From my "disfellowshipped" diary

by AlmostAtheist 13 Replies latest jw friends

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  FreedomFrog

  edit to delete....
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  Pioneer Spit...oh, i mean Spirit

  Great points! Remember in Corinthians somewhere Paul spoke of fornication that a certain man had w/ his father's wife or something, a thing that not even the nations would do or approve, he said to remove the fella, then several chapters later, or even in book 2, he spoke of reinstating him so that the Df'd man wouldn't be overly sad, it seems that it was Paul's idea to reinstate. I had often read that years ago, and wondered, Where was this poor man's letter of begging for reinstatement? Where was the callousness of Paul that I had seen friends and family endure in this same situation?

  Plus, how long between the DF and the reinstatement in this case, I don't own a Bible anymore, perhaps soomeone else could check please?
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  serendipity

  Being df'd was one of the most traumatic events in my life because of the abandonment by my family and disillusionment with the WTS and specifically elder arrangement. The abuse of power opened my eyes and really caused me to doubt. I slowly started down a different path. I might not be here on JWD today were it not for that.
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  sass_my_frass

  A theme that keeps coming up in the diary is the idea that a person becomes DISTRACTED from the business of actually being repentant in a bid to APPEAR repentant. The actual sin and the grief and shame of that becomes secondary to the shame and grief of being disfellowshipped. It's hard to explain, but it's like at the very time when your energies ought to be focused on fixing the wrong things you've done, you're instead expending them on trying to get reinstated, or dealing with the trauma of being shunned.

  I completely agree. At first I so much wanted to appear repentant and was determined to get through it, but I had no idea how horrid the 'it' would be, and that it would be beyond my capacity. On the other hand I'm glad, because I'm sure I would never have worked it out without the brutality of their ritual humiliation and rejection.