words are true and can be trusted."  (Rev. 21:3-5, CEV; 7:14-17; )

We are presently witnessing the signs Jesus gave regarding the nearness of his presence and God's kingdom, which fills us with the hope that our daily suffering is only for a little while longer. It will soon be a thing of the past. (Matt. 24:32-34; Luke 21:28-32)
 

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