"How do Jehovah's Witnesses view disfellowshipped ones?
Previously, this journal has detailed, from the Bible's viewpoint, how unrepentant sinners should be viewed*[*Footnote See also "How To Treated Disfellowshipped Ones" in the Appendix of the book "Keep Yourselves in God's Love", published by Jehovah's Witnesses]. Unlike apostate Christendom, which unrepentantly excuses the gross sins of its members, true Christians follow the scriptural admontion found in 1 Corinthians 5:11: "Remove the wicked man from among yourselves."
How far should this removal go? Is it sufficient for Christians to, as 2 John 9-11 points out, "never receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him"? Or is more required in order to truly comply with Jehovah God's requirements? In ancient Israel, Jehovah made clear that strong action was necessary to remove wickedness, even authorizing the putting of such wrongdoers to death. This requirement was binding upon all Israelites--even members of the wrongdoer's family had to take decisive measures to make certain Jehovah's holy standards were upheld. (Deuteronomy 21:18-21) Thus the sanctity of pure worship was upheld.
What of today? In this time of the end, how much more so is there a vital need for spiritual and moral cleanness in the congregation! With the end of this wicked system of things rapidly approaching, Satan is doing all he can to infect the Christian congregation with the spirit of the world. (Ephesians 2:2) As "wicked men and impostors advance from bad to worse", the danger of apostate influences poses a continuing threat to Jehovah's clean people. (2 Timothy 3:13) If we want to remain unspotted from the world, we must be willing to go as far as Jehovah requires of us, just as we would want to comply fully with the requirements of secular authorities. (Matthew 5:41) Jehovah's authority far excedes that of any human, and his laws and standards are what is best for all of us. (Isaiah 55:8, 9)
Jesus foretold that, due to declining moral standards, Jehovah's people would be required to zealously defend his name from those in the congregation who would defame it: "Brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and will have them put to death." (Matthew 10:21) For failure to humbly obey the instructions given through the "faithful and discreet slave" class, the joint heirs of Jesus Christ, sadly some who once remained loyal to Jehovah's organization will face destruction. (Matthew 25:45, 46) However, since Christ Jesus has appointed the slave class over all his belongings, he has also given that slave class full authority to carry out his wishes. Certainly those wishes include the complete removal of any who refuse to submit to Jehovah's sovereignty.
In order to do so, congregation elders must to bear in mind the apostle Paul's words: "Do you not judge those inside, while God judges those outside?" (1 Corinthians 5:12, 13) Thus, although the laws of the land in which we live may suggest that we can only take action against apostates and other wicked ones in the congregation to a certain extent, the Bible makes clear that it is the responsibility of spirit-appointed overseers to judge and eliminate all who behave in a matter that guarantees they will not inherit God's Kingdom. (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10) Necessary judicial action against unrepentant wrongdoers, then, may therefore include putting them to death, thus keeping Jehovah's organization free of satanic influence.
Though this may prove difficult for some, let us bear in mind that those appointed by holy spirit face grave consequences if they fail to carry out Jehovah's divine orders. (James 3:1) Of course, this requires the loyal cooperation of all of Jehovah's servants, as any who fail to report grave sins will face the same discipline, just as Jehovah commanded in ancient times. (Leviticus 5:1) We can be greatly comforted by the fact that Jehovah has provided a loving, worldwide brotherhood, which will surely replace any of our former loved ones who chose to follow a wayward course. (Luke 18:29, 30) Let us be zealous for pure worship and thoroughly cleanse Jehovah's house, skillfully using "the weapons of the light" that the faithful slave has provided, as the final hours of this system of things draw to an end. (Romans 13:11, 12)"
...This article, thankfully, is a work of fiction. Now, the question is, how many JWs would believe this article and do as it instructed? If the answer is obvious, then no one needs to ask whether or not Jehovah's Witnesses are a cult that uses mind control. Clearly it was all a matter of taking verses out of their context, but that's nothing new, right? I believe it's all a matter of what kind of leadership is currently at the top. If the wrong crackpot gets there, one of these articles could come down the pipes one day. Of course, there's just too much money and power involved to waste time satisfying bloodlust. ... Right? Well, I sure hope so.
I know, it was pretty extreme, but I tried my hand at it because I asked myself, if I were the Society, how would I get my followers to do something like this? It'd take a bit of preparing them before such an article were released--maybe a few study articles highlighting zealous servants of Jehovah like Phinehas, the fellow who impaled a couple through certain...parts of theirs, or maybe Joshua, who sought out and stoned Achan and his entire family for theft. Etc., etc. Then, they could drop the hammer. I know this one will create some fires, but perhaps I was going for shock value, after all. Fire away.
SD-7
