Thomas Stompe1, Kristina Ritter. 1. Univ.-Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Medizinische Universität Wien, Austria. thomas.stompe@meduniwien.ac.at
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: While suicide is known in all human societies, national suicide rates vary to a high degree. Different interacting social, economic and biological factors may explain a part of the variance. Religions are supposed to have a protective effect against suicidal behavior. It is still unexplained, whether or not this holds true for all religions and whether this has an effect on the national suicide rates. For this purpose it is necessary to illustrate the positions of the single religions towards suicide in the context of their idea of a human being as well as their concepts of death and afterworld. METHOD: Our considerations are based upon a research on the religious- and culture-historical literature on this topic. RESULTS: None of the world religions argues for suicide, however, the degree of refusal is varying. Mosaic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), which are based on the idea of a human being as the image of God, have a more pronounced position against suicide than Eastern religions with a concept of transmigration and rebirth. Atheistic positions, which are not attached to transcendent norms, show a broad range of opinions from radical refusal to cautious approval. CONCLUSIONS: The positions of the different religions towards suicide are leading to assumptions of their effect on national suicide rates that have to be tested empirically.
OBJECTIVE: While suicide is known in all human societies, national suicide rates vary to a high degree. Different interacting social, economic and biological factors may explain a part of the variance. Religions are supposed to have a protective effect against suicidal behavior. It is still unexplained, whether or not this holds true for all religions and whether this has an effect on the national suicide rates. For this purpose it is necessary to illustrate the positions of the single religions towards suicide in the context of their idea of a human being as well as their concepts of death and afterworld. METHOD: Our considerations are based upon a research on the religious- and culture-historical literature on this topic. RESULTS: None of the world religions argues for suicide, however, the degree of refusal is varying. Mosaic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), which are based on the idea of a human being as the image of God, have a more pronounced position against suicide than Eastern religions with a concept of transmigration and rebirth. Atheistic positions, which are not attached to transcendent norms, show a broad range of opinions from radical refusal to cautious approval. CONCLUSIONS: The positions of the different religions towards suicide are leading to assumptions of their effect on national suicide rates that have to be tested empirically.