DF'd can sit anywhere not just at the back?

Pubsinger

Hi

Just spoke to someone who has recently been DF'd and they told me that they can sit anywhere instead of just at the back.

When did they change this?
Or is it just a local quirk?

I've not heard this one before . . .

A couple of years ago, I attended a congregation in which everyone new I was df'd. I'd time my arrival for the opening song, and was sometimes ushered to a seat in the front or middle . . . it never occured to me, at the time, that something was strange about that. But yes, as far as I know or knew at the time, I should have been seated in the back. Hmmmmm

Black Sheep

Has there ever been an official rule about where they sit?

nugget

don't know but all df'd at our hall sat in the back row. Don't know about now since wild horses couldn't drag me back into that corruption.

blondie

It is an unwritten rule in some congregations. I have never seen anything in print and it has never been a practice in the congregations where I attended (eastern, midwestern, southern, and western US). I have even some say they had to sit in the second school. I would imagine it makes things difficult at the "memorial" trying to find a separate place to keep them from talking to the righteous.

DF'd can sit with jw spouses and ride in the same vehicle to and from the meetings. Minor df'd children even sat with their parents.

*** w59 7/15 p. 448 Questions From Readers ***

If an individual is disfellowshiped, but continues in quiet attendance at the Kingdom Hall, is it proper for that one’s marriage mate to sit with such a one during the meetings?—J. F., Switzerland.

With a view to helping sincerely repentant ones to get back into proper relationship with Jehovah God and his organization, it has been the policy of the Society to permit disfellowshiped persons to be present at all meetings at the Kingdom Hall that are open to the general public. For married persons Jesus set out the proper viewpoint when he said: “Did you not read that he who created them at the beginning made them male and female and said: ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will stick to his wife, and the two will be one flesh’? So that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has yoked together let no man put apart.” (Matt. 19:4-6) This rule would seem to apply at the Kingdom Hall as well as elsewhere. In view of this it would seem to be improper to force a separation between a man and his wife even if one or the other is disfellowshiped. This is not having fellowship spiritually on the part of the faithful one with the disfellowshiped partner. However, it would be wrong for the individual who is in good standing to try to force the company of the disfellowshiped mate upon the other brothers and sisters in the congregation in the endeavor to have them recognize the disfellowshiped one and have communion with that one.

*** w53 4/1 p. 223 Questions From Readers ***

In this section of the November 15, 1952, Watchtower it was stated: “The faithful marriage partner would not discuss religion with the apostate or disfellowshiped and would not accompany that one to his (or her) place of religious association and participate in the meetings with that one.” Does this mean that if the man of the house is disfellowshiped, but attends the meetings at the Kingdom Hall, the faithful members of the family may not ride with him in the family car when he drives there?—O. G., Kansas.

No, that is not the point TheWatchtower was making. It said faithful members of the family “would not accompany that one to his (or her) place of religious association and participate in the meetings with that one”. Since the disfellowshiped one is no longer a participant in the meetings at the Kingdom Hall, and since it is no longer his rightful place of religious association, he having been disconnected from that association by disfellowshiping, and in attendance at Kingdom Hall now, not by invitation or welcome but by his unwanted intrusion, TheWatchtower was not referring to his coming to Kingdom Hall meetings when it spoke of not accompanying him to his place of religious association. It meant that the faithful one would not accompany the disfellowshiped one to another religious group with which the disfellowshiped one might associate and in whose meetings he might participate. It is all right for the faithful members of the family to ride with the disfellowshiped one in a car bound for the Kingdom Hall, but upon arrival the faithful ones should not sit with or associate with the disfellowshiped one at the hall, but rejoin him only when departing for home.

finallysomepride

I would take any damn empty seat I want, mind you I'm not DFd and never have been. LOL

JRK

When I was DF'ed, I sat in the back willingly so I could get the hell out of there ASAP.

JK

DesirousOfChange

Has there ever been an official rule about where they sit?

Not in all the years I've been in have I been aware of any such rule.

I think sitting in the rear of the hall could be thought of being less intimidating for someone who is DFd.

I've known of some who came in early before meeting started to stake out their seat and evidently didn't mind being ignored.

Scully

No official rule, just a practice in many areas - it allows for easy entrance and exit for the DFd person, minimizing their ability to communicate with others, and prevents JWs In Good Standing™ from even having to see the DFd person.

Oddly enough, families with small children choose the back row for the ease of exit.

It just occurred to me that there are also no rules against a DFd person associating with unbaptized children of JWs or non-JWs attending, yet these also participate in the shunning of DFd people.

Mr. Falcon

When I worked attendance, I've found that the majority of DF'd ones actually prefer to sit in the back for various reasons cited in the comments above. There have been times when the ONLY seat available was towards the middle, yet the DF'd person would freak out and leave than sit anywhere except the back.

I don't blame them, it must be very awkward having to be subjected to such cruel and bizarre punishment. Although I did know of one cat who after DFed worked hard to get reinstated, never missed a meeting, came early and SAT IN THE FRONT ROW. I always admired that. Not his trying to come back but the balls it must have took to overcome and awkwardness or embarassment that is ingrained in JWs when they get "lovingly disciplined".