by Amelia Ashton 126 Replies latest jw friends
The interviewer asked for emails about shunning so here is her address:
I don't have a PDF of the Flock book, but someone needs to send this to her, even if only the parts on Disassociation and Disfellowshipping. Material from other literature such as the section on DA/DF in the Keep Yourselves In God's Love book and the Watchtowers from the early 80's when the rules on DAing changed after the Franz incident would be helpful too.
Below is my transcription of the Borg Cube's official response to the reporter's question about shunning:
"Witnesses do not shun family members because of differences in religious beliefs. Many Witnesses have religiously mixed families and enjoy normal loving relationships together. If a family member who is a baptized Witness is disfellowshipped the spiritual ties he had with his family change, but blood ties remain. Accordingly, the marriage relationship and normal family affections and dealings can continue. As for disfellowshipped relatives not living in the same household we apply the counsel from the Bible at 1 Corinthians: "quit mixing with them." The scriptures are sacred to us and we therefore take this counsel seriously. The degree of family contact is a personal decision based on one's Bible trained conscience. If there are consequences, these relate primarily to one's relationship with God."
I wonder whether Gary or sd-7 or any of the other non-JWs here who are married to cult members feel that they "enjoy normal loving relationships" with their JW spouses.
Here's the gist of the Borg gobbledy-gook: "We don't shun, we 'quit mixing with' them." As if there is some difference.
I mentioned in my email I can send her a pdf copy and that out of its 12 chapters 7 are on disfellowshipping, ya know, that thing they don't do!
Jehovah's Witness position:
You continue to share considerable DNA with JW family members after being disfellowshipped ('Disfellowshipping doesn't sever blood ties').
Your JW family will cut off all contact with you ('quit mixing with them') if you are disfellowshipped.
Although you will be cut off from all contact with your family and they will treat you as though you don't exist, indeed as though you have died, you will not be 'shunned.'
So, not to worry.
No 'shunning.'
Just completely cut off from all contact.
And that will only happen IF your JWs family's conscience demands it. And it will. Because they are brainwashed to behave this way.
(And if for some reason they don't shun you cut off all contact with you, they will be punished in the congregation.)
"Witnesses do not shun family members because of differences in religious beliefs.
Now thats a prodigious lie, the reality is if a person who was at one time baptized into the JW religion and later
decided to leave to purse interest in another, is publicly announced at the congregation and from that point on the rest of the congregation
follows through in stopping any association or speaking to that person.
As one poster pointed out spiritual warfare in supporting the WTS. involves deliberately lying.
We know they lie. Now we need everyone else to as well.
I like it when Emma asks, "Have you tried speaking with the elders?"
To an outsider, this is a reasonable question. To anyone familiar with the WT organization, it's laughable. These elders in the UK will do whatever the leaders in the USA tell them to do.
Cults shoot their wounded, they don't find reasonable ways to mitigate unfortunate situations.
Cantleave clearly exposes the London branch to be filled with liars. Well done.
Here's a recording of the interview that can be downloaded or listened to online:
Excellent, now I can keep the interview on my computer. Thank you Lisa. I knew some brilliant person would be able to do it.
