Ongoing 'Don't shun me' campaign. (page 4)

lfcviking

Not only has he failed you as a good friend (or ex good friend) but he has failed you at being a christian and failed his employer with the employee mandatory duty of courteousness & politeness.

Cant wait for your reply.

LFCV

one

your x-"friend" can not think for herself, same as most jw.

But the thing is an employer can not interfere or take disciplinary actions based on a religious practice... jw legalism may bite the employeer. Even with legal matter out of the way, employeer always think the pro and cons before acting, what do they really have to loose, in terms of $ it wont be much, really.

but the letter is ok to some extent, I may copy yours and edit it for future use.

sammielee24

There have been a number of cases where a customer has won a case against a company ie: store, for that customer not being served or service not being provided because of religious conviction. I'm thinking of pharmacists who don't want to sell birth control pills for example. I'm also thinking of the woman somewhere on the East coast, who was shunned by the people in the town she lived in and she ended up suing the store that would not serve her. She won.

Keep up the good work. sammieswife.

BabaYaga

Wow, Jeff... just stinkin', incredible, WOW.

As an aside, I thought that they were not supposed to shun in circumstances of business??? Or is that a "matter of conscience"?

Cheers,
Baba.

Mary

But the thing is an employer can not interfere or take disciplinary actions based on a religious practice... jw legalism may bite the employeer. Even with legal matter out of the way, employeer always think the pro and cons before acting, what do they really have to loose, in terms of $ it wont be much, really.

Technically perhaps, but no Witness is going to risk taking something like this to court and expose themselves to MORE bad publicity. Plus, management certainly can take action: Every business starts with the premise that you have to be polite to ALL the customers, regardless of your personal feelings. The company is there to make money and they make money by being nice to people. If an employee can't do something simple like that, then Management will generally not hesitate to show them the door. They don't give a damn about what some twirp of an employee thinks a passage in the bible means as it has nothing to do with profits or the growth of the company. Having worked in retail in the past, I can guarantee you that Management will not take your letter lightly.

Excellent letter Jeff! Something tells me this buffoon of a Witness is going to have his ass hauled in a back room "for a little chat to readjust his thinking", but not in the way he's used to. heh-heh-heh.

becca1

WOW! "Religous discrimination" - I love it!

steve2

Reflecting on the implications of this thread, I have concluded the following:

The Watchtower will probably back away from any overt controversy on this topic and they may have a precedent for doing so:

I remember reading in a Watchtower of a zillion years ago (1960s) an article about how to treat a disfellowshipped brother with whom one is doing business. The short answer was that the JW could have necessary contact to carry out business, but the matter was left up to the individual witness's conscience - or something like that.

If this becam a contentious legal issue, I'm sure the Watchtower would simply say something like, "We leave it over to the individual to determine how they will respond to those who are disfellowshipped" - and literally speaking, the Watchtower not be lying, although we know how loaded the literature is in favour of taking an extreme stand!

jayhawk1

Well done!

YoursChelbie

They certainy turned on the charm because they knew that my colleagues and I were routinely asked by management to rate the level of professionalism

When it directly hurts their pocketbook, most JW will bend the rules. Excellent letter by the way.

YC

AK - Jeff

Stephanus - You make a good point. So here is the letter I am sending to the local BOE. They may as well be put on notice that I will not idly sit back and let them trample me.

January 3, 2007

To:

The Body of Elders

Re:

Shunning Policies

cc:

Watchtower Service Desk - New York

Dear Jehovah’s Witness Elder Body,

I write this letter to remind you of two points.

First

, we live in a nation subject to the rule of law. That rule of law in these United States makes it illegal for businesses to harass or treat as of lesser value anyone due to religious choices. By law, these businesses require that employees act accordingly. This means then, that any contact I have with your members, in a business setting, in spite of your hatred of me for my acceptance of Jesus as my Saviour, that constitutes discrimination, is illegal, immoral and unethical under the law.

Secondly

, the article referred to in “Pay Attention to Yourselves and All the Flock” page 100, does make provision for your membership to deal kindly and within the law in such matters. Additionally, from a Biblical standpoint I have not denied Christ, though of course you are unable to understand that. I know that you are not allowed to reason and accept the Bible’s point of view until and unless it is the ‘current understanding’ of things that comes from your Body-Pontificate in Brooklyn.

Please understand, that in any case in which any of your membership displays hatefulness toward myself or my family, if that unkindness can be proven to violate the rules or laws that should govern a situation, I will fully utilize my rights as a citizen or customer to assure that I am not discriminated against for my religion, including, but not limited to; informing the employer, or taking legal actions against that employee or business owner, or his religion, that promotes such violation of my rights. At the very least, your unkindness will become more public than you likely desire.

Still, I hold out hope, that you may elect to look at the Exemplar, follow his lead in love. Or you may elect to follow your blind leadership in Brooklyn. But in either case, understand that actions taken by US citizens [including me or any others who leave your religion], to assure equal application of law in cases of discrimination for religious reasons is not ’persecution’, but ’reaping what one sows’. Nothing more and nothing less.

If you wish to speak more specifically to me regarding this matter, you may call. Otherwise allow common kindness to rule, and you have no fear of the ’Superior Authorities’.

“Love your neighbor as yourselves” still remains the best motto. Even love toward those who serve Jesus instead of your publishing company. Jesus even loved a condemned evildoer on the cross next to him. Dare to love. If not willing to love, then call it not ‘persecution‘. At least be honest.

Seriously yours;

Ongoing 'Don't shun me' campaign.

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