Guess I could also mention that my devout JW mother made several (nearly successful) attempts . . . they chalked it all up to psychotic depression, but she flat out told me one day that she couldn't bear the thought of my son and I being killed at Armageddon. She's still there, though, plugging away.
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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jws
My sister's sister-in-law comitted suicide, leaving behind two kids who were probably something like 2 and 4 at the time. She was a JW at the time. My sister's in-laws are a secretive family and we didn't know much. All we knew is she took a bunch of pills to do the job. Have no idea why. Everyone seemed genuinely sad. I remember being kind of young myself and asking whether she'd be ressurected and was told she might be. Only God knew what was going on in her mind.
For a rather tragic event, the JWs seemed to be sympathetic.
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fleaman uk
I know of 2 successful attempts.
One D,fed Man hung himself .End of story.Poor Guy.
The second was one of the worse stories i heard from the Religion.
A Brother finds out his new Wife is cheating on Him and is so distraught he Gasses himself in his Car.The Evil Bitch turns up at his Funeral in the same car,with her new Boyfriend.
Actually,that is the worse story i ever heard from the Religion.I dont think you can blame JW,s for that ,but it is related.It happened about 15 Years ago in a relatively nearby Cong,and affected lots of People ,including me a young Pioneer at the time.He was roughly the same Age as me.The Wife was D,fed.Big fucking deal.That poor Lad.
Ive known of quite a few Suicide attempts.
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coldfish
My husband's best friend was a JW when we were JW's. 3 years ago he hanged himself. It was his 10th suicide attempt and at last he succeeded. A year prior his stepson hanged himself too.
He had been getting professional help etc and even spent some time at a psychiatric hospital under suicide watch and he was medicated etc. Some people do issues that are hard to get over. With ***** he had been raped some years earlier by a group of men, and those men (Not JWs!) were now happy married businessmen in our town of 50,000 (he had never laid charges or told the police at the time because of shame).
So I feel he had valid reasons to have mental issues and depression etc. I saw him hanging from the tree and instead of feeling sad it was a comforting sight, for the first time he looked relaxed and at peace.
He wasn't allowed a funeral at the kingdom hall of course, so it was held at the funeral home. It was the worst funeral I'd ever been to The P.O elder took it and instead of saying nice things like how nice etc ***** had been he made awful comments about suicide and how we don't know if God forgives. It was a shocking thing for family and friends to hear, especially as a lot were 'worldly'. No compassion whatsoever. Still hacks me off to think of it to this day.
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seesthesky
some here, but not all, have drawn or suggested the inference that jay dubyaism causes suicide - others have indicated a belief that the causes of suicide are quite complex and that the act likely results from multiple factors including even genetic predisposition - i side with this latter group - the position of the former seems illogical and myopic - any opinions on this?
p.s. if possible, please guide your responses with logic and reason only -
candidlynuts
notice the risk factors listed on the cdc website http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/suifacts.htm .. even if it doesnt " run in the family" being a jw having problems, out of favor, da'd or df'd increases several risk factors that i highlighted below. we cant know if jw suicide is at a higher rate than the average because theres no way the society would ever allow access to that information if they even care enough to keep tabs on that info in the first place.
Risk Factors
The first step in preventing suicide is to identify and understand the risk factors. A risk factor is anything that increases the likelihood that persons will harm themselves. However, risk factors are not necessarily causes. Research has identified the following risk factors for suicide (DHHS 1999):
- Previous suicide attempt(s)
- History of mental disorders, particularly depression
- History of alcohol and substance abuse
- Family history of suicide
- Family history of child maltreatment
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Impulsive or aggressive tendencies
- Barriers to accessing mental health treatment
- Loss (relational, social, work, or financial)
- Physical illness
- Easy access to lethal methods
- Unwillingness to seek help because of the stigma attached to mental health and substance abuse disorders or suicidal thoughts
- Cultural and religious beliefs?for instance, the belief that suicide is a noble resolution of a personal dilemma
- Local epidemics of suicide
- Isolation, a feeling of being cut off from other people
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Billygoat
((((Aceofcad)))) You will find a lot of solace in the walls of this discussion board. There are too many of us with similar stories. You are in good company.
Andi
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peacefulpete
I can think of 5 in the last 10 years. One was a murder suicide. The mother could not handle caring for an adult child with serious mental defect. Another recently was a young newly married man who had an affair was dfd and immediately killed himself. The sadest part was that afterward, anger and blame directed at him was all I heard. A friend that I toured Bethel with did himself in, rumoured it was because he was gay and unable to deal with the hate.
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catchthis
I attempted it once only a month after I was baptized. I don't remember the specifics for doing it, but I wrote two notes, one to my parents and one to my "friends." At the time, I think the overall responsibility that came with being baptized hit me hard. Not to mention my parents semi-shaky marriage, their refusal to let me hangout with my friends, etc.
You do remember the actual attempt though for years and years. I still remember sitting in my car in a closed garage for 4 hours. To this day, I still do not know how long it takes for carbon monoxide poisoning to take effect. If movies and other typical sources are any clue, I was always under the impression that it would only take around 30 minutes to an hour. But no, I sat there for 4 hours crying the entire time asking my parents, relatives, and friends to forgive me and that I would see them in the New System. I did not believe that Jehovah wouldn't resurrect me simply because I killed myself, contrary to WT teachings. I thought that he knew what I was going through and would understand.
After 4 hours in a closed garage with your car running, you do get a little tired. I also sweated like crazy. By the time I figured that someone would be coming home to find me, still alive, I decided to pull my car out and possibly try it again some other day. I really didn't feel like explaining what I was doing in the garage with my car running and crying. But stupid me, instead of getting rid of those notes, my parents found them during one of their routine searches for contraband. As far as they know, to this day, they think that I never attempted suicide, only thought about it. I was then promptly sent to a JW psychiatrist(an elder) in the area. I remember that I didn't say a word to him. I wouldn't open up no matter how hard he tried. I think it has been since that time that my overall personality has been subdued and people refer to me as being "quiet" and "shy." Funny, I just now realized that after writing about it. I only open up to people who I trust and have been good friends with for quite some time. Otherwise, I'm that creepy next door neighbor who doesn't say much but is a good neighbor nonetheless. No really, I'm a nice guy once you get to know me, I hope!
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BrendaCloutier
Thank you Candidly, that's right on! JWism doesn't cause suicide, but it doesn't help, either.
Actually, I wonder if JWism doesn't appeal to some who are mentally ill because of the attention they have when they are new. Then when they don't get the real help they need, and they now have the tight boundaries of JWdom, they feel they have no other choice.
Hugs
Brenda