Yes yes all Christians are completely duplicitous in all of their actions and thus there cannot be a single person associated with this project who has a genuinely heartfelt belief that the suicidal are making a terrible mistake and that it’s a moral act to try to prevent them from doing so, approaching the problem through the lens by which they (mis?)understand the world. Certainly none of the people involved may have struggled with their own suicidal ideation and want to pay forward the kindnesses they received that kept them from pulling the trigger. The first thing the JesusCares.com website asks you is how much money you’re able to tithe to whatever church you’re associated with and if you answer less than $100/month they tell you that death is preferable to the poverty you live in and provide detailed instructions on the least painful method of slitting your wrists.
They are showing adverts. That means somehow they are being paid. In the US that money likely comes from the people getting help (this is an assumption) which means they have an insentive to exploit the people getting help for as long as they can get away with this.
Also based on this being on Facebook or something I assume the ad is targeted and the person who posted it seems to be an atheist or agnostic based on the community this was posted to, suggesting that this website might be attempting to convert people who are struggling.
Personally I think the heartfelt people working there are also being taken advantage of, having their genuine human compassion used to pressure desperate people into the faith.
This is actually the first thing it says on their ‘about us’ page:
Youth in America are in crisis. Millions have lives filled with pain and empty of meaning. Seventy-eight million Americans were born between 1980 and 2000. This is the Millennial Generation. Although 65% of them would claim Christianity if they were filling out a government form, less than 20% have a biblical understanding of Jesus and matters of salvation.
If statistics are true, less than 1 in 5 Millennials have a relationship with Christ that provides forgiveness and the promise of Heaven. This leaves over 60 million who are dying in their sin. This is a huge mission field. One we cannot ignore.
It has been said that the Millennial Generation is the most difficult to reach with the Gospel, but if you know where to reach them…and how, the task becomes much easier.
It seems like they’re more interested in leveraging desperation to convert millennials to their religion than in offering genuine heartfelt support to people in crisis.
For anyone who might be in crisis and is looking for a secular solution, the newly established 988 hotline in the US will offer genuine help without the sales pitch for Jesus.