If you have been following the news these days, you maybe have seen images like this one:
Heart breaking stories about people that where separated from their relatives for over 60 years. I've seen an interview with a crying old man, saying that he fears that he will not be able to recognize his sister or that he will not have any feelings for her, because of the many years and the indoctrination by the North Korean regime.
All of this reminded me of the Watchtower Society.
I am not naive and know too well that this historic reunion was permited as "PR-stunt" or for some other interest by the regime in the Northand yet, they have now allowed MORE than the Watchtower has ever allowed to families with shunned relatives. Even in their political hipocrisy they now stand one or two points above the Watchtower in terms of human kindness. OK, let's not stretch this too far. Maybe a communist regime allowing for a family reunion is meaningless and most probably was not for the reason I am mentioning here, but at the same time it showed me, once again, how sad it is that families are ripped apart over ideologie and beliefs - be it of religious or political nature - and THAT alone puts the Watchtower Society AT LEAST at the same level as North Korea.
Look at the image above - or many others that are floating around - and remember the pain that shunning causes to humans.
No family reunion for me and my sisters. Haven't heard from them in over 4 years now. My little sister (who I teached to drive a car, who visited a cinema for the first time thanks to me and who I helped countless hours with her home work during school time) wrote me one last email (before I DA'ed myself) stating that she rather wished me dead in a car accident then fallen apart from Jehovah.
What a world.