Whitney Heichel - first hand account from congregation member on Facebook

by sir82 104 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  blondie

  I'm glad they helped to find someone they knew and loved and was of the same religious group. But the WTS knows that Jesus said it should go farther than that. The "tax collectors" and "Gentiles" love those who love them. Does this congregation or area of jw congregations do the same for non-jws? Would they? Who is my neighbor?

  Matthew 5:45-47

  English Standard Version (ESV)

  45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, [ a ] what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

  Luke 10:25-37

  New International Version (NIV)

  The Parable of the Good Samaritan

  25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

  26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

  27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ [ a ] ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ [ b ] ”

  28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

  29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

  30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii [ c ] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

  36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

  37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

  Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
• 

  undercover

  Here's something I've been wondering about: if Holt hadn't murdered Whitney, but "only" sexually assaulted her, do you think she'd be in trouble with the elders for not screaming and trying to get away at the gas station?

  No one knows, or can know, or will ever know, but k nowing the puritanical ways of the WTS and how they view rape as sex instead of a violent crime, my biggest fear for Whitney (even when I didn't know her) was that as she faced death and as the bullets hit her, that somehow she may have felt some WT induced guilt because she wasn't resisting enough.

  It's bad enough to be in that position, facing death at a lunatic's hand, but to be mindfucked by the WTS at the same time...
• 

  sir82

  She filed for divorce on Friday.

  Well, she is scripturally free, per the JWs.....
• 

  AudeSapere

  @Blondie:
• 

  DATA-DOG

  It sounds like the Brother leading the search could be a stand up guy. If it was someones kid in my area I would have been searching as well. What's sad is that she should never have died. We will probably find out that the Elder's knew this guy was jacked up and never warned the congregation. Also acting like he was not a JW when he was is totally deceptive.
• 

  NVR2L8

  Instead of guiding the brothers in their search or holding back the rain on the day of the memorial service wouldn't it had made more sense for the almighty Jehovah to spare this young woman from this awful end. I guess her death serves as a witness for such a loving god...
• 

  Dagney

  This is viral. Even I'm receiving it in my email. Probably with a secret wish "see Dag how bad everything is out there!!! See how great we are!!! Don't you want to be us??"

  I feel so bad for the family and the senseless loss. Just terrible. But I then I get angry. Something good ALWAYS comes from Jehovah...EVERYTHING bad comes from Satan. I can see by the email responses the JW's are getting all riled up about the "witness" they gave in this tragedy.

  Heavy, heavy sigh....
• 

  Darth Rutherford

  When searching for Whitney, it was worldly bank officers who looked into her account for clues. The gas station attendant viewed the security tape. Children playing in a field find the cell phone. The police conducted TV updates and appealed to the public for help. The Sheriff, FBI, and local police searched the mountain where the body was eventually found.

  Once Whitney was found, a memorial was set up at Starbucks by non-Witnesses. In fact, this memorial was the "largest display of emotion in Portland's entire history." Also, people hugged Witnesses who came knocking at their door in field service.

  In preparing for the memorial service, someone donated a large wedding tent for the public memorial. The floral shop donated and filled the KH with flowers -special ordering them from Hawaii. Wal-Mart donates 4,000 sandwiches. Albertsons and Safeway also make donations of food.

  During the memorial service, strangers line up from noon to 7pm for the memorial. Starbucks employees donate three large boxes filled with money for the family. Other strangers give gifts of flowers, cards, and money.

  Weren't you personally impressed, not by the witness given by Jehovah's Witnesses, but by those in the community? Look at what an extraordinary show of love the "worldly" community had for those who knew and loved Whitney.

  Yet, how could the show of love and support given by these worldly people even compare with the World Headquarters of Whitney's own faith, the "true Christian brotherhood"? Surely, you would expect the billion-dollar Watchtower and Bible Tract Society to easily surpass the love shown by the local community. What witness did Watchtower give? Our writer answers, "The Society got involved and had the circuit and district overseers come and serve Clint’s congregation this week – the district overseer also gave the private memorial talk on Saturday." Watchtower redirected the schedules of their local circuit and district overseers.

  You just can't compare the love of Watchtower with the love of the "worldly" community, can you! The "worldly" community cares so much more!

  The world is demonized by Jehovah's Witnesses. We were all taught and told that we wouldn't have any love or support if we ever left the organization. We know they're wrong; however, Whitney's community gave an awesome witness and proved by their actions that Watchtower is a liar! There is certainly evil everywhere in the world; however, that doesn't mean that everyone in the world is evil.

  And here's the kicker: By now, I'm sure the congregation is getting back into the swing of things. Undoubtedly, they're zealously going from door-to-door proclaiming a message that eventually involves learning that Jehovah and Jesus will soon mercilessly kill everyone who does not share the Watchtower faith -including all those strangers who gave support and love to a young, beautiful woman and those of her family and faith.

  This Facebook posting says much more than the writer intended. It shows that there is a world filled with loving people outside the Watchtower. Jesus says, "By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.” If that is the case, then there are many of Christ's disciples living outside the Watchtower. I find that encouraging.

  Maybe the writer of this post subconsciously recognizes this fact. Even he acknowleges, "It was indescribable, an incredible experience for all of us. I was amazed how people who came that didn’t even know Whitney, but simply felt a need to be here and comfort the family. So many were coming in, they simply couldn’t be counted. But we estimate that there were between 3,000 and 4,000 people that came."

  Whitney's death was a senseless tragedy. I hope her murderer gets the severest penalty for his crimes. Nevertheless, if there's any good that can possibly come from such a horrible story, maybe it's from the loving example that this community showed. The true witness came, not from the Kingdom Hall, but from strangers in the community. Hopefully, due to the love they showed, many seeds of cognitive dissonance were planted into the minds of Witnesses worldwide. Hopefully, a few of those seeds will grow and some will awaken.
• 

  Finkelstein

  Although in the police report he stated that he was out in service with Whitney and others a month or two earlier.

  I get the impression that Holt was trying to use his religious affiliation as means to create an innocent white sheet over himself

  as he was being questioned by police.

  Not surprising at all, knew many JWs who intently tried covering themselves over in this fashion

  " Who me ? I'm righteous and pure, spiritually strong, why I was just out in service this morning !!!

  As much as he tried to relinquish evidence that would implicant him, he wasn't smart enough to pull it off.

  There are so many technical and scientific tools that police authorities have at their disposal such as DNA evidence, security video etc.

  that one would have to be a very smart and cunning person to pull off a murder now days, something a typical JWs doesn't have.
• 

  sir82

  Darth

  I would not at all be suprised if the congregation shrinks by a significant percentage 6 months to a year from now, as those who still possess working synapses process everything that has happened....