The Journal of (2014)
204, 254-235, 40: 113,
4069
Editorial
Suicide and religion’
Christopher ©. H. Cook
‘summary
Much of the evidence that religion provides a protective
factor against completed comes from cross-sectional
studies. Tis issue of the Journal Includes a report of a new
prospective study. An understanding of the relationship
between spirtuaty, religion and suicide is important in
assessing and caring for those at risk.
Declaration of interest
CHC. Is an priest and Director of the Project
{or Theology & Health at Outham University.
Profesor cooks Decor of he programmes
In & Heat, and aso of re DTN
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He was Cha of the oe
Group in & tthe Royal Colegeo
Suicide is one of the major causes of mortality in the young and
the elderly and a College Report has identified suicide prevention
as priority for policy in the UK. wards
‘suicide have generally been negative among all of the word's
traditions albeit mental is usually understood
mitigating ethical factor. On the one and this has inthe past‏ مجه
Jed to unsympathetic and harsh responses, and a sense of shame‏
for and families, but it has also long been considered‏
reason why religious people might be less likely to take theie‏ 4
own lif‏
Research
Although there is much empirical research to support the view
that religion is protective against suicide, and some contrary
rospective studies, According to
of 141 studies on religion and suicide conducted
there have been few
Koenig et
to date, only two" were prospective or longitudinal. One of these
studies comprised a retrospective trawl of « national mortality
database, and the other (which was not originally designed for
the purpose of studying the of religion on suicide) did
not study compleied suicides. Indeed, as Koenig et al note, the
of prospective studies of completed suicide is challenging,
requiring large sample sizes and prolonged periods of follow-up to
‘ensure sufficient numbers of observed suicides
‘The publication in this issue of the Journal of the frst
prospective
suicide is therefore significant, Based on the Thied National
Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES Ill) in the
USA, Kleiman & Lin have shown that
udy of religious service attendance and completed
Following more than 20000 over 12=18
years; 25 individuals were identified as having died by suicide,
fewer than might have been expected on the basis of
Given this small number of actual suicides,
"See .وم‎ 262-266, his sue
sample power in this study is more modest than one
might have expected. It must also be noted that this
‘was not constructed for the purpose at hand and we know nothing
about the specific religious affiliations, experiences, belies or
‘other religious behaviouts of participants - only the frequency
with which they attended religious services. Notwithstanding these
Ti
{Any or all of these considerations provide possible
for the putative protective benefit identified in the
study by Kleiman & Liu, Although interpretations of such studies
are and negative findings are also reported (eg. King
etal’), the overall balance of findings is thought by many to reveal
a benefit for religious beliefs and practices in relation to mental
health and well-being,
an ideal research design, we would know about more than‏ صل
simply religious service Although the data available to‏
Kleiman & Liu are an improvement on the crude measures of‏
religion employed in the only two previous prospective studies‏
‘of completed suicide, and although religious service attendance‏
is an objective measure widely employed in research of this kind,‏
it is frustrating not to know more about the religious beliefs,‏
experiences and traditions of these participants,‏
However, what we do know is not unimportant. Whatever kinds‏
of religious services these individuals attended, we know that‏
the teachings and traditions to which they were exposed would‏
have had particular implications for anyone contemplating‏
suicide‏
Religious teachings on suicide
In Hebrew scripture, suicide is implicitly condemned iia
commandment not to commit murder (Exodus 20:13) and both
and’ Christian commentators have generally seen suicide
forbidden by this commandment: Augustine of Hippo, for
‘example, argued that the commandment is not qualified (it does
say "You shall not murder your neighbour’ but simply "You
shall not murder’, that no scriptural permission to die by suicide
and that it is better for the Christian to suffer than to