Some poor soul offed himself (bloodying up a nice Mustang in the process), and the Record-Courier became such a battleground between people making sick jokes about it, and folks with namby-pamby moralizing, that they evidently closed comments before I encountered it.
Well, screw you, R-C; I have a blog!
It’s not “judging” to state that Christopher Poland committed a mortal sin. He stole a life that belonged to his family and to God. I would be judging and presuming to know the mind of God to speculate on where he is now. I don’t know why he did it, but I’ve had a spouse drive me to that direction, and “There but for the grace of God…”
Should they have printed the picture? I don’t know; it’s off now. It was in unnecessarily bad taste. But you know, when somebody offs themselves in public in a spectacular way, there’s no reasonable expectation of privacy.
Oh, and whiteninjatiger?
what is life a world of misfortunes of ignorance, hatred, unfair treatment to others of race or creed or perhaps impartial treatment to others. …Our world is in deep trouble let alone our country and OUR Government does absolutely nothing for US only for them. Think about that on this Memorial day and thank the Veterans for giving us the *right* to voice our thoughts.
With all due respect, veterans didn’t give me shit (well, one veteran gave me a birthday cake today, but she isn’t currently in the employ of the government). I had the right to voice my thoughts the minute I left the womb (if not before), along with the rest of my rights. Veterans have sometimes protected those rights (when not protecting the privileges of government and multinational corporations), for which I am duly thankful.
The Quick and the Dead 
It’s not “judging” to state that Christopher Poland committed a mortal sin.
Jeffrey, I don’t know about that. I make that assertion based on my own belief that the so called mortal sins are a construct of all too human, and mortal, men.
You are aware that I am not shy about stating that I have faith in The Creator. With that said, and knowing that John did indeed reference certain sins as being mortal, in the words which have down to us via the Bible after much debate by men doing the compilation, I do not think that individuals can make any such assertion regarding some other individual’s sin as being mortal or venial. I think making such an assertion is akin to shoving the board deeper into our own eyes.
He stole a life that belonged to his family and to God.
One could argue that suicide is theft, bibically, but doing so negates the fact each individual is indeed a sovereign individual, answerable only to God.
OK, it’s been categorized as a mortal sin, then. Whether it was actually mortal in the sense of “This guy surely went to Hell…”, well, that’s above my pay grade, as I don’t know what went on in his mind. It was in any case a tremendously selfish act (and not in the positive Randian sense), and what I was reacting to was the attempt to let him off the hook for that. That said, yes, it’s his life, he can do stupid, rude, inconsiderate things with it, and it’s none of the State’s business. All of us are ultimately answerable only to God…but to the extent that his family were members of the Church as the Body of Christ, we’re answerable for that.
…but to the extent that his family were members of the Church as the Body of Christ, we’re answerable for that.
Jeffrey, upon what do base that assertion? I Corinthians 10:32 or Romans 14:21? Did his family, or the members of the Church, cause this man to act as he did, and thus answers are owed to God from individuals who did not participate in this man’s actions?
I hacked the grammar of that last sentence up pretty badly….Matthew 25:40 more reflects what I meant. There’s no necessary moral connection between how his family treated him and how he treated them by killing himself. On a purely human level, yeah, if he had a wife like my ex, I would understand the act (considered that myself a time or two). But I don’t know as if that cuts any ice with God.
But I don’t know as if that cuts any ice with God.
I often contemplate if I cut any ice with God.
If I were God, I wouldn’t have gone through the lengths that God did to save me. But He did.