THE PLAN OF SALVATION
WHERE DO THOSE WHO DIE BY SUICIDE
GO?
"Such are not to be condemned
for taking their own lives. Judgment is the Lord’s;
He knows the thoughts, intents, and abilities of all his children; and he
in his infinite wisdom will make all things right in due course."
Because our thirteen year old
son died by suicide, we needed an answer to this question in order to have
some peace in our heart. I hope others can benefit from what we have found
through our study of the scriptures, and the words of wise leaders of various
religions.
From experience, we know that
the act of taking one’s own life is truly a tragedy because it creates
so many victims. Family and countless friends are left to bear feelings
of undeserved misery, guilt, grief, sometimes anger, and years of deep
pain and confusion. The commandment "Thou shalt not kill" is written
in four verses of scripture in the Bible.(1) Not one of them
grants self-exclusion. The rational mind knows it is wrong.
Unfortunately, forces of stress
and depression incite behavior that is not always rational. An apostle,
Bruce R. McConkie wrote: "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. (As mentioned above),
Such are not to be condemned for taking their own lives. It should
also be remembered that judgment is the Lord’s; he knows that thought,
intents, and abilities of men; and he in his infinite wisdom will make
all things right in due course."(2)
We know the Lord loves each
of his children and understands the good they have done during their lifetime
and
the desires of their heart. This will all be taken into account when
the final judgment comes. The prophet Alma taught:
"The plan
of restoration is requisite with the justice of God; for it is requisite
that all things should be restored to their proper order. Behold, it is
requisite and just, according to the power and resurrection of Christ,
that the soul of man should be restored to its body, and that every part
of the body should be restored to itself.
"And it is requisite with the justice of God that
men should be judged according to their works; and if their works were
good in this life, and the desires of their hearts were good, that they
should also, at the last day, be restored unto that which is good."
(Alma 41:2-3)
We can feel peace in the infinite
atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, that it applies so broadly. A
great prophet, Mosiah said,
"His
blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the
transgression of Adam, who have died not knowing the will of God concerning
them, or who have ignorantly sinned."
(Mosiah:3:11)
The Prophet Joseph Smith offered
this remarkable insight regarding judging those who died by suicide, or
may have been considered wicked by man’s standards, "While one portion
of the human race is judging and condemning the other without mercy, the
Great Parent of the universe looks upon the whole human family with a fatherly
care and paternal regard; He views them as His offspring… He is
a wise Lawgiver, and will judge all men, not according to the narrow, contracted
notions of men, but ‘according to the deeds done in the body whether they
be good or evil,’ or whether these deeds were done in England, America,
Spain, Turkey, or India… We need not doubt the wisdom and intelligence
of the Great Jehovah; He will award judgment or mercy to all nations according
to their several desserts, their means of obtaining intelligence, the laws
by which they are governed, the facilities afforded them of obtaining correct
information, and His inscrutable designs in relation to the human family;
and when the designs of God shall be made manifest, and the curtain of
futurity be withdrawn, we shall all of us eventually have to confess that
the Judge of all the earth has done right."(3)
An Apostle of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, M. Russell Ballard, said, "I draw an
important conclusion from the words of the Prophet, Joseph Smith: 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."(4)
We must all recognize that
only the Lord can administer fair judgment. Only He can know
the intent of the heart.
The sin of Suicide is not always
as cut-and-dried as some of us seem to think. Some of the questions we
may ask when a loved one has died by suicide is: 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?(5) Was their physical or emotional pain too
much to bare and in a state of hopelessness they saw no future?(6)
Only our Father in Heaven knows the full answer to these questions.
When the judgment day comes,
M Russell Ballard comments that the Lord 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,"(7) and might I add, age.
This does not mean that no repentance
is required. The Prophet, Joseph Smith said, "The dead who repent
will be redeemed, through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God,
And after they have paid the penalty of their transgressions, and are washed
clean, shall receive a reward according to their works, for they are heirs
of salvation." (D&C 138:57-59)
Be assured that we as victims,
those left behind, can know that our loved ones are in good hands by a
kind and loving Father. Immortality of the soul applies to all, as
does the privilege of repentance and forgiveness.(8)
As I sometimes agonize over
the loss of my son, Jared, I find deep comfort and faith in the Lord’s
promise and blessing as I, and my loved ones, remain here on earth:
"Peace I leave with
you, my peace I give unto you:
not as the world giveth,
give I unto you.
Let not your heart
be troubled,
neither let it be
afraid." (John 14:27)
Visit www.Mormon.org for more information
THE
GATEWAY WE CALL DEATH, by Russell M. Nelson (Deseret
Book Company, S.L.C., UT.) 1995 Comments: This book was the
first book I read after Jared’s death and it gave me answers to my spiritual
questions about death, and the process we all must pass through.
SUICIDE,
SOME THINGS WE KNOW, AND SOME WE DO NOT, by M. Russell
Ballard (Deseret Book Company, S.L.C., UT.) 1993 Comments:
Our Bishop gave us a copy of this little book the same day our son died
by Suicide. We couldn’t read it right away because we were in such great
sorrow that we couldn’t concentrate, but when we did read it we wished
we had read it that very day we received it.
SUICIDE,
THE FOREVER DECISION, by Paul G.
Quinnett (The Crossroad Publishing Co. N.Y., NY) 1987 Comments:
This book was recommended by our counselor and has become my favorite.
Although it is written to speak to the suicidal person, and is not meant
to be a spiritual book, it answers so many WHY
questions.
WHY
did Jared do that? We now understand much more about the
mind of depression and hopelessness.
THE
BIBLE Comments: A few
scriptures a day keeps the blues away.
THE
BOOK OF MORMON Comments:
Joy!
(1) Exodus
20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17; Matthew 5:21; Romans 13:9
(2) Mormon Doctrine, by Bruce R. McConkie
(S.L.C., Bookcraft 1966), p. 771
(3) Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,
p. 218
(4) Suicide: Some Things We Know, and Some We
Do Not, Ensign, by M. Russell Ballard, October 1987, p.
8 or Deseret Book Co. S.L.C., UT. 1993
(5) ibid.
(6) Suicide, The Forever Decision by Paul
G. Quinnett (Crossroad Publishing Co. 1987)
(7) Suicide: Some Things We Know, and Some We
Do Not, by M. Russell Ballard
(8) The Gateway We Call Death, by Russell
M. Nelson (Deseret Book Co. 1995) pg. 1-110
