Do you know of any "baptized" JW's that committed suicide or attempted?

by booker-t 78 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  bull01lay

  An elder from one of my old congs committed suicide - just stopped his Land Rover at the side of the road, got out and poured petrol all over it and himself, then lit it. It was explained to me that his thinking had become "wayward" of late, so he was obvious not leaning enough upon Jehovah!

  I attempted suicide a looooong time ago - in an abusive dub marriage and couldn't see a way out - depression eventually led to an overdose attempt with paracetomol. Took a whole bottle (48 tablets), and went to sleep.

  Never had a headache since !

  Bull!
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  Emma

  I know of three. One was in her early 20's and had been dealing with mental problems, probably chemical imbalance. She finally just took all her med's at once. This was in the early 70's and mental illness was looked upon as a sign of spiritual weakness. The elders in her cong refused to conduct a funeral; a young elder from another cong was disgusted and stepped up to do the funeral.

  Another was a young woman, a victim of incest. Her father was disfellowshipped several times and she said she would have been, too, if she was baptized. Sick organization.

  The other was a woman in her 30's who tried so hard to please Jehovah (ie the org and elders). She just couldn't do it and finally hung herself. She was so sweet and generous. I'm sure there was mental illness involved but she wasn't able to get the right support and help.
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  justhuman

  YES I DO. IN FACT A VERY CLOSED FRIEND OF MINE DIED FEW WEEKS AGO. SHE FELL OF FROM A 12 FLOOR BUILDING.
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  Perry

  Lies, Lies, All Lies! These kinds of things don't happen in the Spiritual Paradise.

  Recipe for diaster:

  Preheat oven to 2500 degrees

  Set up a giant sin burden through complicated doctrine and then deny that Christ died for your personal sins.

  Take out any Holy Spirit that may have been there at time of baptism

  Gradually stir in New Light, Old Light, and Dim Light

  Next, place in searing oven for five hours a week on three separate occassions each week.

  Take out mixture and examine. If brain activity is detected, rebuke & place back in oven and repeat until all brain activity has ceased.

  Prepare icing thusly:

  Beat mixture relentlessly until thoroughly smooth and "without blemish or spot from the world"

  Spread the icing over the surface of the entire uninhabited cake.

  Next, serve at room (lukewarm) tempature to the GB. Because even though you get to make your own cake, you don't get to eat it too.
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  Balsam

  My dear friend Karen Kerr, she died 33 years ago. She was just 22. I got her interested in a bible study with JW because I was studying. She had emotional problems, and psychotic episodes. I really believed it would help her to have the bible to hold on too. She did really well for a short time, then killed herself driving in front of a tractor trailer. The tractor trailer driver said her move was deliberate and he could not miss her. She looked up at him in the cab of his truck before hitting him. She died instantly. I had talked to her the day before, and she called several times while we were with other witnesses gone from the house. I never saw her again. She had told people at the KH that demons would not leave her alone. She was not baptized but had been planning to get baptized. I was already baptized.

  She and I were childhood friends. Had she not got involved in the JW's maybe she would still be alive today. We were both fooled willingly by the JW religion.

  Suicide seems like a perfect way out of a life that we have a hard time coping with. The religion sets a feeling of failure on behalf of us all, we can never quite measure up, and do enough. I know that is what led to Karen's death in her unstable mental frame of mind.

  Now my dear 15 year old son Dak who died 3 1/2 years ago and she are together, I feel. I like to believe she is looking out for him. My son died as a result of an auto accident that wasn't his fault.
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  franklin J

  yes, my cousin. He was 3 years my senior . Although he ( along with the rest of the extended family) had shunned me and my new "wordly wife"; his death by his own hand still came as a blow. We grew up together.

  He left behind a wife and 2 small kids. He was suffering from depression; was taking anti depressent drugs and decided to end it by combining massive dosses of alcohol. He left a suicide note.

  His crazed sister ( still a bible thumping JW) cried over meetings with the elders about whether or not he would be resurrected. They told her it was questionable due to his "suicidal " conduct.

  Can you imagine such barbarity? How appropriate from such a draconian religion.
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  Billygoat

  Me. Twice. The first time landed me in the hospital getting my tummy pumped from the pills and alcohol. My roommates found me. The second was intercepted by a phone call from a friend that had a strange "premonition" that something was wrong with me. He drove and picked me up and I ended up staying with him and his wife for almost two weeks.

  I still struggle with depressive "moments"...days at the max...but I don't struggle with suicidal feelings like I used to. I have my dear husband and circle of friends to thank for that. I realize I have worth, whether my parents or their JW friends think so or not.
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  Evesapple

  Yes, it was a tragedy. I was living in AZ at the time, a woman from our hall, single mother of a little girl around my daughter's age. I never allowed my daughter to play at her house because I didn't feel that the mother was mentally stable, but the little girl would come over and play with my daughter. She came from a long line of abuse by her father and ex-husband. It was a little after I was disfellowshipped and going thru my divorce, my sister moved in with me and brought a t.v. I was setting the t.v. up to the cable, my daughter 5 years old at the time was sitting on the couch waiting to be able to watch t.v. The first thing that came into focus was the news and this JW woman's picture on the screen....the rest was so shocking I couldn't move, she and her little girl climbed to the 20th floor of a building in downtown Phoenix, the middle of lunch time, and jumped to their death. My little girl heard the whole thing, and I had to explain to her that she was very sick and it's sad that she had no one to turn to (not even her own cong.) She took the little girl with her because she felt that it was better for her die with her then to be left behind at the hands of those that may abuse her, her father and grandfather. My daughter still recalls the story to this day 10 years later.
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  franklin J

  Billy goat

  this is good to hear. Those of us who escaped relatively unscathed are able to rebuild our lives to an astonishing degree of success ( compared to the past). We look back and realise how very fortunate we are.....we can appreciate the caring friends and marriage mate and know that it is all not conditional on a flimsy religious belief....

  Merry, Merry Christmas to you and your other half,

  Frank
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  codeblue

  When I was in my late teen years, there was a brother from a neighboring KH that committed suicide. It took us all by suprise as he was married, had children, and was such a loving, kind person. I think he was an elder or a ms. I have always wondered what drove him to that point...it is very sad. The family looked "happy"....but we all know how "looks" can be deceiving.

  CodeBlue