Answer from the "Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses"

by Lilycurly 64 Replies latest jw friends

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  Lilycurly

  I know, I'm very sorry about this whole ordeal...my hope is that he will realise that the Organization isn't all that great and holy. He is already experimenting divergent opinions amongst the elders...and this week he will hear from the Overseer. And while he himself is quite sure that he can still speak to me, if the Big Boss says he shouldn't, he will be pissed but will obey.

  And I know for sure that he would NEVER sneak behind their collective back and see me...if they said jump of a bridge, he would do it. It's so sad. So he's clinging to points that might mean that the WT says it's okay, in this case. But the letter is pretty clear right? They are saying he can't right??
• 

  AlmostAtheist

  Lilly, I just reread their letter specifically looking for loopholes. Sorry, I didn't see any. Sounds like they are coming down pretty clearly on the side of being a$$holes. I happened to catch this line that I missed last time:

  We hope that the previous information will help you to see your question in the light of the holy scriptures.

  Would someone kindly point me to the verse that says exceptions can be made for "necessary family business"? This practice is wholly unscriptural, I'm so sorry you have to suffer under it.

  Dave
• 

  stillAwitness

  MY gawd isn't that the STUPIDEST thing when a father HAS to ask another person PERMISSION to speak with his OWN daughter!

  My thoughts exactly. I am sure your father is a smart man. He knows in his heart that this is all wrong. I hope the best for you.
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  DannyBloem

  I am so sorry to hear this Lilycurly

  This is what the elders-book says about it:

  Normally, a close relative would not be disfellowshipped

  for associating with a disfellowshipped person unless there

  is spiritual association or an effort made to justify or

  excuse the wrongful course.
• 

  Undecided

  a christian should "cease to associate with someone who is called brother and who is; a fornicator, greedy, idol-worshipping, insulting, drunkard, or thief

  Did they ever call you a brother, and haven't you ceased to be a member of the congregation. This scripture doesn't apply to you.

  Ken P.
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  KW13

  thats pathetic of them, i bet if they were in the situation writing the letter they'd take a different view.
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  Scully

  Lilycurly

  Seriously, if you can somehow rally support from non-JW relatives to pressure him and say how him shunning you will cause them to lose respect for Jehovah's Witnesses, and ensure that they never listen to anything Jehovah's Witnesses have to say, the congregation may let him off the hook. The one thing the JWs hate more than anything, is negative publicity, and looking like complete @$$holes to outsiders. Giving a "bad witness" to outsiders is a HUGE no-no.
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  damselfly

  Well this was my favorite part,

  The human tendancy is to continue to associate with our family members. But as we said before, experience shows that it is highly preferable to do things as Jehovah wants them. Even if that doesn't seem like this to humans, the best way to show that we really love an excommunicated parent living outside the family roof is to respect faithfully the Bible's rules about how to act with excommunicated.

  So humans were" created in gods image", I was told that this meant we had our wide range of emotions to thank him for. Would this not include that "human tendancy to associate with our family members"? What are they trying to say here? That we have their god to thank for the agony it causes to turn against our families.?

  This is complete BS in my opinion. The last converstaion I had with my mom ( many months ago ) consisted of both of us expressing grief that this was what our relaationship had come to. She knows that this isn't normal and is against human nature, but she feels powerless against the org.

  I hope that your father goes with his heart and doesn't shun you.

  Dams
• 

  daystar

  But as we said before, experience shows that it is highly preferable to do things as Jehovah wants them. Even if that doesn't seem like this to humans, the best way to show that we really love an excommunicated parent living outside the family roof is to respect faithfully the Bible's rules about how to act with excommunicated. When parents act this way, and they explain clearly at the start, why they conform to Bible principle and stop every association, assuring the excommunicated children that they will impatiently wait for his reintegration, results are often excellent. In the past, some people have not acted that way, and it usually didn't encourage the person to come back. It has even been spiritualy detrimental to most of them. It can even reinforced the tendancy to tale their sin lightly, and have an even more rebellious attitude.

  It sounds like they were parroting here, or making things up entirely. "Results are often excellent"?! Using emotional blackmail in order to coerce someone to go back? If the results desired are to create terrible emotional scars perhaps.
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  Lilycurly

  Yes, the whole extended family is already informed about the whole situation, they already think it's the most unbeleivable, stupidest thing to do. I mean, Jeez! To anyone but JWs it just seems like total nonsense. So if it ever happens, it's going to make loads more negative publicity for the WT. Especially since me, my mother, my sister and many other family members like to talk around about it. Maybe that might make him reconsider...