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Guest, Join Papa Zoom today for some uplifting biblical encouragement! --> Daily Verses
Bible Study The Bible & Suicide
- Thread starter Lewis
- Start date
A
agua.
Guest
I think 1 Cor 3:16,17 is about ministers who pervert the Church ( God's Temple ). I compare this with the admonitions to false prophets and antichrist etc.
2Co 11:14-15 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (15) Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be
transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
2Pe 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
1Jn 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
I'm not saying each individual Christian isn't a Temple of the Holy Spirit but I don't think 1 Cor 3:16,17 is about the individual. Well it sorta is because a false prophet/minister can also deceive/defile the individual I hear you there Chop.
jasonc
Member
that is what adam Clarke said
Chopper
Member
Good point!
Lewis
Member
Does anybody remember the story I did on the Golden Gate Bridge suicides some years back on this board. ? I am posting the link to it below.
Golden Gate Bridge Suicides:
Horrible Deaths that are Preventable
More people commit suicide on this bridge than any other place in the world.
“Everyone is better off without this fat, disgusting, boring girl.”
Marissa Imrie was just 14 when she wrote those words as part of her suicide note.
Later that day, Marissa jumped to her death from the Golden Gate Bridge.
She is one of some 1,300 individuals who have died by suicide by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge. We lose one person about every other week to the waters below, as the bridge somehow holds an allure to people who are suicidal.
http://christianforums.net/Fellowship/index.php?threads/golden-gate-bridge-suicides.34440/
Golden Gate Bridge Suicides:
Horrible Deaths that are Preventable
More people commit suicide on this bridge than any other place in the world.
“Everyone is better off without this fat, disgusting, boring girl.”
Marissa Imrie was just 14 when she wrote those words as part of her suicide note.
Later that day, Marissa jumped to her death from the Golden Gate Bridge.
She is one of some 1,300 individuals who have died by suicide by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge. We lose one person about every other week to the waters below, as the bridge somehow holds an allure to people who are suicidal.
http://christianforums.net/Fellowship/index.php?threads/golden-gate-bridge-suicides.34440/
Chopper
Member
I want to thank everyone who has disagreed with my thinking that if anyone destroyed his body thru suicide would not make it to heaven because that thinking is wrong. Agua, your last post to me got me thinking. After reading the context of 1 Cor. 3, and studying each word thru Strong's interpretation's of each word, I have come to the truth. Here was my problem. In verse 16, the word you which appears twice, and the word anyone in verse 17, I thought were the same person. I was wrong! I ask everyone's forgiveness for misinterpreting the Word of God.
The word anyone is someone who thru false doctrine convinces a child of God, who's body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, of false doctrine, God will destroy that anyone. The Apostle Paul spent a lot of his time and writing convincing believers that there were false prophets who were leading people astray thru their sinful ways and teaching. Ultimately, God will destroy that false prophet in the lake of fire....Not a person who commits suicide.
I did appreciate my friend Jason who pointed out his fellow warriors who have come home from war with terrible wounds, both mental and physical who could not endure another day suffering and committed suicide. If those men and women were believers in Christ Jesus, of course they would spend eternity with Jesus in a land of peace and joy. I think that Jesus has a very special place in Glory for these people who have given their lives on the battlefield and at home, even thru suicide, so that they will never experience the horrors of war ever again.
Thank you my friends for putting up with the old Chopper. There are times when I take the words that appear in Scripture at face value without examining them more closely to make sure that the meaning of that word, in it's context is saying what I think it's saying. As a psychologist and teacher of the Holy Scriptures, I am accountable to the God whom I love so much.
The word anyone is someone who thru false doctrine convinces a child of God, who's body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, of false doctrine, God will destroy that anyone. The Apostle Paul spent a lot of his time and writing convincing believers that there were false prophets who were leading people astray thru their sinful ways and teaching. Ultimately, God will destroy that false prophet in the lake of fire....Not a person who commits suicide.
I did appreciate my friend Jason who pointed out his fellow warriors who have come home from war with terrible wounds, both mental and physical who could not endure another day suffering and committed suicide. If those men and women were believers in Christ Jesus, of course they would spend eternity with Jesus in a land of peace and joy. I think that Jesus has a very special place in Glory for these people who have given their lives on the battlefield and at home, even thru suicide, so that they will never experience the horrors of war ever again.
Thank you my friends for putting up with the old Chopper. There are times when I take the words that appear in Scripture at face value without examining them more closely to make sure that the meaning of that word, in it's context is saying what I think it's saying. As a psychologist and teacher of the Holy Scriptures, I am accountable to the God whom I love so much.
Chopper
Member
I hate those stat's. I wish our Government would do more for these warriors.
A
agua.
Guest
Chop I reckon we all have a long way to go before we understand every scripture correctly. As usual Brother I'm impressed by Christ in you.
Christ_empowered
Member
I dunno. I didn't read all the responses on this thread (6 pages and counting!), but...
Even the RCC has changed their tune (gasp!). I remember from Sociology class that suicide is related to a number of *social* factors, not just mental illness (although, speaking as a "recovering mental patient," I can tell you that craziness can lead to self-destruction). There's this...I guess "condition"..."anomie"...basically, its a state of "norm-lessness". You're too isolated, too separated from institutions, such as marriage, family, and religion, that give life meaning, and you self-destruct. That's explored in Camus' famous book, The Stranger. Anomie, I think, is increasingly common here (I'm in the US). The divorce rate is high and probably won't be going down anytime soon. People move a lot for work and school, so communities and the "ties that bind" have lost their ability to control peoples' behavior. The church, too, is less powerful, because people move so much, church shop, lose their faith, etc.
You can see anomie at its finest in people at the extremes of society. Rich people and very poor people have high rates of divorce, substance abuse, and suicide. Why? They're not in society in the same way that most of us are. The poor have pressure and stigma and abuse to contend with, and the very rich...well...its easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. "Neither poverty nor riches," right?
Plus, craziness can directly lead to suicide. When I went nuts, I almost threw myself off a bridge. A police car came just in time. Would God send me to Hell after I was tormented by agitation, hallucinations, and general misery? Hopefully not. Then again...He probably sent that cop car, right?
Durkheim, the 19th century sociologist who first studied suicide as a *social* issue, not a mental health and/or sin problem, noted that Catholics and Jews had lower suicide rates than Protestants. What's strange there? Jews have no specific rule against suicide (!!!). Again: social integration is key, and as our society and the "ties that bind" start disintegrating, suicide rates are bound to go up, along with other deviant behaviors (sexual sins, drug and alcohol misuse/abuse, etc., along with use of mental health services).
I do believe that Christianity, at its finest, is extremely pro-life. This would include proper self-love and proper self-preservation which, one would think, would exclude suicide and other self-destructive behaviors. I've heard of some Christians who are OK with suicide in cases of extreme pain and suffering, as with some cases of cancer and other diseases. My problem there is that the "its OK in cases of extreme suffering" argument= a slipper slope. Look at Belgium. Docs there can Rx a lethal dose of barbiturates (I think they use good ole Seconal) for people who are suicidal for *psychiatric* reasons. The argument is that pain is pain is pain, and the individual should be allowed to decide when enough is enough. I don't agree, especially since they're taking an individual decision (suicide) and putting it under the control of both the government and the medical establishment. Creeps me out, honestly. I'm just mentioning that because once you say "OK, suicide IS a valid option when X conditions are met," you set up a situation in which the situations that satisfies X conditions for OK'ing self-destruction keeps growing and growing.
I'm rambling, honestly. Pope John Paul II wrote an interesting piece on the Culture of Death, as opposed to The Culture of Life, which, of course, he thought was The Catholic Church. Anyway, our culture is death-loving to the max, and the love of death (it seems to me) reaches it logical conclusion in suicide and euthanasia. I approve of neither, especially when suicide is committed with the aid of the medical establishment.
I don't know what God thinks of suicide, honestly. Are you killing yourself because your bf/gf dumped you, or are you killing yourself because you've been oppressed and tormented your whole life? God sees to the heart of both a person and a situation, whereas we only see bits and pieces of both.
I'd like to think that Christians can offer alternatives to suicide, just as we can offer alternatives to everything else--sodomy, fornication, no fault divorce, drugs, drink, self-love--that our Culture of Death has to offer. Palliative/hospice care instead of suicide, for instance. Adoption instead of abortion. Christian counseling, "faith, hope, and love" instead of dismal despair leading to self-murder. But we can only do so much. Our whole culture (again, I'm in the US) is death-lovin' and sin-soaked and disintegrating.
OK. I'm trying to get my thoughts together. Basically, I think suicide isn't just a personal issue or a religious one; its a social issue, and our society is going to hell in a hand basket, so its no surprise that suicide is a big issue. I remember, vaguely, from Presby Sunday School the idea of "perseverance of the saints," the idea that The Elect will run the race, fight the good fight, and see it through to the end. To me, that's a good concept for Christians as a whole, and it can be extended to the suicide issue. How/why would you kill yourself, if God has seen fit to save you? That doesn't mean, though, that killing yourself=Hell. I don't know. I'm not God. I am, however, reminded of something I read long ago in the online version of The Catholic Encyclopedia (they have answers for EVERYTHING, lol): suicide is the logical end to a life poorly lived. Makes too much sense.
Even the RCC has changed their tune (gasp!). I remember from Sociology class that suicide is related to a number of *social* factors, not just mental illness (although, speaking as a "recovering mental patient," I can tell you that craziness can lead to self-destruction). There's this...I guess "condition"..."anomie"...basically, its a state of "norm-lessness". You're too isolated, too separated from institutions, such as marriage, family, and religion, that give life meaning, and you self-destruct. That's explored in Camus' famous book, The Stranger. Anomie, I think, is increasingly common here (I'm in the US). The divorce rate is high and probably won't be going down anytime soon. People move a lot for work and school, so communities and the "ties that bind" have lost their ability to control peoples' behavior. The church, too, is less powerful, because people move so much, church shop, lose their faith, etc.
You can see anomie at its finest in people at the extremes of society. Rich people and very poor people have high rates of divorce, substance abuse, and suicide. Why? They're not in society in the same way that most of us are. The poor have pressure and stigma and abuse to contend with, and the very rich...well...its easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. "Neither poverty nor riches," right?
Plus, craziness can directly lead to suicide. When I went nuts, I almost threw myself off a bridge. A police car came just in time. Would God send me to Hell after I was tormented by agitation, hallucinations, and general misery? Hopefully not. Then again...He probably sent that cop car, right?
Durkheim, the 19th century sociologist who first studied suicide as a *social* issue, not a mental health and/or sin problem, noted that Catholics and Jews had lower suicide rates than Protestants. What's strange there? Jews have no specific rule against suicide (!!!). Again: social integration is key, and as our society and the "ties that bind" start disintegrating, suicide rates are bound to go up, along with other deviant behaviors (sexual sins, drug and alcohol misuse/abuse, etc., along with use of mental health services).
I do believe that Christianity, at its finest, is extremely pro-life. This would include proper self-love and proper self-preservation which, one would think, would exclude suicide and other self-destructive behaviors. I've heard of some Christians who are OK with suicide in cases of extreme pain and suffering, as with some cases of cancer and other diseases. My problem there is that the "its OK in cases of extreme suffering" argument= a slipper slope. Look at Belgium. Docs there can Rx a lethal dose of barbiturates (I think they use good ole Seconal) for people who are suicidal for *psychiatric* reasons. The argument is that pain is pain is pain, and the individual should be allowed to decide when enough is enough. I don't agree, especially since they're taking an individual decision (suicide) and putting it under the control of both the government and the medical establishment. Creeps me out, honestly. I'm just mentioning that because once you say "OK, suicide IS a valid option when X conditions are met," you set up a situation in which the situations that satisfies X conditions for OK'ing self-destruction keeps growing and growing.
I'm rambling, honestly. Pope John Paul II wrote an interesting piece on the Culture of Death, as opposed to The Culture of Life, which, of course, he thought was The Catholic Church. Anyway, our culture is death-loving to the max, and the love of death (it seems to me) reaches it logical conclusion in suicide and euthanasia. I approve of neither, especially when suicide is committed with the aid of the medical establishment.
I don't know what God thinks of suicide, honestly. Are you killing yourself because your bf/gf dumped you, or are you killing yourself because you've been oppressed and tormented your whole life? God sees to the heart of both a person and a situation, whereas we only see bits and pieces of both.
I'd like to think that Christians can offer alternatives to suicide, just as we can offer alternatives to everything else--sodomy, fornication, no fault divorce, drugs, drink, self-love--that our Culture of Death has to offer. Palliative/hospice care instead of suicide, for instance. Adoption instead of abortion. Christian counseling, "faith, hope, and love" instead of dismal despair leading to self-murder. But we can only do so much. Our whole culture (again, I'm in the US) is death-lovin' and sin-soaked and disintegrating.
OK. I'm trying to get my thoughts together. Basically, I think suicide isn't just a personal issue or a religious one; its a social issue, and our society is going to hell in a hand basket, so its no surprise that suicide is a big issue. I remember, vaguely, from Presby Sunday School the idea of "perseverance of the saints," the idea that The Elect will run the race, fight the good fight, and see it through to the end. To me, that's a good concept for Christians as a whole, and it can be extended to the suicide issue. How/why would you kill yourself, if God has seen fit to save you? That doesn't mean, though, that killing yourself=Hell. I don't know. I'm not God. I am, however, reminded of something I read long ago in the online version of The Catholic Encyclopedia (they have answers for EVERYTHING, lol): suicide is the logical end to a life poorly lived. Makes too much sense.
Chopper
Member
Lewis
Member
There was a lady who jumped off of the Golden Gate bridge' most people don't survive' but about 1% do. She was rescued and put in a hospital only to return to the bridge and do it again. This time she died. They also find cars on the parking lot at the bridge' from people who are missing and presumed washed out to sea. Also people travel all the way across the United States just to jump off of that bridge to their deaths. I do understand the urge to commit suicide from drug use and profound major depression. Many will tell you that doing suicide is the cowards way out. But many people don't see no other way to stop the torment. Even some Christians do it' because they don't think that God is giving them the relief that they seek. Life is not easy for some' and that is something that I know all to well.
Chopper
Member
jasonc
Member
like what? I don't say that with an attitude, but its more along the lines it can improve some but really the only way imho is for the gospel to be interjected
Christ_empowered
Member
the gov't's answer to vets problems seems to be drugs. Lots and lots of psych drugs, which can actually create problems (trust me, I know this). I don't know what else could be done...what sort of $$$ do traumatized vets get? Financial problems can drive anyone to suicide. But, jasonc is right...the only real answer to suicide, as with many/most other problems, is The Gospel.
jasonc
Member
yes and no. based on what I do know and have seen , case by case. I know of one soldier who has the worst ptsd in the unit and he is on meds, all others that have it don't.
jasonc
Member
i wish i could post the questions the goverments asks me yearly with the gat survey and also the other 
questions. if you are honest and say i having a bad month and or week due to life. you get the psych 2 and then told you cant go to school until its cleared or are forced from you job to another. so we lie to avoid that. overreaction at times and underreaction at times.
questions. if you are honest and say i having a bad month and or week due to life. you get the psych 2 and then told you cant go to school until its cleared or are forced from you job to another. so we lie to avoid that. overreaction at times and underreaction at times.
Lewis
Member
Here are some cases from my old post a few years ago.
“Everyone is better off without this fat, disgusting, boring girl.”
Marissa Imrie was just 14 when she wrote those words as part of her suicide note.
Later that day, Marissa jumped to her death from the Golden Gate Bridge.
She is one of some 1,300 individuals who have died by suicide by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge. We lose one person about every other week to the waters below, as the bridge somehow holds an allure to people who are suicidal.
Unfortunately, it is exceedingly easy to jump from the bridge. The rail is a mere 4-feet high, and thus virtually anyone can step over it in a second.
But why is the rail so low?
Answer: Because Joseph Strauss, the chief engineer of the bridge, was five feet tall and he wanted to be able to see over the rail, and thus changed the original planned height from 5½ feet to 4 feet.
But regardless of the original height of the rail, why hasn’t a suicide barrier been built? That is, why haven’t they built a high fence that is very difficult, or next to impossible, to climb?
Answer: There have been seven previous attempts at a suicide barrier, but the bridge bureaucracy precluded any of the plans from actually being implemented. An eighth attempt is currently underway.
It is appalling that the barrier was not put in place long ago, but arguments about aesthetics, bridge structure, and money have caused an endless morass to the blindingly obvious problem, which is this: The bridge is the equivalent of an easily-accessible, loaded handgun for countless suicidal individuals, and someone needs to take the damn gun away…and that is done by building a suicide barrier.
The situation has ALWAYS been urgent.
Back in 1937, when the construction on the Golden Gate Bridge was completed, no one envisioned that it would become one of the major suicide sites in the world.
But the suicides began almost immediately. In August of 1937, Harold Wobber, a veteran of World War I, strolled along the pedestrian walkway on the Golden Gate Bridge, paused, looked at a stranger and said, “This is as far as I go.” He then jumped to his death.
And to the mentally ill individuals who go to the bridge, a jump to the water below seems like a peaceful way to end to their pain.
But it is anything but peaceful. It is horrible beyond the most terrifying nightmares that anyone could envision.
And there is no turning back after the jump. It is almost sure death. And an ugly death at that.
It is all physics after the fall begins, as gravity takes hold – the falling body quickly accelerates to some 75 miles per hour and then slams into the water like a truck smashing into a brick wall.
The four-second, 250-foot plunge from the bridge to the water ends quickly and violently.
Bones shatter, ribs are snapped like they were twigs, internal organs are ruptured, blood gushes out of bodily orifices, and the body keeps going down, deeper and deeper, into the hellish water.
For those still alive, the plunge to the frigid water has decimated their body, but now they are so deep underwater that they drown.
And the pain is unbearable.
Hell no, there is nothing peaceful or pretty. It is absolutely horrible. Every second of it is horrible…terrifying, ugly, and sickening.
And that pain will be seemingly insignificant compared to the lifelong pain that the survivors will now endure.
By the way, sometimes the bodies are not even recovered, but when they are, what is left is a horrible sight.
And then the phone calls…Mrs. [fill in the name], this is officer [fill in the name]. I am very sorry to inform you that your daughter is dead…[you don’t want to hear the rest].
So for those who are suicidal and thinking about making a trip to San Francisco to jump, let me give you some heartfelt advice…
Now.
Acute suicidal feelings RARELY last a long time. Getting treatment, however, can help dissipate your suicidal feelings and help you find the CAUSE of the suicidal feelings.
And when you find the CAUSE, you can receive treatment.
Untreated depression is the number one cause for suicide. And over 90% of people who die by suicide have a TREATABLE mental disorder at the time of their suicide.
There is help.
Call a suicide hotline NOW if you are suicidal, and get help.
Jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge, or ANY bridge, is an ugly, horrible thing to do.
So get help.
Again, if you are suicidal, you MUST call a suicide hotline now and get help; and you MUST see a doctor and get into therapy.
If you are not acutely suicidal or do not need to call a suicide hotline, keep reading.
And let me tell you about Kevin Hines. He has bipolar disorder, which is a VERY treatable disorder.
But without effectual treatment, the disorder can lead to suicide.
It was in September of 2000 when Kevin was in high school and he started to hallucinate and hear voices because of his disorder. After a while, he couldn’t cope any longer, and one day when the hallucinations and voices were particularly intense, he decided to kill himself.
So he took a bus to the Golden Gate Bridge. He cried the entire trip, knowing that his life would soon be over, but also believing that he had to kill himself to end his torment.
“I had heard that the Golden Gate Bridge was the easiest way to die. I heard that you hit the water and you're dead,” Kevin said. “And I remember picking the spot. This is the good spot. I'm not too close to the pillar. I won't hit the pillar. I'm not too close to the land. I won't hit the land. I'll hit the water and I'll die.”
Kevin was ready to kill himself.
But as he walked along, some indecisiveness crept in. He wanted someone to help him; he wanted someone to show him that he or she cared.
So he began crying as he walked, silently reaching out for help.
A female police officer rode by on a bicycle, but did not stop.
Two bridge workers also passed him without stopping.
The voices in Kevin’s head were now screaming at him in a cacophonic chorus: “You have to die!”
But something kept holding Kevin back.
“If someone just showed me that he or she cared,” he thought to himself, “I wouldn’t jump.”
And then an attractive young woman appeared, and Kevin knew that his prayers had been answered.
“She cares,” Kevin said to himself. And he knew that he didn’t have to jump. Everything was okay.
Kevin looked intently at the woman as she approached.
But the woman aloofly handed Kevin a camera and said, “Take my picture.”
Kevin couldn’t believe it. So he stood there crying, took the picture, and was completely convinced that no one cared about him – no one cared whether he lived or died.
He gave the camera back to the woman, took three running steps, and jumped.
But the second that he jumped, he knew that he had made a grave mistake.
“Oh, my God,” he thought to himself. “I don't want to die. What did I just do?”
He wanted to survive. Like a brutal slap in the face, the jump woke him up, but now he was falling head first to his death.
He quickly thought of three things that he needed to do to save himself. First, he asked God to save him. Second, he threw his head back. And third, he struggled to position his legs so that his feet would hit first.
BAM.
The brutal impact shattered Kevin’s body. But he did hit feet first, and at somewhat of an angle, so he was “lucky.”
Well, “lucky” to a degree. He survived, but he broke his back and will forever be deeply physically and emotionally scarred and handicapped by his horrific ordeal.
Kevin is one of 26 known people to survive the deadly jump.
Filomeno De La Cruz, 33, was not so “lucky.” He was deeply depressed because he was going through a divorce and child custody battle. So, on Thanksgiving Day in 1993, he took his 2-year-old son to the bridge, cradled him in his arms, and jumped.
They were both killed.
In 1980, Robert Blyther, 27, a Navy veteran, flew from Virginia to see the bridge, and then to jump off of it.
He also died.
Mark Finch, 33, was suffering from severe clinical depression. He was in the process of coming off of an antidepressant when he jumped to his death.
Lois Ann Houston, 75, felt there was nothing left to live for when she jumped.
She was yet another fatality.
If a suicide barrier was in place, the vast majority of Golden Gate Bridge suicides would have been prevented.
And for those who think that people will just go elsewhere and kill themselves if a barrier is constructed, you are wrong.
A 1978 study by Richard Seiden showed that people who are stopped from jumping from the bridge rarely die by suicide at a later juncture by using another suicide method. Seiden studied 515 individuals who were stopped from jumping from the bridge, and an astounding 94 percent were either still alive or had died from natural causes some 25 years later.
The Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower have put suicide barriers in place, and have virtually eliminated suicides from their structures.
But a barrier is still just “being considered” for the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Building and Operations committee, which is the administrative panel that oversees the bridge, needs to find something that works and implement it.
Period.
No more bureaucratic crap.
No more suicides.
This is not a difficult thing to do, but is one more example of how bureaucracy and misaligned priorities can kill people.
And in this case, it is suicidal people who are looking for help who can be killed.
Yes, they are looking for help, but they rarely find it when they go there; they instead find a tall and beautiful bridge, with a 4-foot rail.
The only thing missing is a sign that reads, “Jump.”
Put up the suicide barrier now.
“Everyone is better off without this fat, disgusting, boring girl.”
Marissa Imrie was just 14 when she wrote those words as part of her suicide note.
Later that day, Marissa jumped to her death from the Golden Gate Bridge.
She is one of some 1,300 individuals who have died by suicide by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge. We lose one person about every other week to the waters below, as the bridge somehow holds an allure to people who are suicidal.
Unfortunately, it is exceedingly easy to jump from the bridge. The rail is a mere 4-feet high, and thus virtually anyone can step over it in a second.
But why is the rail so low?
Answer: Because Joseph Strauss, the chief engineer of the bridge, was five feet tall and he wanted to be able to see over the rail, and thus changed the original planned height from 5½ feet to 4 feet.
But regardless of the original height of the rail, why hasn’t a suicide barrier been built? That is, why haven’t they built a high fence that is very difficult, or next to impossible, to climb?
Answer: There have been seven previous attempts at a suicide barrier, but the bridge bureaucracy precluded any of the plans from actually being implemented. An eighth attempt is currently underway.
It is appalling that the barrier was not put in place long ago, but arguments about aesthetics, bridge structure, and money have caused an endless morass to the blindingly obvious problem, which is this: The bridge is the equivalent of an easily-accessible, loaded handgun for countless suicidal individuals, and someone needs to take the damn gun away…and that is done by building a suicide barrier.
The situation has ALWAYS been urgent.
Back in 1937, when the construction on the Golden Gate Bridge was completed, no one envisioned that it would become one of the major suicide sites in the world.
But the suicides began almost immediately. In August of 1937, Harold Wobber, a veteran of World War I, strolled along the pedestrian walkway on the Golden Gate Bridge, paused, looked at a stranger and said, “This is as far as I go.” He then jumped to his death.
And to the mentally ill individuals who go to the bridge, a jump to the water below seems like a peaceful way to end to their pain.
But it is anything but peaceful. It is horrible beyond the most terrifying nightmares that anyone could envision.
And there is no turning back after the jump. It is almost sure death. And an ugly death at that.
It is all physics after the fall begins, as gravity takes hold – the falling body quickly accelerates to some 75 miles per hour and then slams into the water like a truck smashing into a brick wall.
The four-second, 250-foot plunge from the bridge to the water ends quickly and violently.
Bones shatter, ribs are snapped like they were twigs, internal organs are ruptured, blood gushes out of bodily orifices, and the body keeps going down, deeper and deeper, into the hellish water.
For those still alive, the plunge to the frigid water has decimated their body, but now they are so deep underwater that they drown.
And the pain is unbearable.
Hell no, there is nothing peaceful or pretty. It is absolutely horrible. Every second of it is horrible…terrifying, ugly, and sickening.
And that pain will be seemingly insignificant compared to the lifelong pain that the survivors will now endure.
By the way, sometimes the bodies are not even recovered, but when they are, what is left is a horrible sight.
And then the phone calls…Mrs. [fill in the name], this is officer [fill in the name]. I am very sorry to inform you that your daughter is dead…[you don’t want to hear the rest].
So for those who are suicidal and thinking about making a trip to San Francisco to jump, let me give you some heartfelt advice…
Now.
Acute suicidal feelings RARELY last a long time. Getting treatment, however, can help dissipate your suicidal feelings and help you find the CAUSE of the suicidal feelings.
And when you find the CAUSE, you can receive treatment.
Untreated depression is the number one cause for suicide. And over 90% of people who die by suicide have a TREATABLE mental disorder at the time of their suicide.
There is help.
Call a suicide hotline NOW if you are suicidal, and get help.
Jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge, or ANY bridge, is an ugly, horrible thing to do.
So get help.
Again, if you are suicidal, you MUST call a suicide hotline now and get help; and you MUST see a doctor and get into therapy.
If you are not acutely suicidal or do not need to call a suicide hotline, keep reading.
And let me tell you about Kevin Hines. He has bipolar disorder, which is a VERY treatable disorder.
But without effectual treatment, the disorder can lead to suicide.
It was in September of 2000 when Kevin was in high school and he started to hallucinate and hear voices because of his disorder. After a while, he couldn’t cope any longer, and one day when the hallucinations and voices were particularly intense, he decided to kill himself.
So he took a bus to the Golden Gate Bridge. He cried the entire trip, knowing that his life would soon be over, but also believing that he had to kill himself to end his torment.
“I had heard that the Golden Gate Bridge was the easiest way to die. I heard that you hit the water and you're dead,” Kevin said. “And I remember picking the spot. This is the good spot. I'm not too close to the pillar. I won't hit the pillar. I'm not too close to the land. I won't hit the land. I'll hit the water and I'll die.”
Kevin was ready to kill himself.
But as he walked along, some indecisiveness crept in. He wanted someone to help him; he wanted someone to show him that he or she cared.
So he began crying as he walked, silently reaching out for help.
A female police officer rode by on a bicycle, but did not stop.
Two bridge workers also passed him without stopping.
The voices in Kevin’s head were now screaming at him in a cacophonic chorus: “You have to die!”
But something kept holding Kevin back.
“If someone just showed me that he or she cared,” he thought to himself, “I wouldn’t jump.”
And then an attractive young woman appeared, and Kevin knew that his prayers had been answered.
“She cares,” Kevin said to himself. And he knew that he didn’t have to jump. Everything was okay.
Kevin looked intently at the woman as she approached.
But the woman aloofly handed Kevin a camera and said, “Take my picture.”
Kevin couldn’t believe it. So he stood there crying, took the picture, and was completely convinced that no one cared about him – no one cared whether he lived or died.
He gave the camera back to the woman, took three running steps, and jumped.
But the second that he jumped, he knew that he had made a grave mistake.
“Oh, my God,” he thought to himself. “I don't want to die. What did I just do?”
He wanted to survive. Like a brutal slap in the face, the jump woke him up, but now he was falling head first to his death.
He quickly thought of three things that he needed to do to save himself. First, he asked God to save him. Second, he threw his head back. And third, he struggled to position his legs so that his feet would hit first.
BAM.
The brutal impact shattered Kevin’s body. But he did hit feet first, and at somewhat of an angle, so he was “lucky.”
Well, “lucky” to a degree. He survived, but he broke his back and will forever be deeply physically and emotionally scarred and handicapped by his horrific ordeal.
Kevin is one of 26 known people to survive the deadly jump.
Filomeno De La Cruz, 33, was not so “lucky.” He was deeply depressed because he was going through a divorce and child custody battle. So, on Thanksgiving Day in 1993, he took his 2-year-old son to the bridge, cradled him in his arms, and jumped.
They were both killed.
In 1980, Robert Blyther, 27, a Navy veteran, flew from Virginia to see the bridge, and then to jump off of it.
He also died.
Mark Finch, 33, was suffering from severe clinical depression. He was in the process of coming off of an antidepressant when he jumped to his death.
Lois Ann Houston, 75, felt there was nothing left to live for when she jumped.
She was yet another fatality.
If a suicide barrier was in place, the vast majority of Golden Gate Bridge suicides would have been prevented.
And for those who think that people will just go elsewhere and kill themselves if a barrier is constructed, you are wrong.
A 1978 study by Richard Seiden showed that people who are stopped from jumping from the bridge rarely die by suicide at a later juncture by using another suicide method. Seiden studied 515 individuals who were stopped from jumping from the bridge, and an astounding 94 percent were either still alive or had died from natural causes some 25 years later.
The Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower have put suicide barriers in place, and have virtually eliminated suicides from their structures.
But a barrier is still just “being considered” for the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Building and Operations committee, which is the administrative panel that oversees the bridge, needs to find something that works and implement it.
Period.
No more bureaucratic crap.
No more suicides.
This is not a difficult thing to do, but is one more example of how bureaucracy and misaligned priorities can kill people.
And in this case, it is suicidal people who are looking for help who can be killed.
Yes, they are looking for help, but they rarely find it when they go there; they instead find a tall and beautiful bridge, with a 4-foot rail.
The only thing missing is a sign that reads, “Jump.”
Put up the suicide barrier now.
What is the criterion for salvation? Abraham did what and it was imputed? Let’s suppose we commit any one sin just prior to facing God such as cursing that person that just cut you off in traffic, and you didn’t ask forgiveness before you smashed into something that killed you? Are you going to hell?
Is anyone here familiar with the events in Saul’s life? Did he commit suicide? Where was he when he died?
Is anyone here familiar with the events in Saul’s life? Did he commit suicide? Where was he when he died?