The real scandal...

by Knowsnothing 7 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  Knowsnothing

  Shunning. If it weren't for this lil ol' practice that goes on, honestly, would we even be here? Would I give a crap about disproving the false predictions, blood stance, etc.? Probably not.

  And while everyone has their own set of circumstances, and shunning may not adversely affect all, this to me is the real scandal. That even in today's world, we have to put up with this kind of intolerance. That we either have to believe, follow, or be treated as dead.

  Can't we just live and let live? Screw this and any other religion that practices shunning....
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  Mad Sweeney

  I don't think a lot of people leave over shunning but I think it causes a HUGE number to solidify their decision to NEVER GO BACK.
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  St George of England

  If people could leave without the fear of DF and/or shunning, the KH's would be empty.

  George
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  luna2

  The whole shunning thing is rather interesting. No one likes to be shunned. Even if you hate the WTS, think the meetings are crap, and have no intention of participating in the religion any more, the idea that people you once knew would ignore you in public still rankles. Even harder if its your own family...unless you hate your family and would rather not talk to them.

  I never officially left. I didn't write a letter of resignation or consent to talk to the elders or even have a discussion with a JW friend. I just faded out. I thought very hard about sending my congregation a letter, but through discussion here, decided not to bother as it seemed to give them too much honor. What I found most interesting is that they had no problem letting me drift away. There was only one sister who made any kind of effort to encourage me to get involved again. One. No elders. No ministerial servants. None of the women who I'd always thought of as friends. Just one lone pioneer sister. Pretty much sums up the whole religion. Most do not practice what they preach and most don't even know how to be true friends. Its all empty posturing for the other club members.

  Eleven years later, I'm glad I did it the way I did. While some high sticklers may feel that they can't talk to me, most JWs (which isn't many) that I've come in contact with have no problem conversing in a normal manner with me. Some even do a little preaching at me, but most don't. Its more comfortable for all of us.
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  Aussie Oz

  If it was not for shunning my interest in JWs would be very low.

  my kids would be free to believe in whatever they want really.

  But i'll be buggered if i will do nothing to stop my likely future shunning

  so here i am...

  oz
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  Octarine Prince

  "A faith that cannot survive collision with the truth is not worth many regrets."—Arthur C. Clarke
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  cantleave

  2057 - why am i being shunned?

  (2 Timothy 3:1-5) . . .But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, 4 betrayers, headstrong, puffed up [with pride], lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power; and from these turn away.

  I am not doing any of this. I was DF'd because I said that the GB can not be Gods only representatives on Earth and that JW's could noyt have been chosen by Jesus in 1919.

  I can not find a scripture that says I should be shunned for exposing a lie.
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  WontLeave

  Shunning is a fundamental necessity for cults. It's part of the information control. Brand outsiders as "of the Devil", brand outside information as "of the Devil", brand ex-members as "demonic", brand every other religion as "demonic".

  Every major issue of the Society for the last several years has been about controlling information. The Internet has been demonized, higher education has been demonized, promotion of the "faithful and discreet slave" has been pounded relentlessly. Many of the long-standing rules - reading "apostate" materials, talking to ex-members, accepting religious literature, reading the Bible without Watchtower input, examining the history of the Society, researching correct translation of Koine and Hebrew verses, etc. - are all about information control.

  Any cult that is going to flourish needs to keep its members ignorant and defensive. Once non-members of the cult are perceived as "the enemy", the cult members herd themselves. 7M people around the world can't be controlled by some old geezers in NY. So, you give special titles to some of the more hard-core cult members who are good and brainwashed -e.g. "elder", "circuit overseer" - and tell the peons those guys are hand-picked by God.

  Delegating authority doesn't reduce the centralized power, but multiplies it and spreads it wider. The elders are the eyes and fists of the Governing Body, but are perceived as representatives of God. Without their "God" mask, these construction workers in polyester suits wouldn't get any respect at all.