Today's WT Study Stupidity About Df'ing

by metatron 42 Replies latest jw friends

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  JW GoneBad

  Did anyone notice the words 'associate regularly' in par 15 and the words 'maintained regular contact' in par 19? As though perhaps there is a softening being alluded to by using these words with regard to shunning!

  Par 15 reads in part 'Would I choose to associate regularly with someone......' The emhasis being placed on the word .....regularly.

  Par 19 reads in part ......'Do you think that this person would have been helped to come to such a conclusion had members of the congregation, including her family, maintained regular contact with her while she was disfellowshipped?' The emphasis being placed on the word ....regular.

  Is the WTBTS perhaps changing and easing its' long held evil and cold stand toward disfellowshipped ones? Or is it wishful thinking on my part?

  Any thoughts?
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  LostGeneration

  JWGoneBad- I don't read any of that into it. Check the follow-up in the 7/15 WT where the blast anyone who hangs with family members under the excuse of family business.

  They are tightening their stand- I wouldn't be surprised if the GB is swallowing lumps of coal and crapping out diamonds as we speak.
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  DavinciCodeBreaker

  There is a local experince here where a family shunned one of their siblings after he was disfellowshipped. They were so self righteous in their stand against their own flesh and blood, cutting him off completely! Then the father passed away and guess who was named as executor of the estate in the fathers will? You guessed it, the df'd brother. Haha it was so awesome watching these self righteous a-holes all of a sudden do an about face with their brother who initially was not allowed to get involved in the funeral arrangements. All of a sudden he wasn't such bad association afterall! They went from "no you cannot help us plan dad's funeral and you can sit in the back of the hall IF your conscience allows you to attend the funeral". To them all sitting together and hugging him and showing affection just so they could get their self rightous hands on Daddy's money. They made themselves look like such asses-it was a thing of beauty!
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  AnnOMaly

  Did anyone notice the words 'associate regularly' in par 15 and the words 'maintained regular contact' in par 19? As though perhaps there is a softening being alluded to by using these words with regard to shunning!

  I noticed, yes, and I initially thought 'loophole' ... until they used the phrases "avoid associating" (para. 16) and "cutting off contact" (para. 18).
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  sizemik

  Picking up on your point CoC . . . .

  I find it interesting that DFing is a punishment for a crime committed by an unrepentant person. People in the real world are also punished for crimes.

  But isn't it weird, that even as imperfect as "worldly" people are, they are still willing to offer their help to a convict?

  In one particular congregation I 'served' in there was a Corrections Facility . . .

  I was the brother assigned to care for any requests for a Bible Study from the prison. At one time for many months I was conducting 8 seperate studies. They included three men doing life for murder, two child molesters and a young man who had burned his JW parents shop to the ground. Two were disfellowshipped.

  At about this time I attended a Circuit Assy where I met an old friend and his wife. After a few minutes of conversation I noticed he was looking nervously in one particular direction. He then confessed he was DF'd and that we shouldn't be talking. I replied . . . "Well I'm not worried about it if your not"

  We soon broke off the conversation as I realised it was more detrimental for him than for me. But considering I spent well over 30 hrs a month teaching real "criminals" the troof, it just made no sense to me. Nothing was ever said to me either, in spite of the fact we were in plain view.

  A good proportion of my studies were simply currying favour with JW relatives to get visits . . . others simply wanting to establish a good record of activity for parole purposes.

  Like I said . . . it just makes no sense!
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  FrankWTower

  Another thing I noticed about this study is how the WT actually teaches us hatred. JW's are supposed to hate anything and anyone that is not like them. This is ridiculous. At a time when society is having dificulty promting tolerance, the WT is teaching the opposite. That is wrong.
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  freydo

  They never come back to my door after a brief encounter, although I invite them to.
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  Billy the Ex-Bethelite

  They always fail to mention the many that leave and never return. And they don't include any statistics on how many leave because they realize that it isn't "the truth" they are hearing at the KH.
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  Crisis of Conscience

  @ Sizemik - I share your sentiments. I have contacted a few DFed people and let them know that their JW status means nothing to me. I merely seek their friendship and apologize for my disillusion.

  I asked my wife recently a question. That is, if her DFed friend, that actually used to be a best friend, came and asked her for help desperately needed, would she make herself available? She responded she didn't know. So then I asked, if it were a "wordly" person and they were in desperate need of help, would she make herself available? Without hesitation, she said yes.

  I asked if the the reason for not helping her former best friend was because 3 men declared her a sinner and as of yet had not declared her forgiven or repentant. She said no, it had more to do with Jehovah's arrangement. I mentioned that while there could be a basis of DFing based on the scriptures, who sets the precedent for who is forgiven, or for how long it should be that they are rejected and ignored by everyone?

  Of course no answer. I said that then she was willing to follow something that could be based on the Bible, claim to be a Bible student and yet then also follow something that is not in the Bible, but made up by man and call it Jehovah's arrangement. I ended with that as I could tell she was uncomfortable.

  What a loving arrangement JW's have, indeed!

  CoC
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  JW GoneBad

  Crisie of Conscience I think you meant: What a loving lousy arrangement JW's have, indeed!