Shunning of ex JW family members imposed or optional?

by greendawn 24 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • slmdf
    slmdf

    hilannj - no matter what they say, their literature says to shun.

  • DannyHaszard
    DannyHaszard

    HEADS UP REPORTER SEEKING EXPERIENCES So here's my question: Have there been many recent disfellowships in the Wilmington (Southeastern North Carolina usa) area? If you have been disfellowshipped, I would love to talk about the issue with you and write a story. Please give me a call at 910-343-2365. [email protected]write her too religion reporter http://blogs.starnewsonline.com/default.asp?item=659113 COMMENT http://www.topix.net/who/jehovahs-witnesses/2007/08/jehovahs-witnesses-disfellowship-news-article up at topix COMMENT HERE TOO Response to Jehovah's Witnesses and disfellowship 21 min ago | StarNewsOnline.com ... story about the issue from the St. Petersburg Times . Excommunication isn't just practiced by Jehovah's Witnesses but in the Mormon church as well as the Catholic church. The Amish also practice shunning. Here's a little more information on ABOUT REPORTER The Divine Diva blog is a way to connect our faith community with national religious issues, promote religious tolerance and create a venue to talk about these issues in a civil, respectful way. My real time identity is Amanda Greene, the Star-News' religion and relationships reporter. With the blog, I’ll pose questions with soulful passion -- hopefully worthy of the D-I-V-A title. I’m not a preacher. Just a religion watcher. And I hope the things you read here make you curious, passionate and enlightened about religion. If you wish to contact me about anything I have written, you can call 910-343-2365 or email me at [email protected] .

  • blondie
    blondie

    Most jws knows that the official line of the WTS is that unless the family member is a minor living in your home, or a parent/or adult child needing serious assistance, if found associating with df'd or da'd jws, they will be warned that continued association will lead to df'ing. The warning may be given several times, but not enforced. It depends on how open you are about it, challenging the elders' authority, etc., or they view you as a virus to be stamped out from previous encounters.

    But officially, jws are to shun or be shunned themselves.

    Blondie

  • DannyHaszard
    DannyHaszard
  • jwfacts
    jwfacts

    Watchtower 1988 April 15 p.27 What About Relatives? “13 Cutting off from the Christian congregation does not involve immediate death , so family ties continue. Thus, a man who is disfellowshipped or who disassociates himself may still live at home with his Christian wife and faithful children… 14 The situation is different if the disfellowshipped or disassociated one is a relative living outside the immediate family circle and home. It might be possible to have almost no contact at all with the relative. Even if there were some family matters requiring contact, this certainly would be kept to a minimum, in line with the divine principle: “Quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that is a fornicator or a greedy person [or guilty of another gross sin], . . . not even eating with such a man.”—1 Corinthians 5:11. Understandably, this may be difficult because of emotions and family ties, such as grandparents’ love for their grandchildren. Yet, this is a test of loyalty to God , as stated by the sister quoted on page 26.”

    Watchtower 1981 September 15 p.27 “It is the disfellowshipped person who has made problems for himself and for his relatives.”

    Watchtower 1963 July 15 p.444 “The wrongdoer has to realize that his status is completely changed, that his faithful Christian relatives thoroughly disapprove of his wicked course and show this disapproval by limiting contacts to only those which are unavoidable …”

    Watchtower 1961 July 15 p.420 “Jesus encouraged his followers to love their enemies, but God’s Word also says to “hate what is bad.” When a person persists in a way of badness after knowing what is right, when the bad becomes so ingrained that it is an inseparable part of his make-up, then in order to hate what is bad a Christian must hate the person with whom the badness is inseparably linked.”

    Watchtower 1952 November 15 p.703 “Being limited by the laws of the worldly nation in which we live and also by the laws of God through Jesus Christ, we can take action against apostates only to a certain extent, that is, consistent with both sets of laws. The law of the land and God’s law through Christ forbid us to kill apostates, even though they be members of our own flesh-and-blood family relationship. However, God’s law requires us to recognize their being disfellowshiped from his congregation, and this despite the fact that the law of the land in which we live requires us under some natural obligation to live with and have dealings with such apostates under the same roof. … Satan’s influence through the disfellowshiped member of the family will be to cause the other member or members of the family who are in the truth to join the disfellowshiped member in his course or in his position toward God’s organization. To do this would be disastrous, and so the faithful family member must recognize and conform to the disfellowship order. How would or could this be done while living under the same roof or in personal, physical contact daily with the disfellowshiped? In this way: By refusing to have religious relationship with the disfellowshiped.”

    If a person dies in a disfellowshipped state they still are not to be associated with, so Witnesses are persuaded from attending their funeral.

    Watchtower 1977 June 1 p. 347 Mourning and Funerals—For Whom? In “Questions from Readers” (The Watchtower, 1961, p. 544) the position was taken that a funeral for a disfellowshiped person was improper. The comment was made: “We never want to give the impression to outsiders that a disfellowshiped person was acceptable in the congregation when in truth and in fact he was not acceptable but had been disfellowshiped from it.” … A Christian congregation would not want its good name besmirched by having it associated with any to whom 2 John 9, 10 applied, even in their death.”

    It is quite shocking that under certain circumstances even a parent can be disfellowshipped for associating with their own disfellowshipped children.

    Pay Attention to Yourselves and all the Flock p.103 “ 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.”

    Some JWs with a little bit of normal natural affection continue to associate with family members, but it is done quietly, as there is always a chance of being d/f for associating with d/f'd relatives

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit