by JH 69 Replies latest jw friends
**A few years ago after the generation change- two of the 'remnant" killed themselves in Cambridge Ont( this is for the "brothers at Bethel to know we apostates hear about it)**
Oh GRACE!!!
I never knew about this!
This thread is SO disturbing....
Hugs,
Annie
Annie,
I hope that this doesn't get you too upset. I forgive them for their uncaring attitude, and their guilt. I only mentioned my story to ensure that all people who lurk here get the real truth on this religion. I am beyond their control, and beyond caring what pharisees think of me. They won't win, b/c they are wrong.
I feel sorry for lots of people here, whose parents died b/c of suicide. Those are the ones that I am sad over.
I know someone who attempted to commit suicide. She was pioneer who was screwing an Elder. They had been doing this for months. She finally wants to confess. He tells her not to because he will be removed from being an Elder (great excuse). He pressures her so much that she finally tries to kill herself. She tells people at work that she is going to kill hersef that night. No one believes her until she dosen't show up for work the next day. They find her passed out in her living room. And what do the loving brothers do when all this finally comes out. They DF her as if she doesn't have enough to deal with already. They also DF the elder.
Knowledge Changes Everything
Diamond
If you make a search on suicide in this forum you will find numerous other cases. One of the most recent cases made the news. It was about a British couple who went to a euthanasia clinic in Switzerland to commit suicide.
I know of many suicides amongst Witnesses, 2 of whom were close friends. Of these I cannot say that being a Witness exacerbated their depression, that they were treated callously or that they weren't encouraged to accept proffesional help. They were profoundly ill and extremely intent.
In the 3 years I've been at University there have been more than a dozen suicides amongst the student population which seems a higher rate than amongst the Witnesses.
Perhaps we should keep in mind the fact that when the press report the details of suicides there can be a rise in the number of copycat incidents. The number of suicides amongst Witnesses may be of some interest but the means is irrelevant to this thread.
I knew several who attempted (myself included, thankfully, I failed.) and a few who succeeded.
Danny Hayes, he had converted while in high school, he was dating a girl whose mother was a JW. They both ended up getting baptised, but broke up. Danny was very zealous; after breaking up with Rhonda he really didn't seem to want to have anything to do with dating, but was obsessed with the ministry. Several years passed, I think he pioneered, but I cannot recall clearly at the moment. I know he wanted to be an MS, but can't remember if he was ever appointed. (This all happened in the mid-to-late eighties so my memory isn't great on it.) He was very sweet and well-intentioned, but sort of ended up relegated to the "weirdos" crowd in our congregation. Eventually, he became inactive, and I think at one point he may have been DF'd. The rumors started that he was dealing drugs (never verified) and soon afterwards, news of his suicide began to circulate. I heard that he shot himself, but prior to doing so, he plastic tarps all over the room in order to minimize the cleanup for whoever found him. So sad, he was a very kind and caring boy.
In the late 80's early 90's, My friend Barb's brother shot himself in his parents backyard. He was in his twenties, and was a well-respected MS, played the guitar and sang at gatherings, everyone really liked him. He was on lithium and the claim was that his dosage was incorrect (basically, the JW's placed the blame on the meds, because of course, in their minds, if he hadn't been on those, everything would have been fine ). While the dosage may have been incorrect, I always wondered, "what about the reason he was on the meds to begin with?" But of course, you couldn't talk about that, because JW's are the happiest people on earth!
Early 90's - Harry Geyer (sp?) drove to a field and asphyxiated himself via a hose from his exhaust which he put in the window and rolled up as far as it would go. Before his wife Anne had converted to JWism, he had been sentenced to prison for killing someone while drink driving. He was placed in a halfway home and she had to go and pick him up and drop him off every day for his job at Deputy Dawg's coney restaurant. She would sometimes have to do this while out in service, so we would have to take two cars into the territory. I always felt so bad for her, she had this old beater car that would stall and break down on her all of the time. She stayed in the marraige though, because she was told that her persistance might persuade him to convert too. He did, and they had a child. I think his son was about six years old when his dad killed himself. Harry was apparently "addicted" to pain killers (he had to walk with a cane as a result of the accident) and was going to be DF'd for it (or perhaps he already had, I can't recall exactly.) A few years later, Anne married another brother, an MS who suffered major mental issues but they were sort of overlooked due to his zeal in the ministry. (He was part of the "weirdo" crowd mentioned earlier). I felt bad for her son. That man had no business being a father, even a step-father. He was very unstable in my mind, I remember when my father's DA announcement was made, he immediately raced over to where my family was sitting and started rubbing my brother's back (he was about 16-17 at the time) and telling him that he should start studying with him (the MS) so that he didn't end up like his father. What arrogance. But I digress.
So sad, all of them.
too many :(
A young pioneer whom I idolized, wrote about him on my website.
the aunt of one of my sister's friends.
another young (20's) brother who had struggled with depression for years.
Just this week, a dear, dear friend in his thirties, I just posted about it. He was just recently df'd, I don't know what for.
...very nearly me.
too many. I know of lots of others but right now all I can think of is the friend I just lost, and how senseless JW doctrine is.
I wonder if he'll get a funeral. Since he was df'd, I'm imagining not. Even though my mother wants to believe he will...
(((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))) to everyone who has lost someone to suicide, or been suicidal. If you're there now. GET HELP. NOTHING is worth dying for, especially not the CULT known as Jehovah's Witnesses!
~essie
Thank you for the hugs and it is so sad to read of all the suicides,,,,,,,it is just as sad, all the attempted suicides. Can you imagine the ones that you havent heard of......so many , so sad.
Fairy,,,,,,,,,,that scripture you quotes is one of my favorites, I have used that to comfort myself when I was a JW and felt so hopeless and unworthy. And I know that God doesnt hold suicide agaisnt a person, I am sure he reads their broken hearts and has to be so irrititated by those who claim to be his representatives, treating his people in the callous way they do.
The WT is bloodguilty in this and will have to face that one day.
This thread has my eyes filled with tears.
We cannot forget these people who sadly took their own lives because of the effects of having their lives intertwined with the WTBTS.
(((((LyinEyes))))) the story about your Mom broke my heart .
(((((Cruzanheart))))) I'll never forget about your daughter's post on here regarding her beloved grandfather.
So many of you have experienced personal, close loss. My heart goes out to you.
Sad thread...very sad..heart breaking..depressing.
Yes, a few individuals in fact. One was an elder who had frequent parts during our circuit assemblies, the father of a friend. It was pretty shocking at the time, but eye-opening as well. He was given a memorial service at the KH due to his years of faithful service.
There is such irony in this kind of thing. Hopeful futures... Happy people.... Blessed by God.... but the truth is that even JWs have to deal with the same problems and emotional/physical imperfections the rest of us are plagued by. Sadly, some are pushed over the edge by the undercurrents of 'do more' or the extreme stress and alienation that occurs with DFing or losing faith in what they believed for a lifetime.
