i got a text from my mom when i got into work today saying that a brother i've known for a while had died.
he was a bethelite and they found him dead in his room.
he was the same age as me.
If there ever was a religious organization to be pointed out for promoting or being a cause of mental problems in people, the JWS would be at the top of the list.
Some say cults such as the Jehovah's Witnesses attract people who are prone to mental issues. Others say these cults actually cause mental issues. One thing is for sure constant fear and pressure to perform certainly doesn't help.
i got a text from my mom when i got into work today saying that a brother i've known for a while had died.
he was a bethelite and they found him dead in his room.
he was the same age as me.
Not a rule anymore provided the person had mental problems.
Most people who commit suicide do have mental problems, even if they don't outwardly show it.
The only exceptions I see is if they're high on recreational drugs, or have some shameful experience (e.g. it was discovered they were a pedophile) where they view suicide as a better alternative to living.
i got a text from my mom when i got into work today saying that a brother i've known for a while had died.
he was a bethelite and they found him dead in his room.
he was the same age as me.
I doubt suicide as they are having a Memorial for him. Last I checked they won't have memorials for suicide victims
I know of one elder's son who committed suicide and received a memorial at the hall. So it mustn't be a strict rule.
There's a lot of anecdotal evidence and statistics suggesting that Jehovah's Witnesses have a higher suicide rate than the general population, along with higher rates of depression and anxiety. So I think it depends on the circumstances and the victim's standing as a Jehovah's Witness at the time of death.
Does anyone know for sure whether there is a Jehovah's Witness rule to not host suicide victim memorials?
whenever i ask jws a simple question about the bible i get ten or more pages in reply.. for example, i ask: "why is lazarus conscious after death (lazarus and the rich man in luke 16)?".
the brother says he'll get back to me.
then he gives me get 10+ pages of printed wtbs cd-rom material and asked if i've been reading apostate sites (i think they want to da me).. so i ask another question: "why didn't jesus just use another example that didn't involve consciousness in a burning hell?
Have a really good look at the answer to see if it actually answered the question that you asked. In my experience, it never does.
I did actually read through the print out. It didn't answer my specific question, it just explained the Watchtower's position on the subject in very broad terms.
What took me, was the brother's attitude after I asked the second question. The elder's face expression changed from happy to a death stare, then he started asking whether I've been reading apostate material. Then he calmed down and went on to make a little speech like: "what's the problem biometrics? Other brothers take the truth on and go ahead in leaps and bounds. You need to grab hold of it because the end is near. Even if some things aren't quite correct, where else can we go."
so i thought ill check to see how "strong" the things are i believe in.
im still hooked to allot of the wts's teachings, and i still believe in allot of them , even thought i have enough questions of my own to start my own bible school.. so what would you ask me as a "witness" now, so i can try and defend my faith and by doing so, that i might learn something about myself, and what i believe in..
I've got some simple questions that any Jehovah's Witness should be able to answer without a problem:
i haven't read anything here or anywhere else in regard to what i can only call the "ascension/2012" movement.
in a nutshell, you have websites all over the place talking about this year as pivotal in world history.
while the beliefs are not consistent from site to site, they often highlight certain ideas:.
I often get emailed some of this 2012 stuff from friends.
You can't actually take any of this stuff seriously. However IF (that's a big IF) something did happen during 2012 I'll sit up and take notice. In other words I'll keep an open mind. But I don't alter my life because of crazy predictions.
Even if you were crazy enough to believe 2012 predictions, there's really not a lot you could do to prepare.
whenever i ask jws a simple question about the bible i get ten or more pages in reply.. for example, i ask: "why is lazarus conscious after death (lazarus and the rich man in luke 16)?".
the brother says he'll get back to me.
then he gives me get 10+ pages of printed wtbs cd-rom material and asked if i've been reading apostate sites (i think they want to da me).. so i ask another question: "why didn't jesus just use another example that didn't involve consciousness in a burning hell?
Whenever I ask JWs a simple question about the bible I get ten or more pages in reply.
For example, I ask: "Why is Lazarus conscious after death (Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16)?"
The brother says he'll get back to me. Then he gives me get 10+ pages of printed WTBS CD-ROM material and asked if I've been reading apostate sites (I think they want to DA me).
So I ask another question: "Why didn't Jesus just use another example that didn't involve consciousness in a burning hell? I mean he must have known it would mislead some?"
Instead of answering the question, I'm asked if I still believe the Watchtower is God's only channel on earth?
Why do they even call it "fasting"? It was more like slow death.
It's derived from the Old English (Anglo-Saxon) term 'fæstan' meaning to hold firmly, in the same way we would talk about 'making fast' or 'fasten'.
i haven't read anything here or anywhere else in regard to what i can only call the "ascension/2012" movement.
in a nutshell, you have websites all over the place talking about this year as pivotal in world history.
while the beliefs are not consistent from site to site, they often highlight certain ideas:.
This thread reminds me of a video someone sent:
hypothetical scenario.
you are a city manager in a major metropolitan city with a population of 3,000,000.. .
if the governing body was truly convinced themselves of the impending disaster and the fact that the end is imminent would they not focus their efforts in spreading the message through effective means such as telephone, television, internet, social networks etc?
This has always amazed me. Early on JWs were early adopters of any technology that could get the word out. Radio, car-mounted megaphones, film, portable record players that were taken to doors. Yet despite massive technological advances in all these areas and the internet, JWs still stick with door-to-door. It's like they've gone backwards 1000 years.
