Reflections on the presentation

Today the group I was in did the 'Suicide Cults' presentation on the Waco Seventh Day Adventists Branch Davidians. Meena asked a question regarding the difference between Suicide and Martyrdom. Whilst driving back home I pondered this question and have come to a conclusion. Suicide is associated with a person or persons (e.g. suicide pacts) taking their life because they do not see any other way out of their personal circumstances. It is a desperate measure to escape the agony they feel. Martyrdom is more associated with a 'cause' or one's own beliefs. So this is no longer associated with escaping personal circumstances but instead is associated with either trying to make a difference for the 'cause' or having died as a direct result of the 'cause'.

I also feel that in the current world we live in that the distinction between suicide and martyrdom is no longer as clear as it once was. For example the term 'suicide bombers' refers to people and acts associated with promoting a particular cause to try to make a difference and yet the term includes the word 'suicide' which has connotations with taking one's own life and not associated in the past with purposely taking the lives of others.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gE5yINOn4N4&feature=related

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=k9qfzI5-OgM&feature=related

http://www.mercatus.org/repository/docLib/20070801_The_Market_for_Martyrs.pdf

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0899-2851%28200222%29223%3C34%3ATAMRWS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-H&size=LARGE&origin=JSTOR-enlargePage

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YilPdQ2tVlE&NR=1

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=22XEkJY62VA&feature=related

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zL4oT6lekbE&feature=related