Is suicide unequivocally to be condemned? It is not that I fear for myself and I see that people suicide for a lot of pity reasons. But there are cases were persons had a really hard time and the heart would say not to condemn them.
G.K Chesterton has a very clear view on this, which explains most cases:
>Not only is suicide a sin, it is the sin. It is the ultimate and absolute evil, the refusal to take an interest in existence; the refusal to take the oath of loyalty to life. The man who kills a man, kills a man. The man who kills himself, kills all men; as far as he is concerned he wipes out the world.
>Obviously a suicide is the opposite of a martyr. A martyr is a man who cares so much for something outside him, that he forgets his own personal life. A suicide is a man who cares so little for anything outside him, that he wants to see the last of everything. One wants something to begin: the other wants everything to end.
Now there is this concept in literature, which itself comes from life, where a character would at the end of the tragedy kill himself. The reason being shame for done deeds and seeking repentance, or utter despair.
The first case could be supported by scripture.
Judas hangs himself in the Gospel of Matthew and the OT has mentions of suicide after betrayels, lost battles etc.
But the second case is the more interesting one. Where one can really pity the person, but it doesn't look good.
At the end of The Children of Hurin (If you haven't read it, I can recommend it. Better than LotR) Turin kills himself with his sword. He accomplished much but also racked up much of guilt he thought he needed to atone for. This seems more clear cut. Would he be redeemed?
The other case I'm more wondering about, is his sister Niënor. After a ban is lifted from her memory, she realizes her unborn child is from her brother, adding to her despair and then jumps of a cliff. That looks real bad to get out from. How could she possiblly be redeemed?