Rough draft meant for non jw's, need to shorten it up, etc... Comments?
In a recent Awake! published by the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, delivered by local Jehovah Witness members, they made this claim:
“Is it Wrong to Change Your Religion?” in the July 2009 Awake p29: “No one should be forced to worship in a way that he finds unacceptable or be made to choose between his beliefs and his family.”
This simple statement makes it appear as though jw's allow independent thought on religion within the jw family structure. Nothing could be further from the truth! Let us examine what the Watchtower really says about shunning family members who choose to leave the faith or are expelled (disfellowshiped) for what they deem 'unrepentant sin'. I would advise the reader to go to the many ex-jw forums on the internet to find out why many have left or were disfellowshiped, often for minor offenses or not believing a 'unique' jw doctrine. Those who have left for doctrinal reasons are labeled 'apostates' and are to be hated. Jw's are required to shun parents, children and siblings and the effects are devasting. Countless families and generations have been affected by this unloving policy of the Watchtower.
My thanks to JW Facts.com for supplying the following quotes. All quotes can be verified and checked at your local Kingdom Hall. However, the jw's there may not allow you to see the 'members only' editions of jw literature.
What the Watchtower has really said about shunning-----
"What about speaking with a disfellowshipped person? While the Bible does not cover every possible situation, 2 John 10 helps us to get Jehovah's view of matters: "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, never receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him." Commenting on this, The Watchtower of September 15, 1981, page 25, says: "A simple 'Hello' to someone can be the first step that develops into a conversation and maybe even a friendship. Would we want to take that first step with a disfellowshipped person?" Indeed, it is just as page 31 of the same issue of The Watchtower states: "The fact is that when a Christian gives himself over to sin and has to be disfellowshipped, he forfeits much: his approved standing with God; . . . sweet fellowship with the brothers, including much of the association he had with Christian relatives."… Cooperating with the Scriptural arrangement to disfellowship and shun unrepentant wrongdoers is beneficial. It preserves the cleanness of the congregation and distinguishes us as upholders of the Bible's high moral standards. (1 Pet. 1:14-16) It protects us from corrupting influences. (Gal. 5:7-9) It also affords the wrongdoer an opportunity to benefit fully from the discipline received, which can help him to produce "peaceable fruit, namely, righteousness."-Heb. 12:11. After hearing a talk at a circuit assembly, a brother and his fleshly sister realized that they needed to make adjustments in the way they treated their mother, who lived elsewhere and who had been disfellowshipped for six years. Immediately after the assembly, the man called his mother, and after assuring her of their love, he explained that they could no longer talk to her unless there were important family matters requiring contact." Kingdom Ministry Aug 2002 p.3
Cutting off from the Christian congregation does not involve immediate death, so family ties continue. Thus, a man who is disfellowshipped or who disassociates himself may still live at home with his Christian wife and faithful children… The situation is different if the disfellowshipped or disassociated one is a relative living outside the immediate family circle and home. It might be possible to have almost no contact at all with the relative. Even if there were some family matters requiring contact, this certainly would be kept to a minimum, in line with the divine principle: "Quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that is a fornicator or a greedy person [or guilty of another gross sin], . . . not even eating with such a man."-1 Corinthians 5:11. Understandably, this may be difficult because of emotions and family ties, such as grandparents' love for their grandchildren. Yet, this is a test of loyalty to God, as stated by the sister quoted on page 26." Watchtower 1988 Apr 15 p.27
"It is the disfellowshipped person who has made problems for himself and for his relatives." Watchtower 1981 Sep 15 p.27
"Yet, there might be some absolutely necessary family matters requiring communication, such as legalities over a will or property. But the disfellowshiped relative should be made to appreciate that his status has changed, that he is no longer welcome in the home nor is he a preferred companion." Watchtower 1970 Jun 1 pp.351-352
"The wrongdoer has to realize that his status is completely changed, that his faithful Christian relatives thoroughly disapprove of his wicked course and show this disapproval by limiting contacts to only those which are unavoidable…" Watchtower 1963 Jul 15 p.444 "Jesus encouraged his followers to love their enemies, but God's Word also says to "hate what is bad." When a person persists in a way of badness after knowing what is right, when the bad becomes so ingrained that it is an inseparable part of his make-up, then in order to hate what is bad a Christian must hate the person with whom the badness is inseparably linked." Watchtower 1961 Jul 15 p.420
"Being limited by the laws of the worldly nation in which we live and also by the laws of God through Jesus Christ, we can take action against apostates only to a certain extent, that is, consistent with both sets of laws. The law of the land and God's law through Christ forbid us to kill apostates, even though they be members of our own flesh-and-blood family relationship. However, God's law requires us to recognize their being disfellowshiped from his congregation, and this despite the fact that the law of the land in which we live requires us under some natural obligation to live with and have dealings with such apostates under the same roof. … Satan's influence through the disfellowshiped member of the family will be to cause the other member or members of the family who are in the truth to join the disfellowshiped member in his course or in his position toward God's organization. To do this would be disastrous, and so the faithful family member must recognize and conform to the disfellowship order. How would or could this be done while living under the same roof or in personal, physical contact daily with the disfellowshiped? In this way: By refusing to have religious relationship with the disfellowshiped." Watchtower 1952 Nov 15 p.703
“We might wonder, then, since this congregation which God is developing or bringing into existence is based on love, why anyone should ever want to talk about disfellowshipping or putting people out of this congregation. There certainly must be some reason. Well, the reason for disfellowshipping is that some persons get into this congregation of God that do not love Christ. … Those who are acquainted with the situation in the congregation should never say ‘Hello’ or ‘Goodbye’ to him. He is not welcome in our midst, we avoid him. … Such an individual has no place in the clean organization or congregation of God. He should go back to the wicked group that he once came from and die with that wicked group with Satan’s organization.” Watchtower 1952 March 1 pp.131,134 (my note to the reader, all who are not jw's are 'of satan' and 'satan's organization)
In the Watchtower 1955 October 1 p.607, even to associate with a disfellowshipped person became a reason to be disfellowshipped:
- “If a publisher refuses to do this and ignores the prohibition on associating with the disfellowshipped one, that publisher is rebelling against the congregation of Jehovah, and “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. … If after sufficient warning the publisher persists in associating with the disfellowshipped person instead of aligning himself with Jehovah’s organization he also should be disfellowshipped.”
The following sources cites the following Watchtower (wt) quotes-
http://www.4witness.org/jehovahs_witness/jw-shunning.php
“Her parents had been disfellowshipped. She was not, but she voluntarily disassociated herself by writing a letter withdrawing from the congregation. …She moved away, but years later she returned and found that local Witnesses would not converse with her. …Such shunning would be appropriate, too, for anyone who rejects the congregation. …By also avoiding persons who have deliberately disassociated themselves, Christians are protected from possible critical, unappreciative, or even apostate views. …Imagine, too, how the wrongdoer’s brothers, sisters, and grandparents felt. Yet, their putting loyalty to their righteous God before family affection could be lifesaving for them.”—The Watchtower April 15, 1988, pp. 26-28
“This brings a test upon a Christian when a marriage mate, a child, a parent, or another close relative is disfellowshipped or has disassociated himself from the congregation… the principles of which apply equally to those who are disfellowshipped and to those who disassociate themselves… Hence, we also avoid social fellowship with an expelled person. This would rule out joining him in a picnic, party, or trip to the shops or theatre or sitting down to a meal with him either in the home or at a restaurant. …if the disfellowshipped or disassociated one is a relative living outside the immediate family circle and home… It might be possible to have almost no contact at all with the relative.”—Our Kingdom Ministry, August 2002, pp. 3-4
The Watchtower teaches HATE as a doctrine that must be accepted by jw's or risk disfellowshiping. (my comment)
“More than that, we want to hatethose who willfully show themselves haters of Jehovah, haters of what is good. …We hate them, not in the sense of wanting to do them harm or wishing them harm but in the sense of avoiding them as we would poison or a poisonous snake, for they can poison us spiritually.”—The Watchtower, June 15, 1980, p. 8
“Godly hate is a powerful protection against wrongdoing… Are we doing that? …Apostates are included among those who show their hatred of Jehovah by revolting against him. Apostasy is, in reality, a rebellion against Jehovah. …Others claim to believe the Bible, but they reject Jehovah’s organization and actively try to hinder its work. …a Christian must hate (in the Biblical sense of the word) those who have inseparably attached themselves to the badness.”—The Watchtower, October 1, 1993, p. 19
The insidious nature of the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society also known as Jehovah Witnesses (jw's) should be made public. I urge you to research this dangerous and deadly cult. They hide the cruel practice of extreme shunning from the public, what else are they hiding?
Freeminds.org
Watchtowercomments.com
AJWRB.org
JWFACTS.com
Jwfiles.com
Silentlambs.org