THE GOVERMENT AND SHUNNING.....

by Mary 37 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Scully

  Families have split apart for centuries, with or without religion as a crutch to aid and abet those rifts. People have fallings-out, and stop speaking to each other for decades. Children don't know their cousins or grandparents or aunts and uncles because of it.

  It happened in my family before the JWs became a factor, and being JWs made it easier to excuse the creation of rifts (the old "persecution" routine). I have cousins, second-cousins and beyond that I have never met due to ancient family disputes that nobody quite remembers why they happened. It had nothing to do with the JWs. But once my family became JWs, new rifts were created, because of the clash of ideologies and the JW intolerance of others' points of view.

  I think some families are prone to carry an intolerant spirit from one generation to the next. They learn that is the way to deal with conflict... by getting rid of the person (disowning them) and the conflict simultaneously. It isn't any less painful than being DFd.

  What I would like to see is the broadening of the definition of "hate crimes" to include the various forms that bullying takes - including the use of social exclusion, rumor mongering (slander/ libel/ defamation) - and requiring family mediation, particularly where children are involved. If intolerance is a learned behaviour, then it can be unlearned, and tolerance and acceptance can be learned in its place.

  I have never been able to figure out why my not attending the KH seems like such a threat to my JW family members... it is only the intolerance that they have learned that would compel them to view me in that manner.
• 

  DaCheech

  What I would like to see is the broadening of the definition of "hate crimes" to include the various forms that bullying takes - including the use of social exclusion, rumor mongering (slander/ libel/ defamation) - and requiring family mediation, particularly where children are involved. If intolerance is a learned behaviour, then it can be unlearned, and tolerance and acceptance can be learned in its place.

  Good point
• 

  Mary

  Darth Yhwh said: A family's religious freedom is just that. If they choose to shun their own and create divisions amongst themselves, than so be it. You cannot leglislate morility or family values. Once you begin to try you overstep the boundaries of a democratic society.

  Yes but that's just it: these people generally do not make this choice of their own free will. It's forced upon them by the WTS. If they go against it, they risk being cut off themselves. So this is not a matter of an individual "choosing" to shun their family.

  Scully said: What I would like to see is the broadening of the definition of "hate crimes" to include the various forms that bullying takes

  Actually Scully, that's an excellent point. The fact that Witnesses are taught to literally hate someone they've perhaps known their entire lives, simply because they don't agree with everything the religion teaches, could, in fact be considered a Hate Crime. Let's say you're in public school, and you disagree with something your teacher says. Let's say you can even prove that the teacher is wrong. Is the teacher allowed to order the rest of the school and your family to completely shun you? To ignore you totally? Hardly. The school would have their asses sued off and it would be broadcast on CNN. So to me, any religion that prompts it's members to hate anyone who disagrees with them is guilty of the same thing...... Hmmmm.............interesting.
• 

  blondie

  Of course, shunning is not unique to JWs so the groups that practice it would have to be included in any government action, i.e., the Amish. In the US, religious beliefs are so protected that it would be hard to pass a law limiting these beliefs.

  http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051105/LIFE04/511050310/1079/ARCHIVES

  http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2005/11/05/special_reports/religion/19_47_1611_4_05.txt

  http://www.amishabuse.com/
• 

  whyizit

  It seems that they could make a stipulation in the law books, that if your organization is actively seeking converts and is approaching them at their homes, you should be REQUIRED to give them a detailed description of what your beliefs are and what would be required of YOU, should you decide to join this particular religion. Including the differences between this religion and other Christian faiths. NOTHING hidden, so you know right off the bat who's knocking! Afterall, people who are approached on their OWN doorsteps, deserve to know up front what is going to be expected of them, don't you think? Many of the JWs I have encountered, don't even want to tell you what organization they are with, until you commit to something with them. And they definitely do not disclose that they are planning a DOCTRINE study, in place of what they originally said was going to be a Bible study. That is misleading and a lot of people would put up some red flags, if they knew what was going on from the beginning! One couple also blatantly lied to me about where they lived and their last name! I believe the WT should also be required to provide a police back-ground check on each of the individuals conducting these study sessions, before they are allowed in homes of people who may have children or single women. You should be able to know their names, addresses, and phone numbers, before they even start their first sentence about the kingdom, etc...on your doorstep. In this day and age, it should be required of any religion that expects to be allowed to approach the homes of stangers unannounced.
• 

  Flash

  Shunning as broadly applied by the Witnesses is scripturaly wrong, yet we all shun people we don't want to associate with. Techniquely speaking though, in todays world were emotions rule over logical reasoning, it could be interpreted as a form of Hate Speach or possibly a Hate Crime, which now-a-days is forbidden. A Class Action Suit might have a chance.
• 

  A Paduan

  Violence prevention (Qld Gov.)

  Domestic and family violence occurs when one person in a relationship uses violent and abusive tactics to maintain power and control over the other person in a relationship. People who experience these acts of abuse or violence often feel fearful and unsafe.

  Domestic and family violence occurs between people in a range of domestic relationships including spousal relationships, intimate personal relationships, family relationships and informal care relationships.

  In relationships where domestic and family violence occurs the violent behaviours can include:

  • physical abuse (including slapping, hitting, punching, pushing, biting, kicking);
  • threatening to hurt you, your relatives, friends or work colleagues in some way;
  • damaging property such as furniture, the house or pets in order to frighten and intimidate you;
    • emotional abuse (making you feel worthless, criticising your personality, your looks, the way you dress, constantly putting you down, threatening to hurt you, your children or your pets);
    • verbal abuse (including yelling, shouting, name-calling, and swearing at you);
    • sexual abuse (forcing or pressuring you to have sex or participate in any sexual activities that you don't want to);
  • financial abuse (taking control of the money, not giving you enough money to survive on, forcing you to hand over your money, not letting you have a say in how it is spent);
  • threatening to stop providing care for you if you don't do what you are told, for example if you don't hand over your Centrelink payment. This sometimes happens to people with an illness, disability or impairment who rely on another person to care for them.
  • social abuse (controlling where you go, not letting you see your friends or family);
  • depriving you of the necessities of life such as food, shelter, medical care and the company of other people such as your family and friends;
  • spiritual abuse (forcing you to attend religious activities against your wishes, prohibiting you from participating in the religious practices of your choice);
  • stalking (constantly following you by foot or car, constantly calling you by phone, text message and email, or staying outside your house or workplace). Stalking is a criminal offence in Queensland; or
  • doing similar things which upset you and make you fear for your safety.
• 

  hubert

  This was taken from my post called "List of family/friends lost to the Watchtower cult? (suicides).

  by sf.....And yes, to one poster inquiring about a young girl who committed suicide because her parents stood in front of her and burnt pictures of her, after she was dfed.

  sKally

  This HAS to be against the law !!!! How can these parents get away with something so despicable?

  How can the Watchtower NOT be partly to blame for these actions???

  Hubert
• 

  Mary

  Shunning as broadly applied by the Witnesses is scripturaly wrong, yet we all shun people we don't want to associate with

  True but for the most part, these people don't shun their family members because they want to-----they do it because the GB tells them they have to on pain of suffering the same fate. It's completely different than not talking to someone you don't like.

  to one poster inquiring about a young girl who committed suicide because her parents stood in front of her and burnt pictures of her, after she was dfed.

  Oh my god!!! That is horrifying!! What the hell kind of parents could do something so awful right in front of their own kid??
• 

  Lilycurly

  Hmmm. My dad decided on saturday that he would shun me. He's been making researches for a long time...and finally did it. I don't think there's enough happening right now to start a new thread about it...but just to say that many people on here would like it to become illegal.