This archive report was first published on 29 September 2019.
September 29, 2019
Associate Pastor Jarrid Wilson of Harvest Christian Fellowship in California, USA, recently took to social media to challenge the notion that individuals who commit suicide are automatically headed to hell.
Wilson's comments sparked a heated debate in the Christian community, with some arguing that suicide is a sin and others advocating for compassion and understanding.
According to Pastor Zainab Hassan of the Ongata Rongai-based Latter Glory Church, suicide is killing, an act that the Bible forbids in the fifth commandment.
However, others, including Gibson Anduvate, Senior Pastor at the International Christian Centre (ICC), Nairobi, believe that human beings are quick to make conclusions about matters they do not fully understand.
Anduvate says that judgment belongs to God alone, and the best we can do is to pray for the departed soul and the loved ones left behind.
Meanwhile, Apostle Kathy Kageni-Oganga, who runs the Sozo Church of God in Nairobi, is strongly opposed to suicide, stating that it is a sin and that our lives are not our own.
However, some, including Sheila Walsh, who wrote on the blog FaithGateway, believe that individuals who take their own lives may still be in heaven, citing the example of her own father who died from suicide.
Walsh's comments highlight the complexity of the issue and the need for compassion and understanding in the Christian community.
