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A few weeks ago, the Rev. Greg Johnson of Standing Together
Ministries helped host evangelical Christian football stars, including
Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, at a multi-denominational gathering in
Salt Lake City. As it does everywhere Dungy goes, talk of suicide was
inevitable: Dungy's 18-year-old son James last year.
Traditionally, Johnson says, evangelical Christians saw
suicide as a sin, not only because it broke one of the Ten Commandments
("Thou Shall Not Kill" includes killing yourself) but because it
left grieving family members behind.
"There was kind of an attitude or perspective that
suicide was the ultimate kind of sin . . . You lost your eternity, your
eternal soul," he said. "It made us afraid to talk about the issue
of suicide."
But new ideas are emerging, and increasing numbers of
evangelicals believe, as Dungy does, that the issue is too complicated to
easily judge.
"We're coming to a point where the attitude is
changing, and we're seeing depression and mental illness - so maybe God looks
at that differently. I believe God does forgive those who commit
suicide," Johnson said.
Dungy, who often speaks publicly about his beliefs, said
they helped him and his family deal with the loss. "If you have faith in
God and you're professing to be a Christian, then you believe God is with you
in the good times and the times of adversity, and what we've found is that
he's actually closer during the hard times," he said in an interview.
Luther Ellis, who played at the University of Utah before
a professional career with the Detroit Lions, counts himself among the
coach's admirers and says their positions in the National Football League
allow them to talk about their Christianity with people who might otherwise
not listen. "When he speaks about his son, it's a very powerful message,
very powerful and very moving. It's one of those times when you say, OK, God,
you have greater plans than I have for myself," Ellis said.
Despite belonging to a religious tradition that has
frowned on suicide, Dungy says God is forgiving; he believes he will see his
son again. "I do, I absolutely do, and that's the thing that allows me
to get through."
Johnson said with the new acknowledgment of suicide's
causes, many churches are seeking ways to prevent it. He points out that
churches often serve troubled populations, the same people most likely to
consider suicide. "In the faith community, you may not have the most
healthy people all the time," he said.
He says to stem what he considers the "epidemic"
problem of depression, churches must step in and help, which means
encouraging parishioners to let others know when they're facing emotional
problems or mental illness. He advises depressed church members to pray and
seek God's help, but he also tells them to get counseling from mental health
professionals who understand their faith.
"As important as Bible study is and prayer is and
listening to God is, it's foolish for us to say that's all you need to
do," he said. God "loves us just the way we are, and he accepts us
that way, but he wants us to be restored if we're broken."
Contact Christy Karras at ckarras@sltrib.com
or 801-257-8604. To comment on this story, write religioneditor@sltrib.com.
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