An active Witness proudly tells me about Shunning her kids back into the 'truth"

AuntBee

"As He is a God of love.. these things serve to protect individuals aswell as the congregations. As a parent i fully understand the concept of wanting my children to choose their friends wisely, to be careful about literature they read & so on & would i cast them out for being wayward? yes, i have, & they learnt their lesson & were welcomed back with immediacy the minute they made the necessary changes. We were all hurt at that time & deeply affected & yet we all healed from it... because we followed God's prescribed course!!!

so there's wisdom in what God has decreed. All is for our benefit... !!"

It's one thing to read about the harsh shunning, and then another to hear directly from someone how they put this into practice. Having read so many stories on here, and knowing a few people who have experienced it, in real life, this just churns my stomach. just....wow.

brotherdan

Makes me so sad... I couldn't imagine treating my kids that way! If my son became a bank robber and went to jail, I STILL wouldn't turn my back on him. I'd try to help him pick himself back up and get on the right road. But it goes against my entire nature and being to reject my flesh and blood! Can't even imagine this. They are choosing men in brooklyn that they've never even met over their own children. Signs of the times, IMO.

wasblind

"If my son became a bank robber and went to jail, I STILL wouldn't turn my back on him."

You said it Brotherdan,

I have told my daughter the same thing, not that I condone her doing bad things, but just letting her know, I'm with you all the way

Love is unconditional, what the WTS practice is not , it comes with strings

NiceDream

It's really sad. There was a part about shunning at the DC this summer that was sickening. The GB said not to look for any reason to associate with those who are DF'd. And then they said that if your child is DF'd, the most loving thing you can do is to obey Jeh's law on this (shunning), because if you don't, your child may never come back and it would be your fault.

I feel sad for the parents who are brainwashed or guilted into believing this.

unshackled

Know exactly what you're talking about AuntBee. I'm currently struggling with this shunning. Come from a big family with 7 siblings, all raised in the "truth". Hardcore too, as my father has been an elder since he was 18. But only 3 siblings have remained JWs. The 4 of us that have left are treated with the bare minimum of decency.

I just got married this summer and invited the entire family of course. But the only ones to show up from my family are the ones that have left the Borg. I didn't even receive a response whether they would come or not from the others. In fact, they didn't even acknowledge receiving the invitation.

Even worse, my oldest sister has 3 children. When her first son was born my mother told her this doozy, to paraphrase: "You know I will never be able to share the same amount of love for your child as my our other grandchildren (in the religion). Without the common love for Jehovah our love for him can't be as strong." Seriously, can you believe that? How these people consider this "loving" is absolutely insane.

Here's another....my youngest sister at the age of 17 is making a stand and has made it clear she doesn't want to go to meetings anymore. This just has happenened in the past 4 or 5 months. (Good for her...such progress! Took me years and years to get to that point.) Anyways, of course this has caused major tensions in their home. One evening turns out my father finds out one of my sister's friends smokes or did smoke weed. He asked her if she did and she said no. Well that wasn't good enough...he tells her she can't have any friends who would do such a thing. She refused to dump that person as a friend. So guess what? He kicked her out of the house at 11:30 at night stating he won't jeopardize his god's values and anyone living under his roof has to do the same. Who kicks their 17-year-old daughter out on the street near midnight over the actions of a third party? That is batshit.

You said it BroDan: "If my son became a bank robber and went to jail, I STILL wouldn't turn my back on him." Now THAT is what you call LOVE.

Crazy batshit JWs. Trying to filter this garbage on a day-to-day basis is difficult to say the least.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

We don't even have to talk about bank robbers or pot smokers.

It's all the crazier when the mother will shun her child because a trio of janitors met in secret and decided to disfellowship this child that doesn't believe that Jerusalem was destroyed in 607BCE.

laverite

Brother Dan - you hit the nail on the head! "They are choosing men in brooklyn that they've never even met over their own children." It's absolutely INSANE! I know what it's like from personal experience. I'm shunned by family. I mean, come on, I'm not a friggin' drug addict or convict. I've never even tried a cigarette for frick's sake! I'm just a mild mannered, clean cut "gay" (shhhh) college professor. I mean, there are families that could do a lot worse than that, right? And there ARE families out there who don't completely reject their children because they happen to be professors...or gay.

Billy -- you are so right. BEAUTIFULLY said as always. But why not talk for a second about bank robbers anyway? (Humor me!). If one of my children grew up to be a bank robber and I knew they robbed a bank, I'd be the first to call the police. Seriously, I'd turn them in if they robbed a bank or hurt someone. But you know what, I'd be at the trial every single day, and move to be near whatever prison they were sent to so I could visit every day. NO WAY could I ever abandon my child no matter what. Never.

brotherdan

*GASP*

Laverite! Gay?!? Oh dear lord, whatever to do?!? We can't have a son that is one of the gays!

Seriously, THAT is what they are hung up about? I can't believe it! You're right. The way they treat people, you would think they were some of the most evil, vile people that ever existed. I mean...you just used the word "frick"!!! How bad could you be?!? If my son was gay, he'd be free to introduce his boyfriend to me. I have to admit that it'd be a bit strange at first, but seriously, you are going to reject your kid because of WHO HE OR SHE IS?!? (Sorry for my overuse of exclamation points and question marks...and elipses'... I...have...a...real...problem...)

!!!

...

laverite

Brother Dan - actually I'm a guy, but hey, gender is a social construct. My oldest daughter called me "mom" until last June! (So glad that's over with...I had many names -- Mom, Dad, mommy, daddy, mommydaddy).

laverite

P.S. Despite the "mom" title I'm not effiminate. LOL

An active Witness proudly tells me about Shunning her kids back into the 'truth"

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