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The Disfellowshipping Arrangement, New Book, Hope It Helps
by graysome67 18 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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graysome67
Wow, I appreciate all the kind responses! One of the issues I wanted to address was that of the situation in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, regarding the one whom Paul instructed them to "hand over to Satan." From the viewpoint of former elders, I know a big question is how 1 Corinthians 5 harmonizes with the rest of the instructions Jesus gave his followers on forgiveness. What the Society overlooks is that it was an extreme case and that Paul calls the Corinthian congregation "worldly!"
However, there are many fine details I deliberately passed over on the book. My aim was to make a concise read that a disillusioned JW would pick up and finish before they even realized they'd gone through the entire book. I also draw attention to articles from the Watchtower and Awake magizines that flagrantly attack the mental health industry, even purporting them to be the cause of vices and immorality. I decided not to use the example of the young girl I mentioned in my original post because her family was once personal friends of ours and I'm waiting for some time to pass. Eventually I will probably do a second edition when I have more time, and include some more details.
And 1 Corinthians 4:3, 4, wow! I overlooked that. That would have made a great addition to my argument regarding the situation in 1 Corinthians 5. Especially since I cited a passage from 1 Corinthians chapter 3 in the same context. Like I said, I will probably do a second edition eventually. Speaking of which, please excuse any typographical or grammatical errors if anyone happens to read the book and come across. I appreciate all the comments. If anyone has some JW friends or relatives who are receptive to Watchtower criticism, my hope is that someone will put this book in their hands. It's strange, after pausing for several months, I came back to the book to finish it up and couldn't believe some of the information that I had compiled. I feel the book really exposes the asinine and coldhearted stand of the Society. If someone is struggling with doubts, I think this book will help them make up their minds.
If anyone has any constructive criticism or ideas that they would like to contribute then by all means, send me a private message and I'll give you my email address. I appreciate it!
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00DAD
GraySome67,
Congrats on publishing your work!
I just ordered it and am looking forward to reading it. I'll let you know what I think when I read it.
Are you open to constructive criticism and/or feedback?
BTW, I'm a former magazine editor and currently teach high school English/Creative Writing (among other subjects).
00DAD
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cobaltcupcake
That whole judicial committee thing is not scriptural. I'll order one of your books. Thanks for letting us know!
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sd-7
Hmm. I've done some pondering on this issue myself. I always figured that the term itself is not in the Bible, and the concept of a judicial committee doesn't exist either. What Paul did in the letter to the Corinthians was a very public exposing of this individual's sins, showing that dealing with unrepentant sinners was not done in secret, but openly. It didn't mean that the guy just became a non-person, just that he didn't share in their meals. The instructions didn't go into any further detail for our sakes. Don't mix in company with him, don't eat with him. A big snub, but not an absolute shunning. I'm sure Paul could've used stronger words if that was what he meant to say. The Society combines that with an unrelated verse in 2 John and comes up with their shunning policy.
Another verse that comes to mind is 2 Cor. 12:21: 21 I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.
So Paul did actually grieve for these folks, not just view them coldly as non-people (note that this verse has NEVER to my knowledge been discussed in Watchtower literature, I found it cited in an article that talks about the DF'ing arrangement, but no actual analysis of the verse was done there). I figured that's worth something, you know?
But maybe I'll check out your book. Do you plan on making it available for Kindle users? Or is that expensive to do? There is also the need to conceal it from overzealous/paranoid JW spouses that some among us suffer from...
--sd-7
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TJ Curioso
Ordered! Thanks for the information and the work envolved.
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puffthedragon
Do you plan to sell this on kindle as well? I'd like to buy it, but I'd rather have it on my kindle so I don't have those sort of books lying around. I still have witness friends over from time to time and don't like leaving evidence of my apostacy (or hedonism) laying around. Thanks for writing this book.
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00DAD
cobaltcupcake: That whole judicial committee thing is not scriptural.
Au contraire my dear, but it is:
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graysome67
of course, I welcome constructive criticism so long as it is directed in a cooperative and contributive manner, as opposed to argumentative or contentioous. My whole aim is to help people see how this policy controls and warps the minds of honest men, women and children who sincerely want to please God and Christ, but suffer with weaknesses, sinful tendencies and so forth.
I feel confident that I could hold my own just fine if challenged to an intellectual fencing match.
But I find that online debating is rarely beneficial for any of the involved parties (or the spectators for that matter), as it usually degenerates into personal invective and hand-waving arguments. I say this because I'm trying to emphasize that my purpose in researching and publishing this material is solely to help people. To be honest, this was one of the subjects that I found to be a great obstacle to overcome. The Society's policy and enforcement thereof just didn't feel "righteous" or "loving" as they often propound. However, my mind was locked into their circular arguments and it just seemed like too great a topic to refute. But at the same time, there seemed to be way too much scripture-hopping within the framework of the doctrine to be sound. So I prayed and deliberated on the matter for a long time before delving into it. Then the aforementioned incident became the last straw and I decided that it was time to sit down and pinpoint the weaknesses of their argument. Publishing a book seems to be the most effective way to get the information out there to the masses, especially with Amazon since their cross-linked algorithms will help it appear in interrelated searches. By the way, I read the thread you posted a link to...very good analogy. Do you mind if I borrow that in the future if I finally publish a revised version?And, by the way, I do plan on getting this published with Kindle. Kindle utilizes a different format and so I'm currently working on it. Should be available very soon though! I will post a link to it here on the forum once it is available.
Feel free to contact me at [email protected]