Why is shunning unloveing

poopie

Please give reasons for all the lurkers. And why does shunning show the same attitude as the Pharisees?

OneEyedJoe

Taken from the watchtower's own words: http://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/g201306/the-silent-treatment/

"when it is used as a means to retaliate or manipulate, the silent treatment not only prolongs conflict but also erodes [...] respect"

The silent treatment between spouses is directly condemned by the article as unloving, unproductive, retaliatory and manipulative. Just because you might not be married to someone doesn't make this behavior any better or somehow loving all of a sudden. In fact, I would argue that participating in the systematic and indefinite "silent treatment" of shunning is far worse than giving a spouse the silent treatment for a few days.

Finkelstein

Separating oneself from self deductive evil people is not that bad of suggestion from a sociological human perspective, but now days in these modern times people do fall into a behavior which is bad for themselves as well others and they need friends and family to help them out of.

So shunning them isn't helping them at all, in contrary doing so may actually enhancing or facilitating the problem.

Maryanne

Shunning is unloving because it is unnatural. It is not natural for a mother to shun her children, or for children to shun their mother or father simply because a person chooses to no longer be a Jehovah's Witness due to the hypocrisy or whatever other reason they choose. It is manipulation by an organization to hold people captive for fear if they leave, they too will be shunned

Saintbertholdt

Hi there poopie,

I don't know about a pharisaic attitude, but I will say that no organization has the right to order the breaking of ties with one's biological family. "Kin affinity" is a biological mechanism for survival and to tamper with that can reasonably be termed unnatural.

...

Some religious organizations that actively promote shunning are Jehovah's Witnesses (with disfellowshipping), Scientology (with disconnect) and the Bahai faith and in history organizations such as Jim Jones' peoples temple (who committed mass suicide). Secular movements that have those ideas like Stephen Moleneux' Anarcho capitalist movement also promote the cutting off of family ties if they disagree with the movements point of view. It all smacks of cultist thinking by removing the closest people to the cult follower who have the potential to help them the most. It thereby cultivates dependence on the cult 'family' instead of on biological family.

...

From a Biblical point of view there is not a single instance where Jesus (the perfect Christian model) ever rejected speaking to a religious opponent (Pharisee or Sadducee) or even adulterers (who believed in the religious system but were still sinful). In the Christian Pauline era the criteria for non-association was the rejection of the Christ by people who used to be Christians. Today most ex-witnesses still retain a belief in Jesus after they leave the Witness organization, so I would argue that the organization is theologically in error.

Footnote: In a hypothetically totally consistent witness theology I guess I would still be one of those that would be cut off as I am now an atheist.

ScenicViewer

Back when the Watchtower Society still rejected disfellowshipping, and the shunning that accompanies it, an Awake article was written showing how unchristian, unscriptural, and pagan it is. Just 5 years after the article was written Watchtower adopted the very pagan practice is had condemned.

The article is about excommunication, but the Watchtower magazine has repeatedly shown that excommunication and disfellowshipping are the same thing.

(W 1-15-1961 p63-64, QFR)
According to the law of Moses, which set forth shadows of things to come, the receiver of a blood transfusion must be cut off from God’s people by excommunication or disfellowshipping.

(W4-15-1996, p15, par18)
“If the religions of Christendom were conscientiously to apply the Christian discipline of disfellowshipping, or excommunication, for all the lawless acts committed by those claiming to be its members, what would happen?”

Awake, 1-8-1947, p27-28

ScenicViewer

I'm not sure why this happens, but when I first loaded the pictures they appear full size, but after a minute or so they are reduced to a smaller size. It makes them very hard to read.

Anybody know what's happening to cause them to be downsized?

FayeDunaway

I'll make this simple: Get baptized to make your family and community happy. Later change your mind about the religion, lose your family and anyone you've ever been allowed to be close to.

Loving? No.

Controlling. Vengeful. Hateful.

wendym

From an organizational POV, shunning is a brilliant strategy since it creates a fear (of losing one's only social connection and loved ones, even losing one's very salvation and eternal life) that serves as an incentive to keep sheep in the flock and it removes incentive for the remaining sheep to use their critical thinking skills.

millie210

When a disfellowshipping occurs, parents are not supposed to talk to children or children to parents.

What makes this exceedingly abnormal scripturally is the fact that the family arrangement was created by God. It precedes everything as outlined in Genesis.

Who decided disfellowshipping could trump that?

The Bible didnt.

Why is shunning unloveing

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