GB Says You Can Fellowship Without Being Reinstated

by Sea Breeze 11 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Sea Breeze

  There is another way to fellowship with your loved ones after disagreeing with the WT besides getting reinstated.
  
  All you have to do is fling yourself off a boat and start drowning, says Watchtower:

  "Suppose, then, a member of a Christian congregation boating on a lake were to see another boat containing a disfellowshiped person capsize, throwing the disfellowshiped one into the water where he struggled to stay afloat. Could the Christian ignore that one’s peril, row away and feel free from guilt before God​—inasmuch as the one in danger of drowning was disfellowshiped, viewed as “a man of the nations”? Certainly not. That would be cruel and inhumane."

  - w74 8/1 p. 467
  
  
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  mickbobcat

  If you have to tell your adult members that you are a fucking bunch if idiots
  
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  neat blue dog

  This is so bizarre. All these need to be publicized and their trashy lying lawyers need to be called out to their face when trying to put a spin on things in court.
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  waton

  a man of the nations”? Certainly not.

  think about that: wt adherents spend 10 000s of reported hours (10 minutes for every human on earth per year) to win 1 human of the nations into their fold.,( make her too a wt salesmen) and scripture has it that the wayward person is to be treated like that.

  what a welcome fresh breeze would that represent in jw's lives.
  
  
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  Jeffro

  "Suppose, then, a member of a Christian congregation boating on a lake were to see another boat containing a disfellowshiped person capsize, throwing the disfellowshiped one into the water where he struggled to stay afloat. Could the Christian ignore that one’s peril, row away and feel free from guilt before God​—inasmuch as the one in danger of drowning was disfellowshiped, viewed as “a man of the nations”? Certainly not. That would be cruel and inhumane."
  

  From the same resplendent article:

  But consider a less extreme situation. What if a woman who had been disfellowshiped were to attend a congregational meeting and upon leaving the hall found that her car, parked nearby, had developed a flat tire? Should the male members of the congregation, seeing her plight, refuse to aid her, perhaps leaving it up to some worldly person to come along and do so? This too would be needlessly unkind and inhumane. Yet situations just like this have developed, perhaps in all good conscience, yet due to a lack of balance in viewpoint.
  

  So if the disfellowshipped (yes, Watch Tower, there's two Ps in that word) woman wants some attention from the congregation's "male members", she can just let her down her tyres rather than resorting to flinging herself off a boat.
  
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  FFGhost

  I think they also said, around that same time, that a JW was "permitted" to help a DF'ed person change a flat tire on the side of the road.

  Note the date of that WT - it is during the time when Ray Franz had more influence in the GB, and attempts were made to sand down the roughest edges of the organization.

  Of course, 6 years later, Ray was kicked off the GB & later DF'ed himself, and the hardliners took over (and have been in charge ever since).

  EDIT - I see Jeffro posted the quote regarding the flat tire. Good to know my memory still works!
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  Disillusioned JW

  I found the following paragraphs from the same WT article (called "Maintaining a Balanced Viewpoint Toward Disfellowshiped Ones", as worded in the "Watchtower Library 1999" CD-ROM) as very interesting. Time sure has changed regarding the WT's stated view on disfellowshiping.

  "7 If we imitate our heavenly Father we will remember that he even showed certain considerateness toward the first human pair after their disfellowshiping in Eden, providing them with clothing. (Gen. 3:21) This was an undeserved kindness toward them. As Jesus reminded his disciples, Jehovah God "makes his sun rise upon wicked people and good and makes it rain upon righteous people and unrighteous." (Matt. 5:45) The apostle Paul showed that, despite the independent course the Gentile nations took contrary to God's way, Jehovah "did not leave himself without witness in that he did good, giving [them] rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling [their] hearts to the full with food and good cheer." (Acts 14:16, 17) So, not "mixing in company" with a person, or treating such one as "a man of the nations," does not prevent us from being decent, courteous, considerate and humane."

  "21 As to disfellowshiped family members (not minor sons or daughters) living outside the home, each family must decide to what extent they will have association with such ones. This is not something that the congregational elders can decide for them. What the elders are concerned with is that "leaven" is not reintroduced into the congregation through spiritual fellowshiping with those who had to be removed as such "leaven." Thus, if a disfellowshiped parent goes to visit a son or daughter or to see grandchildren and is allowed to enter the Christian home, this is not the concern of the elders. Such a one has a natural right to visit his blood relatives and his offspring. Similarly, when sons or daughters render honor to a parent, though disfellowshiped, by calling to see how such a one's physical health is or what needs he or she may have, this act in itself is not a spiritual fellowshiping."

  "22 In some cases where a disfellowshiped parent is aged or in bad health and needs care, the son or daughter might feel it advisable to bring such a parent into the home to fulfill proper filial obligations. So, too, Christian parents of a disfellowshiped son or daughter who is no longer a minor might decide to take such a one back into the home due to that one's having a grave health problem or having been incapacitated in an accident or being in a destitute state financially. These are humanitarian decisions that Christian families must make and the congregational elders are not required to intervene where there is no sound evidence of a reintroduction of a corrupting influence within the congregation."
  
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  road to nowhere

  The sad part is they felt the need to give comments on human actions.

  Was there a life jacket? Was the woman hot? And if so was there a second person present?
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  riblah

  Raymond Franz in his book said he wrote that article.
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  neat blue dog

  That 1999 quote is interesting considering the two videos they made of the JW mother ignoring her daughter's phone calls.