by Lee Marsh 110 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Yep. Might as well have been. The average new member sits in how many meetings? Hears this from the platform how many times? Actually sees it happen how many times?
Right - they think we are all mentally diseased. So? I think THEY are mentally diseased. We're even.
The point here is that it is not and should not be a crime.
if JWs hate me--do i have to hate them back ? If i do--arent i the same as them ?
@Stan - I'm not even saying you can't hate them. I'm not even saying they can't hate you.
What I am saying is that religions, and various groups in general, frequently come up with lists of stuff that they don't like so much. Take, for example, Islam. Have you tried to draw a picture of Mohammad for them? This is not an activity that they smile upon. One of their rules is "Don't draw pictures of Mohammad". And if you engage in that activity you are evil, deserving of death, and to back that up, they point to their scriptures. Your family would probably shun you if you did so, or even if you suggested it wasn't so bad.
We should be able to "hate" the practice. Denounce it, tell them its actually immoral. We can even tell them they believe lies, and are abhorrent to life itself. But they don't have to listen, and I can't force them to agree with me.
And they can't force me.
Undermining that principle would endanger that separation.
It's an interesting question, or series of questions: do individuals have the right to be arseholes? Do individuals have the right to belong to a group that tells them to be arseholes? If the individuals willingly decide to be arseholes because the group has told them to, then doesn't the group have the right to continue to tell people to be arseholes?
It's kind of a "consent by the governed" situation. I agree with meanmrmustard: the shunners choose to shun. At the of the day they are responsible for their decision to. Trying to force them through government coercion to do something else is never going to work. If you don't like the rules of the game, don't play it. Walk away.
I don't mean to be fussy or petulant, but what practices or beliefs in the Witness world are not mandated?
what practices or beliefs in the Witness world are not mandated?
I think they don't mandate whether you can decide if you want a regular toothbrush or an electric toothbrush, although there may be an Awake article somewhere that tells about the evils of one over another. Never checked that one.
(Oops, spoke too soon...here's an article that directs the proper procedure for tooth brushing...)
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102000687?q=toothbrush&p=par
I remember an article about 20 years ago where they told adults how to wash their hands. 🙄
The question is not if shunning is harmful or not. The issue is if it's harmful enough to have the government come in and legislate it.
Also, how do we quantify the harm it has caused? There is an untold number of disfellowshipped ones who have returned to JW's and have been the vocal promoters of this policy, given interviews in assemblies and conventions.
I sincerely hope that we are not advocating for setting a precedent that gives the government the power to beat down anyone that it doesn't like. I bet that at some point in the future, we will be on the hurting end of the power we gave to the government.
If the WT were persuaded to change its tune and find new light then shunning could be stopped.
New light that " advices " against shunning would soon be adopted as law in JW land .
Jan from Tam.
