Religion and Suicide

Suicide is a major problem today. As a minister, I have dealt many times with suicide and related trauma. On experience, I put suicide down to, by and large, people 

1. not knowing where suffering fits into the picture, 

2. not having a reason to expect good from life, and 

3. 'global stress' (stress in all areas of one's life)

OBSERVATION: See The American Journal of Psychiatry, which surveys the relationship of religion to suicide: "Religiously affiliated subjects were less likely to have a history of suicide attempts, the best predictor of future suicide or attempts."