How would YOU explain a Jehovah's Witness FEAR of Disfellowshipping to a reporter ?

by Balaamsass 19 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • Balaamsass
    Balaamsass

    Thanks everyone. The more comments the better.

    I have listened to old combat veterans speak of battles 40 years past that give them nightmares, and it reminds me of trauma I read here from victims of JW abuse 40 years past. It is all in how the INDIVIDUAL processes events.

    The Mrs continues to have bad JW dreams. We discussed this the other morning. She dug up the old Paradise book to show me the drawings of toddlers and toys being destroyed and swallowed by a huge crack in the earths crust. It was a flashback for me. I hope we can express these feelings in words.

  • ziddina
    ziddina

    I wish I could add something, but so many other people have eloquently phrased replies that I hesitate to attempt it.

    Balaam's Arse, your efforts are to be applauded!

    [I will just add this suggestion - maybe ask the reporter to attend a few meetings and see what HE thinks? If you could arrange it so he could show up for the "primarily aimed at members" Watchtower study, that might give him an insight...]

  • Balaamsass
    Balaamsass

    Good idea Zid. Even in an LA or NYC Congregation the comments from some of the zealous in the peanut gallery may sound like a group of Appalachia Penticostal Snake Charmers. One of those Pen or Tie cameras would be AWESOME !

    What week would be THE most interesting Watchtower Study in the next 6 weeks ?

  • ziddina
    ziddina

    Gooooood Question.

    I've been out for 25 years, so I have no clue.

  • Balaamsass
  • jemba
    jemba

    bttt

  • apostatethunder
    apostatethunder

    The fear of being disfellowshipped is the fear of being rejected and totally excluded by everyone that knew you from the time of your birth, including your family if you were a born in. As you were encouraged not to have bad associations (the rest of the world), it amounts to being rejected and excluded by your closest friends and/or even family members.

    And that could come only from voicing your disagreement with a policy they enforce everyone to follow, or after somebody stalked you to find out who were you spending the night with, or after you decided to wear a cross pendant or decorating a Christmas Tree in your own house. A very high price to pay compared to the “crime”.

    Nobody views their baptism as a commitment to a human corporation in any way but as the public expression of their private dedication to God. Adults don’t understand what they are getting into, children much less so.

    They say the day of your baptism is the most important one in your life, even more than your wedding day, a child is in no condition of making such a big commitment. Neither an uninformed adult that doesn‘t know the implications of entering into a contract with the WT. Nowadays there is more information available, years ago it was not so much around.

    Their baptism is a fraud as it has a different meaning for them than what it has for their followers.

  • TheSilence
    TheSilence

    From a post I made in 2003 in answer to a similar, though not exactly the same, question:

    Do you remember when you were a kid and you were terrified of monsters in the dark? You know, the age when you were old enough to know better... but they still terrified you? And you would lay in bed afraid that they might be coming for you, afraid of what they would do to you. That's what the fear is like, the fear that God will kill you for not following the rules. You can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it makes no sense and still it terrifies you. The only difference is my dad told me that my demons were real, he didn't check under the bed and make them go away.

    Jackie

  • flipper
    flipper

    BTTT, Peace out, Mr. Flipper

  • Balaamsass
    Balaamsass

    Great comments. Thanks!

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