I have avoided reading this thread until now. I knew it would be difficult to read. Feelings it brings up are quite personal.
There are no doubt so many stories just like the ones we read on this thread.
Having two family members that have committed suicide, it hurts so badly that ones life becomes without any hope to them.
People that we love and care for so deeply.
While I realize mental illness is a huge factor with suicide,
even among "worldy" people not measuring up is a big factor.
But for a religion to have so many people feel that they do not measure up, and many never commit suicide,
it's criminal what the organization is doing. It should be a haven and comfort for people to go to not a place to feel like you don't measure up.
I sat here reading and thought with this thread alone, should be enough for the media to be interested and involved
in investigating what this religion does to people. And no telling how many stories are out there.
I have many JW friends that have been unsucessful with suicide attempts, one just last year.
One for a break up in his marriage, falsely accused for various things by his wife and then trying to defend himself to the elders.
A sister, huband an elder, had four children.........none of them came in the truth, two joined the military, she cared for her grandkids while her children were deployed. One son was in prison for something. She said many times when she was driving, she wanted to drive, full speed into a wall or railings on bridges. She just wanted to be dead.
Another sister, her husband left the truth, and the inner turmoil, for years, she went through, nearly drove her to suicide.
I can't fully blame my daughters two drug overdoses on the organization, but as part of her getting better, was to keep her from the meetings, as the talk of death and doom and gloom for the future, Armeggedon coming any time had a dramatic effect on her outlook, her desire to live.
This is a very sad thread,
purps