Will the Watchtower Increase Suicide?

by metatron 21 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  metatron

  I sadly observe that the Watchtower has collectively chosen to resist moral
  reform of nearly every kind. Some of us had hoped that child molesting, lying,
  cruelty - and THE CONTINUING FRAUD OF BLOOD TRANSFUSION might awaken a few consciences.
  
  I can see that we may have been misled by thinking that a presentation of facts is
  deeply relevant to those in the 'truth'. It isn't.

  You and I, likely reading this, concern ourselves with evidence - which explains
  why we realize the Watchtower is a heartless cult - and have left, while others
  remain enslaved in it - accepting its mind control tactics.

  I doubt this process can simply go on endlessly - because the world is rapidly changing
  regardless of how much the theocrats want it to stop (see the stupid recent Awake
  on stem cells).

  It would be the route of mercy to 'let people down slowly'. Instead, Witnesses will
  tear themselves apart inside - OFTEN NOT EVEN KNOWING WHY! They will drag themselves
  to meetings - feeling depressed and spiritually as dead as the 'ministry' they are
  coerced into performing. They will get allergic to everything, develop multiple
  personalities, remember 'Satanic abuse', waste their money on crank therapies,
  swallow Paxil, Zoloft, and Prozac, get anorexic, burst into tears for no reason,
  stop taking vital medication, blame Satan for everything, beat their children,
  - and generally suffer every creative response from a mute SUBCONSCIOUS screaming
  at them to stop.

  Leading a 'double life' is a logical adaptation to trying meet impossible demands.
  So is lying - to yourself and others. GOD, every meeting I'm forced to attend
  gives me the creepy feeling of being stuck in an asylum!

  Yet, no matter how good a rubber band is , YOU CAN ONLY STRETCH IT SO FAR without
  breaking - and if you continue to push yourself despite every growing doubt -
  you may not survive the final collapse of your Watchtower faith. Those who can't
  find the steps descending, will simply fall off a cliff.

  I recently helped Sister Nearly Broke the other day. One of the first things
  out of her 'faithful' mouth was 'how the friends are falling apart', "Armageddon
  must be soon, there are SO MANY that are depressed in the hall"
  
  Hearing that, I was reminded of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and how they were killing
  their own people - until the even the stoic Vietnamese forced them to stop,
  after witnessing the body parts floating down river. Well, don't look for intervention
  here.

  For many Witnesses, the end of this process ain't gonna be pretty.
  THEY WILL get dumber and crazier - because there's no other way in Watchtowerland.

  Help those you can, in love, a little at a time, patiently.

  You might save a life - in more ways than one.

  metatron
• 

  ThiChi

  I agree. Ray Franz related a very touching story about Clarisse, in his ISOCF book under the chapter "An Appealing Promise, Unfulfilled."

  Edited by - thichi on 27 November 2002 13:36:43
• 

  freedom96

  In the WTS there is always an answer for everything. The "friends are falling apart" is a sign the end is coming. If there is a decrease, it is the sifting period, if there is an increase, that too is God given.

  So sad. You do look around the halls, and yes, the people there do not appear to be happy. They are forced into going, or suffer the consequences.

  For sure, the witnesses are not " a happy people."

  I would like to think, that if a good percentage found out the real truth, and others left at the same time, that then they could allow themselves to be happy, and to pursue the happiness that God wants us to have.
• 

  Tashawaa

  Sadly, so many have spend a good portion of their lives, "dedicated" to the truth.

  I have hope that my family will leave it. They're "thinkers" and they love their family - namely me & sis who are on the "outs". They've all found ways to still communicate with us, but its not the same. Sometimes they say things like "it'll be nice when we can all be united as a family again" (meaning JW) but I always think "yes, once you leave it"

  I sometimes feel "gyped" that I've spent a good portion of my youth on crap... I couldn't imagine being in my 50-60 yrs and realizing it was your whole life! No "new system", no security of being told what and how to think....
• 

  happy man

  hello my friend Metatron.

  I must say you have a bad day today, in evry religion you have upps and downs, peopel who are happy , and unhappy, i think you try to convince yourself about that evrything is very bad in the JW religion, IT IS NOT, and i think you now it inside.

  sure we have some peopel how suffer, and some how is very happy, when we loook at the figures from the world it looks very good.

  You are littel unfair when you only paint in black.

  I was working in a religius hall a few weeks ago, and the priest tell me how awfull evryone was to him, so you see, all over we have peopel how not is sadicfied.

  I think when I look at our cong that we now have a littel going upp trend, several new are coming in, and we have a littel cong around 60 members.

  So evrything depend on what you want to show, if you want to show bad things , you can find them, and if you want to show good things you can find this too.

  The most good thing now I think is our neutrality to all conflicts and hate among diffrent countries.

  We sure feel the internationell brotherhood.

  I think Jw have a rqdher good chans to grow, in this tricky times, a lot of peopel miss guidnes.

  I see only one cloud on heaven, and it is that sure we can see that the GB putt them self in high position, but perhaps Jehova take care of this, how nows, perhaps he use media????

  take care , widh love from happy man
• 

  LyinEyes

  I happen to know of 3 maybe 4 suicides of JW's , and I knew these people well,one being my own mother.

  I will say being in any CULT will aid in the journey down the road to total despire and depression , especailly if you are prone to it. Being in a cult can also make the most sane, logical person, forsake the strong person they once were to just another mind controlled member, opening the way for depression.

  Most of my experience , including my own, was a large, very large percentage of the congregations I have ever been in , totally depressed. THe only reason they and I went on with this state of depression for so many years , was the promise of the New World being right around the corner. That made the suffering , some how more bearable , to think it would soon end. Many get to the place, were they just can't go on anymore I believe.

  For the suicides I know myself, there was the guilt trip and "I'm not good enough for Jehovah to forgive me" mentality. I heard this from my mother, and I told her Jehovah was a forgiving God, but she thought if you sinned knowing you are sinning you are unforgivable. I tried to reason with her about King David, and how he knew what he did was wrong, he just got so deep in it and that is how we all sin, we are not out to hurt God. It did not register with her on this. SHe felt she had done so many other things that were not forgivable, like the years she was stoned out of her head on drugs, and neglected and was abusive to my sister and I.She cried and cried over the way she did us, once her mind was clear and she could see it.

  My point is , in the JW religion, (CULT), they teach you to punish yourself. To not love yourself also. To put yourself so far down, in order to induce suffering which is supposed to make you stronger . It is such bull..........but it is how they control you. They strive to make you feel so helpless, so unworthy that you must depend on the elders to pray for your very soul, because God doesnt hear you prayers anymore.

  Once a person gets this down, not caring of themselves anymore, convinced in their mind that they are no longer worthy of God's love, and even condemning themselves to be bird food in the end, all hope is lost. That is alot of the reason I think my mother commited suicide, all the GUILT. I happen to believe that JW"s are more to blame for this mentality than other main stream religions. They more or less tell you , if you don't confess a serious sin to the elders, you will die in armeggedon. Can you imagine how many in JW land have committed a serious sin, are sorry for it, but don't tell?

  Can you imagine, the fear , the repercussions if they do tell, like losing family, getting d/f, etc. and you can see why some don't confess, but they still feel even worse guilt that only gets to heavy to bear. What other religion puts themselves as the judge of your sinful soul in that you must confess in graphic detail your sins to MEN, and if you don't you die? I am sure there might be a few, but on the whole, JW have to be the worst in this.
• 

  Alligator Wisdom

  Yes. I know that story all too well Lyin Eyes. You expressed my thoughts exactly. Just for your information, a sister (young mother with a child 8 years old) here in Japan leaped to her death from a 10 story building two months ago. She had on-going struggles with depression fueled by feelings of self-worthlessness. Sad story !

  I too, myself, am suffering from the same crises. I lost my identity and always was made to feel like I was never doing enough. It is pure torture! Fortunately, I never successfully went through with killing myself. But, oh how many times I've contemplated it and tried to plan and figure the easiest way out of living. Grateful I am to have met many (on this board) who understand and know what life in the JW world is really like. Recovery is my daily food. Thanks to all of you!

  Alligator Wisdom (aka Brother "NOT Exerting Vigorously")
• 

  LyinEyes

  Alligator,,,,, that is a sad story, and one that seems to be increasing in numbers. I am sorry you too have felt this sad, and thought of ending it all. Some think of it, others actually dwell on the best way to do it. Thank God there is so many of us out here who really didnt want to die, we just wanted the heck out of JW and didnt even know it. It was like a struggle with our own consciences, trying to be something we didnt like, like being better than others, condemning others to die in armeggedon, to shun our friends , etc. We had to do these things in our minds to be acceptable to Jehovah, but we didnt understand it to be loving, but we had to do it. No wonder we were heart broken and soul sick for so long. Since I left the borg, I am free to go with my conscience now and be a better person, in that I don't have to judge others, make myself and religion better than everyone eles's. I am free to not hate myself for not going in service enough hours, missing meetings, and for being depressed in the first place, remember we were told we were Jehovah's Happy People??

  I like your AKA , "brohter not excerting himself vigorously", I remember when you told about that when you first got here,,,,,,, it is funny , to me ,,all the lables we were given because of our "weaknesses" , some lables we gave ourselves.

  I think I was "sister who always has a headache"........hehehe (note: since leaving JW the headaches are alot less frequent.......hummmmmm wonder why? )
• 

  SloBoy

  Thanks Metatron,

  Good post, so true. My wife and I believe the test for us is to be available when other friends will need support. At times, yes, it is difficult not to implode with anger over the treatment the WBTS deals out, but because of people like you and others, we've been able to endure. I hope Simon hears a big thanks in this post.
• 

  Scully

  Dede:

  Can you imagine how many in JW land have committed a serious sin, are sorry for it, but don't tell?

  There are some things about myself that I've NEVER confessed, and I felt so much GUILT over them for years, even though I never repeated the "mistakes". Repentance is more about not repeating the behaviour that's considered wrong than it is about confessing and begging forgiveness of men who don't know what is in your heart. My "sins" will go to the grave with me.

  Love, Scully