ON DEATH, SUICIDE, AND ILLNESS : An Acolyte's Study

[ChillDemonLad 170]

ON DEATH, SUICIDE, AND ILLNESS : An Acolyte's Study

A Thesis Written by Acolyte Ross, Dedicated to ST. KRISTOFF of Hanseti

I. Author’s Note

 

     This thesis is one written by a young acolyte, so all the text within it is subject to heavy scrutiny. I beg of those who read it, please, disagree with it. Challenge it, point out all the flaws you see. It is only through these challenges that one can succeed in life. If a copy of this wishes to be read in braille, please contact 

 

II. Introduction

 

     Death, the near inevitable end of existence. The time one’s soul is judged and either cast into the void or brought into the skies. For most, it is a terrifyingly sad event and a tragedy. Yet for some, those ill and those in pain, it is viewed with open arms. It is when death is viewed in such a way that an interesting question is raised. Can death ever be a mercy to a descendent’s soul? In the same way a beloved family pet might be given peace, is it possible for an enlightened soul to do the same? A morbid thought, but an important one to process. I would argue that, no, the descendent soul can not be granted mercy through death, despite what we may wish. It is simply a different label for suicide, a grievous sin.

 

III. On the Topic of Suicide as Sin

 

     Suicide is a painful thing to label as sin. To those who have lost family to it, to imagine them in the void is harrowing. To those who are considering it, it feels like a betrayal that He would reject us when we are in so much pain for a choice trying to ease suffering. Yet, pain does not equate to false hood. Suicide is sin, it is the murdering of one’s self. For the holy law says,

 

“You shall not raise a hand in wrath, nor in envy, nor in any kind of sin.” Virtue, 3,9

 

     Importantly, in this text it does not label who the hand is raised against. It does not matter if it is a friend, an enemy, or yourself, you are still raising it. So to turn that hand upon yourself, if done in sin, is expressly forbidden. Yet, the question arises of what kind of sin? It is not wrath, for very few use suicide as a way to get back at the world. It is not sloth, for many have fought for ages before to try and live through suffering. No, it is the rejection of GOD. It is said in the holy scrolls that,

 

“And as I[GOD] have created the struggles of the world and the spirit, so too do I bring their remedies.” Virtue, 5.6

 

     GOD has made struggle, and GOD has given us the gift of solutions. Yet still, some choose to out right avoid it. In the same way a drunkard might drink to forget his own misery, a suicidal person may raise a hand against themselves to avoid agony. Agony it might be, but trying to scramble away from it instead of learning GOD’s solutions and remedies for it is rejecting him. So, the sin that causes one to raise the blade to their throat is the sin of rejecting GOD.

 

IV. Death with Dignity, a Discussion

 

     Death with dignity is, to put it simply, when an individual knows their life is going to end, and so chooses to take matters into their own hands. Plainly it is as sinful as suicide, for it is a different version of it. This, however, does not mean there are no arguments that must be debunked when it comes to death with dignity. The main argument that I have seen presented is one of mercy, and it is an argument that I leaned into before deeply studying the topic. GOD is the most merciful. When someone is in extreme, unending suffering, when no solution can be found and where death is certain, He would be willing to give a pass to the taking of one's life.

     This is disproven by our previous argument. GOD does not give passes to those who sin. Those who willingly sin and do not repent for what they have done wrong will not find a place in the skies. By taking one’s life, you remove their ability to repent and damnation is certain if you choose to end your own as you are physically unable to seek repentance for what you have done. Along with this it is made clear that GOD provides the remedies to such ailments. To deny such a thing exists is to deny the word of the scrolls.

     Still, a curious question comes from what might be defined as a solution in GOD’s view. For some of us, we are afflicted with ailments that can not be cured, or who’s cures would be sinful in nature. I myself was briefly cured by a friend of a druid without my willingness. This means I am aware that non canon abiding solutions exist to these problems. To take these solutions is unholy, though, as it is trying to find help in hands other than that of GOD’s. I have also heard an argument that these solutions are okay, as they are ‘allowed’ to exist and so may be taken as a solution. My question there, does GOD allow Iblees to exist? Does He allow his rot to fester in the world? No, He does not, and He urges us to reject what is unholy. In the same way we must reject other temptations of Iblees, we must reject the easy solutions presented to us through sinful magics. No, for GOD a solution is faith. If our burdens can not be eased by mortal means, then the least we can do is to find comfort in Him. This is seen when He speaks that, 

 

“I am the Lord God without peer, and My Word is the holy word, and My path is the virtuous path, and all the blessings of the Virtue shall fall before the righteous who tread it.” Virtue, 1.9

 

     The blessing, in this case, would be comfort in facing death. When one has accepted GOD as their savior, they will be blessed. Even if these blessings can not heal someone from grievous illness, it might give them the mental strength to face the death head on and avoid falling into the temptation of suicide. 

     A final argument that could be made is one equating martyrdom to death with dignity. Both ensure death to a willing participant much like a conventional suicide, so why is one allowed while the other is not? In my opinion, Martyrdom is allowed for the fact that the hand that is being raised against oneself is not being raised out of sin but rather the opposite. Winding back to our discussion on suicide, the act of it was not sinful because the hand was being raised against oneself but it was because of the reasoning behind it. In the same way a hand may be raised against darkspawn without committing sin, so can one martyr themselves without committing sin. They are doing something for the good of descendant’s kind, and their drive for dying is not out of a desire for death but rather a desire to be holy and good. So, it is allowed. That is the major difference between death with dignity and martyrdom. One desires to avoid suffering prescribed by GOD, and one wishes to revel in His glory through a final act of service.

 

V. Final Notes

 

     I have tried my best to pull from the scrolls for this text, and have also tried to listen to older members of the clergy in regards to suicide and other facets of it. Still, I have not seen many texts on this topic, so if there is a previous thesis I missed on this topic do inform me through the post. Send a letter to His Grace, Alaric Bishop Altamirano, Pontifical Prosecutor & President of the Synod of Bishops, as he will be the one able to read them to me and would have the context I need to understand any details you speak to me about.

Written with care, Ross Yvaine Van Leuven

Edited December 26, 2024 by ChillDemonLad

[Malins Welcome 1519]

Acolyte,

 

As you have requested criticism, your clam that Druidic practices are unrighteous are not substantiated in your text, and at any rate seem rather beside the point. I would also be interested to hear you treatment of this question as it relates to the Alchemical practice of Kloning.

 

Nevertheless, I am very pleased with this thesis without hesitation declare it to be accepted. I look forward to watching your career.

 

James Cardinal Rhosmark

[LichinCrocs 257]

To Ross von House van Leuven,

I see your hands still tremble as they scribble their naive musings on parchment. Do you write to convince yourself, or to drown out the echoes of my voice that linger in your mind?

You speak of GOD, mercy, and sin, yet when we met, where was your conviction? I stared into your soul, and it quivered like a dying flame. You spoke of faith, but it was fear that held your tongue. Do not mistake our encounter as something forgotten, little acolyte. I remember your terror, your desperation to hold onto beliefs that faltered under the weight of my presence.

 

Your GOD did not shield you from my gaze. Your words of virtue did not banish the dread I invoked. Do you truly believe your sermons will hold more power than your faltering prayers?

Write all you wish, Ross. Call to your GOD, to your bishops, to your congregation. But know this: I am watching. I am always watching.

The creature finished the letter, its claws dripping with ink. Then it pressed a blood-red deer skull onto the parchment.