This paper is to elucidate how suicide make sense as a thesis in today’s Korean Protestantism by analysing their discourses on suicide. In recent Korean society, suicide has risen as a big social issue and there have been Christians among the celebr...
This paper is to elucidate how suicide make sense as a thesis in today’s Korean Protestantism by analysing their discourses on suicide. In recent Korean society, suicide has risen as a big social issue and there have been Christians among the celebrities who were killed by themselves. As news of Christian funerals for them have been sent on air, discussions on suicide related to the concepts of sin, hell and salvation have come on the scene. Futhermore, the death of former President Roh gave rise to lots of discussion about how we should interpret his death. Against this backdrop, Protestant discourses on suicide have come to the fore. There are two conspicuous traits in those discourses: First, though suicide has similarly been interpreted as a sin both lay believers and theologians, there is a significant difference between their attitudes toward suicide. While many lay believers have an idea that suicide leads anyone to hell, many theologians dismiss any speculation on whether suicide deprives someone of her/his salvation; Secondly, suicide has been interpreted as a disease that need and can be overcome. It is regarded not only as a bad behavior but also as a sign of social evil. It is said that, therefore, Protestant Church should take care of the sick by preventing suicide as an infectious disease. If so, Protestant Church can regain good social reputation like in the past.
This paper concludes with two questions in regard to the concepts of sin-salvation and suicide itself in the Protestant discourses. First of all, sin and salvation are deeply related to each other and this can be interpreted as an example of dichotomy which is represented in the evangelizing slogan, “Lord Jesus Heaven, No Jesus Hell.” And no matter what Christians think or identify suicide, it is sealed as a taboo.