re-enforcing the shunning of immediate family - WT 7-15-11

by undercover 172 Replies latest watchtower bible

• 

  steve2

  This WTS article just reeks of utter desperation and spite. Some of them have got to see that, wouldn't you think?

  Unfortunately, you credit the rank and file with either too much brain power or compassion or both. Fact is, when people live and breathe a message they cannot get a healthy perspective on it. For example, when I first heard about the shockingly heartless way they railroaded Ray Franze and his wife I thought, "Surely the average JW will not stand for this. It's so unloving and harsh".

  I should have saved my shocked breath! It barely caused a ripple; indeed, it was used to "prove" Jehovah was truly looking after the purity of His organization. It'll more than likely be the same when this magazine is "studied". Of course, who knows how many silent souls will secretly know they won't be following it.....
• 

  RosePetal

  My brother in-law stepped down as a elder due to still seeing his daughter, she is my sisters only child and refused to stop seeing her daughter and grandchildren regularly, going to her home having her in her own home doing all the normal things people do as a family, she was co-erced to write a letter of resignation from the congregation as she had been living with her then boyfriend but then got married. Her parents chose not to attend the wedding which was very painful for them but being an elder put pressure on them to conform.

  He ended up stepping down anyway as they are still seeing her and now I see how difficult this is going to be for them as the watchtower keeps putting pressure on them to stop associating with their families, there are so many in this situation, how much more will sincere people take of these bullying tactics and not break.

  It is easy to stop associating with me and my family as they see us as dangerous and apostate, even though we made it clear that we have not stop believing in God or his son Jesus Christ, we just don't want to follow men as ' Jesus is the way the truth and the life' and it is to Him we go to, not men.

  RosePetal
• 

  jookbeard

  "how would Jeehovah feel" ahhh dee dums

  notice no apologists on this thread.
• 

  ballistic

  I'm actually shocked and appauled by the lack of fruitage of the spirit shown in this article and as I read it to my girl friend she found it equally disturbing.
• 

  Black Sheep

  
• 

  What Now?

  Its articles like these that keep so many people hostage in this organization. Im sure if the governing body were to relax their policy on how to treat disfellowshipped family members, there would be a significant number of people leaving the organization. How many of us are still here for the sake of parents and other family members?
• 

  leavingwt

  They're not going mainstream, after all?

  /sarcasm
• 

  Doubting Bro

  My opinion is that this very policy is what causes the overwhelming amount of "apostate" criticism on the web and other places. If they simply let people live with their dignity, family and friendships in tact, the outrage and anger that's found here and other places wouldn't exist. Do a quick search on mainstream religions that don't practice shunning. I just did one on Baptist, Methodist and Catholic. Now, do a search on groups that practice JW-style shunning (LDS,Scientology,Amish). The groups that don't go to the extreme also don't draw near the amount of "recovery" groups. Yes, the Catholics in particular get hammered but thats more of a preist sex scandal than anything else.

  I'm not saying that other religious groups don't get heat over doctrine or practices. But, clearly this sort of extreme behavior elicits a more aggressive response from ex-members.

  If they really don't want "apostate" criticism, especially powerful testimony over unbelievably harsh treatment even from the person's own family, then this needs to stop.

  Yes, as What Now brings out (welcome by the way), this horrible tool is used to keep people like me attending, but think of how many people the JW message has appealed to only to research on the web and find out how badly those who disagree or just want to quit are treated. It's really bad business.

  LWT - I was one of those who thought GB 2.0 would make a move toward the mainstream. Clearly I am wrong.
• 

  JustHuman14

  What a crap! How does YHWH feels!!! Boy the GB must be sitting next to God in order for them to know and write how He feels!!!

  WT a discusting Cult that destroyes human lifes....
• 

  Room 215

  It's also clear that the GB is losing patience with what must be the thousands of otherwide "exemplary" JW parents/relatives who invoke the "discussing necessary business" alibi as a pretext for circumventing their draconian orders ti ostracise any DF'd loved one.