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Thread: Jehovah's Witnesses shunning drove mom to murder-suicide

  1. #1

    Jehovah's Witnesses shunning drove mom to murder-suicide

    This is a local story...I didn't know that JW's did 'shunnings'.

    -At 45, Lauren Stuart appeared to have it all.

    A successful husband. Two college-educated kids. A modeling portfolio. And a charming home in Keego Harbor with a heart wreath on the door.

    But behind the seemingly idyllic life, friends say Stuart struggled with the anguish of being ostracized from the religion she and her husband had been raised in. About five years ago, Stuart and her husband left the Jehovah's Witnesses, a Christian denomination that has been criticized for its strict indoctrination and for its practice of shunning former members.

    Friends and others believe that struggle with being shunned may have driven Stuart to do the unthinkable.

    Last week, Stuart shot and killed her husband and two adult children, and then killed herself. Police found the bodies Friday morning while responding to a call from a concerned relative.

    The tragedy sent longtime family friend Joyce Taylor reeling as she and others say they believe the murder-suicide was the result of shunning by the Jehovah's Witnesses...

    https://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...ide/351559002/

  2. #2
    Super Moderator Quest's Avatar
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    After reading this sad story it is clear there is more than shunning at the heart of this...If I decided to leave a family church and my family turned on me I would say, that's your choice. I must move on....now in pondering that why WOULDN'T OR COULDN'T I do that? I would had to have been raised isolated and dependent in an unhealthy way to that religion...they are apparently more than a heresy, they are a cult...Thanks for posting this Kristen, like you, i had no idea!

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    Senior Member Valiant Woman's Avatar
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    Unhappy

    I took World Religion at ORU a few years ago; our book listed the Jehovah's Witnesses as having the highest suicide rate of all religious groups. This is tragic.
    When your praise match your prayers, the answer will come.
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    Senior Member Valiant Woman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Quest View Post
    After reading this sad story it is clear there is more than shunning at the heart of this...If I decided to leave a family church and my family turned on me I would say, that's your choice. I must move on....now in pondering that why WOULDN'T OR COULDN'T I do that? I would had to have been raised isolated and dependent in an unhealthy way to that religion...they are apparently more than a heresy, they are a cult...Thanks for posting this Kristen, like you, i had no idea!
    Yes, they are definitely a cult. Lot of brainwashing that goes on. Trying to witness to them is nearly impossible. One must be guided by the Holy Spirit when trying to minister to a JW.
    When your praise match your prayers, the answer will come.
    https://www.facebook.com/Valiant-Wom...1103844642026/

  6. #5
    the sad .. well sadder (?) part is that they can still attend Kingdom Hall for service, but no one can talk to them.

    at least, it used to be that way years ago.. might be different now.

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    Senior Member Valiant Woman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Femme* View Post
    the sad .. well sadder (?) part is that they can still attend Kingdom Hall for service, but no one can talk to them.

    at least, it used to be that way years ago.. might be different now.
    Light bulbs ought to go off when a religious doctrine commands you not to talk to your own family members. Jesus was never about us shunning people, except under the circumstances described by Paul in 2 Corinthians...But he was speaking to the Church, not family members.

    "So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him." 2 Corinthians‬ *2:7-8‬ *
    When your praise match your prayers, the answer will come.
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