Religious Shunning

AK - Jeff

This google video is about the Church of Scientology and the struggle of David Sweetland. I could feel myself sitting in his shoes.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4128809453616957961#

How does this video make you feel when watching?

Jeff

Only watched a few minutes, enough to establish the similarities. To answer you question I feel deeeply saddened that any family can be undermined by the dictates of a religious organisation, whther that be JW;s Scientology or whatever.

Perry

Interesting.

Do you feel that shunners should be shunned in return? Or do you feel that as much as possible a compassionate view should be adopted and the shunners should be viewed as sick and not shunned if possible?

AK - Jeff

Good thought, Perry. I'm not sure on that one. I have tried both approaches. Today I encountered an elder who was among my best of friends since I was just 4 years old. I don't know if he saw me this time. But in the past, he shunned me rudely. I felt no desire to force him into that corner again today. So I just ignored him without actively shunning him.

I doubt I could have as compassionate a view of the matter as David expressed however if I had lost my intimate family.

Jeff

cantleave

Perry, I am a strong believer that two wrongs don't make a right. I would not allow myself to sink to their level. With JW's I believe thay are victims and need our sympathy not our hate. They maybe hateful, but that is because they have been brainwashed into believing their salvation is dependent on their following Jehovah;s direction, given through the FDS and its GB. I was there just a few months ago, I look back on what I believed and shudder, it took me 42 tears to realise I was living a lie. Thesre people still are living that lie, by shunning them we can't help them, in the same way their shunning us does not attract us back into their belief system.

AK - Jeff

Let me toss that same question back at you, then:

Do you feel that shunners should be shunned in return? Or do you feel that as much as possible a compassionate view should be adopted and the shunners should be viewed as sick and not shunned if possible?

SirNose586

Do you feel that shunners should be shunned in return?
Or do you feel that as much as possible a compassionate view should be
adopted and the shunners should be viewed as sick and not shunned if
possible? --AK - Jeff

I would take that on a case by case basis. Most people in my former congregation have ignored me. The other day, on Thanksgiving, I got a call from a dub acquaintance. He asked how I was doing, etc. I told him what was going on in my life and thanked him for the call.

To everyone else who merely liked me for my old position (MS) or my family connections, I ignore them.

Perry

I cannot feel more strongly than the way "cant leave" stated. This of course is difficult. But, there really is no other way.... unless you want to feed their victimhood.

I will talk to any JW that I know and if they shun me I'll just simply tell them that I love them. This releases me from my anger...and goes down the road to releasing them from the WT hate.

OnTheWayOut

Do you feel that shunners should be shunned in return?

That's a very difficult subject. I feel that all believing JW's are still captives of the concepts. They are mind-prisoners. I can forgive whatever they do when they do it thinking it's what God/the organization of God thinks they should do.

But if they are jerks about it, there's no need bothering with them while they are captives. If I were shunned (I am only an inactive fader) then I would not automatically shun in return. A sincere JW that feels bad about shunning me, I would try to reach them. Someone who holds their nose up in the air, I wouldn't bother at all to worry about them. I might embarass them by forcing them to shun me in public, but I would do it in a nice way of simply greeting them and letting them be the jerk.

Religious Shunning

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