Suicide among Jehovah's Witnesses

by cruzanheart 19 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  LongHairGal

  GaryBuss:
  
  The experience you had in another church is something that JWs will sadly never experience. Why, well we all know a JW can't set foot in another religious denomination's house of worship. So they will never know just how un-christian they are in contrast!
  
  Too bad for them.
  
  LHG
• 

  Whiskeyjack

  Training would seem like a good idea but how to incorporate it when the org.'s officers don't want to deal in the "reality" of the actual private lives the members of their comgs. are having to lead (youth double-lifers, people hiding depression problems, spousal abuse, etc...) to maintain what status they have?

  JW's are not meant to be happy or content in this "system of things" aside from the "satisfaction" they recieve as Jesus' (which means the FDS of course) christian soldiers. Any attempt to start addressing these kinds of issues would imperil the authority of New York when those trained elders try to make an impact in their respective congregations.

  So JW's with such problems had better continue their best to "hide" their problems and deal with them on their own or clandestantly seek professional/competent help. In the case of depression, this means a lot of unnecessary suffering will continue (speaking with some personal experience!) for those soldiers who follow orders to the letter.

  W.
• 

  Scully

  IF the Witnesses allowed an elder per congregation to be trained as a "pastoral counselor" as other religions do, would that make it more bearable to be a Witness and play by their rules? Would it lessen the number of depressed, suicidal people who feel they have no reason to live?

  I don't think it would fly among JWs. For one thing, the role of "pastoral counsellor" in many ways is diametrically opposed to what the JWs deem to be the role of an elder. For another, a pastoral counsellor would be required by the professional ethics of the role to maintain the confidences that have been shared with him, which goes contrary to the JW concept of confession and reproof before the congregation.

  Even more, I think it would add at least one more depressed, suicidal person to each congregation - the "pastoral counsellor".
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  Flash

  Would it lessen the number of depressed, suicidal people who feel they have no reason to live?

  I don't believe it would because the burdon the WTS puts on the RF would NEVER be factored in as part of the problem!
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  Odrade

  Even more, I think it would add at least one more depressed, suicidal person to each congregation - the "pastoral counsellor".

  Exactly what I was thinking Scully. I can only imagine how the counsellor would feel everytime there was a JC convened against someone he had counselled. Seeing all of his work undermined... and probably also being excluded from the JC as a balancing factor because he would be "too close to the situation." In addition, how long would the counsellor last as he became more and more aware that the Organization he was serving is an abusive controlling system that is fundamentally the source of the problem?
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  lawrence

  Train the elders, nah, it would be easier to train pigs to sing, or cats to write operas. These self righteous bastards have lost their compassion by the time the WTS puts a badge of ELDER on their sorry asses. And BTW, most elders need counseling themsleves due to burnout and delusion. Thoughts....
• 

  OldSoul

  Scully: ...goes contrary to the JW concept of confession and reproof before the congregation.

  Of course, the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses goes contrary to the concept of confession and reproof before the congregation, too.
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  heathen

  LOL . like the blind leading the blind . One basket case counseling another .
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  Lehaa

  yes i think it would but i dont think it will nappen cos there would have to be some kinda 'worldly' training and the solutions offered would then be different to pray more, do more fs, study more

  I agree, but it will never happen. Not unless it became a legal issue. It's funny how it's ok for them to train lawyers to help the organisation but not therapists to deal with the emotional well being off the cong. They should also be trained to deal with vicitms of sexual assault.
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  rebel8

  Bad counseling is worse than no counseling at all because it can do a lot of damage. Even with "training", I seriously doubt someone who is so brainwashed and has so much power over the individuals' good standing in the Hell could possibly avoid doing more damage to the person.