However, the Catholic Church is more lenient in her way of interpreting these incidents. Mental illness is often to cause of suicides around the world. This is, unfortunately, what took the life of a young Protestant megachurch minister.
Jarrid Wilson, a megachurch pastor known widely for his mental health advocacy, dies by suicide https://t.co/iWlizfjr2o— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 10, 2019
Jarrid Wilson was a popular young Protestant minister who used used a hipster millenial look to reach young people. I remembered his account followed our @Sacerdotus account years ago. It was probably a special bot used to garner followers. In any event, I engage with anyone who is civil, educated and willing to listen regardless of religious belief or no belief. I never noticed his tweets demonstrating anything but positive messages mixed in with Gospel passages. He was not a "Jack Chick" type of Protestant looking to attack the Catholic Church, from what I gathered.
However, he clearly had some demons he was wrestling with. He often tweeted on mental health issues and was open about his bout with depression. Wilson founded an outreach called "Anthem of Hope which was geared towards helping those with depression and suicidal thoughts. He had tweeted this:
Rest in peace— ☧Sacerdotus™⚛✡ (@Sacerdotus) September 11, 2019
Rest in peace. https://t.co/2cdofly1Vj— ☧Sacerdotus™⚛✡ (@Sacerdotus) September 11, 2019
Ironically, the man who sought to help others with depression and suicidal thoughts could not help himself. Jarrid Wilson took his own life leaving his wife and kids behind, not to mention his large social media following who probably found solace in his tweets. Based on his tweet, Wilson did not believe Jesus could take away his pain and depression. Jesus does. His wife posted this on Instagram:
Let us pray for the soul of Jarrid Wilson. We cannot say whether or not he is truly with Jesus, only God knows this. However, we must not judge. This man was mentally ill and had a lot going for him with his family and career. For someone to just kill himself tells me that he was not in his right mind. Depression killed him, not his own hands. God will not hold this against Wilson or anyone who takes his or her life due to mental illness. Sin can only be done by a conscious will. Over the summer, I too lost a friend who was nicknamed "Lace." He was a gay man living with HIV who was sweet and kind to all he came into contact with.
At the disappearance of his service dog, "Lace" just lost it. He became depressed to the point of taking his life. Again, depression took his life. He like Wilson did not wake up and said to themselves, "I am going to kill myself for the heck of it." These men had hardships in their minds they could not handle. This is not an indication that they were weak men, but that they are human and humans can only bear so much. I hope atheists will not take advantage of this situation to gloat. The "Friendly Atheist" and others are known for taking these tragedies and turning them against God and religion. All scholars and pyschological professionals know that atheism has one of the highests rates of mental illness and suicide.
Rest in peace— ☧Sacerdotus™⚛✡ (@Sacerdotus) September 11, 2019
His Protestant ministry website posted this message:
It is with the deepest sadness and shock that I have to report that Jarrid Wilson went to be with the Lord last night.
At a time like this, there are just no words.
The Bible says, “There is a time to mourn.” This is certainly that time.
Jarrid is survived by his wife, Juli, his two sons, Finch and Denham, his mother, father, and siblings.
Jarrid loved the Lord and had a servant’s heart.
He was vibrant, positive, and was always serving and helping others.
Jarrid also repeatedly dealt with depression and was very open about his ongoing struggles.
He wanted to especially help those who were dealing with suicidal thoughts.
Tragically, Jarrid took his own life.
Jarrid joined us as an associate pastor at Harvest 18 months ago and had spoken out many times on this very issue of mental health.
Jarrid and his wife, Juli, founded an outreach to help people dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts called “Anthem of Hope.”
Sometimes people may think that as pastors or spiritual leaders we are somehow above the pain and struggles of everyday people. We are the ones who are supposed to have all the answers. But we do not.
At the end of the day, pastors are just people who need to reach out to God for His help and strength, each and every day.
Over the years, I have found that people speak out about what they struggle with the most.
One dark moment in a Christian’s life cannot undo what Christ did for us on the cross.
Romans reminds us that “nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:39).
At times like this, we must remember that as Christians, we do not live on explanations but on promises. We fall back on what we do know, not on what we don’t know. We do know that Jarrid put his faith in Jesus Christ and we also know that he is in Heaven now.
We stand on the promise of Revelation 21:4 that reminds us that in Heaven there is no more sorrow, suffering, or death.
Please keep Juli and Jarrid’s family in prayer.
The Harvest family has lost a bright light.
Pray for us as we grieve together.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out for help.
You can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Only God knows their hearts and is the judge. May God have mercy of Jarrid Wilson and all those who have committed suicide. May God give those out there who are suicidal strength to overcome their illness. Let us pray for those who found hope in Jarrid's tweets that they may not be discouraged and now feel empowered to commit suicide themselves.
Source:
http://jarridwilson.com/
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/11/us/megachurch-pastor-mental-health-suicide/index.html?utm_content=2019-09-11T11%3A30%3A12&utm_term=link&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twCNN
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49667775
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/12/jarrid-wilson-us-pastor-who-ran-suicide-outreach-group-takes-own-life
https://people.com/human-interest/megachurch-pastor-mental-health-advocate-jarrid-wilson-dies-by-suicide/
https://harvest.org/resources/gregs-blog/post/jarrid-wilson-in-memoriam/
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