Reply To: Should Someone Who Is Considering Murder…

Perhaps you think we should ostracize the family members of someone suffering mental illness?

No, I don’t. Just because one puts forth a hypothetical argument does not mean that that is the position one actually supports in real life.

That would be typically hypocritical of you.

Just out of curiosity, if it were my position, why would it be hypocritical of me to say that?

Suicide isn’t intrinsically worse than murder. Its just that a suicide leaves no opportunity for teshuva, while a murderer can do teshuva.

There are opportunities that a suicide can do teshuva (not all methods of suicide produce instantaneous death) and yet we still say that they have no chelek in olam habah.

Another flaw in your argument is that the reason why people distance themselves in all your examples is because of how they or their children may be affected by the actions of the “evildoer” which clearly does not apply here. (don’t throw in emotions here that is not a valid reason).

Friends and family of people who commit or attempt suicide are certainly affected by the person’s actions. How you can say otherwise is quite puzzling.

The Wolf