The beginning of the end for shunning?

by Saltheart Foamfollower 52 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  DesirousOfChange

  The shunning policy will be eased when Jehovah tells them to ease it.

  Jehovah will tell them to ease the shunning policy when they lose a sh!tload of money in lawsuits or when various Governments decide to sanction the Borg's status or their tax-free status as a result of their policy of shunning.

  That's how Jehovah told them to abolish the long time practice of charging for literature. He had the Government decide to start taxing the money received from the "sale" of religious literature. It was clearly Holy Spirit directing the "voluntary donation arrangement".
  

  Amazing how Jehovah works in just mysterious ways.

  Doc
  
• 

  Vidiot

  The Searcher - "Before/during 'consolidation' of Kingdom Halls, I reckon a cleaning out of all the deadwood will occur and that new methods of 'cleansing the congregation' will be implemented. Only hard-core, obedient, contributing Witnesses will be the order of the day!"

  Be a pretty effective way of managing the decline and keeping the WTS in the black.
• 

  Giordano

  Absolutism is a core belief of cults. This is what the Amish and Scientology share with the Society, Mormons to a lesser degree as they have proven to be more practical though their beliefs are as or more radical then most religions. With any of these groups it really doesn't have anything to do with 'truth'.......... the issue is obedience. As Eric Hoffer said in the True Believer:

  "the effectiveness of a doctrine does not come from its meaning but from its certitude."

  Unless the WT wants to morph into something else....... structurally it can not back off of DFing. It would lose everything if it did not have this singular power.
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  hoser

  Emotional blackmail is a powerful tool. I highly doubt they will give it up anytime soon.
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  Finkelstein

  Dont expect DFing to fade away any time soon.

  Just to add what has already been said is that shunning individuals enforced within a religious order is a useful practical source for control which maintains the very power of the top leaders of these groups and what are high controlling religious institutions are about is control for better or worse.

  There many religious organizations that practicing shunning for apostasy or other reasons and they are not always based in the Christian practice.
  
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  freemindfade

  DFing will not go, too important to the cult model, however, my jaw was on the floor during this study, all the comments from the elders etc portrayed it in a way that to an outsider would make it appear that no matter what when you step foot back into the hall everyone is welcoming you back. Its all perception. Clearly they are talking about left, but not DF'd, and when DFing was implied they would say, referring to the prodigal son... "he had to have a very difficult embarrassing journey back home" in that "Journey" would be all the BS one would have to go through to get reinstated before being shown real welcoming arms or love. Or that When they come back god is happy and welcomes them... just takes the elders a while to see if they really mean it...

  Lame

  FMF
• 

  Vidiot

  Finkelstein - "Dont expect DFing to fade away any time soon."

  No pun intended, I'm sure.
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  steve2

  No strict religion worthy of its hubristic claims can afford to loosen its grip. It would make absolutely no sense at all in terms of ensuring its self-appraised "purity" and "unity" is enforced organization-wide.

  That said, it might get some mileage out of wearing a velvet glove for public show in order to come across as "loving" and "concerned".
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  Saltheart Foamfollower

  Just to clarify a couple of things - far from being disfellowshipped, I'm an elder who is mentally out and trying to help others secretly. Also my point was that in the past the prodigal son has always been likened to df ones. I would have expected a qualifier (as has been done in the spanish wt) to the point I quoted. The fact that there isn't suggests that it might be the first step. Or it might not - it's not like they are very good at being consistant!
  
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  millie210

  I was just wondering something along the lines of a conspiracy theory.

  What if something like this is designed to incite questions and controversy among the flock? Causing some to ask shouldnt this apply to DFd ones?

  Then the GB could step in and render a compassionate new ruling on DF policy.

  That way things can change without making it look like they were wrong to begin with.

  Making it look more like a concession on their part of "loving consideration".

  Is that too far fetched?