by redredrose 630 Replies latest jw friends
He deserved a far better obituary than this:
http://obituaries.news-record.com/obituaries/news-record/obituary.aspx?n=eric-reeder&pid=160175067#fbLoggedOut
I don't know if it's possible to leave comments on there, but if it is, I'm sure it would be flooded with the kind of outpouring of grief I've seen here :(
Oh, dear God.
Hello everyone. It's been some time since I've posted on JWN. I thought to check in and see how things are going...and I see this.
Poor Oompa. Even though we did not have any personal contact, he was truly a kind and sensitive person, who loved his family and only wanted the best for them.
But as we all know, real love is a scarce commodity in Witness-World.
The tears are streaming down my face as I'm typing this. I wish there was something earth-shaking and immediate that I could do to end this evil cult, but the WTS seems deathless...
When a person is studying to be a Witness, they're never told about shunning. It's only after someone is baptized, that they really find out about the practice - and this is by design. How many people would willingly join if they knew about the 'loving' tatic of shunning in advance? Very few, of course, because decent people would see it for what it really is...a death sentence.
Oh Oopma, I'm so sorry that you felt that this was the only way you could achieve peace. I hope we meet one day at the crossroads of eternity and love.
For the GB, I hope that there is Hell to pay.
I can't believe it. Me and Oompa didn't start off on the best footing here, back when I first joined up, but I definitely kept an eye out for him and could tell he was suffering an awful lot because of the cult and...everything. I just can't believe it. As someone who's been through hell and back myself, I know how easy it is to fall into that abyss, to want to end it all. I just can't believe it.
It underscores why we're all here. The Watchtower Society must be fought, even if it can never be defeated entirely. It was surely a major factor in his fate.
At the same time, more objectively, it's also depression that underlies it all. As someone who deals with a mild form of it myself, it reminds me of the need to try hard to leave the door open to others, to seek out a listening ear--and hopefully be that listening ear for someone else in their time of need. He deserved a full and happy life. I can only hope that somewhere in there, he knew he was loved, by someone, somewhere, somehow. I never knew him beyond this site, and yet it is as if I did. It was an honor to know him.
--sd-7
Would an event such as this make the surviving JWs think about the organization's policy and start to ask questions now that THEY have to feel the pain?
You never know what may finally shake people out of apathy. This could very well do just that.
--sd-7
never a jw , I reserved my comments for a later time after I read your entry (post #37) because I had to first figure out where you were coming from. I didn't want to lash out at you out of my personal pain and regret. I think your question is genuine, given your lack of understanding about how the WTBTS operates. In some ways, your question is painful to many of us that know firsthand how the organization works and manages to alienate people and devastate lives. I'm guessing you've glossed over some of the comments (I'm thinking of mine) regarding their sanctimonious attitudes. We've lived that, many of us who have had family members shun us and who have had every friend in the world (up to then) turn against us and abandon us. You can't seriously think that to be left out in an emotional desert would not affect people, even the strongest of us.
For Eric, it was more than he could handle. Some people are fragile that way. That doesn't take away from the blame the WTBTS has, and yes, every individual within their ranks involved, for taking part in the demise of a person by denying him or her of the human bond that we so desperately need. If you, as I understand it, have children that are JWs and are not in touch with you, imagine your whole world being alienated from you. It's not easy for some to rebuild a new world of friends and loved ones.
To answer your question directly, the WTBTS is responsible because they have instituted a policy that promotes pain and misery, that encourages family members and friends to abandon one another, that goes against Christ's principles to love even the worst amongst us, that uses cruel procedures to decapitate a body of relationships from its constituents; and they do it in order to punish, because that's how they've chosen to interpret the scriptures. It's just not right in so many ways.
What Eric did he did out of desperation. It's not the first time this has happened. The point is that many people don't have the fortitude that you may have. We should protect those that are the weakest amongst us. That's what Jesus would have done. But the WTBTS doesn't see it that way. Doesn't that make them responsible? If his wife left him it wasn't just because she was tired of him. Think about the counsel she received and the advice they gave her. If you have no clue about that, search this web site or just ask someone here for examples on how they operate.
Do I have to go on with every possibility of what Eric faced? Read his posts and maybe you'll learn something. There's no doubt in my mind that the policies of the WTBTS have caused untold pain and suffering, especially in this particular case. I could be more generic and mention the case about Malawi and Mexico, how some people were exposed to rape and death for not accepting a political membership card (Malawi) and others are allowed to bribe officials to get a military service card (Mexico) in order to continue as Witnesses. Yes, the blood on the WTBTS's hands will never coagulate.
After looking at the newspaper site, it looks like they do offer guestbooks as an option on obituaries, but one was not purchased or added as an option for Eric. There are options here to either set up a Facebook memorial page or a memorial website:
I think it's so sad that he got a two-line obituary and they didn't include a space for condolences for him. I think his loved ones should be able to see how many people are mourning him and how many lives he touched.
Brizzzy said " set up a Facebook memorial page"
Good idea!
So sorry Oompa....
RIP OOMPA
This is so sad
Sad, sad news. I barely ever post but I read here frequently. OOMPA's posts always touched me, so sorry it came to this. RIP Eric
