Is shunning effective?

rebel8

Does shunning accomplish its objectives:

make the person repent?
deter others from committing similar offenses in the future?
keep the congregation clean?
preserve jehoopla's name?

How long will it take till the mental manipulation related to the "shunning" hypocrisy of the WT will become evident to the face of everybody in civilised countries, so that their GB members will receive in due time a huge slap in their Pharisee faces ?The truth is running at a very high speed now on the web. Who can stop it ?

Ding

I assume some people are forced back into the fold that way. However, it also produces a lot of hypocrisy, with many staying in solely to keep from losing family and friends. It also fosters a self-righteous attitude and causes incredible amounts of pain.

cantleave

It stops rank and file dubs hearing TTATT from those that have awakened - so yeah, it's effective.

DesirousOfChange

It stops rank and file dubs hearing TTATT from those that have awakened - so yeah, it's effective.

Exactly! The #1 goal is about information control. Threaten those who are still "in" with DFing if they even communicate with a DF/DA friend or family member. Lump all the DFd/DAd former JWs into one big group of immoral, perverted, apostates who are out to contaminate everyone else.

REPENT? It prob does make some who are still whole-souled members actually "repent", although the majority of those will not be DFd if they simply "erred" one time (esp if they have prominent family connections). It sure does make some FAKE repentance so they can associate again with JDub family.

DETERRENT? It definitely deters some from ever confessing or getting caught again. Like Ding says, it creates lots of hypocrites.

KEEPING IT CLEAN? No, (see above) it just means the Cong is full of hypocrites (like us faders) and anyone who is smart and doing the naughty things is doing it all on the downlow and making sure they don't get caught.

KEEPING THE NAME CLEAN? They're really worried more about keeping the WTS reputation good. At least in the public eye.

Doc

Emma

It made leaving easier for me. If my mom and sisters had kept in touch, kept pleading for me to come to the KH, taken an interest in my children, it would have been much more difficult to leave. Shunning made the break so much easier.

Pistoff

Shunning has different effects on different people, in my experience.

Some experience loneliness, others have permanent damage.

I have a son with general anxiety disorder and abandonment issues, and the source of it is being disfellowshipped at 19.

Shunning is cruel, and is the mark of a group whose worldview is control.

carla

Aside from the unloving nature of shunning, why would they want people back who clearly do not believe but are only there for family, friends and/or work?

I understand why the wt/gb would want them as money is still green be it from believers or not but for the real believers, the diehards, why would they want to associate with the riff-raff of unbelievers knowing how they feel about them?

Surely many of the r & f must know the halls are filled with those of questionable faith?

Hope springs eternal? they think if they just hear the right article regurgitated at a meeting the light will dawn and the previously shunned will see the light? That's all I can think of.

Vidiot

Carla - "why would they want people back who clearly do not believe but are only there for family, friends and/or work?"

They don't.

That's why they make reinstatement hard.

The individual who goes through it successfully is far more likely to remain loyal after all that effort.

LisaRose

It does work to a certain extent. There are a lot of people whose would leave if they weren't going to lose their family. It also keeps people from finding out that "The Truth" is actually "The Lie", since those who find out cannot talk to those still in. It also breaks up families, which causes those still in to be more dependent on their relationships in the organization.

The Watchtower doesn't care about those who aren't 100% committed. they would rather they leave, imo.