Does DF'ing Backfire? (page 2)

ISP

That is true Metatron...but I think the WTS will put up with that! Its damage limitation.

ISP

Shunning was effective in a bygone age when the effect was to safely isolate and insulate DFed people from both current Dubs and (almost as importantly) from each other. Now, with the advent of the net, DFed can locate each other and the days of isolation are over. Now, more threateningly for the 'Tower, there are networks of angry activists forming, who are now starting to take the fight back to the 'Tower. The internet and the courts and the media are their forum, and the WBTS can do diddly-squat to stop this movement!

"You've got the brain of a four-year-old boy, and I'll bet he was glad to get rid of it."
- Groucho Marx

Room 215

Hi all,

The most galling thing is knowing that this spiritual bullying would end abruptly if just once the Soceity would have its nose bloodied in court over the shunning issue, with a sizeable monetary judgment tacked on. Alas, that's an unliklely eventuality, however, given our judicial system's reverence for personal freedoms.

The Society has been emboldened by our legal system's enlightened tolerance for personal freedoms to continue these abuses. The courts' basic attitude is that one who joins a religious movement but fails to exercise due diligence before he signs on the dotted line (baptism in this case) deseres whatever happens.

I can guarantee that, were they to lose a couple of big-money judgments, how new flashes of light from God's throne would suddenly urge the flock toward greater tolerance and forgiveness, all draped in apprriately solemn rhetoric, likely premised on the parables of the prodigal son, etc. etc.

Mulan

It is emotional blackmail, and has nothing to do with truth or justice. Blackmail, pure and simple.

Marilyn (a.k.a. Mulan)

nowaytess

It back fires because it is not correcting the problem.

The method Jehovah's Witness correct a person though Dfing does not teach them to turn from the wicked ways , but to fear reprocussuions of elders, etc.

BTW how can a person redeem themselves if they are shunned to the point they can't ever mend thier relationship?

Tammie

One thing that I have noticed with shunning is this. A person who is either disfelloshiped or dissocated, and his parents who are still active JW's. And the child is not living at home.

1. A parent refuses to shun their adult child. They help them in what ever they need. From incouragement, finical, or what ever. That child 9 times out of 10 will as you say, "Return to the fold" and become a JW once again.
2. A parent does what they are told and shuns their adult child. Treat them like they are dead, so to speak. They say, "We are shunning you so you will see the error of your ways and come back." In that case it is a very slim chance that person will ever go back. They are more in likely to commit kill themselves, go off the deep end, or just be really PISSED OFF. That is unless they can find some type of support group being that of former fellow JW's, friends, or other relatives. In that case I don't know of any who do return in this case it would probley be 1 out of 100.

BoozeRunner

Good question, to which I say:

Q.Other than political power, what is a benchmark of an organisations success?
A.Membership and $$

The WTS willingly sacrafices(by DFing) its members to maintain control through fear. But increases are declining and such sacrafices will take their toll on the WTS.

Add DA'd ones and the internet, and it gets worse.

Yes, I believe DFing has backfired in the AGE OF INFORMATION.

Boozy

Esmeralda

I know it certainly did in my case!

I still had some lingering doubt about whether the WTS was right and I would die at Armageddon for my "sins".

Once I got out of the environment and had some time totally away from my JW family, it was like coming out of a trance. I could see clearly for the first time in my life what a crock the whole JW "belief structure" is.

I was df'd nearly 2 years before I sought out other exJW's on the net. I did it to seek input on how to deal with the members of my family who were/are still shunning me.

I've come to realize especially recently that the shunning has backfired especially in that I actually view it as a protection now; my family is crazy JW's or not, so it's actually healthier for me to be away from them.

I agree totally with what Amarie said, that once you're out, you realize that you never want to go back. At least that's what happened for me. There isn't anything that could get me to go back to being a dub now.

bluesapphire

Good point. Recently my entire family of 36 members (immediate and 100's of extended) have been witnessing my JW sister's treatment of me. So now everyone is so thoroughly disgusted with the JW's where before they were somewhat tolerant. There might have been one or two converts down the road someday out of the nieces and nephews perhaps. But there is NO CHANCE IN HELL of that now thanks to the dfing policy.

Tammie

I forgot one other thing on how the shunning thing back fires.
Many JW's have relatives who are not JW's. Take my aunt for example. She was the very first one to ever have contact (study) with the JW's. There was some things that kinda bothered her and so she stopped the study and never became one. That was back in the 1970's. When my husband and I DA ourselves, our JW relatives tried till they was blue in the face to excuse their shunning practice. She and her immediate family compared it to the Nazis. Her mom, my grand ma had told us that she wanted to talk to my husband (her grandson) To make a long story short, grand ma told us we had no business calling her, and not to ever call her again. So we told the aunt. All these years my aunt was going to the memorial with her mom to the KH. Guess what, after grandma told us to buzz off, my aunt said that she don't want to have any thing to do with the JW's ever again, and she refuses to ever go to the memorial ever again.
So yes, the shunning practice does BACKFIRE big time. Could you just picture how many are like my aunt.

Does DF'ing Backfire?

ISP

Stephanus

Room 215

Mulan

nowaytess

Tammie

BoozeRunner

Esmeralda

bluesapphire

Tammie

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