In light of the recent murder/suicide involving the Bryant family of McMinnville, Oregon, and the murder (no suicide) by Christian Longo of his family in Newport, Oregon, I'm opening this thread in the hope of shedding some light on the way that JW dogma may encourage such behavior.
Here is a link to an article in The Oregonian discussing the Bryant tragedy: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/front_page/10163697352835756.xml
Here's a small portion of the aricle:
A man who feels hopeless and isolated, as Robert Bryant might have if family and church ties were severed, is at risk for suicide, said Dr. James Hancey, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Oregon Health and Science University. . . . But Hancey said why a man might kill his family before committing suicide is harder to discern. While he was not familiar with the details of Bryant tragedy, Hancey said, sometimes such actions are related to distorted religious thoughts but may arise from other factors.I contend that it is the JW dogma itself that is "distorted," not the thinking of the believer. For too long the Watchtower Society (the legal corporation of Jehovah's Witnesses) has blamed the victims.
Psychiatrists unfamiliar with JW dogma may not be able to discern why a JW man might murder his family before committing suicide, but I believe that as former JWs we may be able to offer an explanation that makes "perfect sense" - or is, as SixofNine put it - "IMPECCABLE'.
Naeblis has pointed out, in another thread, that without a suicide note we cannot tell exactly what Bob Bryant was thinking before he took the action he did. I'm not certain that that is entirely true. I think that if we know the man's beliefs we can begin to understand his motive.
Jeheovah's Witnesses believe that we live in an evil, demon-haunted world ruled by Satan the Devil. They believe that this evil world is scheduled for destruction at some time in the "not-too-distant" (but variably distant) future. This destruction will be a result of the Battle of Armageddon as fortold in the Book of Revelations. Jehovah's Witness doctrine tells them that persons who lose their lives at Armaageddon will suffer eternal death - Jehovah's Witnesses do no believe in hellfire; they teach that death is simply non-existence.
People who have died BEFORE Armageddon, however, have the hope of a resurrection to a paradise earth, cleansed of evil. This includes virtually ALL of dead mankind, including most criminals. These resurrected dead would come to life during the 1.000 year rule of Jesus Christ over the earth, and at the end of that 1,000 year period they would be subject to a final judgement during which Satan and his demons, imprisoned for a millennium, are released to roam the earth again to mislead who they may. After this final trial, Satan, the demons, and unrighteous men and women are destroyed forever and the survivors live eternally on a paradise Earth, as God originally planned for Adam and Eve.
It may seem at first glance that there is nothing here to cause a man to want to kill his family and himself, but a closer examination reveals an "escape" clause: the innocent victims of a murdered will be resurrected to a paradise Earth having no memory of the time spent "sleeping" in death. Fall asleep in this wicked world, wake up in Paradise, as jesus promised the criminal executed at his side; "...you will be with me in Paradise." Yes, not only the victims of criminals, but quite possibly the perps themselves will be resurrected, though a blanket statement cannot be made.
But if death is simple non-existence, is it impossible to imagine that a loving father might be willing to accept his own eternal non-existence in order to assure that his beloved children and his wife "wake up" in Paradise, relieved of the evil in this world?
I ask the assistance of others on this board to provide references to Watchtower publications stating these doctrines and also for any comments and corrections and/or amplifications that might be necessary.
- Nathan Natas, UADNA
(Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America)