Has anyone lost a friend or known of someone who committed suicide over BORG-induced guilt? (page 4)

Alpaca

So sorry, Jeff.

Sunspot, you are the second person to mention Puternut.

What else can you tell us about how the BORG affected him/her?

I had mentioned Puternut in reference to the previous poster that brought his name up. I don't know how to put things in those quotes like I used to.....and my reply did not directly follow his post.....so it looks rather jumbled up. Puternut was a warm, caring and delightful man that knocked himself out to please others.....and ended up taking his own life because of the pain of cruel shunning and coldheartedness of his JW family. I have to believe that there will be a heavy price to pay by this evil cult that has the capability to manipulate it's loyal and obedient (TM) followers into behaving as if they had NO natural affection and as if their very hearts had been turned to stone.

undercover

A good friend of mine committed suicide...

At the time I was still active and was floored by the news and couldn't understand it. Now I feel certain that guilt from not being able to live up to WT standards played a big part in his spiraling downward in depression that he hid from all of us.

blondie

Some but then I have known as many who were never jws. My experience is that the WTS mind think prevents people from getting the proper medical treatment and makes disclosure difficult.

jookbeard

2 brethren from our old cong Wimbledon , in the early/mid 80's very sad indeed and such a waste of 2 youngish guys

african GB Member

Unfortunately yes, he rolled his car over a cliff in 2005, he was DF'd 3 times, kept getting reinstated for the sake of family,...got DF'd for the third time, told it would take him minimum of 3 yrs to get reinstated, lost his mind,...the ELDERS could'nt even give a funeral BOASTING SESSION.....it was so sad...

african GB Member

jws

My sister's sister-in-law did. From what I heard, she had mental issues and wanted to check into someplace, but her husband convinced her to move out of state where his parents were moving. She OD'ed on sleeping pills. I've gotta imagine it's a combination of mental health issues, leaving her side of the family behind, and being surrounded by his family. She left behind 2 great kids, probably both under 6 at the time.

The same sister's brother-in-law, I had heard, was in an accident where he crashed into a bridge and there were no skid marks. Rumor was he was trying to kill himself.

My sister's father-in-law is one of those JW elders who are real into it, very strict. He was always concerned about appearances within the congregation. I've got to imagine that his son and daughter-in-laws move was to avoid the embarassment of her being in a mental facility. Likewise, after his son's accident, the son relocated (presumably to avoid the rumors). The father was always very private about his family's business and very much in control of his 4 sons.

Another JW I knew of had gotten killed in a motorcycle accident. I heard he was depressed and no skid marks, although some say he might have been drunk.

I also have a non-JW cousin who commited suicide.

Quirky1

I committed suicide the day I joined the cult...

undercover

Some but then I have known as many who were never jws. My experience is that the WTS mind think prevents people from getting the proper medical treatment and makes disclosure difficult.

Blondie, I can relate to your thought. I've known more non-JWs that committed suicide than JWs. The difference being that when a non-JW I knew committed suicide, it wasn't a complete shock. It was usually someone whose problems were already known by family and friends. They were trying to get help or were failing at fighting their dependancies. Sometimes you thought they had gotten over the hump and were gonna make it only to hear the horrible news.

The JWs that I've known who committed suicide, I only knew three...and only one of them was I close to. But in all three cases, it came as a complete shock to everyone who knew them.

While the non-JW may have sought help and just couldn't overcome their personal demons, the poor JWs fought this battle all on their own and in complete silence. Seeking no help, having no one to confide in and afraid to reveal their innermost thoughts to elders, their only way out - in their way of thinking - was suicide.

So, like you said, the mindset that JWs have, thanks to the WT Society, prevents them from seeking help. When, in years past, the Society counseled against seeing psychiatric help, it only made matters worse for those who needed exactly that. Who knows what could have happened had they not been afraid to reach out for help?

Alpaca

Quirks,

You are a funny guy and I love your posts...but this is a very sensitive subject that has caused a lot of pain.

Nuf said???

Thanks for being understanding.

Undercover and Blondie,

I agree with your observations. In the time period when my friend committed suicide there was a very anti-mental health attitude in the BORG--as if you could pray your way to sanity.

And, you are right ...who knows how many people could have gotten the appropriate help they needed. It's blood on the BORG's hands as far as I am concerned

Has anyone lost a friend or known of someone who committed suicide over BORG-induced guilt?

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