Today's episode is a continuation of suicide awareness for the month of September.  The question that I have, as well I believe many of us ask, "Is Suicide an Unforgiveable Sin?" Dr. Matthew Stanford does an excellent job in answering this question in his book, "Grace For the Afflicted."  He devotes a whole chapter in his book in regards to suicide.   Pastor Dan Stevens and I discuss this on today's program.  Dr. Stanford opens this chapter noting that suicide is a word that provokes fear, shame, and sadness.  He continues to note that some have called suicide "a selfish act" and "a permanent answer to a temporary problem."  He continues to explain that both of these statements wrongly imply that suicide is a reasoned and rational decision to take one's life.  Since its beginning, the church has struggled with understanding the spiritual consequences of suicide , at times even refusing burial and religious rites to the victims because they were thought to have committed an unforgiven (mortal) sin, damning them to hell.  Dr. Stanford notes that suicide is neither reasoned nor rational, and mental illness is the most common cause. So, is suicide an unforgiveable sin and does it affect an individual's eternal destination?

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