Is this right? You have a problem or doubts and you ask someone about it and want further explanation and they actually disfellowship you? Has anyone been disfellowshipped for asking questions?
Jehovas Witnesses get disfellowshipped for asking questions???
by holly 23 Replies latest members private
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jeanniebeanz
The question itself isn't the problem, it is not accepting the answer that they give from their headquarters. If the answer they give you is lame, and you don't acquiesce to their explanation, you will be viewed as a subversive and will be told to keep your mouth shut.
Tell others of your disagreement, and you get the boot. I forget what they call it though. Does anyone know the term they use for this?
Yes it does happen, it happened to a friend of mine. She went from regular pioneer for over 27 years, to df'd in the space of a week.
Jean
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stillajwexelder
ant questioning deemed critical of the org and its teachings will genearrly result in the BIG D
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under74
Holly, a good book to read on this subject matter and JWs in general is Crisis of Conscience by Ray Franz--one of the former members of the Governing Body.
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cyber-sista
And if you see anything wrong in the congregation, especially if it involves the elder body--you are not to speak of it out of respect for their God given "positions." (even IF they are totally wrong and totally idiots) And, if you do report it to any of the higher ups they will try and hush you up and sympathize with the elders. My experience, anyway. Oh yes, and if you are a woman and you speak up that's a double whammy on you.
cybs
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eljefe
I asked my "friend" and elder some questions about the JW's and teachings. He called me an apostate to my face.
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hubert
I asked my daughter who is studying with the j.w.'s this very question, and she says that she can ask any questions she wants, and they don't mind. However, she doesn't realize that 'once you are baptized in the j.w. cult' , the questions have to stop. I call it "blind obedience".
Hubert
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metatron
This is a 'catch-22' situation with Jehovah's Witnesses.
Supposedly, you're allowed to have doubts or weakness in your faith, without being disfellowshipped. However, at the same time,
these doubts also mean that you no longer actually believe what the Watchtower is teaching. So, depending on how hard-hearted
your elders are - and how obvious you are about your doubts/disbeliefs, you may get disfellowshipped.
metatron
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AlmostAtheist
It should be pointed out that simply believing the "wrong" thing is enough to be DF'd for apostasy. You don't have to actually teach it to anyone else. There is a myth among Witnesses that you can privately believe anything you want, it's only teaching it that makes it apostasy. But that's not the Watchtower's stance. Of course, you'd have to tell *somebody* or no one would know. But that's where the questions come in. You ask, you get an answer. If you don't agree with the answer and try to argue your point, that's when you start treading in "apostate" territory and they start asking you, "Do you believe the Faithful and Discreet slave class is heading up Jehovah's Organization?" Well, if they teach the wrong thing, and won't discuss it, are they actually "faithful"? Once they get you to admit you don't buy the F&DS, you're on the road to DF.
Dave
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OldSoul
AA: Once they get you to admit you don't buy the F&DS, you're on the road to DF.
I think that fact, which many in here have had to face, proves that this is the central belief on which their entire house of cards is built. It is also the most difficult Article of Credulity ... er, um, that is ... Article of "Faith" for any Witness to explain only using scripture. Because it isn't a scriptural teaching it is impossible to use the Bible to prove it or disprove it.
However, it is possible to use the Bible to prove how God reportedly communicated with sincere Christians in the first century. It is possible to show what and who the Bible directs people toward for wisdom. It is possible to show that genuine spirit-direction precludes error unless the error is the result of outright disobedience to the spirit - for which even Moses was excluded from the Land of Promise.
Interesting.
Respectfully,
OldSoul