The Whole JW Judicial System Is Flawed!

by minimus 35 Replies latest jw friends

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  minimus

  I'll tell you why I think so.

  Your opinions on this subject are welcomed.

  NOTHING in the Bible shows a set-up like the one The Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses uses. Where in the Bible is a "Judicial Committee" ever mentioned?? Or "Chairman of the Committee"? Where in the Christian Congregation do you see a formula for confessing sins to a tribunal of men? Rather, do not the Scriptures say to "confess your sins to one another"? Where does the Bible say that in the Christian Congregation a matter can only be believed with the testimony of 2 witnesses?? Why can the elders believe the word of a woman who tells them that her husband committed adultery and will even allow her to get remarried "scripturally" , with the OK of the congregation yet say they "need" 2 witnesses to prove chuld molestation???

  Where do the scriptures state that there is an "appeal committee"?

  Why do the elders criticize priests in their service of being approached for forgiveness of sins when the"older men" demand that you deal ONLY with them if a "sin" has been committed??

  What's your opinion of the Witness' judicial system? Is it fair? Scriptural?
• 

  Zico

  Where in the bible does it say you have to go through a reinstatement process of 6-12 months before being accepted back into the Congregation? (A system which contradicts the 'prodigal son' who was accepted back instantly) in a 'worldly' Court system, the defendant is allowed a lawyer who defends him, there is then a seperate prosecution, and a judge (and possibly jury) who decides which group puts up the better case. In a Judicial committee, the prosecution is the judge. In a 'worldly' Court case, the onus lies mainly on the prosecution to prove the defendant guilty. In a judicial committee, the onus lies on the defendant to prove themselves innocent (or repentant). It's not anywhere close to 'fair'
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  minimus

  Zico, EXCELLENT POINTS!
• 

  sir82

  Where in the Bible does it say that "restrictions will be imposed" if the person is just reproved, not D-F'ed?

  Where does the Bible mention "restrictions" of any sort?

  Where does the Bible indicate that one human has the ability ot judge another human's "degree of repentence"?

  Where in the Bible do we even find God giving authority to the elders to judge another's "degree of repentence"?
• 

  minimus

  Ah yes, "restrictions". Was the prodigal son put on restrictions? Did he have to meet with a tribunal only to be told that he couldn't get all his privileges back at once???

  Another thing, why can't the congregation applaud a sinner coming back? The angels do.
• 

  WTWizard

  Then there are the judicial committees that fail to account for circumstances of the person accused. Once within our congregation, there was someone who got disfellowshipped for drunkenness. I was told (through gossip) that they tried to work with him; he had been reproved once before. What they didn't tell anyone within the congregation is that this person was suffering emotional illness, which likely led to the drunkenness.

  Accounts on people that got disfellowshipped without getting a fair chance, usually for "apostasy", are so widespread on the ex-JW scene that just about every decent ex-JW website has links to at least one such story. Perhaps this is why they don't want people to bring in any recording devices. People have brought them in anyways, and then post them on YouTube and other forums. I have seen a few on this forum; usually the elders had already made up their minds that the accused was guilty without hearing the case.

  Notably, in the world, they always have a transcription of the case. This is so the trial can be reviewed later if irregularities become evident later. They never leak it to the media until after the trial for obvious reasons, but once the trial is done, an appeal can then be made on the basis of irregularities. In judicial hearings, they never make such transcriptions that could be reviewed in the event of an irregularity. They don't even allow others in as a witness to the hearing like they allow an audience in a court trial. Hmm.
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  minimus

  Why is it that a JC is convened if a person in PUBLIC gets drunk once but if a person IN THEIR HOME, PRIVATELY has a battle with the bottle, they might not be in judicial trouble?
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  WTWizard

  Perhaps because if they had a judicial hearing for everyone that ever got drunk, they would have had to start with Joseph Booze Rutherford.
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  Anti-Christ

  It is not very judicial if you ask me. Wen I went in front of a JC they told me that the only reasons I was not DFed is because I shaved my beard. Wow!! I thought it was the holy spirit that was supposed to guide them. I had the beard for a while but the reason I was seeing them was for smoking weed. I'm the one who turn myself in. Man I'm glad I'm out of that mind fu*&ing cult!!
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  minimus

  Concerning having representation, the elders are the judge and jury. Quite often, their minds are pre-disposed. I know of COs that picked certain elders to be on JCs because the Society wanted the person definetly DF'd. Those certain elders were going thru the motions. No fairness was ever intended.