A Timely warning regarding Disfellowshipping. A Mu

MARTINLEYSHON

I have been Disfellowshipped for 2 weeks. Why? My story the shortened version.

I left the Organisation 2years 2 months ago. I live 25 miles from the Kingdom Hall that I ATTENDED for 29 years, man and boy. There are 5 Congregations in the middle of where I now live and where I used to attend. 2 Memorials passed by and not one invite from my previous fellow Elders and so called friends, brothers with whom I invested so much time into…. What I am about to reveal is the absolute truth and nothing but the truth, I swear this on my fathers grave, and upon my honour, and Jehovah’s good and sanctified name.

Around 13 weeks ago I received a telephone call out of the blue from Brother Elder, who wanted to discuss certain accusations that had been made against me at the mouth of 2 separate witnesses, one was my estranged wife soon to be ex, the other was a brother that I had met in the bar having some drinks. I duly informed the Elder that I was not prepared to meet with the elders under any circumstances whatsoever to answer allegations whereby theocratic procedure had not been followed. He enquired what I meant by that? The Following:

1. You have not invited me to any memorials for 2 years therefore not recognising that I am a member of your congregation.
2. Have you encouraged the 2 witnesses to apply Matthew Chapter 5 and chapter 18? No you haven’t.
3. Have you checked your “ Pay Attention to the Flock” text book whereby it clearly states the following:
I then summarized the page when a publisher has not attended for some time and you learn of wrongdoing….

All this was to be conveyed back to the Body. I, after 1 hour of calming down rang the brother and informed him that should any attempt to contact me again regarding these frivolous and vexatious allegations was made I would consider taking Legal Advise for harassment.

5 weeks later the unthinkable happened I received a telephone call from my mother who was very upset, she stated that 2 Elders had been around to inform her that I was to be Disfellowshipped the following day, Thursday.

I was absolutely horrified, I was not even aware that a Judicial Committee had been informed, or indeed made a decision to disfellowship. I was beside myself. A P/O for 9 years, where was this new procedure coming from?

I duly rang the P/O who just happened to be the chairman of the committee. After a long discussion he physically broke down and cried over the phone, before you go off on that remember this Elder was one of my closest friends we vacationed together.. It was a very emotional time for him and me. He stated that because I was such a High Profile Brother in the district, he would not dare to make a decision without speaking to the legal desk.

They had informed him that any Bro/Sis who refuses to meet with a JC automatically disassociates themselves from Jehovah’s Org AND THE APPROPRIATE ANNOUNCEMENT OUGHT TO BE MADE.

He further stated that to disassociate you publicly would be worse than disfellowshipping you, so because of who you were and the positions you held, we are going to be kind and disfellowship you rather than disassociate you.

I informed him of Jesus’ words to Judas Do what you have to do.
My warning is quite clear, Elders have now been informed that no can leave the org and just be left alone to pick up the pieces of their lives…….. You have been warned!!!!!!!!

Riff

dungbeetle

Here in the United States members are leaving in near-hemorhage numbers, and NOT being replaced by new converts. These issues take time to work themselves out, but they are working.

A Watchtower away back warned that inactive ones must be prepared to be summoned to a JC at any time, joining the Watchtower is for life. I dunno how legal that is, but someone will get around to adjudicating the issue eventually I suppose.

Sorry for what happeend to you. You at least seem to have kept your sense of humor, hang in there and make new friends. Estimates are that there are 750,000 to 2 million ex-jw's in the world right now, you have LOTS of company and are not alone.

hugs to ya.

BEFORE YOU TRY AND REMOVE THE STICK FROM MY ARSE, REMOVE THE TELEPHONE POLE FROM YOUR OWN ARSE.

Simon

This is almost exactly what happened to me:

After lots of harrassment from the elders (certain ones in particular) including a 'shepherding call' where they were unable or unwilling to answer my questions I was invited one day to go for a chat at the local KH. I declined.

A couple of weeks later I got a letter shoved through my door notifying my that they had accepted my 'refusal to attend the commitee meeting' as my decision to disassociate myself.

After writing the CO to get it sorted I got to have an appeal (although I had never been invited to a JC meeting in the first place).

After a 3 hour meeting with 6 elders (where I think I did pretty well) they upheld their own decission that I was refusing to meet with them and had disassociated myself!

It was announced and as far as everyone at the hall knows, I sent them a letter.

However, I did not.

I'm thinking of going to the KH (I think a Sunday meeting of the CO's visit would be best) and demanding to know why they announced I had DA's myself when I had not. How does this sound:

"If I have DA' myself, then you will have a letter saying it and I give you permission to show it to everyone - in fact I insist that you do. If not, and you cannot produce as I know you cannot 'cause I have never written it then everyone will know I didn't and you are liars."

Should be fun eh?

MARTINLEYSHON

Many thanks for those encouraging words, after so many years in the borg it has been a rough road trying to disenfect my mind.

RIFF

Joyzabel

"there is no honorable way to leave" proves to me that the wtbts is a cult. Behavior control, information control, thought control and emotional control.

Sorry to hear what you are going through. But you sound the wiser for waking up.

Thanks for the warning.

j2bf

MARTINLEYSHON

Hey Simon

You to! Unbelievable, it gets worse, at a recent Elders school, the Es were informed that once a witness always a witness, and that the brothers could not just simply slip into oblivion... Cultish hey..

riff

mustang

Could you not REPUDIATE the DF’ing in a Legal Notice in your local newspapers? Could you not do this in national newspapers which are also available in your area?

Has not the Secular Courts of the land ruled that you can be DF’d by the use of this JUDICIAL TRIBUNAL OF THE CHURCH? (Such Precedents have been posted on this board.) Does not the Secular Court state that they are ‘not competent’ to rule on this matter? Does not the Secular court say that this is a RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCE which is thereby inadmissible for their consideration?

Would not your disagreement then also be inadmissible? Would not your public notice be a part of your religious rights??? Would not this be the same as if you were another Church, in yourself? Would not this be a case of a religious squabble that Secular Law has recused itself from being able to review??

Did they not fail to follow their own rules and are therefore not self-consistent?? Did they not expect publicity? (“...high profile...”)

Is AUTOMATIC DISASSOCIATING something that you really did?? Would it not be a matter of dispute, for someone else to make a DECISION FOR YOU?

Mustang

Kaethra

That's a very sad story Martinleyshon. JWs do not have a concept of justice at all, do they?

I don't understand why your friend, the other elder, would say that disfellowshipping you is "kinder" than disassociating you. I suppose that's because I am looking at this through the eyes of someone who has been out for a number of years. I would much rather have them think that it was MY choice to leave. Although, they are not giving you any choice in the matter, are they? They're such snakes!

LB

Very disturbing news Martin and Simon. Makes me feel like just submitting my DA now.

Never Squat With Yer Spurs On

Sam Beli

Sounds like the WTS is smarting from the large number of JWs who are leaving the ranks. Many here have predicted that there would be a clamp-down on dissidents. Too many of us have walked away, yet can claim that we are “members in good standing” when it is convenient to our cause such as when appearing on Dateline or when speaking to physicians about the blood issue.

Retaliation is the latest name of their game?

Sam Beli

"...religion opposes the commandments of Almighty God." Violence by J. F. Rutherford 1938

A Timely warning regarding Disfellowshipping. A Mu

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