Ethos,
I am glad you are here. Unfortunately, i f this became known to your elder body, you would face sanction of some nature.
I believe true Christian unity is based on love, not total agreement on all issues. (Colossians 3:14) However, if you see what was said during the testimony at the Walsh trial, a Witness would have to accept even a false prophesy to maintain ‘unity at all costs’. A Witness has to support a teaching even when they know it to be incorrect. (1 Corinthians 13:6; John 4:24)
In regard disfellowshipping and the subsequent complete disconnection from friends and family for disagreeing with one or many of the doctrines, I would like to contrast this to what I have found in mainstream Christian denominations, based on my observations of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the United Methodists, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
In mainstream Christian denominations, there is unity in essentials, liberty in non-essentials, and in all things love. The only essential is belief in Christ. Within a mainline church, there is a plurality of viewpoints and people have the freedom to express them. (Romans 14) Nobody is expelled or shunned for believing or expressing them, to congregation members, even to the elders or pastor. (3 John 10) If a person chooses to leave that church or denomination, they are not shunned. A person does not have to go against their conscience or agree anything they believe to be incorrect.
In each of these seven churches I’ve went to observe, I found Christian love to be very operative. (John 13:35) There are very friendly and loving people on par or even exceeding what I’ve observed in a Kingdom Hall. More than that, they do not condemn people of other denominations. They recognize other groups as equally Christian as they. They do good and practical works on behalf on the community without “counting their time”. (James 1:27; Matthew 25:34-45)
People in mainline denominations can read whatever information their conscience allows. Nobody is warned against former members or websites or books. There is no information control. To my knowledge, there is no board like this for former Methodists, Disciples of Christs, Evangelical Lutherans, ect--not anything like there are for former JWs, Mormons, and Scientologists.
