Today's Study - Shun Disfellowshipped Family, Don't Marry Outsiders, Tell On Others!

by Divergent 50 Replies latest jw friends

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  Divergent

  Urghhh... what a disgusting study!

  7 A conflict of loyalties may arise when a close relative is disfellowshipped. For example, a sister named Anne received a telephone call from her disfellowshipped mother. The mother wanted to visit Anne because she felt pained by her isolation from the family. Anne was deeply distressed by the plea and promised to reply by letter. Before writing, she reviewed Bible principles. (1 Cor. 5:11; 2 John 9-11) Anne wrote and kindly reminded her mother that she had cut herself off from the family by her wrongdoing and unrepentant attitude. “The only way you can relieve your pain is by returning to Jehovah,” Anne wrote. —Jas. 4:8.

  Emotional blackmail at its best! It's also sickening to see how they transfer the entire blame to the victim when all along it is THEIR OWN DECISION to shun!

  12 Daniel, a brother in Mexico, needed to choose between being loyal to God and seeking his own selfish interests. He wanted to marry a girl who was not a believer. Says Daniel: “I continued writing to her even after I entered the pioneer service. But finally, I humbled myself and told an experienced elder that I was disturbed by a conflict of loyalties. He helped me to see that to be loyal to God, I needed to stop writing to her. After many prayers and tears, that is what I did. Soon my joy in the ministry increased.” Daniel later married a fine Christian sister and now serves as a circuit overseer.

  And they lived happily ever after... if living in a cult can be considered as happiness

  He had the opportunity to be free, but sadly let it go. Total waste of a life...

  Also, what's up with the title boasting in the last paragraph?

  14 Kindness can help you to deal with a conflict of loyalties. For example, you may have definite knowledge that a certain fellow believer is guilty of serious misconduct. You may feel loyal to him, especially if he is a close friend or a relative. But if you were to cover up the wrongdoing, you would be disloyal to God. Of course, your loyalty to Jehovah should come first. So like Nathan, be kind yet firm. Urge your friend or relative to seek the help of the elders. If he or she does not do so within a reasonable period of time, loyalty to God should move you to report the matter to the elders. In doing this, you are being loyal to Jehovah and kind to your friend or relative, for Christian elders will try to readjust such an individual with mildness. —Read Leviticus 5:1; Galatians 6:1.

  Ironic that the not covering up of wrongdoing is usually applied to those who have engaged in conduct that can hardly be considered as wrongdoing while those who have committed ACTUAL SERIOUS wrongdoing (eg: child abusers) have their wrongdoing covered up!
  
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  lurkernomore

  That last paragraph is actually another example of how they're starting to go after faders who no longer believe their bullshit.

  In a recent thread about the upcoming RC it was pointed out that one talk in particular may well put this forward more forcefully.
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  awake!watcher

  I just threw up in my mouth....😷😒
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  Saltheart Foamfollower

  Only in watchtowerland could they think there is a logical connection between David stopping Abishai from killing Saul and cutting off family ties because someone disagrees with your religion.

  SF
  
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  sowhatnow

  oh yea, sickening isnt it. i went on 'the' site looking for a particular article someone on here referred to, and stumbled on that magazine issue, i was like, wow wow, omg .
  

  its non human, how many have you observed being visually disturbed, or walking out?
  

  would Jesus sit there and listen to that? [lol well yes he might]

  they basically added yet another level of stress, for everyone, now not only do you have to watch your step, you have to watch everyone elses  THATS being a busy body.
  
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  stuckinarut2

  If any normal person was to read those paragraphs, they would scream "cult alert" at the top of their voices!
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  Divergent

  sowhatnow:
  

  they basically added yet another level of stress, for everyone, now not only do you have to watch your step, you have to watch everyone elses THATS being a busy body.

  I wouldn't consider that as stress at all. JW's LOVE being busybodies!
  

  stuckinarut2:
  

  If any normal person was to read those paragraphs, they would scream "cult alert" at the top of their voices!

  I didn't scream, but I did a few facepalms. Does that count towards me being a normal person?
  
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  flipper

  This is absolutely disgusting information from the WT Society. It's emotional blackmail - so now we know where our JW relatives learn these barbaric, criminal attitudes. It comes down and starts at the top of the WT organization. And filters down into the core soul of most all JW's. The few JW's who DO socialize with dfed relatives have to do it secretly or they'll be an accounting to congregation elders. Such a messed up organization
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  compound complex

  Even when no longer an elder, I would talk to and encourage (according to the so-called scriptural methods) disfellowshipped individuals. I do so now, even on FB. There are so many former JWs in my area, although not all of them are disfellowshipped.

  People are people and need love and help. WT rules no longer hold me in awe and fear.

  Enough already . . .

  CC
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  Giordano

  We faded over 4 decades ago and were never shunned. Now we live in a small city of 7000 and we are pretty well known through our volunteer work and donations to the non profits that provide real help like medical services and food etc. For people who are easily well below the poverty level.

  If we heard that we were DF unlikely at this late date, but you never know with the WTBTS and their Elder's. I believe I would use that as an opportunity to speak to a significant part of our community.

  We have a weekly newspaper that pretty much everyone reads.... it's all about local news and has a letter's to the Editor section. People are pretty out spoken about the cities going's on and since the JW's have shut them selves off from the community, from volunteerism etc. I imagine that a letter to the editor discussing the many reasons someone might be DF and shunned would be an eye opener for a community like this one.

  It would probably result in a number of people voicing their opinion about shunning. Especially learning that while you can practice freedom of religion as a JW if one doesn't want to remain a JW you will be punished with shunning.