If Shunning Didn't Exist, Would JW's Exist In Their Current Form?

by AllTimeJeff 34 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  whoknows

  I love Farkel.

  On the WEtv show "The Secret Lives of Women" in their episode on cults, they interviewd an ex-jw. Brenda has written a book and is in discussions with "Oprah", "Dr. Phil" and "20/20". I think if we could get some of the more tragic stories of shunning on any of those shows, it would be very powerful. I know when I told my employers and others at work about the JW shunning policy, they were fascinated. They sat there with their mouths open. Most people don't know that JWs have this cruel punishment for changing (and using) your mind.
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  jeanniebeanz

  If shunning were not practiced, I personally know three congregations that would cease to exist. People stay because they love their families, not out of love of Jah or the Watchtower Publishing Corporation. Many witnesses view the Jah as represented by the org as an evil and vindictive diety who should be abandoned and agree that the witnesses, for all their protestations to the contrary, do not place enough emphasis on Christ yet claim to be Christian. They are aware of the lack of compassion and love in the org and hate it's hypocrisy. There are those who are sincere in their beliefs and would stay, but I'd guess that within 10 years the org would cease to exist in it's present form and new leadership would be demanded.

  J
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  palmtree67

  Maybe the change in shunning practices will come from WITHIN.

  I have notcied that few young people shun another df'ed young person. When younger ones get df'ed, the rest of them still hang out with and talk to them on a regular basis. But they DON"T do it at the Hall. And they DON"T tell anybody older than themselves that they still hang out.
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  Farkel

  :Maybe the change in shunning practices will come from WITHIN.

  If every dub quit shunning DFd/DAd dubs, then the GB would disfellowship them all. Then the only ones left for the GB to disfellowship would be each other! And you'd better believe they would do it, too!

  Boy, I'd love to be around to see THAT happen!

  Farkel
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  BurnTheShips

  Without holding a big club to enforce their groupthink, they would weaken considerably. Shunning is an existentially necessary practice for them.

  BTS
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  boyzone

  So, what do you think would cause them to change the shunning policy? It'd have to be something pretty drastic. Any ideas?
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  BurnTheShips

  So, what do you think would cause them to change the shunning policy?

  Major legal repercussions costing a lot of $$$$.

  That's all there is to it. Grab them by the Benjamins and they will Witness that they worship Satan in court if it gets them out of a judge's headlock.

  Money is important to a publishing corporation masquerading as a religion.

  BTS
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  Dagney

  I personally don't see them letting shunning go any time soon. Losing control in a high control group would impact the survival of the group dramatically. But there is pressure in other countries regarding being a cult rather than a religion and maybe losing their charitable status. Those are big shots to the WT armor.

  What I love about all this is negative light this shines on the WTBS, especially to our neighbors, relatives, workmates etc.

  "Yep, just for not going to their meetings anymore half my family and 99% of the people I've known my whole life shun me. It is hard to believe but it's true! Ask any JW that comes to your door! Tell them how you feel about it."
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  SnakesInTheTower

  I could not care less if the WTBTS DF's me. I am working on my story for posting now. In it will be plenty of identifying information about who I am. If they want to DF me, let them. It is their game not mine.

  95% of my friends (aka "social contacts") in my life until about 4-5 years ago were JWs. About 3 years ago I started building real friends (as opposed to social contacts in the JWs) outside of the Organization because, long-term, I knew I was not hanging around the cult. It can be extremely difficult to leave such a large group of social contacts and have nothing to go to. I have been very fortunate to have met individuals from this forum and just in my regular life that I consider friends. It is what has gotten me to the point in my life that I could open up and actually have a relationship.

  My fiancee does not quite understand the grip that a cult, be it JWs or other, has on its members and former members. She says "what can they possibly do to you?" It is a good question. Me personally? Not much. My JW-friends are all but gone and will disappear like cockroaches when the lights are turned on if/when I am DF. My JW mom says she will not shun me, but that is easy to say when she lives 690 miles away. I wonder how she would do if I were DF and she lived nearby? Already my mom calls me less and less. When I call her, we have less and less to talk about. Although I always listen respectfully to the goings-on in her life (which involve mostly meetings, field service, bible studies, and assemblies), she knows I only listen because it is coming from her. Otherwise, I could not care less about the Watchtower Society, Jehovah's Witnesses, et al.

  So I have nothing to lose by leaving the Witnesses, or by being DF'd. What I do have to lose is the love of my life if I let JWs affect me. I have taken a stand. I will never go back. The Society has no grip on me because I have nothing to lose by staying away from the cult and everything to lose if I go back. However, there are a lot of others who the Society does have a grip on because they have so much extended JW family, business relationships, etc. and stand to lose emotionally, socially, even financially. I think it is that last one that caused me to never go into a business deal with JWs. The few times I did, I got burned.

  Shunning is an institutional cult policy that is extremely effective on maintaining the control of those who fear any of the above. Shunning has little to no effect on former members such as myself.

  Lose your fear, they lose their control.

  Snakes (Rich )
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  AllTimeJeff

  Hi all. I am trying to write my next blog on JW shunning and disfellowshipping. I appreciate everyone's comments so far. If you care to free associate and just give your take on disfellowshipping, what it is to you, what it was, what you think the future is, anything, thats cool. I have writers block right now, and I am going to do something else for a bit.

  I am trying a different angle as to the future of JWs and disfellowshipping, but so far, that has netted me 2 paragraphs of poo. (although that could be better then 20 paragraphs of poo....)

  Usually, my ideas for blogs come from JWN of late. If you have better things to do, thats cool too. This isn't life and death. Just throwing this out there to the universe and see what hits... Thanks! Hope you are having a great Labor Day (US).