Welcome XOCO...
I am a former elder. Over the course of 5 years, I sat on many judicial committees. I served as an elder in 3 different congregations and as an MS in another. There was no consistency on these committees. On the few judicial committees that I served on, I tried to follow the rules and the Scriptures carefully, much to the dismay of those who served on such committees with me....they just wanted to Fast Track the process (aka "get it over with"....nice...someone's spiritual life is on the line and they want to get home to watch football)
Let me expand on what OTWO said. Rather than get into definitions of disfellowshipping and disassociation, which are essentially the same now in the eyes of the Watchtower (the announcement being the same: "Brother xxxx is no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses), lets focus on the what really goes on behind closed doors in many congregations to see what leads to a person being disfellowshipped, unannounced (private) reproof (UR) or announced (public) reproof (AR)
Understand that any offense that can lead to judicial action can result in any of these three actions against the accused. (To answer one of your questions, reasons for reproof can be as simple as lying, or as serious as adultery, murder, pedophilia, etc...that's right an accused can and often has gotten only a slap on the wrist UR for pedophilia or murder because they were "repentant")
Just as sentences vary from secular court to court and jury to jury, so the sentencing phase varies from body of elders to body of elders. There are no "sentencing guidelines" from Brooklyn (aka the Governing Body). Much to many publishers surprise (if they were ever to find out), the Society pointedly tell elders in their elders school to write nothing down on the judicial forms that indicate that the Society or the Service Desk or any WT representative influenced their decision. They leave the local BOE hanging in the wind if legal action comes their way. But believe me when I say, often Legal and/or Service Departments and/or the Circuit Overseer did influence the proceedings in many cases. At the very least, what was taught in the Kingdom Ministry Schools for Elders did influence them.
What influences the final outcome? Any prior actions by the accused (have they been D/F or reproved before?), are they related to an elder or otherwise popular in the congregation (congregation politics), and how much repentance (how much of an act and how much the elders believe said act) they demonstrate.
In some cases, if a person confesses and acts repentant, and has no prior history, and it is not widely known or likely to be known...UR is the result. If others are aware, then AR is the result. If the accused does not confess initially, then it gets fuzzy.
When the incident becomes known to the elders, the entire body of elders (BOE) gathers to decide on an investigation team of 2 elders. Usually consisting of whichever elder knew about the matter first and another elder assigned by the BOE. After they finish their "investigation" (aka Witchhunt), they report back to the entire BOE. If it was determined that something that could lead to judicial action occurred (and it almost always does), then the BOE chooses at least 3, but it could be the entire BOE, to serve on the judicial committee (JC), depending on the complexity and circumstance of the case.
In my experience, often the composition of the JC is based on politics. If they like the accused, then the JC will be formed with people likely to give leniency to the accused (usually 2 good guys and 1 bad guy). If the accused is considered a "problem" publisher, the JC will be stacked entirely with elders likely to be harsh. Yep, the decision is pretty well made up before the JC ever meets with the accused. GUILT OR INNOCENCE...the only mystery is DF/UR/AR will be the sentence. And even that is often a foregone conclusion. If the elders on the JC "have it in" for the accused, they are doomed before they open their mouth.
So you see, their is no consistency or justice in the judicial process as administered by the local BOE. The "official" WT party line (the one that you will see published in the public WT magazine) is to "bring the wrongdoer to repentance". Yeah, and if you believe that, I have a bridge real close to WT headquarters to sell you cheap.
I am sorry that I am not completely unbiased. I am very much against the whole shunning part of the judicial process. I understand the need to keep some semblance of order in the congregations, but without consistency, it falls apart. And the shunning is not love....how does that help a person "come to repentance"?
At the ongoing risk of outing myself, I was trained directly by the Society in one of its more "elite" schools, unlike most elders. I know the official protocol and I know the way things "really are" at the local level. Two different processes. Either way, I did not like it and was one of the reasons I allowed myself to get removed rather than prove that I could keep serving. Nearly a year later, as a former elder, I am barely active in the Watchtower and/or Jehovah's Witnesses. I hope my long post provides you the information you are looking for, at least from the perspective of someone who "has been there." Hope you hang around and hear more experiences of the real story, not the one the Watchtower Society wants you to hear.
SnakesInTheTower ()
