 |
|
|
|
|
April 6th, 2013
05:20 PM ET
Son of Pastor Rick Warren commits suicide, family saysBy the CNN Wire staff (CNN) -After a lifelong battle with mental illness, the youngest son of Pastor Rick Warren has committed suicide, his family said. Matthew Warren, 27, died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound on Friday, said Deputy Daniel Aikin, with the Orange County Coroner's Office. The family shared news of his death in an e-mail to church staff. Rick Warren and his wife founded Saddleback Valley Community Church, a megachurch in Southern California. "No words can express the anguished grief we feel right now," the pastor wrote in the note, a copy of which was sent to CNN. "You who watched Matthew grow up knew he was an incredibly kind, gentle, and compassionate man. He had a brilliant intellect and a gift for sensing who was most in pain or most uncomfortable in a room. He'd then make a bee-line to that person to engage and encourage them. Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter "But only those closest knew that he struggled from birth with mental illness, dark holes of depression, and even suicidal thoughts. In spite of America's best doctors, meds, counselors, and prayers for healing, the torture of mental illness never subsided." According to Aikin, Matthew Warren's body was found at his home in Mission Viejo, California, late Friday afternoon. He put the estimated time of death at around 10 a.m. that day. The coroner's office is investigating the death. An autopsy will be conducted early next week, Aikin told CNN on Saturday. According to a spokesman for Rick Warren, Matthew Warren worked in the Saddleback Resources Warehouse, which distributes books and DVDs. As a pioneer of the megachurch movement, Rick Warren looked to translate traditional evangelical messages to a wider audience. The pastor gave the invocation at President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration and penned "The Purpose-Driven Life," a Christian self-help guide that became a mainstream best-seller. CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories "I'll never forget how, many years ago, after another approach had failed to give relief, Matthew said 'Dad, I know I'm going to heaven. Why can't I just die and end this pain?' but he kept going for another decade," Rick Warren wrote in the e-mail. In a separate statement, his church asked for prayers and that "God's comfort and peace" be with the Warren family. A spokesman for Warren provided a copy of a letter Warren sent to members of his staff:
« Previous entryMuseum defends 'Jew in a Box' exhibit
|
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
|
|
|
What goes around comes around...
My friend's son has with birth mental illness, he has been struggling to fight his illness since he was a child,special class after special class,and treatment after treatment. He also has suicide attempted a few times,as a young adult who now is settling in a special facility where he stays with his same kinds. Besides praying, with the power of this megachurch, I believe the family can seek more medical alternative to his son, for instant, advocate or donate more funds into the research of mental illness to benefit others.
to all those calling christianity crap: please put forth your own paradigm for life and prove it's more tenable than a message that has been around since civilized man recorded history. oh, and if you simply say "we evolved", please know your "faith" in a science that changes annually is much, much more delusional that a christian's.
The golden rule existed way before your bástard of a myth called Jesus.
Wow, you're pretty stupid, huh? Just because I don't know the answer to a math problem doesn't mean I can't spot the wrong answer and point it out. Christianity is obviously wrong, for about a million reasons. And no, there's no faith to understanding the facts of evolution. Evolution explains how life has changed over time in response to environmental changes. The only people who don't "believe" evolution are those who don't understand it. If a person truly understands evolution and can disprove some portions of it, then they will ADD to the knowledge of the theory by pointing out where it is wrong and why so that more knowledge is ADDED to the current data under review.
uh, yea...you keep believing in morality apart from a Creator. science has obviously proven that one.
moby – the way you write so amorphously about the fallacy of evolution shows you don't understand it. it is a lie that is never challenged in science and only used to attempt explanation of the untestable. all discussions in papers hold onto evolution as the glue to link a result to a greater understanding or human existence, but there is no calling into question of this basis...only robotic, brainwashed belief.
Science doesn't deal with morality, what a strange argument.
And no, Christianity most certainly has not been around since civilized man began recording history, not even close.
As for evolution apparently changing each year.....you know bearing false witness is a no-no right?
Well, we certainly can't follow god's moral code, can we? Hmm.. a bunch of people doing stuff I don't like, I guess I'll drown them all in a world-wide flood including the pregnant mothers, little children and kittens, too. Hmm, I tell people to love their enemies, but I'm going to torture mine in a pit of fire forever and ever.
Yeah, nice morals.
I understand evolution enough to know that it's proven ever day thousands of times in hundreds and hundreds of labs across the globe. I know that you believers don't care about proof, but I don't believe based on faith, so I'm stuck with believing evolution and disbelieving your invisible, undetectable sky wizard and his magic spells.
"since civilized man recorded history."
If you had bothered to read that history, you would not have made such a stupid claim.
CR – book of Job details life of a man living, by scholars estimates, over 10,000 years. please tell me a comparable book of history that can rival that. The christian bible has been around that long, when it was first begun.
"please know your "faith" in a science that changes annually"
Wow. The depths of your stupidity continue to astonish.
You atheists are going to hell on a whole different level than where the suicidals go. At least their level isn't one of the baboon levels.
TANK – your proof?
Moby – a bacteria that multiplies and changes a base pair in their genome does not provide the basis for complex evolution in explaining the irreducible complexity of biologic systems. in other words, there is absolutely NO event that happens thousands of times everyday that proves darwinian evolution.
evolution is a lie!
"by scholars estimates, over 10,000 years"
And then provides no scholarly claims to back his claims up. Brilliant!
TANK – you probably smell bad, right?
"the irreducible complexity"
You're scraping the bottom of the barrel now. Surely you cannot sink any further.
Here's your "proof"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OgAXbyzP5g
yeah
CR – book of Job details life of a man living, by scholars estimates, over 10,000 years. please tell me a comparable book of history that can rival that. The christian bible has been around that long, when it was first begun.
Oh don't be silly. For starters it's believed the story wasn't written until at least 600 BC. Where are you getting this 10000 years from?
TANK – dude, read something for a change.
"you probably smell bad, right?"
No. I suspect that would be true of you though. I mean, here you are wallowing in the cesspool of your own ignorance. It wouldn't be a stretch to think that you take frequent dives into actual cesspools as well.
Bwahahahaahaha!!!
You don't know much about genetic research, do you?!? We've basically got a movie at this point showing exactly what happened at exactly what era on the tree of life. My, but you're a stupid one.
Salero21
You atheists are going to hell on a whole different level than where the suicidals go. At least their level isn't one of the baboon levels.
And you will be joining us Salerno because revilers, or haters, are specifically mentioned in the bible as going to hell, and you my friend are a hater.
Don't blame me, not my rules,
CR – never said written. the story is best placed 10000 years ago. again, i cannot think of other stoires in recorded history that go back farther.
Anon – if i were muslim i'd be offended. but i'm not.
TANK – i will pray for you.
"dude, read something for a change."
Right after displaying your ignorance of history, you tell someone else to go "read something." Oh the irony! Follow your own advice and free yourself from your self-imposed ignorance in the act.
"i will pray for you."
Right after insulting me too!
moby – read michael behe's darwins black box.
CR – never said written. the story is best placed 10000 years ago. again, i cannot think of other stoires in recorded history that go back farther.
Based on what evidence?
Besides which, how does basing a story in a time period mean that the story is that old?
A scientist responds to Behe's Black Box
http://ncse.com/rncse/19/5/scientist-responds-to-behes-black-box
FYI....Book of Job mentions Sabeans and Chaldeans; neither of which existed until 1,000BC at the earliest.
God will work in peoples lives through this tragedy.
Romans 8
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, whoi have been called according to his purpose.
and to His glory...agreed.
OT genocide? Job's first wife and children? You mean like that?
Cigar – I do not need a fellow human to explain to me things of this world for time here is only so long and men are finite in everything.
Didn't men tell you that your book is written by god? You believed them?
Why? You just said you think men are.. nothing.
Dont bother replying with your "logic" cause you have none. All sucked by the disease called "Christianity and literal belief"
LMAO: Leviticus: Bats are birds, yeah, it must be written by an infinite being; not a desert tribe in the iron age that didn't know any better.
My soul has been blessed with the spirit and it wasn't always this way for me, believe me. something wonderful that I cannot explain happened to me when I trusted in God and followed Him it is a comfort I cannot begin to explain for there are no other words but joy and peace. This doesn't mean I don't have bad days or get frustrated but I can work through so much now things are far less confusing and empty. Peace be with you.
Ok, Peter, now you sound like a troll. Cant argue with you, cause you seems to be making fun of what I am making... so peace
As a parent who lost my 19 year old son to suicide 18 months ago, my prayers go out to the family. God bless.
"No words can express the anguished grief we feel right now," the pastor wrote in the note...
Why would you feel grief over God's plan? Don't you like his plan? When his son is judged, will his judges accept mental illness as a defense for committing the sin of suicide? I guess we'll just have to guess since God works in mysterious ways. Condolences to his family for their inexplicable grief.
You can grieve (not grief...) over a suicide and still believe in God's plan. Those 2 things are NOT mutually exclusive.
EXACTLY!! Every one wants to go to heaven...just not today 😉
it is human nature to feel remorse even if he's already in God's hands....get that einstein?
another person has died because they were driven to kill themselves while on antidepressant drugs another life lost to drugs big pharma drugs like these SSRI types drugs and other brain chemical inhibitors
All most all the young people who committed these mass shootings were on these same drugs.
Now you're connecting the dots...
Sorry but if Bin Laden's child died instead, would you be singing the same tune? how about Hitler? You think everyone who's life work is filled with bigotry should be left alone in their "moment" and have others feel their pain in their time of need? sorry but there are many others to feel really sorry over. Can't spread the condolence around to everyone because not everyone deserves them.
so much for a REPLY message....LOL anyways this is for samuel
If Pastor Rick Warren's son was mentally ill why did he have access to a firearm. Is the Pastor a gun nut?
According to the Christians way of thinking, "it's all part of gods plan" so it was meant to be.
So Tom, in your perverted, petty, narrow-minded, little mind, just owning one gun makes someone a gun nut, eh? Seriously Tom, you're the one that sounds like the nut...
see dr owour he has the answer. see kakamega revival video on youtube and you will see why?
May he rest in peace now that his battle is over.
Whether there is a God or not, some of you posters are disgusting. A family is grieving the loss of their son. Condolences should be offered, not insults about 'worshipping a sky fairy'. I offer my condolences to Pastor Warren's family in this time of grief.
Samuel, I agree with you in principal. But those who are in side the hate umbrella of Rick warren and his ilk's, I dont find it disgusting at all that there are other folks who return the hate favor.
I'll try this again....Sorry but if Bin Laden's child died instead, would you be singing the same tune? how about Hitler? You think everyone who's life work is filled with bigotry should be left alone in their "moment" and have others feel their pain in their time of need? sorry but there are many others to feel really sorry over. Can't spread the condolence around to everyone because not everyone deserves them.
I couldn't have said it better myself, Samuel. So much for "tolerance", eh?
http://pipsylou.blogspot.com
Kinda hard to take pity on a hom0phobic cretin especially after endorsing a kill the gays bill in Uganda and possibly driving gay teens to suicide.
I agree. Whether you are Christian, Muslim, agnostic or atheist; gay, hetero, trans or bi; or any of the other members of this diverse human race, how can you not feel compassion for a person who has suffered so much or a family who has lost someone they love?
@MB I feel for the person who feels this was their only option....the one who died by suicide. The character of the "grievers" comes into question if others should be give condolences or if they should be given the door. Who I choose to give my sympathies to are based on who I feel should get them. it's not a one-size-fits-all moment. I will pause for a moment for the one who should get it and leave the rest to their misery. That doesn't make me heartless, because not everyone deserves my heart.
Samuel,
I have been to Saddleback Church – have you? Those people are attending are a bunch of rich folks who have their guilt washed away every sunday by tossing a few bucks in the plate. Most of them are pretentious ahoIes who think they are better than the rest.
If Warren shows up to 'work' tomorrow, it will just prove that his church is more important to him than his family.
Religion is the for weak minded, for those that don't/can't think for themselves.
Try picking up a science book and reading it – it is amazing how much knowledge we have discovered that has completely disproven/discredited religion and yet, the sheep continue to have 'faith'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK0mjVcmcIo
Well said
Is that why the Catholic Church invented the scientific method and the university system? I dare you to google List of Roman Catholic cleric–scientists.
God gives faith , God is the authentic ministry. The Holy Spirit is a sanctifying spirit that bears the truth of God's word on a persons heart.
Hey Peter – I dare you to give me one shred of evidence that god exists. Just one. you do know what evidence is right?
Hey Peter – I want you to google Samantha Runnion, read about the case. Then get back to me and explain me to how any 'god' could allow something like this to a 7 year old girl. and no taking the easy way out 'god works in mysterious ways' crap.
"the Catholic Church invented the scientific method"
Ha!
# 6 dreamed i was touring a house and went out back and there was an ABOVE ground pool with an flush deck and a privacy fence right around the deck.
two days later the kid sleeping next to me pulled out a piece of paper , sheldon clay was his name, and he showed me his blue print he drew, of a new house, with an above ground swimming pool , with a flush deck around the pool, and a privacy fence on the deck.
#7 this kid on night threw a roll a tp and racked me. I was furious and said to myself, I wonder if he has the spiritual light in his eye. and then i rebuked my judgment of his spiritual condition. THE NEXT MORNING he woke up and came up to me and said, "i had a dream last night that i was going around to see who had a special light in their eye to see if they were possessed or not"
this kid was not a bible verse type of guy.
#8 had a dream that the kid who was ripping on me lost his money
a month later i over heard him talking about how he lost his money, and i said watch this, and pulled out the dream i had that he had lost it.
#9 the cat dream. I had a cat at my house, that night i dreamed that a demonic voice sang to me which inverted my body and then presented the same cat, covered in blood.
I woke up and the cat was dead in the highway, 550 feet from my house.
So, what do you believe, my strong minded friend? How did life orginate? How did the universe start–if it did? God invented science...it ain't magic.
Sir, I am a born-again Believer. I also am comfortable with science so unlike you, I do not have do be belligerent or display some false bravado by insulting those who do not believe like me. You seem to be the weak one...simply a cyberspace bully.
LOL, first off, thanks for the very entertaining piece Austin...I loved it.
As for you Stacy, I believe the facts that have been discovered as of yet – and that is we still don't know where life originated. Maybe someday we will, maybe never. LOL @ god created science!! where do you come up with this? I shall pose the same question I posed to Peter – give me one shred of evidence that god exists.
Hey Peter, Stacy.....I am still waiting, lets hear it.
I'm so terribly sorry for this family. I can't imagine the grief they have endured for years, watching someone they love suffer with a mental illness without having found successful treatment. I pray that the love of their family and friends and the peace of God will sustain them through this terrible time. I also pray that they never read any of the nasty comments that people feel compelled to leave in times such as this.
All I see is prayers, prayers and more prayers. If that really did any good, wouldn't you expect to see something monumental on "national prayer day".
Prayer doesn't work like a slot machine!
logically, why didn't they help before this guy killed himself?
You are underestimating God's mercy He knows what is truly in the heart of men.
Prayer is a placebo. I truly feel bad for this family, but science- not prayer- conquers illness. Enough with the bronze aged guilt and fear mentality. How can Rick Warren doing this knowing he is giving false hope to so many people when they should be advocating science?
peter, peter.... rolling in circular logic.
Cant blame you. I know its confusing... circular logic is the closest your brain could come up with the justification for the in-sanity.
Shame on those who post ugly comments to this tragic story. They are the lowest of the low.
I agree ...it's simply mind boggling to me.
These are anonymous comments on an editorial piece. Not a funeral guestbook. Get off your soap box. Rick Warren is a moron. I'll respect his privacy as soon as he starts respecting the privacy the millions of gay Americans by not commenting on their personal lives. If you think gay is a choice, or say 'I have no problem with gays, but gay marriage is wrong' I instantly surmise you have a low IQ, and are probably an insubstantial non-contributor.
God bless Matthew, Rick and his wife.
Oh God help and comfort Pastor and his wife in this time of pain
The same 'god' that allowed this to happen? Christian logic – you just credit anything 'good' to god and anything negative to that bad bad 'devil'.
Where was Jesus?
Playing golf with Obama and Tiger.
He doesnt exist, plain and simple.
But the fundamentalist christians would leave no stone unturned to INSIST he is there and coming for the whole world (LOL, what superiority complex).
They would invent false evidences, false propaganda programs on History channel, etc., etc. to prove he existed and still exists.
Well not why he allowed Rick's son to die, when he has "done" so much for him, cant say. Make your own conclusion.
Rick will see his boy again – there will one day be a "new Heaven" and "new Earth" for all of those whose names are in the Book of Life – read Revelation. It's very disturbing for them now, but one day, it will be made right again.
Paul B, you are so much brain washed.... you are beyond reapir. Just dont buy any guns for your god's sake.
LOL Cigar – it's probably too late, I am guessing he has all kinds of guns already.