JBean,
My point exactly.
Yes shunning creates behavior, but not the kind the Watchtower Society says that it creates.
Shunning creates lying, extortion, reviling in the form of gossip and a number of other forms of unkindness. Rarely do people say, let me see now, I think I won't be a homosexual or won't sleep with my boyfriend/girlfriend or stop any other behavior because of fear of disfellowshipping.
The only firm foundation for a set of moral behavior is a set of moral beliefs that one accepts for one's life. This is established between an individual human, their own conscience and whatever higher power they have faith in (even if this higher power is simply "the greater good" of humanity or society. These moral beliefs are what truly shape long term behavior, not shunning, judicial committees or magazine articles harping on the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases, lung cancer, etc. etc. etc.
Moral power comes from God and morality is therefore a personal issue between God and each individual. Shunning is an unneeded and destructive intervention into an authority that belongs to God alone, that of judgement.
I have a very high set of ethics that center around honesty and kindness. I am not perfect and clearly have displayed unkindness at times, even here on this board. When I do this I consistently apologize for my behavior and ask for forgiveness from the person I have been unkind to and from God. I hold to this set of ethics because I believe in them as firm moral concepts, not because of the fear of shunning, eternal death or eternal torment. I hold to them because of the value I place in the moral concepts themselves.
Peace
Joel
