Speaking of Shunning

by North Girl 13 Replies latest jw friends

  • Aalena
    Aalena

    I just remember feeling akward. I also remember feeling that the person being "shunned" was a bad person-- someone that was a threat to my spiritual nature. As I matured a bit I just ignored what was insinuated I should do if I were to meet someone not in "good-standing" with the congregation and treated them as I would treat anyone I have met in life- with respect and dignity, I realized that my mind had been molded to think that way(whether intentional or unintentional).

    I've experienced extremeties from others, though. A couple that had a son my age when I was growing up and my family has known for over 20 years was in my work recently. I did not see them at first. I turned suddenly because I felt someone staring at me and turned to meet the wife's eyes. I smiled-- she looked at me blankly and then I looked away.

    Just last night I received a phonecall from my little sister who is a regular pioneer and who's husband served in bethel and is an elder. She asked if I would take the wedding photos of a girl who she studies with. Apparently, the man the girl is marrying is DF'd and the woman that was originally taking their wedding pictures backed out because he had failed to be reinstated when they thought he would be. That sickened me-- the wedding is a week from Sunday. No class.

  • PinTail
    PinTail

    Shunning is wrong. I was raised a Jehovah's Witness and did NOT fully understand how it affected the disfellowshiped ones till I became a disfellowshipped one years ago then I became reinstated. It is unkind, it is unloving, it does not encourage joy of heart, it does not create peace in house holds / families whom the disfellowshipped one is residing in, it is not long suffering, it judges others by standards that are inhumane, it does not show mildness, it is far from showing goodness. No human knows the thoughts and intentions of the heart, only Jehovah does, leave it up to him to work out justice and punishment. It goes completely against my conscious to shun another under the pretense of being loyal to Jehovah while really its just punishing a sinner, when in fact that is what we all are.

    Shane,

  • lisaBObeesa
    lisaBObeesa

    Shane, you said it perfectly.

  • Steve Lowry
    Steve Lowry

    I never even was aware of the whole shunning thing growing up a JW. There was only one person that I knew of that got Df'd, and we never saw him again. I was pretty young then and if I had of seen him out and about I would have prolly been scared of him becuse of the way the Watchtower Society demonizes those who leave. But, as a young adult I recal friend of mine's sister who was the sweetest girl I ever knew and not a hurtful bone in her body, get publically reproved from the podium one night. It shamed her and her entire family. They never came back to our Hall. Man, I never seen anyting like that. To have someone stand up there and humiliate my friend that way. I was mad as hell that they had done this thing. It was wrong. It really opened my eyes to what I aligned myself with and I believe it helped me in my leaving a little later on.

    Steve

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