Suicide Prevention

by serenitynow! 7 Replies latest jw friends

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  serenitynow!

  http://www.outofthedarkness.org/

  H ey JWN! This group organizes community walks for suicide prevention. And since most, if not all of us have known a JW who has committed suicide, especially after being disfellowshipped, I think it is a worthy cause to support.

  I will be doing the walk tomorrow in East China, MI. I will take some printouts of the latest offensive study articles (the now inf amous "mentally diseased" article and the other one where they tell people to shun their kids or else Jehovah will be mad at them) so that I can raise some awareness of the high risk of suicide for those stuck in, or kicked out of the the religion.

  There are walks going on all over the US, please participate if possible.
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  mutinyinheaven

  great idea. i'd also include copies of coverage from media outlets in the handouts...that's what's great about this issue, the media is finally giving it some attention, so now it just won't be another kooky religion thing.

  i'm a surivivor of famiy and friends' suicides. speaking about it this week on a panel at litquake in san francisco:

  http://www.litquake.org/questionnaire/tony-dushane-on-hunger
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  Iamallcool
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  Broken Promises

  Good for you!

  Hope it goes well.
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  bigmouth

  R.I.P. Dion McKenzie of Tauranga, New Zealand.
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  Iamallcool

  BigMouth, what is his story?
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  bigmouth

  Dion was the eldest son of a congregation elder there. He would have been about sixteen and gassed himself in his car at a cemetery in 1999.

  As it happens, his Dad was working at this cemetery as a monumental stonemason so the symbolism is there.

  The funeral was not held at the KH but at a local yacht club. Dozens of high school friends were there and some soft metal music was played quietly on the p.a. rather than Kingdom Melodies.

  A brother assigning seats opined to me that Dion had had a fascination with 'demonic music' and this influence had caused the suicide.

  I kept my temper for the day but I recognise an angry act and I still feel angry toward his Mum and Dad whom I knew well. I still think they are good people though.

  I don't feel I can/should give any more detail.

  Thanks for being interested
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  bigmouth

  Dion was the eldest son - I meant to say only son. He's got two sisters.