Hello,
There can be little doubt that the WTS 'shunning' policy is a dangerous weapon. Each year tens of thousands of people are disfellowshipped, and experience the reality of being shunned. Many of them still believing the WTS doctrine that if they die in this condition they will shortly be executed by God at Har-Meggedon and die an eternal and disgraceful death some leaving the faith altogether. The common thread we all have is the emotional trauma and suffering that we go through during this process, sometimes over decades.
The stresses that this process brings upon a person vary. Some survive relatively intact, others become depressed and abandoned, still others become so distraught that they attempt, or even succeed at suicide.
I know of two people whose deaths are directly related to the shunning they recieved at the hands of their friends and families. One was a single woman, the other a man who left behind a wife two beautiful young children.
The WTS has been hoisted into the courts around the world on many occasions regarding this issue by distraught ex members, but has as far as we know never been successfully sued. This is due to it being able to hide behind the First Amendment, or its equivalent in other countries.
We are collecting information at present on a number of JW issues, shunning being one of them. This information will be held in complete confidence and will have a future use.
What we would like to hear is the emotional feelings that you underwent due to shunning. We are especially interested in knowing of any who committed suicide, or attempted suicide as a direct result of being shunned. If any suicide notes were found that mention shunning, this would be of urgent interest to us.
There is no need to go into details of why you were disfellowshipped at present, just what happened to you emotionally during that period. If we need to, we can contact you for further information. Please indicate clearly in your note if you do not wish your experiences to be known outside of myself, and I will of course honor your confidentiality in all respects.
My email address is [email protected]
Many thanks - HS