Pre-emptive shunning - a growing reality

by cedars 92 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  crmsicl

  I'm a fader for 3 years now. Used to be well respected (as they say). I posted this on a thread about a month ago. This occurance of shunning pops into my head from time to time:

  The other day ran into a sister in Hancock fabric. I was looking for pine cones to decorate my porch and I figured that would be innocent enough (also gathered some twigs with red seeds - porch looks cute). So right above the cones were some christmas wreaths and the display was fairly close to the door and probably feeling that "could someone be watching me?", I glanced at the door to see who walked in. It was this not born in sister, very classy and a retired teacher. We used to enjoy each others company and spoke freely to each other. I impulsively smiled and said "Hi". She was startled and quickly assessed how to respond and very awkwardly lifted her hand a few degrees and with a slight point of her finger she simultaneously opened her mouth did not smile or utter anything and walked in the other direction. Several feelings came over me in the next 5 minutes. I gathered up my bags of pine cones and had to wait at the register for quite awhile because they were busy. I looked around the store and saw her walking and staying in the perimeter of the store. In the end I just felt sorry for her and she probably feels the same. Who cares. I heard there is a lot of apostate phobia going on. We are well known in the community, so we don't think the elders would touch us. But the word seems to be out. WWI
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  dogon

  This is nothing new. In the late 70s and early 80s there was a practice called marking that got out of hand. It was encouraged by the Borg for individuals to mark someone as bad association and not include them in functions or association outside of the hall. It got out of hand real quick and they had to do a few special talks because what it did was to make OK cliques. If someone did not make it too 2 meetings in a row some of the idiots would "mark" a person. Some would mark just because they did not get along. Then the idiot ass holes who never saw a pussy in their life tired to reverse it because everyone was marking someone. It ended up being a great division in the hall. You see most people think its fine to mark others or worse but its not OK for them selfs. Its like Mark Twain said, "nothing needs reforming like other peoples habits. "
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  Disillusioned Lost-Lamb

  Preemptive shunning, regular shunning, marking and snubbing happens to more than just those who are fading; my family was always held at arms length. My father is inactive, mother is active but not miss pioneer and grandmother was active but elderly enough she couldn’t “DO MORE”, so you can see we weren’t of the elite or in crowd. That was enough to snub us all, even when I did try to conform to what they wanted.

  Now as a single adult I choose to work, own a home and rely on myself instead of pioneer; for this I am treated like a bad apple in the bunch. I have heard others talking about me saying I’m materialistic and not spiritual. Is this because I’m not a Barbie with a book bag, or is it because I’m not broke, work a crappy job (or as most pioneer sisters my age rely on mommy and daddy), drive a beater car or shun my inactive father? T Maybe it’s because I’m not “drawn by Jehovah” thus not worthy of their attention; such hypocrisy! (By the way, the one’s saying these things are the same elderettes whose own children did questionable to horrible things growing up and got off scott free, no shunning, snubbing or marking.) This two-facedness is really going to bite them in the butt someday.

  I could see from an early age that the wash-towel bait and switch society was full of crap yet I still tried. After years of mistreatment I resolved that everything I did from then on was just to keep my family happy and associating with me. (Unfortunately I learned too late my options for leaving peacefully had closed when I got baptized just to get everyone off my back.) I’m not completely inactive so as to keep up appearances; I figure I have more of a chance of saving my family than leaving, because we all know that once you leave they won’t listen to a word you say.

  According to the bible everything I do is between God and myself, if I’m doing anything wrong than it’s my problem and not their job to judge nor any of their business.

  So now that you’ve heard my lengthy opinion/experience, I say let them snub me.