I just learned about an Elder's son who took his own life years ago. Why exactly, I don't know? The surviving child is a real tool sometimes, now I have some idea why. It's a sad situation for everyone.
Suicide - How many do you know within the JWs
by Lady Lee 234 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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Rattigan350
I know of 5.
And add to that myself when I got baptized under the premise of giving up my life for the spirit directed organization.
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wallsofjericho
i know of 3
one just ocurred a few weeks ago. mid 20's father with young family
havent heard how he did it but was a big deal around here after it happened
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Watchtower-Free
New group forming
Jehovah's Witnesses Suicide Memorium
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1474402276106899/ -
EndofMysteries
2, one after getting dfed for smoking a cigarette, the other unsure the reason but jumped off a high bridge that's popular for suicides.
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SecretHeart11
I know of 6, one possible one (suspicious accident). A close friend was also at the Convention in Rome and saw first hand the brother who committed suicide at the convention. Super sad.
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losingit
I know 2, both teenage boys
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freddo
2 spring to mind; plus an attempted one which I count as a serious attempt - it was a survived - a jump from a 3rd floor car park.
A couple of overdoses too. But they survived.
Oh, a family in the 70's; wife tried gassing herself but survived, her UBM stuck his head in a gas oven and died. Their daughter jumped a high bridge.
What a happyfying experience their contact with jw's was ...
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James Jackson
A CO in California just had to go to Missouri because his JW Brother just tried to kill himself this past week.
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JW GoneBad
Suicide and Jehovah’s Witnesses-this is a concern that will not go away anytime soon!
The bullet points below are from a suicide prevention article.
These bullet points are what suicide prevention experts cite as Risk and Protective markers that can either contribute to or prevent suicide. See for yourself how the Watchtower Society and Jehovah’s Witnesses measure up:
Risk Factors for Suicide
Hopelessness.
Fact: It is next to impossible for many disfellowshipped or disassociated JWs to have any sense of hope for the future when having to deal with the humiliating trauma of shunning. The next best thing…..entertain thoughts of suicide!
Loss of relationship.
Fact: How can a JW disfellowshipped or disassociated suicidal person seek out family members for support when they are shunned by said JW family members.
Lack of social support and sense of isolation.
Fact: Lack of social support and a sense of isolation is akin for a JW suicidal person, especially if they are either disfellowshipped, disassociated, or given the cold-shoulder due to being a low-hour publisher or being labeled inactive.
Lack of health care, especially mental health.
Fact: Elders are not inclined to encourage a suicidal person to seek professional help. Lack of mental health care is nowhere to be found among Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Easy access to lethal means.
Fact: What are Elders to do with a suicidal person and a parked car with a full tank of gasoline in an enclosed garage? There is a recent WT video where the elders after shepherding a sister with suicidal thoughts left her home-alone with the lethal means in-tack in her garage. This video shows how clumsy and incompetent elders are in dealing with JW members with thoughts of suicide!
Stigma associated with asking for help.
Fact: WT has brainwashed rank and file to rely on ‘Jehovah’ and not worldly wisdom when the need for mental care comes up. WT is less inclined to recommend JWs with thoughts of suicide to seek help from mental help experts. To do so puts the individual in poor light with the congregation.
Job or financial loss.
Fact: Planning for retirement is not a priority among Jehovah’s Witnesses thanks to the WTBTS. Many older JWs are seriously worried over not having any savings for later years due to WT’s indoctrination of seeking first the Kingdom early in life and ignoring any financial planning.
History of trauma or abuse.
Fact: WT and congregations have made many emotionally disturbed JWs feel not worthy if they didn’t pioneer, auxiliary pioneer or maintain the national hourly average in field service or if they rarely commented at question and answer meeting sessions. Worse yet, severe mental pain escalates if the JW member has been publicly harshly and severely disciplined in front of the whole congregation.
Exposure to others who have died by suicide.
Fact: Sadly every Jehovah’s Witness knows of more than one other Jehovah’s Witness who decided to end it all by suicide.
Protective Factors for Suicide
Effective clinical care for mental disorders.
Fact: The WTBTS does not provide professional clinical care for JWs with mental disorders. The WTBTS does not go out of its way to locate effective clinical care for JW members who have thoughts of suicide. The shepherds (elders) in the congregation are not trained to provide effective clinical care.
Easy access to a variety of clinical interventions.
Fact: There is no list of clinical interventions to be found on either JW.org or on WT’s CD-Rom library for JWs with thoughts of suicide.
Restricted access to highly lethal means of suicide.
Fact: In a recent WT instructional suicidal video for JW elders, the elders shepherding the sister who was contemplating suicide did nothing to restrict her intended means of committing suicide. The sister related to the elders how she had entertained thoughts of ending her life by taking in exhaust fumes from her car in the garage. The elders left the lethal means of suicide in the garage! After 20 to 30 minutes of counseling the sister, the elders left the home of the suicidal sister. What’s more, they left the suicidal sister on her own, with her fueled automobile in the enclosed garage!
Strong connections to family for support.
Fact: WT discourages and restricts JW families from reaching out to shunned & disfellowshipped family members. Many of these harshly disciplined members are at their lowest ebb and are in great need of family and support.
Support through ongoing medical and mental health care relationships.
Fact: There is no such thing as ‘ongoing medical and mental health care relationships’ in the JW organizaiton.
Skills in problem solving, conflict resolution and handling problems in a non-violent way.
Fact: Congregational elders lack the training in problem solving , conflict resolution and handling problems. The best that elders can do is a 20 to 30 minute shepherding call with the suicidal person, after which they enjoy milk and cookies provided by the suicidal victim (see WT’s instructional suicidal video for elders).
Cultural and religious beliefs that discourage suicide and support self-preservation.
Fact: JWs with emotional disorders are told to look to Jehovah God, read the Bible and WT publications, pray more, spend more time in the field ministry and be regular at meetings. Sadly, other than that, there is no cultural and religious beliefs that discourage suicide and support self-preservation among Jehovah’s Witnesses.
