To walk in the steps of Christ shall earn ye condemnation
I'm generally prepared to stand on my answer in the topic Xev referred people to, but I also wanted to throw this monkey at the wrench:
Suicide is the act of one who causes his own death, either by positively destroying his own life, as by inflicting on himself a mortal wound or injury, or by omitting to do what is necessary to escape death, as by refusing to leave a burning house. From a moral standpoint we must treat therefore not only the prohibition of positive suicide, but also the obligation incumbent on man to preserve his life.
This, taken from
New Advent's online Catholic Encyclopedia, seems to put the idea of sacrificing your life for a greater cause among sinful activities. Will you rush into a burning house to save your child? Does the guy who jumps on the grenade to save his buddies go to hell? (Story of his life ....)
Suicide is direct when a man has the intention of causing his own death, whether as an end to be attained, or as a means to another end, as when a man kills himself to escape condemnation, disgrace, ruin etc. It is indirect, and not usually called by this name when a man does not desire it, either as an end or as a means, but when he nevertheless commits an act which in effect involves death, as when he devotes himself to the care of the plague-stricken knowing that he will succumb under the task.
It seems that one should never sacrifice oneself to a greater cause. When the bombs come, turn and run. When the plagues come, hide and pray for God's protection. (For is not an appeal to God, by faith, an effort on your own behalf?)
I mean, come on ... whatsoever you do not do unto the least of them, so do you fail to do unto him.
Only, it's too late. As the story goes, he already died for us.
It's hard to walk in the steps of Christ if you will be condemned for doing so.
God love the Catholics: without them, life might actually be easier for everyone.
Oh, well ... life
is, in fact getting easier. I shall never endanger myself on behalf of a Catholic; this of course to respect their doctrine and dogma, just as I have advised that I would not assist one of our posters bleeding to death alongside the road in an effort to respect her principles. I mean, I'm quite
I'm finding that people are excusing me from having to give a rat's behind about them left and right.
And it explains something about movies that goes beyond the "unwritten code" ... all those heroes who miraculously live through their trials? It might be a concession to the number of Catholics in the culture--though it might have something to do with the rise of Jewish and Catholic screenwriters, specifically as opposed to the rise of Muslim and Hindu writers; simply, the writers carried their values with them into their art, which is technically as it should be. But think about it: if your self-sacrificing hero dies, that's millions of Catholics obliged by doctrine to view the character as condemnable in the eyes of God.
It seems there is a price a Christian shouldn't pay for God--e.g. their life.
thanx,
Tiassa
