Official guide to punishing weak ones

MissingLink

Anyone want to help me put together this guide? I think in the goal of "serving united" we need to have consistent standards. You know what I'm talking about - when a "friend" of a faithful witness expresses some "weakness" the strong friend will punish the weak one. I don't think it's ever been printed, but almost everyone did/does it (myself included). I'll kick it off --

Missing the sunday meeting: The "friend" who missed the sunday meeting can not be visited, called, or invited over. A phone call to such a person can be made, but only the following things can be said: "We missed you today" and "You missed a fabulous talk about ..."

Missing a bookstudy or ministry school meeting: The "friend" should be shunned the following day.

Missing all meetings in a week: The "friend" will be excluded from all congregation "get togethers" for at least one week, or until they are back at meetings regularly (whichever is longer)

MissingLink

Was it just me? Did anyone else see this?

erynw

Missing field service: No coffee for you!

Zico

If somebody misses Saturday morning Service or a meeting, and is seen, or has been seen on the same day by a 'strong' brother or sister, that brother or sister will usually be offended, as if the person did them some personal wrong, and will often demand an explanation for why the 'weak' brother or sister missed, as there is no explanation suitable except a sickness which should confine you to your house. Without what the 'strong' brother or sister considers an adequate explanation you may be marked, and the event may be spread round the Congregation, so other 'strong' brothers and sisters can join in on the marking and looking down on the 'weak' brother or sister.

MissingLink

If you do miss a meeting for perhaps a legitimate sickness, and happen to view an interresting television program - is there a punishment for talking about such a program that was shown during meeting time?

chickpea

Supplementary Guide to Excoriating Faders (to be printed and pasted in Official Guide)

Should an active congregant, classed as either weak or strong, hereafter referred to as borg, encounter an inactive member, hereafter referred to as fader, the borg shall engage the fader in the following manner: An cursory greeting may or may not be extended by the borg to the fader ( conscience of borg can determine appropriateness), but without fail, focus of said encounter will be shaming questioning as to inactivity of the fader, with complete inattention to any and all general courtesies of feigned interest in answers. Regardless of which party terminates encounter, borg will remain mindlessly secure in the false belief that they are superior to fader in all matters. Fader will secretly offer prayer to what powers may be, if any, that "There, but for the grace of _______ ( insert appropriate diety designation), go I."

WTWizard

How about, if a "brother" misses the Crapmorial for some wimpy excuse, that the other "brothers" are to get him a Ouija board and threaten him with the demons.

jgnat

Your guide works well with reality. I would suggest one change.

..."You missed a fabulous talk about ..."

I have yet to meet a witness who remembers what the talk was about ten minutes after the meeting is finished. "You missed a great talk." period.

MissingLink

I'm a fader and have been experiencing some of this punishing by my very close friends since missing most meetings and no field service.

This WILL be the first memorial I miss (not that I'll MISS it). I wonder what the punishment actaully will be. Shunned until the next memorial?

Quandry

My husband was the Watchtower conductor, having been an elder for twenty years.

He began having health problems, as he was now in his fifties. As he was going through testing and finding out he had diabetes, extremely high blood pressure, and cancerous polyps, he was not able to stand long enough to conduct the WT or even go to all the meetings.

This depressed him terribly, but he had to go to the hospital for tests and procedures, and new medicines can be hard to get used to, and sometimes the meds have to be changed if they cause too much sickness or dizziness, etc.

The wonderful elders met to discuss this new development, and told him they were giving his WT conductor position to someone else, because he "did not handle his illness correctly."

This was very effective for a punishment. It devastated my hubbie.

Perhaps this one could be submitted to the congregations.

Official guide to punishing weak ones

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