Disfellowshipping an 80 year old man, with brain cancer, for swearing!

by James_Slash 22 Replies latest jw experiences

• 

  James_Slash

  This happened many years ago in my old congregation.

  The man, who held the position of a ministerial servant for many years had not long lost his wife in death.

  Obviously, tensions and the general heartbreak of what happened to him lasted for sometime. I remember going to see him once and he was extremely depressed.

  However, his son had recently moved back in with him and they had started arguing. His son grassed on him in to the Elders that his Father had sworn at him in a number of arguments and he was removed as a MS. The rest is history. I remember he had not long been diagnosed with Brain Cancer before he was disfellowshipped.

  He was reinstated a matter of weeks before he died. This was around 2006.

  I remember hearing about it at the time and how the congregation were at each others throats. This was in the long list of a number of major problems.

  Perhaps I'll save how the Pioneer Elder left his wife for their bible study and avoided disfellowshipping altogether for another time! ;)
• 

  JWoods

  What was he actually disfellowshipped for, (if you know)? I didn't think just swearing (especially without two witnesses) was on the list.

  Of course, in my experience, the JC can just about do anything they want if they dislike someone sufficiently...
• 

  James_Slash

  No, he was disfellowshipped for swearing. His son dobbed him in, he admitted it but argued his case in the JC.

  I think it was 18 months - 2 years before he was reinstated.
• 

  BluesBrother

  I think that there must have been a little more to it. You cannot be d/f for swearing (especially at home) ....but of course it is up to the Committee what they put on the official report to The Society.....

  BTW we once had a Bro who had an operation in hospital . The anesthetic made him "peculiar " for a little while. We had to stop the cong from visiting until it worked out of his system. The normally refined Englishman was swearing like trooper to everyone who came near.

  The other elders all thought it was hilariously funny - no sanctions considered...I have known a few over the years, sometimes in responsible positions who had a tendency to swear....no big deal
• 

  asilentone

  My JW grandmother had brain cancer, she did alot of swearing, they did not df'd her, when she died, we had the funeral at the Kingdom Hall. I do not think they would df'd people with brain cancer for swearing now.
• 

  dissed

  Because they don't announce the reason why someone is DF'd, many stories will get circulated. But no one can say publicly for sure what the reason is.

  We had a 23 year long Elder removed and his wife DF'd in 1995. Man was there speculation as to why and what happened. She had committed adultery, was apostate, etc...

  The real reason that no one knew of? She had never given up smoking from the 1970's. She had hid it successfully for all those years. Her husband knew of problem and hid it.
• 

  5thGeneration

  You can't be DF'd for swearing.

  5th
• 

  JWoods

  I also got the feeling that there had to be more to this story than just swearing.

  Of course, technically, they could have DFd him just for that by extension of "conduct unbecoming" or such - if he admitted it himself, AND if they got the notion that he was unrepentant.

  It might be very difficult to pretend repentance if you were mentally incapacitated and dying of a brain tumor.

  Jerk elders.
• 

  AK - Jeff

  I knew of an old lady, alone, almost hermit-like. She was raised in the hills of America's southland somewhere, very little education. She became a Jw in her middle life, and seemed to try hard to live it.

  In her final years she was alone most of the time in a nursing home, with few Jw visits [except on perhaps rainy days or snowy days so that the pio's could keep their 'time' going - you know the drill]. One of those visits caught her chewing snuff [ a habit likely from her youth, now revisited due to old age, loneliness, and perhaps dementia]. She was 'committeed', disfellowshipped, and left to die alone.

  Bastards should burn in hell! If there was one.

  Jeff
• 

  sacolton

  My JW brother-in-law swore like there's no tomorrow. He would make it a habit to use the F-WORD as many times as possible.