Question on Case of Disfellowshipped then Committed Suicide (page 2)

jamiebowers

There's another experience on You Tube where a teen aged kid was having an affair with an older jw woman. He fesed up, was going to be df'd, and he killed himself. There's another one that was on the news about two young jw brothers wh killed themselves, because they were afraid of not suviving the GT and Armageddon. I'll try to find and post them.

Lozhasleft

In a town in the Lakes where my sister lives here in UK - a couple were disfellowshipped from the cong and they committed suicide together - jumped off a cliff if I remember correctly- about 5/6 yrs ago. Was a terrible testament to the WTBS locally- as it should be of course.

Loz x

cantleave

Thankfully IO have never seen such a tragic result. However like everyone here I have seen once close families torn apart by the resukts of Judicial actions. I remember just before one young Brother was DF'd he said he might as well be dead as his family had already disowned him. At the time my response was that he needed to restore his relationship with Jehovah first and then he restore the family ties. What an ass I was.

Pistoff

Someone close to me attempted suicide for fear of being df'd.

That person is out now, doing just fine.

Consfearacy

There are people that have committed suicide after being fired. There are unstable people that have returned to their place of employment and killed several people after being fired. Neither scenario is the employer's fault. Those that sulk into pitiful pool of self pity about being disfellowshipped seriously need to show some backbone and grow up.

sabastious

I think this WT quote gives some insight:

"We never want to give the impression to outsiders that a disfellowshiped person was acceptable in the congregation when in truth and in fact he was not acceptable but had been disfellowshiped from it." ? A Christian congregation would not want its good name besmirched by having it associated with any to whom 2 John 9, 10 applied, even in their death." Watchtower 1977 June 1 p. 347 Mourning and Funerals-For Whom?

I think this would apply to suicide too.

-Sab

blondie

Currently, the WTS official position on the status of jws that commit suicide is the following:

*** w02 6/15 p. 30 Questions From Readers ***

As Christians, we are interested in how Jehovah views suicide. To Jehovah human life is precious and sacred. (Genesis 9:5; Psalm 36:9) The intentional killing of oneself is self-murder, and it is therefore displeasing in God’s eyes. (Exodus 20:13; 1 John 3:15) Does that fact preclude the giving of a funeral talk for a suicide victim?

Consider the case of King Saul of Israel. When he realized that he would not survive his final battle against the Philistines, rather than letting his enemy treat him abusively, "Saul took the sword and fell upon it." When the Philistines found his corpse, they fastened it on the wall of the city of Beth-shan. Upon finding out what the Philistines had done, the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead removed the corpse and burned it. Then they took his bones and buried them. They even fasted for seven days, a traditional mourning rite among the Israelites. (1 Samuel 31:4, 8-13; Genesis 50:10) When David, the anointed of Jehovah, found out what the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead had done, he said: "Blessed may you be of Jehovah, because you exercised this loving-kindness toward your lord, toward Saul, in that you buried him. And now may Jehovah exercise toward you loving-kindness and trustworthiness." (2 Samuel 2:5, 6) The divine record does not indicate that the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead were condemned for performing what may be considered a funeral rite for King Saul. Compare that with the case of those who were deprived of burial because of their wrongdoing. (Jeremiah 25:32, 33) A Christian minister may consider the account about Saul in deciding whether he can give a funeral talk for a suicide victim.

Granted, some may feel that the person took his life intentionally, fully aware that he was sinning against Jehovah. But is there always a way to substantiate such a feeling? Could it have been a spur-of-the-moment act? Some who attempt suicide feel regret and do not go through with it. A person cannot after death repent for what he has done.

Another important factor is that of mental and emotional disorders that are involved in many suicides. These can really be called suicide victims. According to some statistics, 90 percent of those who commit suicide have some kind of mental, emotional, or addictive problem. Will Jehovah forgive the self-murder committed by people in such a mental state? We are not in a position to judge whether the deceased committed an unforgivable sin in the eyes of Jehovah. A Christian minister may take into account the circumstances and medical history of the deceased when he considers whether to perform a funeral service for the suicide victim.

AudeSapere

Confearacy wrote: There are people that have committed suicide after being fired. ... Those that sulk into pitiful pool of self pity about being disfellowshipped seriously need to show some backbone and grow up.

Employment is secular. Place of worship and/or with your family are the two places on the entire earth where you should feel comfort in your soul.

You cannot compare Disfellowshipping from the JW organization to being fired from a job. They are no where near the same thing.

-Aude.

Consfearacy

Same article, not taken out of context:

w77 6/1 pp. 347-348 Mourning and Funerals—For Whom?

It would seem that this distinction could even be observed in connection with the funeral of a disfellowshiped person. A Christian congregation would not want its good name besmirched by having it associated with any to whom 2 John 9, 10 applied, even in their death. But suppose a disfellowshiped person had been giving some evidence of genuine repentance and had been coming to the meetings and manifesting a desire to be reinstated in the congregation. Then, if the elders felt that it would not disturb the peace and harmony of the congregation nor bring reproach upon God’s people, there would be no objection to an elder’s giving a talk. How are they to know whether Jehovah has already forgiven him or not, since there is some evidence of repentance? Properly, the elders may have been waiting, wanting to make sure that his seeming repentance was sincere. Obviously, each case being different, it would need to be judged on its own merits. Of course, if a funeral talk is given, care would need to be taken not to dwell on personal matters nor to make any positive statements about whether he will be resurrected. But a fine Scriptural presentation and witness could certainly be given.

There's a woman in my congregation whose husband was an alcoholic, made her life hell, was disfellowshipped and committed suicide several months later. There was a funeral at the Kingdom Hall for him. Some unrepentant wrongdoers as demonstrated here have an agenda of portraying Jehovah's Witnesses as evil and cruel. Would they want their funeral to be held at a Kingdom Hall? If they have family that are Jehovah's Witnesses, many times the funeral is held at a Kingdom Hall irregardless of whether they're disfellowshipped or if they committed suicide. Many churches have a strict policy that if a person's death is a result of a suicide, the funeral can't be held at a church.

wha happened?

I knew of one. Before the sister was df'd, the brothers were keeping a tight watch on her. A servent I knew at the time told me how the elders asked him to drive by the sister's house to see if her df'd daughter was visiting. The elders didn't care about family business the sister may have been involved with. They just wanted an excuse to df her. Well after some pressure, the sisters disassociatted herself and soon after, killed herself.

What a fine job the elders sis in keeping the flock clean

Question on Case of Disfellowshipped then Committed Suicide

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