Struggling to keep balance (page 2)

Aunty

There are many problems in life that cause us to be depressed. Certain people react differently to different stresses in their life. Most of us are rational enough to deal with these issues and move past it, some like this man just can't deal with life's pressures. If a person has a tendancy to become easily overwhelmed by the jw system, most likely this would have happened from other pressures in life as well. We all have disappointments, but some can't deal as well as others.

AMNESIAN

Like most situations there will be a number of contributing factors and combined they caused a tragedy.

Undoubtedly, and yet...

I don't think anyone besides those closely involved with the situation (police, family, and close friends) could possibly attempt to pinpoint the cause of this tragedy.

...of note is that none of the published comments (that I've read) to date from any of these folks likeliest to have a clue---i.e., police, family, close friends, even an insurance agent with whom Robert had mentioned his situation--- have cited a single other possibly contributing factor aside from the JW affiliation.

Though it's all speculation at this point, it certainly does not fit into the outrageous, wild-eyed category. With the family finances seemingly recovered, it's not much of a leap to imagine that the most recent and overwhelming trauma in this family's world---the unraveling of their spiritual/religious/family moorings--- is the logical primary factor contributing to this tragedy. At least, family and others, so far, seem to suspect there is a connection.

AMNESIAN

Tinkerbell4125

Well, I know it had something to do with my dad's suicide and my sister-in-laws brother! I wish that j.w.'s could see how shunning tears a family apart.

ros

QUESTION: How do we know this man killed his family? The authorities say it APPEARS to be a murder/suicide situation.

Consider some other questions:
Why did this man and his family feel compelled to move away in the middle of the night to an unknown place in another state where his family, relations, and friends would not know where he is?

Why were there no signs, as there usually are, to indicate this man was troubled, or that the family was troubled, or that the children were troubled? Just the opposite seems to be true.

Remember, the authorities investigating this heinous crime are not in tune with cultish mind-control. Things of suspicion do not occur to them that might occur to people with a little more insight into the JW mindset, particularly the more devout.

Remember, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that if people die before Armageddon, they have hope of a resurrection in the "New Earth" where they will be given a second chance for judgment. If they die--"real soon"--in Armageddon, they are lost forever.
From the evidence, there were relatives concerned enough to be trying to gain custody of the couple's children.

Again I ask: Why did this couple feel compelled to leave their community, family and friends secretly and without them knowing their whereabouts? This--in my mind--is something that the law enforcement investigators would not likely think to consider. Is it possible that this crime was committed by some radical JW relative trying to save the everlasting lives of the children, and even the parents, by killing them before Armageddon? That's likely something that would never occur to the authorities.

Just a thought.

Ros
"A religion that teaches lies cannot be true"--The Watchtower, 12/1/91 pg. 7

Amazing

Hi Lee Elder: Mass murder / suicide is most often tipped off by something extreme. I suspect that a threar of divorce may be at the root. With the family not having much to do with non-JWs, and strained shunned relations with former friends and relatives, they may have been dealing with much more emotional baggage when ... one of the other starts talking divorce, this can be the last straw.

I agree with you that blaming the WTS beliefs and practices entirely is not balanced. Amnesian raised a good point that the family has apparantly resolved financial difficulties with the sale of their home. This would have been tax exempt funds, so they would get to keep all the net proceeds. This leaves other factors as Amnesian suggested.

I do wonder if maybe his wife either threatened divorce and/or to go back to the JWs ... and this was too much for him to cope with ... and he went biserk. Yet, all we have are speculation, unless some of their friends or family have some knowledge and decide to make 'truthful' comments to the media ... without coloring matters to make the WTS look good.

McMinnville, Oregon is a beautiful area, and like many parts of the state, attract people looking to enjoy a better quality of life relative to lower cost, good jobs, and less congestion. Oregon has one of the highest ratios of JWs to the total population of any state, and the highest ratio of ex-Californians to those born and raised in the state. Many people go to Oregon to find God's contry, and many find a better life, but many also are very disappointed ... and once they settle some, other postponed problems surface.

This is truly a terrible tragedy, and I hope that their families will get through their loss soon, and find peace.

ISP

To blame the religion is to remove the utter responsibility of the person involved. Point scoring against the WTS has to come second.

ISP

aTHINKING1

the wt didnt pull the trigger....but then again the pope didnt molest any altar boys. the problem is church policy in both cases. forces celibacy...and enforced shunning...let's see 2 df'd families move to oregon to "start over", both end up dead at the hands of the father, all this in 2 months time. it's either the policy or oregon. (just a joke oregonians but you get my drift??)

Farkel

If he DID kill his family, then I believe it is possible he thought he was already doomed in Jehovah's eyes and wanted to "make sure" his family got a shot at the paradise earth. Dying before Armageddon is a near guarantee in the Watchtower religion to ensure that happens. Perhaps he even thought he would have a shot at a resurrection. He was only disfellowshiped for revealing the hypocrisy he saw in his religion according to the story in Sunday's Oregonian newspaper.

Of course, it's all speculation. ros, you brought up some interesting possibilites, too, as scary as they might be.

Farkel

plmkrzy

ROS

You pointed out something extremely relevant. If this would have been advertised as a Baptist family that probably would have been our first assumption. Even though on a percentage the odds are more in the favor of it being a Baptist family.
Must be the atmosphere.

"I look to the sea, reflections in the waves spark my memory
Some happy,some sad"

styx

This one most definitely Happy

You Know

Murder and suicide are nothing new to the apostate community. It is merely a reflection of Satan's malicious destructive spirit. After all, Christianity began with the despicable apostle, Judas, the first apostate, betraying Christ into death and then killing himself. And, now, that the organization and the world seems to be drawing nearer and nearer to a time of unequaled tumult, we can only expect such demon-frenzied incidents to increase. Jesus foretold that during the last days that "many would hate one another, and betray one another." Obviously that aspect of the prophecy is being fulfilled presently. Jesus also stated that many would become so delusional that they would even murder Jehovah's people all the while imagining that they were redendering a sacred service to God. Under the right circumstances it is very easy to see how apostates could be induced to do just that very sort of thing. / You Know

Struggling to keep balance

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