Jehovah's Witnesses Watchtower SUICIDE . How many JW suicides can you recall?

by Anti-Cult 62 Replies latest watchtower medical

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  Theocratic Sedition

  Know of a couple. One I went to middle school with and lost touch with her upon entering high school. Last I heard she killed herself after recently being reinstated, which was ironic to me because all the years I knew her she was an exemplary young JW. Something changed during her high school years and her mid early twenties. Family and friends from what I gather never seen it coming.

  Another was an elder who was removed. As a teen and a young man I loved him, very cool, very down to earth guy. Always wanting to wrestle and slap-box when he would see me. Type of guy you loved watching the game with, or even working on maitenance issues at the KH. A man's man. Behind closed doors though, not someone you could respect. It didn't surprise me that much when he killed himself.

  Another young man I knew, died in an accident, but behind the scenes more than a few people have questioned that. I've never expressed it to anyone that I share those sentiments as there's really no proof, and really what good would it do anyway. Very smart young man, to the point of not fitting in with other JWs, or nonJWs. When he died, it both surprised me, and yet it didn't surprise me if that makes any sense.

  Know a handful of JWs that have either attempted suicide, or mentioned that they're suicidal as well.
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  avishai

  3 on this site alone, Robert Bryant who killed himself and his family was a particularly tragic one, his former sister in law lived with us for awhile.
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  neverscreamagain

  When I first saw this topic I started to go through the names and numbers in my head, and I had to stop and start writing them down. And then I started going back through the years and I remembered another and then yet another. These are not ones that I just heard about through the JW coconut telegraph, these are ones that I knew personally.

  I wrote down 8 names. The oldest and first was from over thirty years ago, when they recently changed their position on whether to have memorial services for suicides or not.

  3 were from about ten or twelve years ago. The other 4 were in the past 2-3 years.

  I'm sure that if I got out the rolodex I would come up with more. ( Ones that are on depression meds could easily go in the triple digits.)
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  raymond frantz

  3 ,one only last month ,young brother left a little girl behind
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  sizemik

  The first was a 16 yr old kid . . . very quiet and shy. He went into the garage and put a hose through the window of the family car. By the time they found him it was too late. Oddly, it was hardly spoken about. Almost like he didn't matter.

  The second was a guy we had spent a summer holiday with. He was a lovely guy but also rather shy. He did a similar thing . . . drove out to a country lay-by after work. He had 2 little girls.

  The third was a young girl who had become pregnant as was later discovered . . . she had told nobody. She overdosed on meds.

  The fourth was my best friend. We had moved congo's but still kept in touch regularly. He was struggling with depression and took advice from an MS (Elders son) in the congregation who was into "alternative" therapies. He had stopped his regular meds 2 weeks before driving to his parents house and shooting himself in their lounge. He had a wife and two children. His widow questioned his "treatment" and was disfellowshipped for slander 3 months after he died. She's now reinstated and remarried. His daughter has attempted suicide twice since. I loved him.

  The fifth was a sister about my age who had an unbelieving mate. My wife knew her well. He was a real nice guy and never attempted to disuade her. She was also receiving personal "support" from an Elder who was once ticked off for visiting her on his own. She had not long started pioneering when she took an overdose. She had a teenage son.

  The sixth was another youth . . . 17. His father was in another congo so I studied with him. He became very close to my eldest son. He was so incredibly talented . . . at everything he did . . . but was so modest along with it. Just a great kid . . . and I came to love him too. It's complicated, but he was basically persecuted by the COBE who hated his father. The final straw was when he was rung by the COBE the night before the Assembly and told his approval for baptism had been withdrawn. Several other youths, his friends, all got baptised except him. Nothing was said to me. I got a ring on the Monday to say he'd hung himself in his garage . . . by sliding off the roof of his beloved "project car" I still greive deeply for him.

  There were 4 others . . . but I can't do this anymore.
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  still thinking

  sizemik...that is a heavy load for you to carry... The pain surrounding you is immense. I have experienced this once with a friend and once with a work acquaintance and that has been enough to affect me. You need a hug (((size)))

  And to everyone else on this thread that has had this experience (((HUG)))
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  mercedes_29

  I knew one servant who hanged himself in the woods. He suffered from depression and on top of the two of his children were disfellowshipped. One of them lived at home with him and the congregation blamed his disfellowshipped son living with him as the cause. Idiots.
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  supernerdboy

  I had thought of it as an option and wanted to do it. But the I realized shortly after that that WTBTS is a cult and now I am much happyer.
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  freeinmichigan

  I know of 3 Jw's in michigan.
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  avishai

  Does anyone on here remember the girl (under 18 I think) who's parent's burned all her photo's when she was df'd who killed herself? She was posting on this site i think..