Why suicides cannot be buried in a cemetery and other prohibitions

Regardless of what reasons prompted a person to interrupt his own life, all religions without exception consider this step one of the most terrible sins. The sacred scriptures of both Christians and Muslims condemn human weakness, believing that life is a gift from God, which only the Almighty has the right to take away. In this regard, over the course of many centuries, people have developed a special attitude towards people who have committed suicide, and at the same time, certain traditions have developed when organizing funerals.

People commit suicide when they lose hope

Perhaps the best answer to the question of why people hang themselves, drown themselves and throw themselves out of windows may be the phrase: they don’t want to live like that. Exactly". There is hardly anyone in their right mind who would simply give up life.

Someone experiences incredible pain due to illness, someone has lost all joy, someone feels unnecessary in this world. There are many reasons.

Suicide is a consequence of the fact that a person has lost all hope. He knows that nothing good will happen, no one will help.

Orthodoxy sees suicide as a threat to the future of a person’s soul.

In this we can trace a certain degree of guilt of those around us, who did not notice and did not help. And every desperate person should know that even if he thinks that everyone has abandoned him, this is not so.

There are always people ready to help and listen. For example, a priest in a church, an elder in a monastery, Orthodox psychologists. After all, the task of faith is to give hope.

If you really want to avoid religious overtones, there are still psychologists and social services who are ready to respond and help a person in a difficult situation.

But suicide is not a solution. While you are alive, there is an opportunity to change something. Who said it would be better in the next world?

How to bury suicides and murderers

Church workers say that these people made their own choice, refusing the love of the Lord. Therefore, when burying them:

• It is prohibited to conduct a funeral service;
• you cannot cry, mourn, or mourn for them;
• they don’t order magpies and memorial services;
• they don’t put a cross on the grave;
• do not place a whisk on the head;
• don't kiss goodbye;
• do not cover with a shroud - a funeral veil.

Relatives should facilitate the ritual of repentance of sinners during their lifetime. You should call the priest for a conversation and absolution. It is recommended to be open and truthful. To help their souls, you can pray earnestly at home, perform merciful and charitable deeds, and help the disadvantaged.

If such trouble comes knocking on your door and you don’t know what to do or how to properly bury a sinner, call a ritual agent. An experienced specialist will take all necessary measures in compliance with religious canons.

They commemorate criminals who did not repent before death, and who committed suicide only on Radonitsa and only after receiving permission from the Christian church. For the funeral service and for prayers in God’s house, it is necessary to receive the bishop’s blessing, show him the documents, and explain the reasons.

According to the Church, a suicide loses the chance of salvation

There is such a statement - suicide is the most terrible sin. In any other case, you can have time to repent if you live at least another second, and after suicide nothing will happen.

The soul finds itself in the next world with a grave sin and without the opportunity to atone for it.

Although, let’s make a reservation that nuances are possible here too. For example, Paisiy Svyatogorets once consoled one parent that his son, who threw himself from the fifth floor, had enough time to repent.

But let's return to the act of suicide itself. Why is he so bad? The fact is that a sinner by suicide rejects Christian principles, which means he withdraws himself from the bosom of the Orthodox Church and loses hope of salvation.

See also the article Is it possible to pray for those who commit suicide?

In what cases is a funeral service permitted?

1. Unfortunately, in the modern world, a large number of suicides commit their criminal acts while in an inadequate state, under the influence of certain individuals. And the question naturally arises: is it possible to perform a funeral service for those who committed suicide if their sinful actions were unconscious, but provoked by strangers?
2. According to church canons, a funeral service is possible only if the deceased had a psychoneurological disease. But often sinful actions are committed when he is in a borderline state, and his relatives have not yet resorted to the help of doctors. In most cases, clergy have neither the time nor the opportunity to analyze each case in detail, to determine whether the person really died under the influence of third parties. Therefore, permission to perform a funeral service is issued only if the bishop is provided with a certificate of completion of treatment at a mental dispensary. But it is worth warning those who want to acquire such a certificate illegally - God sees all our actions and such deception will not go unnoticed either! There is no need to aggravate the already deplorable situation of the deceased!

Suicides are not buried according to Orthodox rites, they are not given funeral services or commemorated

Funeral without Orthodox paraphernalia

According to all traditions, there is no point in burying suicides. For some reason, loved ones think that they can “appease” the Lord with wreaths of prayers, crosses, and funeral services.

But that's not true. It is not the Almighty who rejects the suicide, but the man himself who removed himself from the bosom of the Orthodox Church by a sinful act. It is impossible to retroactively write him down as a repentant righteous person.

Of course, you can do harm and bury him just like everyone else, but such manipulations do not affect the fate of the soul.

Crosses and other Orthodox attributes are not used for funerals of suicides

No funeral service

Why aren't suicides released? Exactly for the same reason.

The Orthodox Church could take care of the soul at the moment of its earthly life, when a person was able to make decisions and implement his plans.

His final act is to remove himself from the Christian tradition. Now the soul is entirely in the power of God. The funeral service will not help her at all.

People bury themselves behind the cemetery fence less and less often.

Previously, this is how they preferred to bury suicides. Many cemeteries are consecrated lands adjacent to monasteries and churches.

Not burying a suicide in these places is not a punitive measure on the part of Orthodoxy. The opinion of the Church: it is even more correct for the body of a suicide not to be in the soil that was consecrated by the priests of the religion he rejected.

But the tradition of burying people behind the cemetery fence is becoming a thing of the past.

After all, cemeteries in Russia are common, even though they are predominantly Christian. Where should suicide victims be buried if not there? And it’s also unpleasant for relatives when their loved one seems to have been thrown out.

It is not customary to bury suicides in cemeteries, but there is usually no other place.

Suicides are not remembered

The reason is the same - there is no need, for the temple is aimed only at communication with those souls who have remained devoted to Orthodoxy throughout their lives. He has no power over others.

Accordingly, it is impossible to pray for a suicide. But there are rites for home prayer, their task is to provide comfort.

There are exceptions

There is a special attitude towards suicides who had mental illness.

The listed measures may not apply to them. But this issue must be resolved individually with representatives of the highest church clergy.

Prohibitions for suicides

Suicidal people are buried on the third day after death. The church prohibits waiting longer when saying goodbye to the deceased: those who have given up life are deprived of the opportunity to be around and enlist the support of their relatives and loved ones. There are no religious paraphernalia at the funeral, and the place is chosen on the outskirts of an unconsecrated cemetery. According to Christian canons, when burying those who have committed suicide, the following actions are permitted and excluded, designed to help the spirit of a suicide find peace:

The living who want to help the rebellious soul of a suicidal person must do things for the good: help the poor, the homeless, children, the elderly, give money to charity. A good deed will help the deceased find peace, even if he was not buried in a cemetery.

It is prohibited to cry, grieve, or sob over a suicide, with the exception of the first day after Easter.

On the sacred day, it is allowed to remember, pray, and mourn a relative, a loved one who died in any way. On the holiday, God makes no difference between suicides and those who died against their own will. It is allowed to light a candle only in Radonitsa. If you ignore the rule, go to church with a request on another day, or bury the deceased as a righteous person, sin will fall on your soul. A suicide cannot be helped.

The Bible touches on the topic of suicide 4 times, but does not evaluate this act.

It would seem that the topic of the afterlife should be very well presented in the Holy Scriptures. There are also the “Tibetan” and “Egyptian” books of the dead, where all the nuances of the posthumous life of the soul are laid out right on the shelves.

But Christianity is rather skimpy on the details of what will happen next. The Bible emphasizes how to properly live in unity with God. It is to live, but not to die.

Instructions for proper dying are nonsense for Orthodoxy.

Perhaps there is something like this in the stereotypical stories about the samurai code, but in our country life is declared to be God’s most generous gift, and therefore the very idea of ​​​​rejecting it is not inherent in the authors of the Holy Scriptures.

Suicide is described only four times:

• Saul (1 Samuel 31:4);
• Ahithophel (2 Samuel 17:23);
• Zimri (1 Kings 16:18);
• Judas (Matthew 27:5).

It is impossible to draw clear conclusions from these stories. All four characters are men of disrepute who are condemned by Scripture.

Therefore, it is difficult to say whether their suicide is talked about negatively because the decision to give up their life is bad, or because in general any act of these people is obviously disgusting to the authors of the Bible.

Here, for example, is how Saul's suicide is described:

1 Samuel 31:4

“And Saul said to his armourbearer, Draw your sword and kill me with it, lest these uncircumcised come and kill me and mock me. But the squire did not want to, because he was very afraid. Then Saul took his sword and fell on him.”

There is no assessment of the action - only a statement of fact.

Judas Iscariot is one of four people whose suicide is described in the Bible (painting “Judas” by Nikolai Ge)

Violating the will of God

All monotheistic religions prohibit ending your own life. Only its Creator has the right to dispose of life. People voluntarily die because of the difficult trials that befall them: unhappy love, illness, death of a loved one, bankruptcy, etc. However, even such tragic events cannot justify suicide. Man was sent trials that he must overcome. Without passing the “exam”, it is impossible to move on to the next “class”. People who refuse trials will not be given the opportunity to move to a better world.

The Bible Condemns Suicide, But It Has Encouraging Statements

There are two equally common points of view on suicide.

1 point of view. A suicide cannot go to heaven

Everything is pretty transparent here. There are a number of reasons for this statement:

• Violation of the commandment “Thou shalt not kill.” A suicide commits murder, although it is not aimed at someone else, but at himself. But, nevertheless, the commandment does not specify that you cannot kill only a person, or only another person. It is the most general and applies to suicides. And about those who broke the commandments, the Bible says:

Oi. 14:15

“Blessed are they who keep His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter into the city through the gates. And outside are dogs, and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices iniquity.”

• Lack of opportunity to ride . To get to heaven, you need to repent of your sins. The best thing is in front of a priest, in confession. Then the person with a clear conscience is called upon to sin no more. But a suicide is deprived of this opportunity, and therefore remains a sinner.
• Insult to God. In addition to murder, a person also challenges God and tries to insult Him. This is an additional sin that also burdens the soul.

2 point of view. A suicide can go to heaven

The arguments for this point of view are a little more complex:

• A Christian can sin and still remain a believer . And, as we know, the Bible states that faith is a guarantee of eternal life. So the circumstances in the life of a suicide are one thing, and his relationship with God is another:

And he. 5:13

“I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that if you believe on the Son of God you have eternal life.”

• God's love is not conditioned by anything; death is powerless here . If God sees that a person has led a righteous life, then His love will be above all circumstances and forces:

Rome. 8:38-39

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor the present, nor the future, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord "

So, on the one hand we have the Law of God, and on the other, His faith and love. This contradiction was once resolved, according to the Gospel story, by Jesus Christ:

“He sacrificed himself out of love to keep the Law. So now, every person who accepts Christ as Savior will receive eternal life as if he were sinless.”

The fate of a suicide is in the power of the Almighty.

The problem is that we do not know how the relationship with God developed for each individual suicide, and therefore, as they say, “by default” we bury these people as if they left the Christian faith.

The Lord in the next world will deal with everyone personally.

Funeral after death

Today, many people are interested in the question of how to remember the deceased , how best to organize a feast, whether to distribute rolls and scarves, and why cover mirrors in the house? Who comes up with these rules?

The editors of World of Travel have been studying Christian traditions in the Orthodox library for a very long time. But, after consulting with the clergy, we found out where the true teaching was and where the pagan protective magic was.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with tips for conducting a funeral ceremony. After all, commemorating the dead means a desire to help a person’s soul and alleviate its suffering.

There are many folk signs around funerals that have become traditions. We are used to following them unquestioningly, being in ignorance and a state of shock. Many people can be understood, because they hope that in this way they will drive away troubles from their family. Here are some of the popular superstitions.

Funeral superstitions

• You can't eat with forks at a funeral.
• Relatives do not carry the coffin so that the deceased does not think that his death is welcome.
• All mirrors in the house where the deceased is located must be covered with black cloth.
• At a funeral dinner, the deceased is given a separate place at the table, with a glass of alcohol, covered with a piece of bread, and a plate with a spoon.
• Children under 6 years old and pregnant women are not allowed to attend funerals.
• If a deceased person lies in a house, it cannot be cleaned until the body is taken outside the premises.
• Everyone who attended the funeral should be given bread and a scarf.

• The bench on which the coffin stood must be turned over for a day and an ax placed near it. This is done to prevent another dead person from appearing in the house.
• You cannot leave things in the house that came into contact with a person who is already dead.
• The door and gate of the house where a person died should be kept open for three days.
  Believers are advised not to pay attention to superstitions, but to consult with church ministers. Commemoration of the dead is, first of all, a church prayer service. “Truly I also say to you that if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven,” says the Gospel of Matthew.

  According to church teachings, the dead should be commemorated on the third, ninth, fortieth days after death and on their anniversary. The day of death is always considered first. The most important thing is not the funeral meal, but joint prayer. If your family decides to organize a dinner in memory of the deceased, remember a few rules.

  How to hold a funeral dinner

• On special days of remembrance (3rd, 9th, 40th and anniversary), order a memorial service in the church and attend the liturgy if it is scheduled for that day.
• Consult with the priest on what day you can reschedule lunch if it falls on a major holiday. The best time to eat is on Saturday. Funeral in Lent can also be done.

• Don't have a lavish feast. “If you can pray for a person, pray; if you can’t pray, say good things about him; if you can’t say them, think good things about him.”
• On a special day of remembrance, you should light a candle bought in the church and read the prayer: “Through the prayers of Christ and your Forerunner, who gave birth to You, the apostles, prophets, hierarchs, the reverend and righteous, and all the saints, give rest to your departed servant.”

  Before eating, everyone sitting at the dinner table should read the “Our Father.” After the meal, ask God for all the dead: “Grant, Lord, remission of sins to all who have previously departed in the faith and hope of resurrection, take away our brothers and sisters and create for them eternal memory. Blessed are you. Lord, teach me through Your justification.” There should not be a lot of food on the funeral table. The first dish that guests eat at a wake is kutia (kolivo, or sochivo) - boiled grains of wheat or rice with honey and raisins. Grain is a symbol of resurrection, and honey is the sweetness of the righteous in the Kingdom of God. It is advisable to consecrate Kutya during a memorial service, but if this does not work, it must be sprinkled with holy water.

• Food from the funeral can be distributed to those in need; it cannot be thrown away.
• Bringing food to the grave of a deceased person is wrong; it is a pagan tradition.
• Commemorations on the anniversary after death are kept modest. On this day, gather in a close circle of loved ones and remember the deceased with a common prayer, perhaps without a meal.
• The Church does not approve of drinking alcohol at funerals. Wine is considered a symbol of earthly joy, and a wake is a time for intense prayer for a person who may be suffering greatly in the afterlife. Under no circumstances should you leave a glass of vodka and a piece of bread on the table; this is a relic of paganism, and this is not done in religious families.

  But what if the deceased was an unbeliever , unbaptized, a suicide, or followed other religious teachings? This is how the Holy Father answers this question:

  “In churches they do not pray for such people and do not perform a funeral service for them, but in the case of suicides, with the blessing of the priests , home prayer should be read, and funeral meals with relatives are not prohibited. You should visit the temple on Trinity Parents' Saturday - on this day the church prays for everyone “who has died from eternity,” including those “those who are kept in hell.”

  You cannot submit suicide notes, but to take part in the service and pray “for everyone.” In memory of the Gentiles, you need to pray for them and give alms. Since they have never been in the bosom of the Orthodox Church, notes about them are not given and candles are not lit.”

  No one lives on this earth forever, we are sentenced to death. But death is birth into a new life, because only the physical body dies, but the soul is immortal. People are destined to meet after death, but where depends on us now, on how we spend this life.

  Pray and repent, live according to the commandments and do not shed useless tears for the dead. Remember them in prayer at home or in church.

  If you know the feeling of loss, tell us how you managed to cope with it. What do you think should be done with funeral superstitions : follow them in case this magic works, or listen to the biblical commandments and the opinion of the clergy? Don't forget to write a comment.

  Show the article to your friends on social networks, because here is exactly the information that everyone should know about.

Orthodoxy does not classify Christ and martyrs as suicides

Suicide and the Church are things that are, in a sense, compatible.

Can we call a person a suicide who knows that his act will lead to death, but still brings himself to a tragic ending? Can.

Isn't that what some Christian martyrs did? They chose to die for their faith; they consciously appeared before the people who brought them death.

Even Jesus Christ himself knew perfectly well how His sermon would end. He reported this to his disciples more than once.

A suicide should be judged not by his act, but by his motive.

And here Orthodoxy tries not to use the definition of “suicide.” There is a clumsy approach - they say, the saints did not kill themselves, they had executioners.

But it's not about the executioners. It is more correct to look deeper: what distinguishes a suicide from a martyr is motive. The righteous loses his life, but saves dozens of others - sometimes physically, and sometimes spiritually, if he becomes an example.

Let's say the martyr Pelagia of Tarisia voluntarily entered the oven to avoid execution by the executioner. Nowadays she is revered by believers.

Martyr Pelageya of Tarisia - a suicide, but not a sinner

At the same time, it is not necessary to suffer for faith: it would be strange to call a person who sacrificed himself to save someone from a burning house a sinner.

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Drug addicts, alcoholics, mentally ill people: are they considered suicides?

There is no universal answer here, but it is usually believed that these categories of people do not know what they are doing, especially the mentally ill. In this case, the church, in order to authorize the funeral service, may be content with a certificate from the institution where the deceased was registered. People who died while under the influence of drugs and alcohol may also be recorded as having died due to negligence, rather than intentionally committing suicide.

How to properly bury unbaptized adults? Is it possible to baptize a person after death in order to perform a funeral service for him? How are unbaptized babies buried and is it possible to have a funeral service for them?

Suicide or euthanasia?

Our life now is such that quite a large number of people decide to voluntarily leave this world without waiting for a natural end. The reasons for this are completely different, but psychologists are of the opinion that in any case at this moment the person is not completely healthy from a mental point of view.

Suicide is a grave sin in almost all religions. Some sects are exceptions; also in Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism, voluntary death is possible in some cases, i.e. it is not considered a mortal sin. If you are wondering whether it is possible to commemorate those who committed suicide, then the clergy will definitely give you a negative answer. There can’t even be any question of anything else here. Of course, there are exceptions, but they are quite rare and documented (more on this will be written below).

It should be noted that in the modern world, some countries practice voluntary death from the terminally ill and those who “turn into vegetables.” This method is called euthanasia. It is believed that it is a personal matter for everyone to “live as a plant” or die. However, it should be remembered that the Lord never gives a person a burden that is beyond his strength. You just need to set your priorities correctly and reconsider your life, decide where to move. Maybe we should turn to the Lord?

And the doctors themselves, helping to carry out euthanasia, understand that this is a banal murder. Every life is valuable to the Lord, and he himself knows when to take it. You just need to rely on him in your troubles and sorrows.