Start off with just this for now:
http://www.jlaw.com/Articles/excom4.html
I'll post some more specifics in a little while.
Should Jehovahs Witnesses Be Held Responsible For Shunning?
by The wanderer 26 Replies latest jw friends
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Highlander
I believe that everyone is accountable for their behavior. Ofcourse, everything comes at a cost. I cannot for one second longer, belong to a mind control cult that tells me how to live my life. The consequence of that is that I lose many formerly close relationships.
The j-dubs, in a way make the same decisions. They cannot for one second, belong to a worldly group of people who they perceive to be controlled by satan. Their consequence is the same. They lose out on friendship and association with these 'satanic, worldly' people.
It's hard for me to blame the 'other side' for their choices and subsequent consequences. At the same time I'm not going to reward their bad behavior by pining for their affection. Often, I feel pity for j-dubs out there. It is their choice to continue that life, and I feel they are losing much more than I lose by living my life free from their cult.
If any current j-dubs open their eyes to reality and then seek me out, I will not turn them away for their previous bad behavior. I will instead reward them for their current good behavior and welcome them back into my life.
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lost_soul
depends on the damage- Jews had pretty clear damages. other damage, like 'emotional grief' is hard to measure and attribute. cults suck and mental 'duress' sucks, no joke. however, unless they put a gun to your head, you have some choices. choice #1 being to get out.
other stuff like "they ruined my marriage" or "family discord- my mom can't talk to me anymore" is a bit harder to nail down, even though you see it.
when you say "accountable for damages", do you mean is in legally, or accountable to the people they hurt, ?
the catholic church lately has been found very accountable to the tune of $600 million, for the very concrete damage of molestation.
cults suck. that's why i don't go to church. I have very strong faith and relationship with God, its people and organized religion that I have problem with.
i won't relinquish my power by telling a religion/church that I'll do whatever they tell me to. i found that it prevents alot of grief.
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jaguarbass
“Should Jehovah’s Witnesses be held responsible for shunning?”
Responsible to who?
The United States operates on the priniciple that a sucker is born every minute. And create a need and fill it. This country also operates on the principal of the golden rule: He who has the gold makes the rules. Those who can afford lawyer make the laws. So business needs suckers to buy their goods. There is also the cavet, let the buyer beware. Maybe the surgeon general should have a warning on every wactower warning :reading this crap may be detrimental to your well being.
You could buy a wrap recording and decide to smoke crack and slap some bitch and wind up in cell block b and loose your family. Thats free enterprise.
Families need to look out for one another. Those that do, their ding bat children become president of the United states. Those that dont become witnoid janitors.
Thats just my 2cents right now.
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Anony-Mouse
I think each person should have a degree of responsibility. "Following orders" just isn't good enough for me.
I've never proactively shunned anyone. My cousin got DFd, but she didn't want to be talked to.
And an Aunt I have that's out apparently has no desire to talk to any of our family either.
So I don't think I really shunned anyone before... -
Fatfreek
There are always those who express the "let the buyer beware" thought when it comes to discussing the JW line of demarcation called baptism. Once baptized, then she is fully committed to every utterance from the pages of some WT publication, even decisions by some yokel body of elders.
One of my arguments has always been that of disclosure. The 80 questions that each candidate must study for and answer correctly prior to baptism do not, in my opinion, represent adequate and FULL disclosure. Especially this is true when it comes to those who are some 10 years old (the oft-advocated age of baptism -- check out prior threads on this subject).
These youngsters (another of my arguments) haven't even begun to face the real challenges of life: their career, their criminal enemies, their sexuality, their propensity to OCB (obsessive compulsive behavior), the drug temptations that will certainly (one way or the other) present themselves, just to name a few.
To say these youngers had their eyes wide-open when they bought into this cult is pure B.S.
They're overwhelmed by Crayola boxes with more than 16 colors, long division, verb forms and the complexity of differing political rules of different countries and states and cities and villages. They're puzzled about their increasing frequency of erections or budding breasts. They haven't had half a chance to explore what other people say (yes, that includes the internet) about Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watchtower, much less the Watchtower's early history which is quite watered down in their so-called history book, "Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom".To allow such youngsters to enter into a contract of any kind, one where there are life-long penalties upon their failure of certain terms of that contract which will adversely affect their relationships with family and others close to them -- is extremely egregious and reprehensible.
What that age of accountability should be is debatable. It's an issue I would one day like to see our U.S. legislators address.Len Miller
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LongHairGal
Rich:
On a personal level, anybody has the right not to talk to or bother with somebody who he/she does not like or approve of. When I was active, there were persons there who didn't want to bother with me. In fact, there was a small family clique who made an obvious attempt to "shun" me.
I kind of figured out why and it wasn't because of something I did, it was because of something I wouldn't allow. I guess I was supposed to go up to them and ask "why"and then they could tell me how "untheocratic" I was. Yeah? I wouldn't give them the satisfaction. I just ignored them right back and continued on. I had no intention of playing any of their stupid games. If this was a control mechanism, it didn't work on me.
As far as the shunning routine in general goes: as long as it is not practiced on a secular job, thus interfering with people's duties. Then they are causing problems and need to be disciplined by management. Their idiot shunning routine had better be kept to the shopping mall. It has no business on a job.
LHG