This is a Duplicate. AOL was having some trouble.
Edited by - charlie on 17 January 2001 23:12:34
Is it Biblical to Shun??
by charlie 6 Replies latest jw friends
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JT
of course it is-
If you had some dude "Poking" his 2 daughters why would anyone not want to shun such a man-
but now if you are talking about WT's "Version" of shunning, now that is another issue all together
One needs to look at wt for what it actually is -- according to a "Printing trade mag" i read almost 2yrs ago
wt is the 2nd largest printing company right behind the USA Gov Printing Office here in DC
and much like any Corp they have corporate policies- the very best Elders are refered to as "Society Men"
these are guys who usually will follow whatever is "IN PRINT"
AND shunnning is one of those things- wt has taken shunning to a level that is often times hard to believe- but it has
so does the bible support shunning- yes it is- but what things do one shun over - well that is where Orgainized Religion makes the rules
just my 2
JT
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claudia
You know I HATED the way jws KNOWING that someone in their religion is doing something horrible will still talk to them before they are df'd. But not after, if someone is lets say beating their wife, I do not want anything to do with them PERIOD! An example, in my bible teachers cong, there was a wife beater, yet everyone associated with him, and another poor sap who cheated on his wife is totally treated like dirt and ignored. Thats so sad, politics I think.
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Gozz
What is recorded in the bible at I Cor Chapter 5 leaves little or no doubt as to the question of shunning. Of course, decent people are appropriately repulsed by blatantly uncivil behaviour. When crimes are committed, the judicial system imprisons offenders; for sins committed in the christian congregation, shunning, or disfellowshipping is the result if such one remains unrepentant.
The problem however lies in how far we are to go with regard to shunning, and for which sins people are to be shunned, and for how long. For example, the bible states that liars will not inherit God's kingdom, but how many people have been disfellowshipped for telling lies? There are even instances where a lie is given another name and then justified.
Even a disfellowshiped person is not totally shunned, for some elders may meet with such one after the word goes out that he be shunned. And in the family, it may become unloving, unchritain, to totally shun someone who has been involved in wrongdoing, especially as reinstatement is dependent upon the judgement of humans. We thus are in the constant danger of continuing to shun someone who has probably been forgiven by Jehovah.
Take for example David. His sins of adultery, and then murder, did not result in any immediate consequence. He did not willingly confess, and he continued in the state of sin up till about nine months. The move for his repentance was at the instance of Jehovah. And naturally, he only suffered the consequences of his actions but retained his priviledges. What do we learn from the event? That Jehovah may forgive, and we may not know it. That we may continue to shun someone already accepted by Jehovah. That we do not see the heart, or discern its leaning, which heart is the crucial element in the forgiveness of sins.
Thus, as in other matters in Christain living, we must constantly keep our limitations in view. When shunning tends towards wickedness, and separates families, causing something like hatred, then it is doubtful if it will achieve it's purpose of winning back the wrongdoer.
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peaceloveharmony
i have to say that by shunning me; my sister, brother and the other witnesses in the cong have only pushed me further away from ever wanting to come back into the fold. i found my "worldly" friends really loved me and cared about me. i found out what unconditional love is. i have friends that are my friends because they like me for me-even though i smoke, curse, and sometimes get really drunk and make a fool out of myself. they still love me! of course my friends that don't smoke don't want me to smoke but they would never shun me about it because friendship and love is more important to them.
i don't care if shunning is biblical--it is not right for family to shun. yes i'm a sinner according to christians but just associating with me is not going to make you commit the sins i commit. unless of course, you want to commit those sins, then it won't matter if you're talking to me or not. i recently wrote a letter to my sister. i told her that i would never ever be a jehovah's witness again, it's been eight years, get over it. i just want my sister in my life. i would love it if she left the jws but i would never overtly try to get her to leave. i just want my big sister back:(
Edited by - peaceloveharmony on 18 January 2001 11:15:24
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larc
Lovepeaceharmony,
Some things you wrote brought back some memories. I think the JWs used to be a kinder religion. I left before the elder system and back then the local governance was strict, but not as harse as I read about here. Also, they didn't have the stupid dating rule: only ask someone for a date if you want to marry them, a reallly stupid rule put in place by very old men who are out of touch with reality. At one time smoking was not an issue. Rutherford smoked the finest cigars he could get his hands on. When Knorr came in, smoking was frowned upon, but there was no punishment. My mother and father smoked and when they made it a dissfellowshipping offense, try as they might they couldn't quit. Although a real shame for them, it was a blessing for me, because once they were out, they could talk to me again.
Well, I can only remain serious for brief periods, so, Lovepeaceharmony, I have to get a little silly. You said that what you do wouldn't prompt others to do it. Well, let me tell you, after reading your post, I ran right out and bought a pack of cigarettes, came home and put beer on my cheerios, and followed that with several Beam and cokes. Actually, it was a pretty nice morning.:):)