The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) has designated 10 September 2025 as World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD). This event, co-sponsored by the World Health Organisation (WHO), aims to raise awareness about the preventability of suicide.
Unfortunately, suicide remains one of the leading causes of death in many countries.
This is particularly evident in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 49,000 people in the United States died by suicide in 2022—equivalent to one death by suicide every 11 minutes.1
In Singapore, the number of suicide deaths has been steadily decreasing. The Samaritans of Singapore reported 322 suicide deaths in 2023, the lowest since 2000 and a decrease of 32.4 per cent compared to 2022. However, suicide rates among youths aged 10–29 remain a concern, with 29.3 per cent of all deaths within this age group attributed to suicide.2
Suicide is heavily stigmatised in many cultures and societies. It has been viewed by some cultures as a moral failing or as a sign of weakness and lack of resilience. This stigma is further exacerbated in countries where suicide attempts are criminalised.
For this reason, many communities in Singapore— including faith communities—welcomed the decision by the Singapore government to decriminalise suicide attempts in 2020.3 This move was made based on the recognition that a suicide attempt is a cry for help, and punishment is not an appropriate or effective response.
Sadly, the Church has not always understood the complexities of suicide.
For many centuries, the Orthodox Church regarded suicide as a grave sin, teaching that those who commit suicide would be condemned to hell. The Orthodox Church also prohibited a Christian burial to a person who took his own life.
However, as Orthodox Church leaders gained greater awareness of the complexities surrounding the act of suicide, especially the impact of mental illness, these practices have been revised.
It is important to emphasise that recognising the complexities of suicide does not require the Church to compromise its commitment to the teachings of Scripture concerning this issue. For Scripture clearly prohibits murder (Exodus 20:13), and insofar as suicide is a form of murder—self-killing—it is sin in the eyes of God.
This has been consistently taught by theologians as diverse as Tertullian, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther and John Calvin.
On the basis of this teaching, however, some Christians have argued that the person who successfully completes suicide has committed such a serious offence against God for which there is no chance to repent, and thus will surely go to hell. This was indeed the view once held by the Orthodox Church.
However, it is extremely important to understand that our salvation is based on the entirety of our relationship with God, and not grounded in the legalistic tallying of individual sins. While sin must be taken seriously, the biblical understanding of salvation has to do with the believer’s covenantal relationship with God, which is not nullified by a grievous offence.
Furthermore, it is also extremely important that we do not presume to stand in God’s place to judge who can or cannot be saved. Suicide, as we have seen, is a very complex phenomenon, and no one—neither priest, family member nor counsellor—can truly understand the struggles of the person who has chosen this path.
Only God, in his infinite knowledge and compassion, can.
The Christian position on suicide must be at once clear, nuanced and humble. This is exemplified by the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church on this topic.
While the Church regards suicide as a very grave sin—a mortal sin that can lead to damnation—its view on the salvation of the person who died by suicide is less dogmatic and more pastoral. Thus, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we find these assuring words:
We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives (Para 2,283).
To those struggling with suicidal thoughts, the Church’s message is clear:
The God who created you in his image and likeness, who sent his Son to die on the cross to bring you back into communion with him, loves you. He has a plan for you and guides your life with his sovereign hand.
The God who created you in his image and likeness, who sent his Son to die on the cross to bring you back into communion with him, loves you. He has a plan for you and guides your life with his sovereign hand.
In your distress you may think that your whole world has caved in. You feel that you are unable to change your situation, and that you might as well give up. You think that the people you love—your family members, friends, church members—will be better off without you.
But these thoughts are not true. Your situation can change. Help is available. Reach out to your church or pastor. Seek help from your doctor. Consult a psychiatrist or therapist.
Never give up! Persevere! God is with you, even in your darkest moments. As the letter to the Hebrews exhorts us:
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23).
If you are experiencing suicide ideation, help is available.
Samaritans of Singapore (SOS)
24-hour Hotline: 1767
24-hour CareText: 9151 1767 (via WhatsApp)
Singapore Association for Mental Health
1800 283 7019
Tinkle Friend by Singapore Children’s Society
1800 2744 788
Dr Roland Chia is Chew Hock Hin Professor of Christian Doctrine at Trinity Theological College and Theological and Research Advisor at the Ethos Institute for Public Christianity.
1 “Suicide Data and Statistics,” Suicide Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, March 26, 2025, https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/data.html.
2 “Suicide Numbers Decline in Singapore, But Vigilance Must Continue,” Samaritans of Singapore, 12 July, 2024, https://www.sos.org.sg/pressroom/suicide-numbers-decline-in-singapore-but-vigilance-must-continue/.
3 Michael Yong, “Commentary: Decriminalising Attempted Suicide in Singapore Does Not Mean Less Help for Vulnerable People,” Channel NewsAsia, January 4, 2020, https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/decriminalise-suicide-singapore-penal-code-reform-crime-prevent-782206.