All: Do you consider Santhara (the act of wilful starvation in Jainism) suicide?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santhara - general overview


Pretty remarkable stuff, and quite shocking.

THEISTS: Do you believe this practice is suicide, and if so, would a person be admitted to Heaven?

ATHEISTS: What is your reaction to all this?

well what happens when you let yourself starve to death? yeah you die

It is obviously suicide.

The article you showed tells us that supporters say 'suicide is emotional and hasty', as opposed to Santhara which has thought put into it...

Definitions of suicide, in this dictionary: "The act of killing oneself intentionally."

It makes sense if you think, and care that trees have feelings...

That's extreme religious craziness .. and suicide.
But at least they are killing themselves .. and not others.

As an atheist I have to say I couldn't care less; if these individuals want to end it all, let them.

I would say it is suicide regardless of how others try to dress it up as something else.

However the means, deliberately ending ones own life is suicide.

How could it be anything else? Just because it takes a long time does not make it any the less a fatal practise of choice. Suicide is simply making the choice to die, the means used does not alter the eventuality.
The person starving themselves know that it will lead to their death, they have therefore chosen to die, choosing to die is an act of suicide, no matter what some strange religion may say about it.