Don't e-mail DF'd family members - Congregation Reaction (WT 1/15/2013)

by 00DAD 25 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  00DAD

  Do not look for excuses to associate with a disfellowshipped family member, for example, through e-mail. - w2013 1/15, p. 16, para. 19

  In the congregation I attend, no one--and I mean NO ONE--commented on the directive to not communicate with DF'd family members by email.

  The conspicuous lack of comment on this recent tightening of the grip of control was notable, I think. "The silence was deafening!"

  The elder that conducts the WT Study is known for ferreting out the tiniest little detail that he thinks is interesting, encouraging many comments in response to every question. And he is definitely a "company man," enthusiasitically endorsing the FDS at every opportunity. Yet on this paragraph he curiously only allowed one response to the "A" question and also only one for the "B." It was as if it was a hot-potato and he just wanted to get rid of it as fast and painlessly as possible.

  That being said, my favorite bit of mind-control from this whole session came in the question for the very last paragraph:

  What is your resolve when it comes to your use of free will?

  Although there was not an explicit answer given in the paragraph, the obvious answer is:

  I hereby resolve to use MY FREE WILL to do whatever the Watchtower tells me to do!

  So what was the reaction in your congregation?
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  Theocratic Sedition

  Was just thinking about this. An elder in our congregation commented on it. Can't remember his exact wording, but he included the term "social media" and went on about FaceBook, Text Messaging, and obviously e-mail and how unacceptable it is to use these platforms to communicate to DF'd relatives or friend. I can't recall if anyone else commented on it after him. That part of the lesson was towards the end and the conductor probably viewed the clock like a sawed off, so we moved on fairly quick at that point. Our congregation has had a few DFings in the past decade, but all of those who were DF'd have since come back. None of them were teenagers or relatives of extensive or prominent families within the congregation. There was one sister who was absent yesterday though. Both of her now adult kids are DF'd and have been for quite some time. I can see one coming back, but the other is long gone.
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  Doubting Bro

  Interestingly enough, no one commented on that portion either. It was a single answer and move on. Not sure if the conductor did that on purpose though. He was running behind so he rushed through the last few paragraphs.
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  SophieG

  I suspect maybe the R&F are ignoring the admonition. I know my JW relatives speak to their DFd kids...
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  Finkelstein

  Do not look for excuses to associate with a disfellowshipped family member, for example, through e-mail. - w2013 1/15, p. 16, para. 19

  Good grief what a cult !

  I guess this isn't surprising since the WTS. and its teaching are more than ever realsied to be false and obviously corrupt, the raising of the wall around

  their indoctrinated supporting slaves was a probable likelihood
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  wha happened?

  gosh those inactive and df'd relatives just scare the hell out of the GB don't they? They just can't plug the leak of information from those on the outside, to those still in. Email is so much better as u can send articles, documents, whatever and it's discreet. The GB can't watch what u do on the net but they sure can guilt u in the hall.

  From a different angle, I'm sure a lot of parents used email as a way to send information to df'd relatives and children, perhaps to help people back in. But the GB doesn't care, and I'm sure that was obvious to everyone at the meeting.
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  vajeni82

  Damn! No more electronic guilt trips!
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  SophieG

  I asked my JW friend this:

  Your kid gets into a fight and accidentally kills the other person with a punch to the head. Your kid goes to prison but you don’t turn your back on him and shun him for life. As a matter of fact you visit him regularly.

  However if that same kid sucessfully walked away from that fight but instead committed fornication with someone in a weak moment and now gets DFd... you’ll now shun him until he “turns around and comes back”. And if he does not, you’ll shun him for life!

  OKAAAAY!!! RIIIGHT!

  *edit* I apologize if I am this hijacking thread, but this DF policy makes my blood boil!
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  sd-7

  That part of the lesson was towards the end and the conductor probably viewed the clock like a sawed off, so we moved on fairly quick at that point.

  There's something hilarious about this sentence. I think I know exactly what you mean.

  --sd-7
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  Theocratic Sedition

  There's something hilarious about this sentence. I think I know exactly what you mean.

  --sd-7

  You know how it is when you're going over-time on the platform. The clock really does start to look like a weapon at that point. Some brothers when handling the WT Study or the Congregation Bible STudy, they make the mistake of spending far too much time on the first several paragraphs. Then when they get to roughly paragraph 15, the clock starts to look like a sawed off shotgun aimed at them. Nothing worse than being on that platform conducting the WT Study with a reader that speaks like Ben Stein high off morphine, and the concluding prayer should end by 11:40am, but you're only on paragraph 16 with seven more paragraphs to go, and it's 11:29am. It's not a good feeling breh. At that point you just conveniently forget to ask the (b) questions, and skip any long winded commenters. When you're under that kind of pressure it seems like the reader is over-emphasizing words. Like in your head you're thinking, "Did he just add a syllable to "and"?"