The way I see it, when anyone commits SUICIDE, it is not the end of one’s sorrows, because that individual still has a God to answer to in the final analysis.
Just last week, we heard of the unfortunate demise of a young man from Bucks Hill Village in Gingerland and his death was ruled as a suicide.
I did some research and noted that quite a number of countries has SUICIDE listed as a crime, while others term it LEGAL, but code ASSISTED SUICIDE as illegal.
Surprisingly, of the countries listed, I did not see St. Kitts and Nevis in the list, so I am not sure what is our country’s take on the issue.
You may well wonder about those countries who code suicide as illegal, how in the world they could punish the person who is already dead?
Well, apparently there are laws pertaining to how and where the individual could be buried; what happens to his/her property—like it could be confiscated by the state etc.
There are even laws pertaining to ATTEMPTED SUICIDE. I guess the individual tries to commit suicide and fails in the attempt and therefore could be punished by law.
I remember, there was such a case in Nevis and the fella failed in his attempt and was rescued before he could suffocate and a good friend of mine, with his usual sarcastic sense of humour, in relating to the incident said of the man: ‘The boy is a failure-even in killing himself, that and all he couldn’t do good!’
There were two such incidents that impacted my life as a young Public Health Inspector, in a real way.
One day I got a call to bring the gang of men under my care, to the home of a Mr. Hanley, a man who was popularly referred to as STRIKER. He had a very well patronized pastry shop, which was at the time located just below the Gingerland Secondary school-in that general area where Best Buy is now located.
Well, on that day as we arrived at STRIKER’s residence, I witnessed the body of the deceased man, hanging from a rope in the front room of his house.
After the Police had done their initial investigations, I was instructed to get my men to cut the body loose and take it to the waiting Elliot’s funeral home hearse.
As the men untied the body, one of them, Alvin Halliday by name, whispered to me: “Mr. Morton, how could someone take their life like that and life is so sweet?’
It was not a full week later that I was again summoned to take my gang to another home, to untie another man hanging from his roof. Sadly, it was Alvin Halliday.
One of the men, Meritt Boddie (of blessed memory), mused: ‘Maybe he was just watching STRIKER to see how he did it.’
Well I newa!
As I used the term ‘hanging from,’ I am reminded that we are in that season when persons mostly remember the image of Jesus hanging from a cross.
Jesus DID NOT COMMIT SUICDE but was CRUCIFIED for your sins and mine. The most cruel death in recorded history and he did it for you and me.
Lots of Christians around the world celebrate this time as EASTER but history will reveal that EASTER is indeed a pagan holiday and in reality is not ordained by God, as a celebration of his resurrection, as is so widely purported.
I contacted my good friend GOOGLE and I got this:
“Origin of Easter – A Christian Commemoration
The origin of Easter, a holiday associated with the observance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is actually based on an ancient pagan celebration. Christians recognize this day as commemorating the culminating event of their faith, but like so many other “Christian” holidays, Easter has become commercialized and mixed with non-christian traditions like the Easter Bunny, Easter parades and hunting for Easter eggs. How did this happen?
For Christians, the origin of Easter is simply the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ about 2,000 years ago. According to the Gospel accounts, Jesus Christ, the true Messiah promised in the Old Testament, was crucified and resurrected at the time of the Jewish Passover. Since that awesome event took place, those who believe Christ is their Messiah have honored that day and often celebrated it with the traditional Passover
History of Easter
QUESTION: What is the history of Easter?
ANSWER:
According to Christians around the world, Easter is a day set aside to commemorate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. But the history of Easter is more complicated than that. The name of the holiday is derived from the name of an ancient, pagan goddess, Eastre, sometimes spelled Eostre. Eastre was the goddess of spring and worshipped by the Teutonic tribes that the early Christians ministered to.
At this point, the history of Easter becomes a little complicated. The early missionaries, seeking to convert the people of the Teutonic tribes, adopted the celebration of Eastre’s festival as their own. Since the festival fell around the same time as the Christian’s memorial of Jesus’ resurrection, the missionaries simply substituted one holiday for another. This allowed the new converts to continue their tradition, but its meaning and purpose had changed.
The history of Easter continued to be complex as the actual date of the celebration was never fully established. Some linked the memorial to the ancient Hebrew calendar’s celebration of Passover. Others linked the date to the spring equinox. Finally, in 325 A.D. Emperor Constantine met with other church leaders and together they decreed that Easter would fall on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. However, the controversy over the holiday’s date continues with some the Eastern Orthodox Churches still celebrating it at the end of Passover week.
The history of Easter wouldn’t be complete without mention of the Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs. Both of these common symbols of Easter are derived from ancient, pagan traditions. Eastre’s pagan symbol was the rabbit or hare. The giving and receiving of eggs was also a common tradition in the Teutonic tribes, eggs symbolizing rebirth and renewal.
With or without the Easter Bunny, Easter today, means victory over death for millions of Christians around the world. For it was on this day in the history of Easter, that Jesus conquered death and rose again, bringing light, love, and life to the world forever. “
A good friend of mine told me that she was not going to the annual Good Friday kite flying extravaganza hosted by the SJCIC, because her church was ‘celebrating the DEATH of Jesus.’
She did not even say the resurrection!
My bible is clear. There is only one way in which Jesus intended his death, burial and resurrection to be commemorated—and that is through BAPTISM.
Let’s look at these two texts:
“Romans 6:4
1: What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2:God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3:Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4:Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5:For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6:Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7:For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Colossians 2:12
9-For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10-And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 11-In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 1-Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”
So in essence, for the great sacrifice that Jesus made for us, he requires in return that we give our hearts to him and live to please him for the rest of our days.
One public way of announcing that you have determined to make a change in your life and live for God, is through BAPTISM.
Just as Christ was BURIED and then ROSE from the dead. So too, the individual is ‘buried under water and then raised back above water to NEW LIFE in Christ.
That is why BAPTISM can only be meaningful, if is done in a body of water that the individual can be totally immersed-so that makes SPRINKLING, effectively NULL AND VOID.
So, what is the significance of Easter? Well, it is just another pagan celebration, which has now traditionally worked out to how much money people can make, during the time.
Of course with the focus on Jesus’ tremendous sacrifice for us, we can use the opportunity to recommit our lives to him and try to get people to focus on living to please him and not the hype and festivity surrounding the occasion.
That’s the way I see it. How do you see it?
END