What's going on in OKC?

[aron]

Originally Posted by HERn

I understand it was suicide. It must have been unbearable for the family. I hope others in the LC were able to comfort them.

I don't want to force anyone to relive their pain, so will avoid the details of this case. But hearing this and remembering Greg Casteel, and knowing there are others, makes me want to raise a concept called 'learned helplessness', where someone is told over and over, eventually succumbing to the notion that there are no choices, and nothing they can do. Any attempts to act, think, or take responsibility for ones life is supposedly tantamount to rebellion against God.

With that as the backdrop, and facing a bleak "church life", the response is often despair, leading to self-harm or self-destruction. Or at the very least, a fog of sinking lethargy, and apathy.

I want to respect everyone's privacy & dignity, but we're facing a serious issue here. There's extensive research on learned helplessness and how it can affect families and and churches under controlling and abusive leadership.