Years ago when I first started to question the organization and I knew at some point in time that I would eventually DA myself or be DF'd for some reason, I always wondered if my family would, in time, accept me once again after shunning me. The 1995 Generation thread brought this back up in my mind and I was interested to know if anyone else used this same line of thinking.
For the sake of those who still have JW relatives, let's put on their thinking caps for a minute. JW's understand that just about everyone that has ever lived upon the face of the earth and have died, will be resurrected. With the exception of Judas, Adam and Eve, and however the writing staff is feeling about Sodom and Gomorrah at the time, everyone else will be brought back to life - all sins washed away. Currently, these resurrected ones include those who have been DF'd or have DA'd themselves. There is nothing in writing, that I have ever seen, stating anything to the contrary.
Those of us who are DF'd or DA'd know that most witnesses, including our very own flesh and blood families, view us as the walking dead. In their minds, if Armageddon were to come tomorrow, we would likely be the first to die at the hand of Jehovah himself. But is the typical, average JW mindset starting to change? When 2014 comes and goes, what will most witnesses be thinking to themselves? "God, I thought the Big A was going to be here by now." "I'm getting old. I always figured that I would never hit my retirement years. I just really might die." Even before 2014 comes, many older witnesses are probably grinding over these thoughts. Some may even be thinking that they know in their hearts that the Big A will not arrive in their lifetime. So what is the point in shunning our DF'd relatives any longer? If both parties are going to die, then it doesn't matter what others think. Jehovah will be wiping away all of our past sins, right?
The shunning policy only sustains its power here on earth and can only be applied to the living. After death, it no longer carries any weight since you get to start with a clean slate. Thinking witnesses know this deep down in their minds. My gut feeling on this matter is this - Once we approach and pass the century mark of 1914-2014, many witnesses will feel somewhat betrayed. They will feel that they were led on for many, many years. During those years of servitude to the organization, they were under orders to shun anyone who was DF'd or DA'd. But now, a mortality check has gone off in their bodies. They no longer carry the feeling of being invincible compared to their worldly neighbors. They may now feel that they can and will possibly die along with everyone else on earth. Why should they waste the time remaining by continuing to shun their ex-JW family? It would be better to rekindle those lost relationships, no matter the consequences. Basically, if they themselves get DF'd for associating with DF'd family members or friends, who cares? We're all going to die anyway, right?
In the past, and even up until now, current JW's know that those who are in a DF'd or DA'd state will not have a chance at being resurrected if the Big A comes and they die. But if they die beforehand, it's all good. If Armageddon were to come in 5098, we will still be resurrected. No big deal. The Society must know about this already. This isn't a new line of thinking and I am not claiming it is. Many others must feel the same way.
So how will the Society address this issue in the future? They can go two ways. Soften their stance or become even more hardlined. Recent activity by the WTS seems to point in the direction of becoming more and more tightly controlled. From the beginning, the WTS has sought control over its members. This is a given. Control allows them to mold the witness's thinking. The more they can contain the members, the better the cashflow will improve. Although we are also seeing many cutbacks in different areas which clearly leads me to believe that they are starting to or are already operating in the red. Let's face it, if the money disappears, so will the "religion." As with any company that is facing mounting losses, they need to cut back the best they can without interrupting the flow of their product. The Awake magazine is a perfect example. I believe it was back in December where I said that they would need to eventually cut back partially on magazine production but not so much as to scare the publishers. The Awake is pure fluff. I still wouldn't doubt to see it go away altogether with some of those articles finding their way into the Watchtower instead.
So how is all of this corporate mumbo-jumbo tied into New Light you may ask? Simple. The Society knows that once 2014 comes around, witnesses will be going through gut-checks and will possibly start to decline in activity sensing that their own mortality is now a paramount issue that the WTS has no control over. Many witnesses are now going to be facing death as a reality of things to come instead of just a "I'm not going to die. I will live through Armageddon" type of attitude. The WTS will need every possible witness to help maintain the cashflow. By allowing the witnesses to feel that they probably will die, there will be no point in serving the WTS anymore. Hell, they will be resurrected, right? Why should they slave for a corporation that provides no benefits? It is in this case that the Society will need to tighten the reigns. They are already on their way to doing that it seems. Just in the last year, many inactive ones have been visited with ultimatums made to come back or else. I sort of fit into that category myself. I went ahead and chose the "or else" part. DF'ings will become more widespread in the near future. But really, the new announcement wording makes it impossible to distinguish between those who DA'd themselves or those who were DF'd. The WTS is simply looking to trim the dead weight. An inactive/irregular publisher is a non-money making/contributing publisher.
Those who remain tightly aligned with the WTS will continue to follow "mothers" counsel. I feel that we will see new light on DF'd and DA'd ones stating that those who are categorized as such will not be eligible for a resurrection. This will keep the hardcore base in check and under control. But those who go through 2014 and now question the divine guidance of the WTS may secretly establish old contacts once again with DF'd and DA'd persons. Either way you look at it, the WTS is on course for a very rocky ride. I still feel that money and the power of ego's is what drives this corporation. The feeling of importance and power is just too great to give up. Those at the top will try to do everything in their power to maintain this.
Dang, I have to go but I wanted to write more. I will finish my thoughts later.