The dreaded disfellowshiping

by link 26 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  joannadandy

  Umm...not entirely true.

  A group of guys from my hall, all friends of mine growing up, used drugs. First time they just got reproved because they were sorry. A little while later, a year or so, they all got caught again. All of them denied any involvement, except one. He confessed. While there was no hard proof that they had used again (tho it was pretty common knowledge among everyone our age that they were using), the rest got off scott-free. Meanwhile the one who had confessed did so with many tears begging to be forgiven. Since he had already been in trouble with this once before they found that he could not really be repentant...(addiction and abuse are apparently seperate matters) and so he was disfellowshipped.

  The moral of the story, and the lesson learned, at least in our hall is, NEVER CONFESS! DENY EVERYTHING!
• 

  Big Tex

  Repentence is irrelevant. Resistance is futile. You can and will be DF'd for anything. All it takes is the will to make it so.

  Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.
• 

  RevMalk

  I DID go in there crying and begging for mercy, it's exactly what my parents presiding overseer told me to do. It got me nowhere, and I was falsely DF (No really). I still got the boot, so I busted the chairman/PO in the face with my cell phone, told him what I thought of him and stormed out kicking everything I could find.

  That didn't make my appeal go any better :)

  To hell with them I say, less donations I have to make.

  Don't forget the march on Brooklyn, September 27, 2002 - Be a part of History and do your part for the Lambs!

  RevMalk Speaks - You cannot DF All of the people all of the time, BUT, you can DF most of the people some of the time.

  Saratoga Springs, NY Congregation Refugee

  Edited by - RevMalk on 17 September 2002 19:4:41
• 

  Nathan Natas

  Oh, sure it sounds nice - "We don't disfellowship ANYONE for what they DO, we disfellowship them for being UNREPENTANT."

  There are ways to establish that something was done - there is possible physical evidence and possible circumstantial evidence, the "testimony of two witnesses," and confession.

  But HOW does one judge a person's heart condition?

  Hardened criminals can put on some of the best shows of remorse you've ever seen, especially if their lives are at stake.

  On the other hand, a truly repentant person may not have it in his or her nature to be theatrical.

  And who is making this judgement?

  Well, in an interview with the Paducah, Kentucky SUN on 1-28-01, Mario Moreno, associate general counsel at the Watchtower's New York headquarters and J.R. Brown, public affairs director for the church, said that the elders are UNTRAINED VOLUNTEERS.

  Untrained volunteers are judging the hearts of men.

  Now how good does it sound?
• 

  Scorpion

  It seems that the sons of elders are more immune from being disfellowshipped than the rest of the congregation, whether being repentant or not. This is what I witnessed many times. I wonder why the exception is made.
  I thought one reason was that the elder whose son is not in line might lose his position in the "Jehovah's clean and pure organization."

  I believe with many elders their position in the congregation is more important than what is right for the congregation as a whole.

  Scorpion
• 

  bad_associashun

  As the Little Flock book states a person is to express 'godly sadness' to be repentant ("what have I done to Jehovah and his org?") ... this differs from 'worldly sadness' ("I'm sorry").

  It's funny how elders' sons and presiding overseer's families seem to either receive mere counsel or be reinstated so quickly... others can attempt a return for years.

  Just how is it elders read the hearts again?? And where is that scripture that says they have been given the right to?
• 

  UnDisfellowshipped

  The Official Rules claim you can't get Disfellowshipped unless you are unrepentant (CORRECTION -- unless the UNTRAINED VOLUNTEER ELDERS decide you are not repentant enough for them).

  However, if you are exposing a cover-up that is going on in your Congregation, or in the entire Organization, they will Disfellowship you NO MATTER WHAT! (Just look at Bowen, Barbara & Joe Anderson, Carl & Barbara Pandelo, and others).

  The "Organized To Accomplish Our Ministry" Book says that if the Elders decide to Disfellowship someone, then the Elders MUST give the person the "CLEAR BIBLICAL REASON" for the Disfellowshipping Action.

  I would LOVE to hear the Society's "CLEAR BIBLICAL REASONS" for Disfellowshipping those silentlambs listed above.

  Also, whenever they want to want to use it, the Elders have a "3-Year Statue of Limitations" on Sins (according to a 1972 Our Kingdom Ministry), so if you can cover up something for 3 years, you can get away with it supposedly (but I bet this only works for Elders, Overseers, and child molesters!).

  Also, I'm sure that if you ask certain questions about Bill Bowen or the United Nations Scandal, or their Rape Policy, they will take action against you.

  Also, here is a HUGE LIST of QUOTES about DISFELLOWSHIPPING: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.aspx?id=35751&site=3

  Edited by - UnDisfellowshipped on 17 September 2002 23:0:10
• 

  UnDisfellowshipped

  Also, the Society has a STRICT CONFIDENTIALITY on WHY someone is Disfellowshipped.

  They won't reveal that to ANY regular Witness.
• 

  minimus

  Since so many experiences abound regarding unjust disfellowshippings, the thought is you CAN get disfellowshipped for anything. If you commit adultry 20 times, that action will be evidence that you are unrepentant= disfellowshipped.
• 

  Big Tex

  Well yeah I agree Minimus, that oftentimes elders do look at actions equaling repentence, but there are many cases where the person was DF'd just to silence them. A CO sat in my living room and told me that if I said another word about my father abusing me, I would be DF'd immediately. Now I'm sure in his mind he justified that threat by thinking I had an unrepentent and willful attitude (I wasn't waiting on Jehovah), but the bottom line is if I hadn't shut up, I would have been DF'd.

  I still say anyone can be disfellowshipped for any reason. All it takes is an elder to notice you. I think it's like the remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the one with Donald Sutherland) and whenver the aliens found out you were still human they would point and screech at you. I wonder if they would make that sound if I showed up at a Kindgom Hall . . . .