by Aikon 52 Replies latest jw friends
Hi Guys
Last week I was involed in a very distressing situation, going with a family to identify their mother who had commited suicide.
We are waiting for the coroner to release the body for the funneral.
But, so far this year a number of JW have commited suicide in England,WHY???
Can any one throw a light why so many JW of good standing commit suicide,
Any think, I can use to help the family would be very much appreciated.
Thanks
Aikon
If you go to this thread, it can give you an idea of the pressure that are put on members of the congregation.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/69243/1.ashx
Also of all the failed promises and changes the WTS has imposed. I'm sure my parents thought they'd be in paradise by now, at their age.
cj
i knew or heard of no W who commited suicide
You and the lady's family have my condolences.
To answer your question: Because of the amazingly depressing nosedive it can put one into.
As mentioned in a previous thread, witnesses are constantly told that they are not good enough, that they are sinners, and people who are not good enough will not go through Armageddon. Also, (again mentioned in another thread) witnesses are often made to feel helpless, like they cannot change anything, so in their minds, they will never be good enough.
For instance, when I was 16 I decided I wanted to try to get baptized. I had some social anxiety problems, so it was very hard to go out on the ministry. I went out a few times a month anyway, and then requested baptism. A week later, the elder came back and told me I had to get my hours up. This made me quite depressed, but even more determined to push on and prove myself good enough for Jehovah. So, I tried harder through these depressive times, and managed to almost double my hours. I requested baptism again. Again the elder came back to me and told me my hours weren't high enough. He then pulled out a sheet of paper, and my report record, and proceeded to show me I was still under the average for publishers. So, in my mind, not only was it extremely hard for me to go out on the ministry, even when I gave 100% it still was not enough.
I remember that night praying on my hands and knees that Jehovah would give me something to live for and prove he cared about me, or kill me, and even said I would kill myself. I was crying rather hard, and was very close to doing something stupid. It was at that point that my life started to turn around... just a short time later I met the woman who is now my wife (the elders told me not to date her at all, but I ignored them), and a friend who I had not heard from for quite some time called me and asked if I wanted to stay with him and his family in Devon. I firmly believe to this day that both of these events were arranged by Jehovah, because he knew that if the organization had kept me any longer, then he would have one less follower.
The organization's writers and speakers are well versed in psychology. They did not go to classes and college for it, but they learned from those in the congregation that brought them into the organization. They are constantly put down, and made to feel inferior, and that no-one else wants them, even Jehovah!
Quite simply put 99% of JW suicides are essentially caused by the murderous bastards that tell us we are worth nothing in God's eyes..
FMZ
To the original question, what evidence is there that the rate of suicide among JW's is any higher than the population in general?
what evidence is there that the rate of suicide among JW's is any higher than the population in general?
In my lifetime of being a JW, I have personally known 3 JWs who committed suicide and know of one other one(I didn't know them personnally but knew who they were)that also did so. In that same amount of time, no one in my "worldly" family nor any non-JWs at my various places of employment or schooling that have I known personally, or heard of, committed suicide.
While that isn't proof of the suicide rate of JWs being higher it shows to me that JWs are no better insulated from mental problems or the pressures of life anymore than non-JWs. In fact, the pressure is greater on JWs, not because of everyday things all people deal with but because of the added pressures of trying to live up to some ideal that is unattainable.
From the WT's home page:
Some Indicators of Suicide
Doesn't this list self-describe that most JWs are at a high suicide risk?
Like some of the other posts, I see no reason to think that suicide rates are higher among JWs. Just because someone happens to know of several cases proves nothing. I don't know a single person, JW or not, that has committed suicide, it certainly does not mean that suicides don't happen very often. On the flipside, I see no reason to think that JWs are in any way "sheltered" from suicide.
Aikon, I am so sorry for what happened. My father committed suicide last year, as a direct result of his bad treatment by the elders in his congregation. Here's the link to the thread containing the letter I wrote to the elders after his death: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/11/47789/1.ashx.
Also, there was a thread started regarding how many JW's we know who have committed suicide. It is a sobering read: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/61698/937503/post.ashx#937503.
Aikon, please tell the family from me that their loved one is past her pain. It will take them at least a year before their pain will subside, because they have to get past all the milestones of holidays and birthdays at least once. I highly recommend a grief or suicide support group. And I send lots of hugs from one who's been there.
Love,
Nina
