BELOVED PASTOR, MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATE, TAKES HIS OWN LIFE

             Beloved Pastor, Mental Health Advocate Tragically Takes His Own Life

In recent news headlines we have read of the tragedy

 that has shocked the Christian World.

 Jarrid was the assistant Pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship Church and mental health advocate, founder of Anthem of Hope. I believe Christians all over America are reading to find out, what the Christian Leaders have to say about this.

What a touchy subject, what a twist of irony, for sure. Some of the press releases have been,  “He’s in a much better place, all the pain has ended, no more suffering”.  Other Christian leaders are now stating, “we are not responsible for our actions in those last moments of our lives”.  While the church has historically been the “sound of reason” when it comes to suicide, it is scary to read, what the pundits are saying, when one of our own commits suicide. Once Christians and the church jump on the band wagon of suicide, we have now opened Pandora’s Box.  The questions the Christians must answer are:

1.      Do you believe in Heaven? (Yes)

2.      Do you believe suicide ends suffering? (Yes)

3.      Do you believe Christian suicide victims make Heaven their home? (Yes)

If the answer to all these 3 questions is “Yes” then it is not hard to see the implications here. Because I know a lot of “Christians” that are suffering, how about you?  I know Christians suffering with Cancer, I know Christians with Diabetes, Fibromyalgia, cirrhosis of the liver.  I know in these cases they suffer immensely, every day!  Some are “living” in a hospital bed, they are in a miserable spot. It is really, quite depressing to watch.

     If suicide relieves of all pain, if Christians who commit suicide make Heaven their home, to relieve suffering, then these people need to commit suicide…today!  And if I am a good Christian, I should help them to end their suffering because last I heard and read, Heaven is a really great place.  Why waste another day in a miserable hospitable bed, why waste another day in depression, in poverty, in sickness? And then once Pandora’s box is opened, where do we draw the line? How about a Christian in a miserable marriage, can’t get out, she’s afraid of her husband, she’s abused, and he’s threatened to kill her if she leaves. Surely Heaven is much better than that.  How about a Christian in poverty and sickness?  How about a Christian in jail with a life sentence? Why live out 20 years in prison, when you could kill yourself, end the suffering and go straight to Heaven. 

     Do we have the right to take our own lives?  Christians have been proponents of pro-life for years, we will fight for the unborn life but will we not fight for the born life?  While I’m not advocating standing up at a funeral and exposing the elephant in the room , that would be cruel and very tactless, it does not also mean, that we start preaching a new doctrine because one of our own has succumb to suicide.

We know Christians commit adultery, but we don’t excuse it.  Christians have murdered, yet we don’t excuse it. Christians have stolen, molested, basically we are guilty of all sins and I hope The Church does not legitimize these sins to excuse their pupils.  Why would we do that for suicide? The answer, “it’s a mental illness”.  

Well, I must confess, I once attempted suicide when I was about 14 years old.  I swallowed a whole bottle of pills.  Was I depressed? Yes.   Was I super, duper depressed?  Yes.  Was my life miserable at the time?  Yes!

Do I have a mental illness because I was depressed and tried to take my life? 

     Am I a psychologist?  Do I understand the complexities of chemical imbalances in the brain?  No to all of the above! So now I have answered all the questions that will be thrown at me or anyone, for that matter, that dare challenge the new Christian apologetics on Christian Suicide, an oxy-moron of sorts.  “Well, wait until your son, your daughter, someone you loves does it”, one might say. I know, I know… I can barely even write that sentence, without feeling the pain and depression of losing a child or loved one to suicide.

Who knows what I would be saying, who knows what I would be preaching?  Who knows the words I would want to share with my congregation to comfort them in their grief. “Lord give me, give us all empathy & compassion, for those that have lost a loved one through suicide”.  God please keep us from being judgmental and insensitive.”  But how far does that prayer go?

     We, as The Christian Church, have historically been the soundboard of moral reason for the rest of the world. What happens now, when the Christian Church, as our own begin to take their lives, put our approval on it and say, “Sometimes, it is the better option”.  We have now opened up Pandora’s Box, once the last stop, the last sound of reason is gone, (The Church) we have opened up the flood gates.  I think we’ve crossed that line already, watch how it plays out in the coming years.

     I am a self-confessed amateur.  I am a self-confessed little ant in the World of the Big Mega Church of America. I am as small and insignificant as insignificant can be.  Therefore disregard everything I have written; after all, what do I know?  (Maybe nothing) . Thence, I would ask, you, the Leaders of The Christian Church, especially in the United States, tell me, are we sanctioning suicide?  And if the answer is “Yes, under certain circumstances”; Then I will say, “okay, thanks for the information, I will just keep my mouth shut, or my fingers off the keyboard, and I will simply watch to see how this plays out.

You, lead and I’ll follow. Please don’t lead me off a cliff.

You justify what you feel needs to be justified, please don’t open up Pandora’s Box.

You preach what you feel needs to be preached on suicide, please don’t start a new Doctrine.

Explain to me, the reasons for suicide, but please don’t ever convince me, that the better alternative is for me to take my life and leave my son and daughter behind, to deal with the ramifications.

Please don’t convince me, to take my life, when I’m down, when I’m depressed, when I am so over whelmed with problems, oppression and depression that seem to be unbearable at times, please don’t convince me, there is a better option.

I will cry and sweat in the Garden of Gethsemane, I will cry out under oppression, but let none other than you Lord, lead me to Golgotha and let someone else pierce my side, if that by thy will, but let me never take a knife to my body, never convince me to drink the cup of gall, never convince me to lift myself up on that cross.

You Lord, you alone are the author and the taker of my life.  Take my life Lord, but let me never lift my hand against my own life.