Baptism, in regard to leaving the J/W...

Riverwatcher

Hello again,

This time, I've got a question about baptism and how being baptized, or not, affects a person who gets DF'd from the J/W's. From the reading I've done on this board, the question of whether or not a person has been baptised seems to come up fairly often. Since I don't really have a terribly clear understanding of j/w doctrine yet (will I ever???) I'm curious as to why this seems to be what appears to be a fairly big issue. Is it "harder" on a baptized person when they get df'd? Is it even possible for a non baptized person to be d'fd? I'm clueless...

Please explain. Thanks!

wanderlustguy

If someone is baptized, they have officially recognized the Organization as from God and given it authority over their life. They are "officially" a Witness. Someone not baptized is not, so they cannot be "no longer a witness" because they never were one. A baptized person who leaves is considered apostate and far worse than a "normal" worldly person. A baptized person who leave is anounced to the congregations that he/she was known in so all people there, even relatives, will not even speak to them anymore.

prophecor

Kinda' Like the Sopranos. Once your in, theres no getting out, unless of course you get whacked.

AlmostAtheist

Only baptized people can be officially "disfellowshipped" and in line for shunning. If a person associates with the congregation, starts going in the door-to-door preaching ("field service"), and then starts doing stuff that would get a baptized person DF'd, they announce that the person is "no longer an unbaptized publisher". This doesn't lead to the same shunning as a DF'ing, but it's still a nasty singling out and individuals won't consider you good association.

I've been disfellowshipped while I still believed it all, and it was absolute hellish. You're taught that your prayers aren't even heard by God anymore. And getting back in (as you saw with your daughter-in-law, I believe) is a long, emotionally-expensive process. I'm not a tearful, emotional person but I cried hard at every meeting. (Then felt guilty about it, since I thought the elders might think I was trying to make a "show" of repentance!)

Dave

Poztate

Only baptized people can be officially "disfellowshipped" and in line for shunning. If a person associates with the congregation, starts going in the door-to-door preaching ("field service"), and then starts doing stuff that would get a baptized person DF'd, they announce that the person is "no longer an unbaptized publisher". This doesn't lead to the same shunning as a DF'ing, but it's still a nasty singling out and individuals won't consider you good association.

It wasn't that long ago that EVEN if you were not baptised but took part in the congregation activities you were announced as a UNAPROVED ASSOCIATE if you "sinned" From that time forward you were treated the same as if you were DF"ed or DA"ed.

I believe legal pressure caused them to change that policy.The policies of the WT are all WHIP..No Love

IronClaw

I guess it depends on the congo your in. My brother-in-law was never baptized, but still got shunned after they made an annoucement at the hall he was attending. Ray Franz says in his books that there is barely any difference between disfellowshiped/disassociatesd. Usually same results.

garybuss

Disfellowshipping and shunning are two different and actually unrelated issues. Most, but not all Witnesses shun disfellowshipped members, but many of us were shunned without ever being disfellowshipped.

For conscientious cussedness on the grand scale, no other aggregation of Americans is a match for Jehovah’s Witnesses. Stanley High, The Saturday Evening Post, September 14, 1940 The Way I See it http://www.freeminds.org/buss/buss.htm