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

by Mr Ben 125 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Thirdson

  I have a shameful story as well. When I was young, the hall I attended with my family was being remodelled. The hall was being extended widthwise but meetings continued to be held with plastic sheeting hanging down and taped-down wires across the floor. Before the start of the Ministry School an elderly sister tripped on one of the wires and fell. She broke her hip and needed medical assistance. The meeting continued as normal, her book study conductor was the school overseer. He started the meeting on time ignoring the situation. One brother (former elder and ex PO down on his luck) and his wife managed to move the sister to the small entrance of the hall while the opening song was sung and waited for the abulance to arrive.
  
  The sister died a few days later. The same elder who was the school overseer gave the funeral talk. I didn't attend the funeral but i heard later that the deceased sister's unbelieving husband beat the elder with his walking stick at the graveside. I didn't blame him. I wished he'd sued the pants off the congregation.

  3rd
• 

  Odrade

  Lamb, that's a sick story, and a beautiful story. What you did... you and the other "weak" ones... that is true love. Brought tears to my eyes.

  Odrade
• 

  alamb

  Odrade:

  I'm still crying too.

  I kept the buttons they cut off his shirt and they are in a teacup in my curio cupboard. I guess lessons come to you from out of nowhere...and you can face them and grow or ignore them and drift. I just made a phone call...neither of the 'weak ones' attends meeting anymore either. wow
• 

  Confucious

  Hey Guys, It's been a long time since I've been on the boards here. This thread has to be the most unbelievable thread I've read here. Especially the trying to place the mags with the paramedics. All this conjured up so many bad memories. The changing point in my JW life was when my best friend committed suicide. I went to the hospital to meet the family and I started to cry. The PO started to CHASTISE me because I shouldn't be crying for someone who just committed "self murder." That night, I was bookstudy night and I had to conduct. But I sat out by the pool instead. But I received a lot of pressure to do the bookstudy. So I "bucked it up" and conducted the bookstudy. I thought it was a sin not to, basically. Afterwards, another elder came up to me and praised me for conducting the study. He also added that... "We're (the elders) are glad you did. We were worried about you for a while there." What he meant by that was the elders were worried that I was showing too much emotion for someone who did such a "bad" thing - committing suicide.
• 

  new light

  Just when you think you've heard it all... My condolences to all of you dealing with these memories.

  These stories are all shocking, yet I have no problem believing them. They all ring true. This is what can happen when people hand their souls over to a heartless cult.
• 

  Country_Woman

  I remember one time that a little girl(epileptic 1,5 years old) seemed to stop breathen (hope i did write correctly) the mother panicked and there was a bit of a rumour in the back. the child was the one daughter of one of the elders and she survived.

  Indeed, the show did go on.
• 

  UpAndAtom

  There was a lovely lady at our cong. that required serious surgery. Of course, she did not accept the normal blood transfusions that went with the surgery.

  Everyone in the cong. knew that she was in danger, but instead of asking her family any emotional questions, they just kept asking, "What's her blood pressure?". They just wanted to hear numbers, like they were all frigging doctors!

  It was all so heartless I could hardly believe it... just like I can hardly believe this entire thread!
• 

  Mary

  When told by one of the MS's about the congregation's collective shock and grief, the guy launched into his prepared talk without a word about what had happened.

  This reminds me of the Royal Family's heartless actions the morning after Diana was killed in the car accident. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the whole lot of them, including William and Harry, on their way to frigging church as though nothing had happened. And apparently nothing was mentioned in church that day either. What the hell is it with some people? Do they think they'll get brownie points in heaven for not grieving the loss of a loved one??
• 

  GentlyFeral

  Something like this happened at the UU church I used to attend.

  The ailing man was whisked into the library, attended by two of his friends in the congregation, while someone else called 911. The service continued while the paramedics did their work -- but...

  It happened at the beginning of the service, during the "Joys and Concerns," where we light candles for our good news and for those we're worried about. His name was mentioned first - "a sweet old soul," the minister called him. The paramedics took him to the hospital. His friends went with him, I believe.

  By the end of the service, we had word from the hospital that he was OK. It was announced to the congregation. I'm pretty sure that if he'd died on the spot, the service would have stopped. It's that kind of place.

  GentlyFeral
• 

  pratt1

  Almost the exact same incident happened in my old congo years ago. A middle aged brother collapsed (a very loud collapse I might add) and died also during the ministry school. While fire dept , police and EMS tried in vain to save this poor man, the meeting continued on without missing a beat.

  Most congo members were distracted and visably upset by all of this, however the elders in their infinite wisdom continued on with the meeting without missing a beat.

  As a matter of fact the meeting was just finishing as EMS wheeled the dead brother though the crowd covered in a sheet, dead as a rock.

  When this brothers family heard about this(he was the only JW in his family) they we very upset by the lack of compassion of the brothers and they refuse to allow the brothers to give his funeral talk or have the service in the Kingdom Hall.