The day a brother died in my Hall, & the unbelievable events that followed.

by Mr Ben 125 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  free2beme

  I was living in Northern California at the time, when something like this happened in our congregation.

  In our situation it was a Sunday meeting and the public talk was going on. An older sister went into the rest room and as she was in there, she colasped. Another woman came out and got an elder and he called 911, and a man who was a EMT in the congregation went in to help. We all saw something happening in the back, but the elder giving the talk did not skip a beat and went right on. The EMTs arrived and carried her out, she died on the way to the hospital and they announced her death at the end of the Watchtower study. Like your situation, the talk went on and the meeting went on. Heartless to the end. I wonder, how she felt when she went into spirit form and saw just how uncaring these people were. As her daughter left the religion only a year later, perhaps it was her mothers last mission in life to avenge the heartlessness of her death in open her daughters eyes.

  The worst part about it, the man who was given the public talk was held up as some kind of amazing professional speaker. As he was able to ignore the events he could see so well from his position and keep doing his talk.
• 

  Highlander

  the man who was given the public talk was held up as some kind of amazing professional speaker. As he was able to ignore the events he could see so well from his position and keep doing his talk.

  Wonderful: so ultimately, the asshole on the platform was given honour, while the dying 'loved' one was ignored by the masses.
• 

  candidlynuts

  to be fair... the speaker didnt know what was going on in the back. unless an attendant comes up and informs him , he had no idea what was going on in the ladies room .
• 

  fullofdoubtnow

  Stories like this remind me of how glad I am to be out of that organisation.

  Nothing like that ever happened at my kh, but I remember a brother's ex wife and son being killed in a road accident. They weren't jws, he had come along after his divorce. Most of the cong were sympathetic, but one elder's idea of a comforting word was "well xxxx, now at least they have a chance in the resurrection".

  That brother is no longer a jw,one of several to leave that cong in the last few years.
• 

  willyloman

  I asked an elder once why jws did not try to provide more socialization for the cong? he said we are here to serve Jehovah we are not here to socialize

  A circuit overseer once told our congo something very similar: "'This is a preaching organization, not a social organization." Coldheartedness runs rampant in the JW organization. It comes from not considering yourself a member of the human race.

  Speaking of which, this reminds me of something that happened in a former congo I was in. An elder told me about an incident that occurred a few years before I move in. It involved an elderly sister who made most of the meetings despite her age and frail health. One day, one of the elders was asked if they knew what had become of Sister so-and-so. He asked some of the other elders and no one could remember seeing her lately. The PO suggested that two elders go to her home on a "shepherding call." When they knocked on the door, her "wordly" husband answered. They asked for her, saying, "We haven't seen her for a few weeks and just wanted to see how she was doing spiritually."

  "She died two months ago," her husband said. "I wondered when someone would come by."

  Because her husband was not a JW, the woman had virtually no friends. When she died, no one at the Hall was aware of it. Her husband simply called the ambulance and had her cremated. It never occurred to him to call the KH because he didn't know anyone there.
• 

  free2beme

  The elder on stage said later, that he knew what was happening and felt it was his duty to keep things normal and people out of the way. Which if you think about it, makes some sense. Yet I think it could have been accomplished by asking people to stay out of the backroom and maybe a prayer being said for the woman. Would have been far more caring.
• 

  orangefatcat

  God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change and the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference..

  And boy do I know the difference. How disgraceful can this organization become? It is beyond me why I didn't run away years and years ago.

  But I guess we all know why , because we were brainwashed, fear was paramount in our minds, we became like a robot just saying yes yes yes yes....

  Thank you dear God that I fianlly awoke from the sleep of death...

  Orangefatcat.

  so let it be written so let it be done...
• 

  blond-moment

  To those posters who feel that the "show must go on" since they do it at football games or other similar situations, the difference with many of these stories, is they are congregational level.

  Congregations, of people you meet with and sit with 3 times a week (once upon a time). Congregations of smaller groups that are suppose to be a "loving organization" united in "brotherly love" The JWs love to boast how "loving" they are. For many of these stories, the victim in question was ONE OF THEIR OWN, as JWs we were taught we were a FAMILY in this so called "loving" organization. Football teams, stages shows, etc don't claim to be more loving than everyone else, that is entertainment, not a loving family, can't even compare them.

  I can see situations, where, "we didn't know what else to do, so we continued", that by itself is not what many of us find fault with. It is the treatment of those hurt and their families by this so called "loving" organiztion. The only "love" they show, is for the rules, order, and organization. Classic mind control of "principles before people." It breaks my heart.

  The only real memory I have of this, and I was young enough to be confused by it, was when a young brother died. He was a new driver, and it was a car accident. I remember him as one of those teenagers that was always nice to the younger kids, and didn't treat us like we were the pain in the neck pipsqueaks we really were. I was broken hearted, for myself, for the congregation, and mostly for his parents.(I was a tender hearted kid) This was my first real personal experience with death, and even now, my eyes are welling up. I remember the funeral well, I was, even as a young child, suprised by the lack of tears. I even controlled my own, since it seemed that tears were a no-no. I heard a lot after that, that tears and grief = lack of faith.

  I never quite understood that, even as a kid, how we were not even allowed to miss them, while we waited for the new order. But I was a believer back then, and tried to accept that. Funny how I always thought there was something wrong with me, that I just couldn't understand it all, turns out there was something right with me, that was seeing thru the hypocricy. As stated by many, I am so glad to be free from all of that.
• 

  palmtree67

  A sister in our congregation was dying of cancer and was being taken care of by her husband, at home.

  For anyone who has become a care-giver for a terminally ill or disabled person, you know how exhausting and time-consuming this can be.

  She had 3 daughters - the oldest (early 20's) married and pioneering

  - middle girl was disfellowshipped.

  - youngest daughter was about 10, so home with the dad when not at school

  You would think that the oldest daughter and hubby would have pitched in to help the dad and spend the last days with their mom, but no....they continued pioneering every day.

  The dad commented that he was disappointed they wouldn't help.

  "Lack of natural affection" indeed.
• 

  ziddina

  Good grief...

  I'm on the first page, and ....

  What happened to Flear and Avishai was monstrous - absolutely monstrous!!!

  If they ever read this thread - I am so sorry to hear that they were subjected to such heartlessness!!!

  Many thanks to whomever "resurrected" this thread...