Can you be Df'ed without a JC?

by BritBoy 20 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  BritBoy

  Hi

  As most of you know, I quietly left the borg and moved countries. Recently I heard from an Ex JW back in my former country of residence that she had heard I had been DF'ed and it was announced at a meeting... Can they do this? If it is true that is! So couple of questions...A) Can they do this? B) How can I find out? C) How dare they?!!! I had no knowledge of this what so ever, is it possible for them to do this without notifying you? Sorry too many questions!!

  I have a sister still in the Borg. and a VERY good friend still in and I know that this would upset the apple cart BIG TIME!

  Brit
• 

  Joseph Joachim

  Yes, they can, if they have two witnesses, although it's very unusual. Probably they found out that you're living with another man. Does your sister know about it? Maybe she gave you out.

  Joseph Joachim,
  an overly-enthusiastic pundit of borderline reality
• 

  JEMIMAH

  In short the answer is No.

  If a Judicial Committee can't get in touch with a brother to meet with them, then a brief note is made in the Specialised sheperding List to discuss the allegations made with you at a later date when you can be contacted.

  However if the JC do contact you, and you decide not to appear before them, despite their attempts, yes they can go ahead with a disfellowshipping

  What can happen though is that individual bodies of elders will make any thing up to disfellowship "thorns in their sides "

  In your case the JC would have to inform you before any announcement so you can "appeal"

  Jem
• 

  BritBoy

  Jem

  How would I know that they actually sent me a letter or tried to contact me to give me the chance to "Appeal"? I mean surely they could claim they sent a letter and I did not respond... and perhaps they did even go so far as to send one to my old address!!

  Also is there a statute of limitation (think that is the right term) on being inactive? Or will they hound you until the day you die(spiritually in their eyes or literally)? I have not claimed to be a Dub since Feb 1995...seven years next month!

  Brit (excuse the ignorance)

  They wouldn't have made the cane if you weren't meant to break the rules!
• 

  kpax

  JEMIMAH, in short they can!!

  An elder had written a letter to a friend of mine that if he doesnt reply in some way they will DA'd him. That's what the son of the elder told me. The elder assumed that he would get and read the letter because he heard rumours that he indeed was home during this period. He never replied and they havent heard from him a ling time. In the meantime he was DA'd.

  By the way, am I supposed to know this? Some elder must have spread the word!

  Kpax
• 

  JEMIMAH

  I understand the last 2 posts clearly,

  Yes elders will carry out actions off their own backs to the detrement of others, without love or care. I too have seen enough instances of this.

  However official society policy is that no action is taken unless it can be proved that a person has recieved the invitation to the committee, of course this is open to abuse.

  In brit boy case if he was out of the country, how could they contact him.

  As regards to time limits it is down to each body of elders.

  In our own cong 12 months seems to be the standard, although how that number was reached beats me, most likely the wisdom of a CO 20 years ago

  Jem
• 

  Ivor Hope

  I've also come across thesituation where they cannot thechnically d/f someone, so they announced that he had D/A'd himself by his actions!!
• 

  bj

  Yes they can.

  It happend to ME. In 1994,my wife and I stopped attending meetings. We wrote various letters to different Bethels (Brooklyn, France, Mexico, Thialand, England, ...) most of them didn't answer. We asked the Bethel of France to use their library (I was at that time viewed as a good standing JW) the answer was NO. We told the Elders in France that we need to continue our research and are waiting from Brooklny.

  Moved to Malta, my twin brother (Elder, Special Pioneer, Graduate from the Ministerial Training School, Pioneer School Instructor, and was prospective member of the Malta Branch Committee)attended his dissasociation announcement the day after of my arrival. We were treated as animals. Some even came to beat us. After we made media programmes, radio, tv, newspaper, ... The JW in Malta at that time were under the London Bethel. Contuct was made with the french Bethel and an announcement was made about me. If I was disfellowshipped or disassociated, till today I don't know.

  The Elders never told me to attend a Judicial Committee. Every thing was done behind my back. Three countries were involved Malta, England, France. Later as we published a scandal about Milton Henschel even Brooklyn came to know about us.

  All of this for what? Because we wanted to know the "TRUTH". (I tried to make things short sorry for not expresing things well)

  Joe
• 

  Frenchy

  The elders are supposed to contact you. That's policy. They are told to put nothing in writing so whenever they send a letter they are in violation of 'company policy'. They are not expected to go to 'extraordinary' lengths to contact one that has moved out of the area, especially to another country unless that person is perceived as a very dangerous threat. (They keep close tabs on Ray!) However, there is no 'statute of limitations'. You could be inactive for twenty years and if you do something worthy of df'ing and call attention to yourself, you could be called down for it.

  It could very well be that the information you recieved is not correct. BUT...as has already been pointed out, the local body may very well have taken it upon themselves to do what they wanted to do and to be somewhat creative in the form sent in to the Society. This happens frequently, unfortunately.

  Even if you lived in the area and refused to attend the JC meeting, they could only df you if you had confessed (to two elders) of the wrongdoing OR if there were two witnesses to the fact.

  There is only one way to really tell if you have been df'd. You will have to write to the society or call them on the phone and simply ask them. Tell them you have moved away and lately you've received information that you have somehow disassociated yourself and that you would like to know how that happened.
• 

  roybatty

  Yes they can. If a JC is formed and an "honest" attempt is made to contact you (phone calls, maybe a letter) and you don't respond, you will be df'd.
  I was on one JC were this happened. The PO, who was the JC chairman, called this "brother" and left two or three messages on his answering machine. He never responded so we assumed that he didn't want to meet with us and the following week it was anounced that he was df'd. I believe that you can even find some information regarding this in the elder's manual.