Suicide is Absolution

Suicide is Absolution is the idea that if someone kills themselves then their crimes are forgiven. It is a historically common position adopted by various societies.

Some of these are:

  • Modern Western Civilization - Jason Arday's suicide retroactively transformed his fraud and plagiarism into forgivable crimes; the act functions to diminish the sin in comparison
  • Historical Japanese culture - Seppuku is a ritual suicide method that absolves one's sins and is still rarely practised; the act functions as atonement and through that, to absolution of the crime or dishonor

Though there are oppositional civilizations as well, like:

  • Christianity - the proscription against killing applies to oneself as well, and the act of this sin leaves one without the chance to repent

A related belief is that one should not speak ill of the dead.