is this suicide justified?, 85 year old man shoots himself Options

[illumineering]

An 85 year-old man committed suicide in my town last week. His wife died about 4 years ago from cancer. His daugher-in-law died 6 years ago from cancer. His son had a heart attack and died last week. His only living relatives were his only son's 2 children. They asked him to move near them so they could be closer together. They said they would build him a house near them in Philadelphia so they could take care of him.

After he buried his son, he took his dog to the kennel the next day, returned home, and shot himself.

Was this man justified in doing this? Is this an overreaction to a difficult situation that he could have accepted over time? Was he placing his grandchildren under a more difficult situation because he was feeling sorry for himself? When his granddaughter found out, she almost miscarried her baby because she was so emotional. Doesn't the bible say suicide is a sin? (He was a Christian.)

Because he didn't want to burden anyone and had lost everyone that he was close to, was his decision acceptable? Let's face it, the best years of his life were over and he has the right to decide when and how he should leave this earth. His actions should be respected.

I'm having a hard time resolving this. Although I can respect his right to decide what he wants to do with his life, I also feel that his actions were somewhat selfish.

What do you think?

[*disco infiltrator*]

Well yes, but if Mr. John Smith from Nebraska kills himself, what difference does it make to Miss Olive?

If the person who kills themselves isn't a Christian and doesn't accept those morals, they sinned (to the Christian people, not to them). Yes, it will make some people sad, but so does relatives dying due to the death penalty. So does getting broken up with. If someone dies in a car crash, have they sinned because they make others sad?

[illumineering]

Well yes, but if Mr. John Smith from Nebraska kills himself, what difference does it make to Miss Olive?

If the person who kills themselves isn't a Christian and doesn't accept those morals, they sinned (to the Christian people, not to them). Yes, it will make some people sad, but so does relatives dying due to the death penalty. So does getting broken up with. If someone dies in a car crash, have they sinned because they make others sad?

While your point is valid, the man who is the subject of this thread was a Christian. Is he, as a result, bound by the principles of his faith to not kill himself?

I agree with your view of sadness/suffering. That is an individual choice that can be arbitrarily related to anything. It is up to the individual who defines any aspect of life in terms of sadness/suffering to liberate themselves from it, (if they choose) or be a victim of life and the inevitability of death.