A Jehovah's Witness Tragedy - Is it...

by apostate 8 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  apostate

  I found this article in the January 21, 2002 edition of Windsor Star (Windsor, Ontario, Canada)
  http://www.southam.com/windsorstar/news/020121/47014.html

  The article talks about a young family with four kids driving on a Canadian highway to celebrate somebody’s birthday when they got hit by a truck. The mother and all the four kids died in the accident.

  Than toward the end the article says that a memorial service will be held at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

  I heard the elders used to disfellowship those JWs who celebrate birthdays. It seems like they allowing a memorial service to be held in the Kingdom Hall.

  Is it OK now to celebrate birthdays?

  http://www.southam.com/windsorstar/news/020122/47762.html
  http://www.southam.com/windsorstar/news/020126/49735.html
  http://www.southam.com/windsorstar/news/020126/49738.html
  http://www.southam.com/windsorstar/news/020204/53631.html
• 

  PopeOfEruke

  Its obviously not too good to celebrate birthdays yet. Look what happened to these poor people!

  Maybe Jehovah decided to get off his fat arse and teach these poor kids a lesson. (Probably there were no bears handy.)

  The Pope
• 

  Dogpatch

  very, very sad.
• 

  ozziepost

  The article states that a memorial service will be held "later" indicating no firm arrangements have been made.

  Perhaps it was wishful thinking on the part of an interviewee, or just a mistake?

  The position on birthdays is definitely unchanged as far as the WTS is concerned.

  Cheers,
  Ozzie

  "It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."
  Anonymous
• 

  apostate

  "The whole family was planning a trip in May to Disneyland. It was Bobby's Christmas gift. Two days after he died, the brochures came in the mail."

  http://www.southam.com/windsorstar/news/020126/49738.html
• 

  bigfloppydog

  I believe the situation in this story was this family was moving to a knew location, to start their lives as JW, but I understood by news media, that they were not yet JW family, but I could be wrong.That is very sad though for this to happen to them.
• 

  apostate

  Looks like they where Jehovah's Witnesses.

  "Steinhoff credits his wife and children for saving his life. A self-described "two-bit hood" before he married Jamie five years ago, Steinhoff is well-known to local police for his involvement in petty crimes and violence.

  "My history is one of trouble with the law," Steinhoff said. "I was on a road to nowhere. I knew everything, no one could tell me anything, I couldn't be touched."

  Until he met Jamie. A devoted Jehovah's Witness, Jamie reached out to Steinhoff and "broke down my barriers of resistance with love," he said.

  Though born into the faith, Steinhoff kept it at arm's length until about eight months ago, when he embraced it and decided to change his life. The family decided to leave the bad memories and worst influences in Windsor to head north for a fresh start in a new community. "

  "Steinhoff was overwhelmed by the condolences and strong support he received from family, friends and people from all over North America. As a member of the Jehovah's Witness faith, Steinhoff said, he is part of a larger extended family who cares for their own."

  http://www.southam.com/windsorstar/news/020204/53631.html
• 

  D8TA

  Sad story...yet I forsee the "JW Urban Myths" on this. The countless kids who will be subjected to the "now see Johnny/Jane? they were going to a birthday party". Then being subjected to brainless JW parents baseless opinions on how "Jehovah will find out wrong doing and correct it".
• 

  Nathan Natas

  They were en route to the Windsor area to visit family to celebrate the birthday... But instead of going to a birthday party, dozens of family and friends attended a memorial service for Jamie and her dead children.

  So there was a happy ending after all - an opportunity to declare the loving sovreignty of Jehovah God and the hope of paradise.

  In Dub legalism, perhaps the fact that they had NOT YET celebrated the verboten birthday permitted them a Dub funeral. If this had happened on their way home from the birthday, they'd have been damned.