Suicide Pods and the Trivialization of Death

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“Our modern Promethean aspirations are not merely marked by Frankenstein’s desire to play God in the creation of life. We have taken on the role of God in the bringing of death as well.” - Carl Trueman

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Are “Deaths of Despair” Really Caused by Despair?

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“Investigating the traditional ‘deaths of despair,’ Ruhm finds that a one standard deviation increase in poor mental health increases drug deaths by about 2.5% and alcohol deaths by 3.4%; suicide deaths, surprisingly, increase by only about 0.6%. …large predicted increases in other causes: heart disease, lower respiratory disease, and homicides.” - IFS

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988 – New Hotline Aims to Curb Suicide Epidemic

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“The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a national hotline that provides 24/7, free, and confidential mental health support to anyone in need. Within the first year, 5 million contacts were responded to.” - Breakpoint

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Is suicide an unforgivable sin?

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“It is a peculiarity of Catholicism and the issue of last rites that consigns suicide to the category of the unforgivable sin…. it is surprising how deep-seated that view of suicide is among Christians.” - Ligonier

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Suicide and the Church

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“The prevailing idea is that the Christian faith is to be a faith of joy, making depression a sin….As a result, depressed people have been riddled with guilt, have hidden in shame, and have been afraid to surface in order to get the help they need.” - C.Leaders

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Hope Always vs Suicide

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“32% of Protestant church-going respondents had a family member or “close acquaintance” die by suicide. …Colson Educators has teamed with Dr. Matthew Sleeth, a former emergency room physician and chief of hospital medical staff, to offer a free online course called Hope Always” - Breakpoint

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