At least part of the shunning is fear. I remember seeing df'd people out in public, and they looked all normal and happy and I'm like "what the hell!"
lisa
My Parents First Taste Of Being Shunned Since They DA'd.
by mentallyfree31 24 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
-
-
LongHairGal
Mentallyfree31,
I am glad your parents are out and happy and uncaring about what the religion thinks about them. As far as that inactive JW woman in the store who refused to answer your mother, this type of behavior is typical of some who are not active and in some cases never even baptized. As some say, these people think by shunning somebody it will make up for the fact they are not practicing and maybe Jehovah will give them an A for effort. As far as I see it, when somebody Disassociates themselves, they are perceived as being the big bad wolf as compared to the lesser sinners there who just commit plain old fornication. They have 'sins' rated on a scale and Disassociation = Apostacy is at the top of the list.
Scott77,
I know what you mean about being marked. I was definitely a persona non grata in some circles. I also experienced what you did when I stopped going to meetings. I got cards from people who avoided me and went to secret gatherings I was never invited to saying "we miss you....." What a joke. As if they really miss me! They just are unsettled by the idea that somebody 'dropped out' of their club and wants nothing to do with it anymore.
-
-
ziddina
MentallyFree31: "She became active and quit attending meetings almost 15 years ago,..."
(This is why I frequently become VERY irritated at spelling errors!!! They can change the ENTIRE meaning of a sentence or paragraph...)
So, I'm forced to assume that RosePetal's analysis of the comment: "isn't it ironic that someone who has not been attending all those yearsand would be marked any way for not being active has the bare faced cheek to be rude and ignore your parents,..."
Is the correct one???
Anyway, since RosePetal is undoubtedly correct, I'm going to proceed on that basis...
Like RosePetal, I am also amazed at the woman's rudeness and hypocrisy... She may have been feeling smugly superior, as in "I may be inactive, but YOU'RE an "APOSTATE"!!!"
OR... She may have been torn between two thoughts... "I'm trying to remain a JW because of my family, but I admire this person for her uncompromising stand. I wish I had the courage to dis-associate myself..." OR "I'd love to talk to her, but then my own doubts about the religion would be suspected... And I'd hate to be forced into a position where I'd have to choose..."
Zid
-
cult classic
My dad had been inactive for a bit when a sister in our home congregation got married. At the wedding the mother of the bride asks "how is your dad?" I said he was fine. She says "We would have invited him but we haven't seen him in years." I didn't respond. Shortly after that a young lady came up to us and the sister introduced her to me, "Cult Classic this is jane doe, we used to call on her until she moved away for college." She turns to the lady and says, "Jane we are so happy you came. We weren't sure you'd come since we haven't seen you in years. So glad you could make it."
WTF?
-
flipper
MENTALLY FREE- I'm glad your mom and dad are out of that mind control cult. This inactive lady who shunned your mom is a piece of excrement. As Outlaw stated, " She is a nobody who is trying to be somebody. ' What these JW's think of us doesn't matter. They'll all be dead in 50 years anyway - at least the middle aged ones. I've been treated like your mom was - and it has only made my resolve stronger to never go back to the cult. Be thankful you have your REAL mom and dad back ! I wish them the best ! Peace out, Mr. Flipper
-
Scarred for life
I'm glad your mom and dad are out of the mind control cult. I don't understand why this woman in the grocery store would act this way. If she is inactive and has been for many years how would she even know that your parents have disassociated?
-
cult classic
The other thing about it MF31 is that even when they aren't doing what they are supposed to be doing, they think they are still righteous if they just show one act of faithfulness, like going to the memorial or giving a witness. They feel that they have a weakness that Jehovah can work with but how can he work with someone who voluntarily leaves the org?
Cult Classic
-
mentallyfree31
Let me mention a little context here that will make this story even more bizzare. Get ready to laugh..
The SAME day, my mom stopped in another store and bumped into a longtime faithful member of the congregation for the last 50 years. This lady (who is 70+ years old) ran right up and hugged my mother and told her they miss her so much. She asked how she was and asked "what happened?" My mom replied "it's a very long story". The sister told her again that they miss her and that they miss me also, since I haven't attended in several months since I woke up.
My mom has also seen two or three other JW's from the local congregation over the last 2 months. My mother has spoken to all of them, and they have all spoken back and said hello.
Soooooo, the ONLY person who refused to speak to her was the person who has been inactive for 15 years.
LOL
-
Snoozy
Victimisation: a sign of Passive Aggresive disorder..they all have it.
