I find that hard to believe that actually works. I doubt if its foolproof.
Avoiding df by threatening suicide!
by avishai 35 Replies latest jw friends
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Pistoff
I also doubt that most bodies would refrain from df'ing due to this possiblilty. I have experience with it; two children who WERE suicidal (not successfully, thank God) and the elder body just shrugged and said, well, he himself said that he feels better when he goes to meeting. They DO NOT CARE about depression, no matter what they say. To them, the issue is behavior behavior behavior; no such things as circumstances, like addiction, depression or childhood issues. With my older child, I asked for ONE WEEK to go by so he could get back to his therapist; they said, well, any therapist worth his salt would see your son day or night (the elder in charge claims that the society said this when he called them). So they would not postpone it ONE WEEK. THERE is your loving elder body.
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Nathan Natas
I know that in the Sunnyside Congregation in Queens NY in the mid 1970's, the Congregation Overseer at that time, Howard Zenke (a Bethel Elder) was faced with just that sort of situation. A person who had gotten themselves into trouble threatened suicide if they were disfellowshipped.
Brother Zenke's response, " That's their decision." He was not concerned at all.
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Stacy Smith
It is just insane that a religion could drive people to the point where they feel a need to threaten suicide to avoid getting kicked out. Emotional blackmail at it's worst.
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Gollum
I know of one case in the North Seattle area (same area as Mulan) where this worked. That was due to a previous sucide after a DF, and if you threatened it in that same hall, and kowtowed to the elders, you could pretty much get away with anything.
Speaking of location based specifics, Stacy, I saw in another posting that you were in Pacifica. Before I moved back to Seattle and did my fade, I was in the HMB hall (which pretty much gives away my ID, but I've decided I just don't much care anymore)
Gollum
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ashitaka
Brother Zenke's response, " That's their decision." He was not concerned at all.
It wouldn't surprise me. They value a dead dog more than DF'd people....more fuel for the JWs immediate eradication.
ash
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Stacy Smith
We visited the HMB hall after getting discouraged in Pacifica. Yeah that worked great.
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Brummie
Someones attempted Suicide was my final straw with the Watchtower, they acctually disfellowshipped her while she was in hospital recovering from a suicide attempt. I was ordered not to speak to her and the entire family rejected her. All this on top of wanting to die. They often cause suicide so dissing is merely a means to encourage it.
Brummie
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Gollum
Stacy,
HMB was interesting. Very close knit, yet as far as hall's go, some more relaxed people. Probably going there, and then back up to North Seattle by the UW with the students kept me in longer than I would have otherwise, which of course, is a bad thing.
There were a few people that were pretty cool in HMB, but of course, as always, that was offset by some wacko's. My problem was that I could always ignore/filter out the wackos pretty well, so I hung in there a lot longer than I should have.
Which brings up an interesting point. I think I see some difference between those that were able to filter their reality a bit, and those that couldn't. I'm not sayin one is better than the other, but it seems that it is a difference in how long people hang around.
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Brummie
PS, when I told the elders that I couldnt shun this person incase they went and committed suicide (I was the only communicating lifeline she had) they told me "You are not a life support machine" and then threatened me with disffing for talking to a diffed person. So in answer to your question, suicide is not a determining factor in hether one gets thrown out or not. They are not life support machines, and that frees them of moral responsibilty
Brummie