I wrote:
I saw your email address on the post about the arson at your church. I was wondering if you could answer some questions about your church?
I have heard that you have to be dedicated to an organization or a group of men somewhere to be part of the church and if you ever disagree with them publicly, you will be publicly shunned from all your friends and family? I just don’t see how this could be true of a Christian organization?
She wrote:
I have given thought to just how to respond to this. You have a very valid question, as I mentioned before. And I can see why this might concern you. In your question, there are two distinct concerns that you have expressed. One being what it means to be one of Jehovah's Witnesses. And two being the concept of disfellowshipping, or shunning. At first, I was trying to figure out which one you were really wanting to know about but I think you're asking both. So maybe if I explain it this way, it will make sense. I hope so, anyways, if not, then let me know.
When someone seeks to become one of Jehovah's Witnesses, the only concern is whether that person has an accurate knowledge of the bible, and of what it means to be baptized. You see, many christian churches will simply baptize you whenever you want to be, and let that be that. But the Witnesses will not do that. First of all, when you are baptized, you are a member of that organization. You are making a covenant with that organization and with God. And making a promise to God is no small matter.
In spite of what some people would have you believe, Jehovah's Witnesses are concerned first and foremost with making sure they are living in accord with God's will outlined in the Bible. That means that we first must know what the bible teaches, so that we can better understand what Jehovah expects of us. This is the purpose of personal bible studies. To help individuals better understand what the bible teaches. And while we DO hope to gain members, it's not a focus or a goal. We believe firmly that Jehovah will take care of that, and we also believe just as firmly that the bible does speak for itself, once you learn to listen. Our job, our responsibility, is to make sure that each person we study with knows what teh bible teaches, and we do that at their pace, and by allowing them to come to the understanding. Not by telling them what it says. After all, Jesus did say that his sheep would hear his voice and respond. That means that those who are earnestly seeking God will recognize the truth in Jesus's teachings, and will respond to it.
So before someone can become a member of our organization, they must first understand the basics of what the bible teaches. Because in becoming one of the Witnesses, you are making a solemn promise to God. And you should NEVER make a promise to God that you do not intend to keep. It means you will continue to obey God, (not people, but God). It means you will continue to develop a relationship with God. Jesus is the Head of our Organization. Not people. Jesus. We all seek equally to serve Jesus, though we each do it in different ways.
I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I am not yet baptized, but I am considered a member of my congregation. And I made no such dedication to any human. Nor would they ever ask me to. Instead, they sought to be sure that I was serious in my love for Jehovah, and that was evident by my understanding of the bible. Just as it is with anyone else.
Now, as I mentioned before, each one of us, upon becoming a member of the organization, has agreed to obey God. And that includes obeying Jesus. Jesus told us to go and make disciples. JEsus told us to love Jehovah with our whole heart, our whole soul and our whole mind. Jesus told us also to love our neighbor as he loved us. And then he told us that every thing rests on our obeying these two commandments.
Now, logically, if one truly does love Jehovah with our whole heart, and our whole soul and our whole mind, then we would WANT to understand the bible. We would WANT to obey. We would WANT to talk to others about God, it shouldn't be forced on us, it should be something we want to do. And yet, some people still cling to thier sinful ways. Some people, after becoming a witness, after making that promise to God that we will love God completely and will love our neighbor, turn around and begin doing exactly what the bible says we are to avoid.
When this happens, we follow bible principles. We talk to the person, show them the scriptures that apply in an attempt to get them to see on their own that they are disobeying God. And if they continue, we try again. There eventually comes a point where it's obvious that this person is not going to stop disobeying God.
There are two types of disobedience. THere's the disobedience of one who doesn't know better. And there's the disobedience of one who does. The one who does, that's called Willful Disobedience. And the bible says that those who are willfully disobedient, they will be destroyed. That's what happened to Adam and it will happen to others too. Permanent Death, and forever wiped from the minds of all, including Jehovah.
And you know, we LOVE our brothers and sisters. We LOVE those who are not in the truth. We don't wish that on ANYONE, but especially not our brothers and sisters. So, as a last resort, we disfellowship them, hoping that being removed from the congregation will serve to accomplish what our talks could not. We hope that it serves to help them to realize that what they're doing is wrong. Disfellowshipping, or shunning, seems so harsh to so many. But you know what? It's not nearly as harsh as what's in store for them if they don't straighten up.
Not hell. What most christian bibles refer to as hell is, in fact, the common grave. Jehovah is a god of Love, and would not cause eternal torment to anyone. But he would, if someone flat refused to obey when they knew better, simply wipe them from existence and forget they ever were. And we seek to prevent that from happening.
Unfortunately, not everyone comes around after being disfellowshipped. Instead, they allow thier pain and anger to grow into hatred, and end up further disobeying God. And when that happens, quite frankly, they've made thier choice. We can do no further until they do come around. When they repent, it shows in their actions. It's obvious. And when that happens, we welcome them back with open arms. It's painful on US to lose someone as well. We hate having to disfellowship someone we love so dearly, but sometimes it has to be done. Just like when you raise kids, sometimes you have to punish them for thier own good, so, too it is with us when we are developing a relationship with our Father, Jehovah.
Thank you for your patience with me, I do hope this answers your questions. If not, then accept my apologies and let me know, so I can better phrase this. If you have other questions, I'd be happy to answer them. Or, better yet, if you can, then your local Kingdom Hall is filled with people who would love to go through these with you.
Safiyah