Suicide, the afterlife & abortion disclaimer

Previously I've written about ministerial disclaimers.

This week I've added another disclaimer to my arsenal.

Over the last week I've been in a series of email discussions about various questions. Some of the queries have revolved around the topics of the afterlife and suicide.

Before launching into my half-baked answers I gave the following disclaimer...

Again, like a discussion on hell, I always feel a little uncomfortable talking about suicide because 1) the bible doesn't give us the details that we sometimes desire and 2) it potentially touches on the very real and sometimes awkward topic of death (not only our own, but also those we love).

I start with this launch point, especially if I'm not absolutely sure of the enquirers background or reasoning behind the question because hell, suicide (and the bonus subject of abortion) are deeply personal and emotive issues.

When dealing with these three topics we need to be honest and state that we don't hold all the answers and, depending on the circumstance, the "right answer" isn't always the most appropriate.