if jws claim to live by the bible then why do they not welcome back repentent ones straight away ? is there anything in the bible about still ignoring people despite their "heartfelt " repentence and making them sit at the back of meetings etc.. feeling isolated and so sad , if its not in the bible to do this then why do they do it ? its not what jesus would have done it is cruel , cult like and controlling ! did anyone ever ask themselves this question about shunning and not like doing it ?
when someone "gos back " to meetings why arnt they treated like the "prodigal son " ?
by looloo 8 Replies latest jw friends
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Found Sheep
I think you answered your question.... It's not Bibical and it is a scare tactic used by this Cult!!!
I hated it I'd always wink or make reasons to talk to them!! Oh I'm one of them now!
FS
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Quendi
I pointed out Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son to my judicial committee. Their angry silence was all I needed to know about their attitude as well as the WTS' about the Lord's words. The answer to your question is simple. This organization is no more "Christian" than the Ku Klux Klan is. It has only a veneer of Christianity, and a very thin one at that. The Bible is selectively read and interpreted, thus making it easier to ignore irritating passages like Luke 15:1-32.
Quendi
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BluesBrother
There is a big difference whether a person has , or has not been disfellowshipped, of course.
In my experience if the rules allow it, they are "love bombed" and welcomed. One guy I knew confessed that while he was out, some while before he had been "immoral". We told him to put it behind him and concentrate on getting back. No action was ever taken.
If they have been d/ffd and want to return, they themselves seem to know the score and accept the time of being ignored until the reinstatement hearing.
I see what you mean by your post, though...The Biblical parable of the prodigal son did not refer to any time of having to prove himself. Instead, his father killed the fatted calf and celebrated the return of his son. It was the unhelpful brother who resented the prodigal's return who was the bad example of the parable....
That is dubs for you!
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looloo
what does luke 15 say ?
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ProdigalSon
That was the question I grappled with for many years after I was so "lovingly" df'd.... Is God really this cold?
How can you be the Grand Pubah's of Judgmentalism and acknowledge a parable that says there is no judgment?
Does not compute in the mind of the Pharisee.
There is only Karma, which Jesus taught when he said, "As you sow, you shall also reap."
I've read in more than one place that Jesus condensed the entire Bible into that one parable.
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Quendi
Luke 15:1-32 relates three parables Jesus aimed at the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees. All of them had to do with how repentant sinners were to be viewed and treated. The first is about the shepherd who has one hundred sheep. One of them strays and is lost so the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine behind and makes a diligent search for the lost sheep. When he finds it, he calls his friends and neighbors together to rejoice over its recovery. The second is about a woman losing one drachma coin and makes a careful search for it until it is found. She likewise calls her neighbors together to celebrate. The third is the parable of the Prodigal Son.
Quendi
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LongHairGal
looloo:
I suspect it is because the religion is more about judgmentalism than actual love. By "shunning" some poor reinstated person, the nobodies in the religion can physically exercise an act of cruelty by their deliberate sin of omission. This is so pathetic really. I was the type of person who always gave a secret smile to some DF'd person who was sitting in the back of the hall. I say give these people a break for even wanting to come back to the religion!
Quendi:
I admire your courage to wave the bible in their faces and show them a scripture that they love to ignore. The problem is: a pharisee does not like to be shown up by somebody they look down on. Because of this, you would have crawl on broken glass and jump through hoops in order for them to reinstate you (assuming you wanted to be).
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00DAD
Your question is easy to answer. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the Father of course represents God. After the wayward son decides to return home the Father/God responds this way:
"While he [the son] was yet a long way off, his father caught sight of him and was moved with pity, and he ran and fell upon his neck and tenderly kissed him." - Luke 15:20
Notice that when the son was still "a long way off" the father RAN to his son and kissed him tenderly. This is of course what wayward ones that are contemplating a return want. They want to know they are welcome and still loved.
On the other hand, the reason people that return to meetings aren't greeted warmly is simply this: the WTBTS--as represented locally by the congregation--does NOT represent God and as a result they do not reflect his qualities.
I know, it's probably not what you wanted to hear, but it's the truth, the real truth.