Conscience Matters

greenie

Has anyone ever compiled a list of things that are now conscience matters for JWs? If not, do you guys know what things are currently considered conscience matters? Is the list too long or obscure so that this is a bad question? If so, don't worry about responding and I can do some research and report back.

blondie

That's hard to do because there are things labeled as "conscience" matters are are laws written in stone. The WTS will say that they do not require jws to refused blood transfusions, military service, etc., and say it is a personal choice. Also whose conscience, yours or that of another jw with a "fear" of stumbling them?

yknot

Conscience matters and the reaction they get also can vary from congregation to congregation.

In addition the MOC has crossed over into definite consequences of MOCs that act as AutoDas......

Voting is a MOC.....but if a JW violated 'neutrality' it is AutoDA

Blood is MOC but you can accept fractions and other therapies without issue, however a transfusion is an AutoDA offense.

Organ Transplants are MOC w/o consequence

Worldy Weddings and Funerals are MOC but are subject to local reaction.

Non-Combat service is a MOC but again neutrality cannot be violated or it is AutoDA and this too is subject to local BOE interpretation.

Oral sex, and other non-missionary positions are MOC but if it becomes known to the congregation and it appears to not be 'repented', rathered flaunted or encouraged......it can lead to judiciary actions.

Wedding rings, pinatas, windchimes are all MOCs.......

Vaccines are MOC w/o consequence

......that is all I can think of right now.....

Is there any particular thing you had in mind?

Tea drinker

Ah yes! Conscience matters. I have always found that the unwritten list of conscience matters varies from one congregation to the next--it can even vary within a single congregation depending on which clique you associate with.

You can be rest assured though that WHATEVER the "conscience matter" is there will always be some self-righteous busy body who tries to impose their conscience on you and others. I've seen squabbles over whether one should or should not eat Christmas pudding or Easter eggs. It's funny how the so-called "spiritually strong" ones are always disputing over trifles.

Whenever I was unfortunate enough to have a run-in with one of these people I would always get the apostle Paul quoted at me, being told that I should not do it if it stumbles others (i.e. them and their fellow members of the "easily stumbled self righteous brigade"). I would quote Paul right back and point out that he also said that such ones were immature and weak in faith and then go on to say that they were displaying spiritual immaturity. As you can imagine, that always went down like a lead balloon: pioneers and MSs did not like to be smacked down by someone who always reported single figures and never answered up.

tryingtoexit

lol @ any non-missionary position......people actually believe that??

I'm glad my fade is going well, I couldnt deal with somebody talkin to me about that

OnTheWayOut

As ridiculous as the JW rules are, the only thing you can be disfellowshipped for is unrepentance toward a list of rules found in the elders' manual, then add a few DA things on top of it, also listed in there somehow. I know there are some catch-all ones in there about loose conduct, but still the list is finite.

That means that 2-door cars and even sports cars, beards, R-rated movies, paintball, wrestling, college, dating without a chaperone, telling elders and C.O.'s that they are jack asses- all these are a matter of conscience. (Although they might try to get you for that last one.)

WTWizard

It matters not when the hounders keep hounding you to comply on conscience issues and will not stop hounding you until you are in full compliance. The difference is, if you "are no longer one of Jehovah's Witlesses", you will probably be left alone (unless they decide to continue harassing you to go back). If you just do a "conscience" matter, they will continually hound you.

teel

It was always my view, even as a devout JW that everything can be divided into 3 categories: things forbidden by the Bible, things requested by the Bible, and everything else is a matter of conscience. So my list of MoC would be quite long I still hold to this belief, but in the meantime I wisened up as to what the Bible actually tells that are of the first two categories.

Conscience Matters

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