JWs Letters Target Recently Bereaved

by steve2 18 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  steve2

  Current media attention in New Zealand is focusing on the case of a woman whose male friend died three months. She received a handwritten letter personally addressed to her and her deceased friend with a series of questions about what happens after death. The woman was furious and, accompanied by news media, door-knocked the address provided by the letter writer.

  The JWs deny it was deliberately targeted at the woman but the woman remains unconvinced.

  If my memory serves me correctly, weren't housebound JWs encouraged to write letters to people and that there were even included suggestions about sourcing names of family and friends from obituaries. Does anyone have any source material that supports my memory?
  

  https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/80454665/grieving-woman-turns-the-tables-by-doorknocking-jehovahs-witness&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwif04HNkIXNAhUEF5QKHckED70QFggFMAA&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNH7EgclCpk4BWVgnr00NVUtcSemKA
  
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  sir82

  If my memory serves me correctly, weren't housebound JWs encouraged to write letters to people and that there were even included suggestions about sourcing names of family and friends from obituaries. Does anyone have any source material that supports my memory?
  

  You betcha.

  From the January 22, 2001 Awake:

  For instance, sharing the Bible’s promise of a coming peaceful new world has been a valued part of her life since she was 11 years old, and today she still does this every week. (Matthew 28:19, 20) Helen explains how:
  

  “I ask a visiting nurse to hold the newspaper for me. Together we read the obituaries and select some. Then I tell the nurse what thoughts I would like to include in a letter to the relatives of the one who died, and the nurse types the letter. With the letter, I send the brochure When Someone You Love Dies,* which explains the Bible’s comforting hope of the resurrection. I do this every Sunday afternoon. It makes me happy that I can still share the good news of God’s Kingdom with others.”
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  Londo111

  I believe what the public and any governing institutions that are looking into this need to know are the sociological pressures that drive a rank and file JW toward this activity. The fault lies at the source (Watchtower), rather than the misguided individual taught to do this.
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  redpilltwice

  Thanks for the link steve2.

  "What happens to us when we die?" was among the questions the letter asked.

  "I opened it and I was really devastated, I was really f...ed off," Sergent-Shadbolt said.

  This might not be an unusual reaction (in spite of what WT writes of course).

  And yes, housebound JW's were sometimes encouraged to do so (only now seeing sir82's comment), although I could not find direct instructions to do so. It is just acknowledged as a way of giving testimony.

  If you still have the WT Library cd-rom, just search for "obituary" and you'll find stuff like this:

  *** km 1/70 p. 8 par. 3 Presenting the Good News—By Letter ***

  So the brother gave his name and address to this sister, who continued to develop the interest by mail. Some names she gets from the obituary column.

  
  

  *** yb95 p. 47 Worldwide Report ***
  

  Now 94, she is still busy witnessing. Recently she completed a year of auxiliary pioneer service. She is able to walk a little with a cane—enough to take advantage of the opportunities presented when neighbors, friends, relatives, salesmen, postmen, or anyone else calls. Still she has to do most of her witnessing with a pen. She finds names and addresses in the obituary columns in the daily paper and writes to some of these. How happy she is when replies of appreciation come!

  
  
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  Spiral

  Yes, back "in the day" writing letters to families from obituary ads was common place. At one point in our congregation a change was made in procedure, to put the KH address as the return address, in case the person was upset (they wouldn't know where you lived). Eventually, the letters were written but only signed as "from your neighbor" or "from the local congregation of JWs" or something like that.

  I can remember passing out tracts at cemeteries too, which seemed really inappropriate to me when I became an adult.
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  Spiral

  *** yb95 p. 47 Worldwide Report ***
  

  Now 94, she is still busy witnessing. Recently she completed a year of auxiliary pioneer service. She is able to walk a little with a cane—enough to take advantage of the opportunities presented when neighbors, friends, relatives, salesmen, postmen, or anyone else calls. Still she has to do most of her witnessing with a pen. She finds names and addresses in the obituary columns in the daily paper and writes to some of these. How happy she is when replies of appreciation come!

  I don't ever remember hearing any of the letter writers getting a response, much less "replies of appreciation".
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  Dagney

  They are so removed for normal, human emotions they cannot see how creeeepy this really is.

  Eeewww.
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  steve2

  Thanks sir82 and redpilltwice for the references - you guys rock.

  The newspaper features a second article today on another recently bereaved woman who has come forward stating that she received a letter from a JW. Hopefully JWs will realize how this looks and back off from this distasteful practice. Sure, if bereaved people get messages from someone they know, that's understandable and even expected such as sending Sympathy cards - but this targeting of bereaved relatives and friends has an exploitative feel about it.
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  stuckinarut2

  And to think that I knew of this sort of thing happening, and used to think it was ok...

  Oh boy....
  
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  Spiral

  Dagney2 hours ago

  They are so removed for normal, human emotions they cannot see how creeeepy this really is.

  Eeewww.

  I have asked this question. The response? "Well, don't people want to know their loved ones aren't in heaven?"

  Really????