Woman shunned by Jehovah’s Witnesses kills entire family: cops

[gamewell45]

A 45 year old woman who was a former Jehovah's Witness murders her entire family due do being ostracized by the Jehovah's Witness's. Apparently if you leave the Church, according to the article, you cannot have contact with church members and this drove the woman to shoot and kill her entire family.

https://nypost.com/2018/02/21/woman-...e-family-cops/

I've never heard of a church denying contact with other members if one leaves the church; furthermore I'm surprised that one would sink to the levels of depression to commit such an act as she did over being ostracized.

[Crepitus]

Nobody does crazy like religious zelots.

[Max Rockatansky]

A 45 year old woman who was a former Jehovah's Witness murders her entire family due do being ostracized by the Jehovah's Witness's. Apparently if you leave the Church, according to the article, you cannot have contact with church members and this drove the woman to shoot and kill her entire family.

https://nypost.com/2018/02/21/woman-...e-family-cops/

I've never heard of a church denying contact with other members if one leaves the church; furthermore I'm surprised that one would sink to the levels of depression to commit such an act as she did over being ostracized.

Sad, but another case of a mentally ill person doing something that harms others and destroys themselves.

[gamewell45]

Sad, but another case of a mentally ill person doing something that harms others and destroys themselves.

Agreed; it's too bad this person did not reach out for help.

[hanger4]

Nobody does crazy like religious zelots.

Nikolas Cruz

[Max Rockatansky]

Agreed; it's too bad this person did not reach out for help.

Reach out to whom? That's part of the problem. Although I'm not certain, I'm guessing you are familiar with Joseph Heller's "Catch 22". For those who don't know; it's defined as "a dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions." In the book, it dealt with a WWII bomber bombardier who realized he could get killed if he continued flying in combat and wanted out so he talked to the Doc about it. The Doc mentioned that any pilot who was crazy would be grounded. All they had to do was "reach out for help", but if they did so, that would mean they were rational enough to ask to stop flying, so they would be denied their request and kept being sent into combat.

Another example is expecting a drunk to make the rational decision not to drink and drive. Since drinking reduces one's abilities to think rationally, this is a silly expectation. When convicting drunk drivers it's not so much convicting them of making a poor decision while drunk, but making a sober decision to go into a bar, drink to the point of drunkenness without any other plan except to drive themselves home.

In short, expecting mentally ill, irrational people to make the rational decision to "reach out for help" is, IMHO, irrational in itself. This is why I believe there should not only be a mental health check as part of one's annual physical, but mandatory mental health checks in all government jobs (yes, military too along with elected positions) or if two or more relatives request it. The problem with doing this is twofold; the legislation making it happen which includes privacy rights and rights of self-determination and cost - who pays for it?

[Crepitus]

Nikolas Cruz

I'll see your Nikolas Cruz and raise you Every Suicide Bomber Ever.

[pjohns]

A 45 year old woman who was a former Jehovah's Witness murders her entire family due do being ostracized by the Jehovah's Witness's. Apparently if you leave the Church, according to the article, you cannot have contact with church members and this drove the woman to shoot and kill her entire family.

https://nypost.com/2018/02/21/woman-...e-family-cops/

I've never heard of a church denying contact with other members if one leaves the church; furthermore I'm surprised that one would sink to the levels of depression to commit such an act as she did over being ostracized.

Actually, they refer to their meeting places as "kingdom halls" (there is one about a mile from us), rather than churches.

This probably seems like a small point; but it points to the fact that the Jehovah's Witnesses are really a cult. (The very fact that one is not allowed to think for oneself--one must, automatically, believe all the biblical interpretations handed down by the Watchtower Society--indicates the cultishness of this group.)

It is my understanding--and I cannot vouch for its veracity--that once one becomes a member, one must sign over to them all of one's property.

[Peter1469]

Some of the more extreme Muslims have the same problem.

[Ann Fann]

A 45 year old woman who was a former Jehovah's Witness murders her entire family due do being ostracized by the Jehovah's Witness's. Apparently if you leave the Church, according to the article, you cannot have contact with church members and this drove the woman to shoot and kill her entire family.

https://nypost.com/2018/02/21/woman-...e-family-cops/

I've never heard of a church denying contact with other members if one leaves the church; furthermore I'm surprised that one would sink to the levels of depression to commit such an act as she did over being ostracized.

The Church doesn't do that, it's a cult thing.