Re: Ambivalences
Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 9:34 pm
Honestly, what did we do before we had all of these handy little resources at our fingertips? A very interesting question, indeed. Through the miracle of the magic Google box...Tornado wrote:I would be interested in knowing the Mormon position on this suicides in hell is, actually, as it would be the most telling point, as it would reveal what SM's viewpoint was, which likely leaked over into this scene. If Mormons do believe that people who suicide automatically go to hell then Edward's belief that Bella is in hell would probably be significant. If not, then I think it was more just his assumption that, if he went anywhere when he died, it would have to be hell.
While I did not, in my limited and quick research, find a specific post that stated, "The Church of JC of LDS feels X about suicide...", this website is officially recognized as a learned resource by church leadership. It's validity is yours to judge. It does make the current debate very interesting in light of the stated position that there is, in fact, no black and white delineation of suicide within the church. Raised a "cafeteria Catholic" myself, the idea that Edward might have feared for Bella's sould based upon the consequences of what he might have seen as a suicide never really occurred to me. But, it is certainly a possibility, depending on Edward's learnings of religion. There's really no way to truly know, is there? But, all other arguments aside, many Judeo-Christian religions do see suicide as a sin. The consequences vary, but there is at least a general belief that delineates suicide as taking human life, which is frowned upon. So, it is a valid argument. Interesting.MormonWoman.org wrote:First, in this article, Elder M. Russell Ballard (a current member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) shares quotes and thoughts that help explore this question further. He says:
I feel that judgement for sin is not always as cut-and-dried as some of us seem to think…. I feel the Lord recognized differences in intent and circumstances: Was the person who took his life mentally ill? Was he or she so deeply depressed as to be unbalanced or otherwise emotionally disturbed? Was the suicide a tragic, pitiful call for help that went unheeded too long or progressed faster than the victim intended? Did he or she somehow not understand the seriousness of the act? Was he or she suffering from a chemical imbalance in their system that led to despair and a loss of self-control?
Obviously, we do not know the full circumstances surrounding every suicide. Only the Lord knows all the details, and he it is who will judge our actions here on earth.
When he does judge us, I feel he will take all things into consideration: our genetic and chemical makeup, our mental state, our intellectual capacity, the teachings we have received, the traditions of our fathers, our health, and so forth….Suicide is a sin—a very grievous one, yet the Lord will not judge the person who commits that sin strictly by the act itself. The Lord will look at that person’s circumstances and the degree of his accountability at the time of the act.
I think this is what Cullenists refer to as gospel truth.Tornado wrote: I think that just shows that Bella never believed for a moment that Edward was a monster, and that he had lost his soul.