Study Finds Most Christians Don’t Believe Suicide Will Send You to Hell

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: Aug 24, 2015

Study Finds Most Christians Don’t Believe Suicide Will Send You to Hell

A new study by LifeWay Research has found that the majority of Christians in America do not believe committing suicide will send an individual to hell.

The official study by the respected Christian research organization concluded that six in every 10 Americans affirm that suicide will not sentence a person to eternal damnation, Christian Today reports..

1,000 Americans were surveyed for the study and only 23 percent of them said they believe suicide would lead to eternal punishment. Among evangelicals, the numbers were slightly higher at 32 percent.

Scott McConnell, vice president of Lifeway Research, stated that the prevailing belief among Christians that suicide would not condemn someone to hell was heavily based on the Christian belief in God’s mercy.

"Americans are responding with compassion to a tragedy that touches many families. For example, as researchers learn more about the effects of mental illness, people may be more likely to react to suicide with mercy," McConnell stated.

McConnell added that many Christians who were personally affected by the suicide of a friend or family member tended to be more compassionate when forming their beliefs on the issue.

Those from the millennial generation are also more likely to express concern and compassion regarding the issue of suicide.

Photo courtesy: www.pexels.com

Publication date: August 24, 2015



Study Finds Most Christians Don’t Believe Suicide Will Send You to Hell