The WBTS uses some of the most abusive and controlling tactics of all religious groups in keeping control of its membership. Individual members are expected to exhibit total, unquestioning obedience and loyalty to the directives of the Governing Body. Any expression of disagreement with any small point of doctrinal teaching or policy of the leadership may be grounds for disfellowshipment. And disfellowshipment in the JW organization imposes upon those still in the organization the requirement to practice total shunning of any disfellowshipped individuals. This even extends to close family members. Thus if a loyal adult JW has an adult son or daughter who was a member at one time but is now disfellowshipped, that parent is expected to have absolutely no fellowship with their own offspring. They are not to visit them in their home, invite them to family gatherings, or have any contact or communication with them at all except for the most perfunctory greetings or discussion necessary to take care of family business. This is not just true of situations in which the disfellowshipped person was perhaps removed from fellowship for valid biblical grounds such as being an unrepentant adulterer. Disfellowshipment within the ranks of JWs seems, from most of the evidence, to not often be imposed for such things. It is most often used as a method of dealing with those who have any questions at all about doctrines or policies of the Governing Body, and who thus might be expected to privately taint others with their questions. Even if their questions turn out to be totally valid, even if the Governing Body later changes its own mind and agrees that the question was valid, the disfellowshipment would stand. For the issue isn't truth , it is loyalty and obedience . And thus even if you knew your own mother had been disfellowshipped on false grounds, you would be absolutely bound to shun her unless or until she was officially reinstated into fellowship.
Ungodly, Unbiblical and Abusive Methods of Leadership
by Quirky1 3 Replies latest jw friends
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Kinjiro
You seem genuinely surprised... We have a saying here that 'if you dont use your head, someone will use it for you'... thats the case of most of us who submitted to all the wtbs b.s...
Ungodly Unbiblical... hehe makes no difference... it's all a very well marketed version of the 'snake oil vendors' of yesteryear...
I just shun them back... maybe ten years ago I had a visit from the elders ( of course the C.O visit was near! ).. I opened the door and said "You are not welcome here. You are not part of my circle of friends and you peddle lies and bullshit... you are worshipers of Baal because you sacrifice your kids to him by letting them die rather than receive modern medical attention... etc etc all because you believe and interpret a man written book as the word of a god... I despise you and if you dont get off my property now I will excercise my right to bear arms and defend myself and my household from known enemies ",,
They never came back... I have never been happier in my life...
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iceguy
I don't think the WTS policy on shunning is biblical no matter what the reason a person is df'd.
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besty
While I agree with 99% of what you write Quirky1 I would add the following.
As you note, the rank and file are instructed to have contact with DF relatives only for essential family business - this is an attempt to cut off contact and maximise the punishment/deterrent value of the DF'ing.
But it seems that elders have different instructions on how to handle a situation where the family disregards the official rank and file advice to cut off contact to the bare minimum.
"Normally, a close relative would not be disfellowshipped for associating with a disfellowshipped person unless there is spiritual association or an effort made to excuse the wrongful course."-- "Pay Attention to Yourselves and All The Flock", page 103, last paragraph.
Note that the Pay Attention book allows normal family contact to become a DF offense if in the judgement of local elders there is spiritual association or family loyalty looks like superceding organizational loyalty. They still have a blank check to override HQ.
This has been an issue in my situation where some active JW family are still in regular contact with us, although we are DF for apostasy. The CO had to tell the busybody local elders to 'cool down' and let it be.