I agree with whoever pointed out that the JC decisions are too subjective, having said that JCs should not have been invented by the WTBS to control people the way they do.
Loz x
Why WTBTS Disfellowshipping Works...
by AGuest 61 Replies latest jw friends
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Band on the Run
I know the jc and disfellowshiping must be very painful for someone who felt they had a kind, loving religion. It is beyond more than empathy, though. I always knew it was arbitrary and often. Most of the notables at Bethel were on the line at one time. The consensus among insiders was that they did no wrong. Much like Ray Franz, any old rule was used b/c they were a threat to the person above.
Smaller churches may have community trials where all participate in a "verdict." There are many reasons why most churches do not. The status quo loves the status quo. Americans don't have mob rule as a norm. Mob rule resulted in lynchings. We select representatives to make these judgments. Casey Anthony or OJ Simpson would have been convicted if the mob/entire community had a say. Judges see cases all the time and their education lets them have some reflective powers. It is different in Europe.
Some matters require discretion and privacy. An entire body is not suited to this type of deliberation. I would never want the power to disfellowship someone or to rule on the merits. It is tacky. Who am I to judge? Esp. with what Jesus said.
Mainstream churches have committees. I have served on committees. The process is that you volunteer or are elected by your peers. There is a concerted effort to include bishops and their designees, clergy, and lay people. Google is a useful tool today. Hopefully, we are much wiser than before.
You can't expect due process from a cult. It may hurt. Probably in the future, you will check all the documentation a church has. I suppose they will not advertise their policy to new victims. I understand the painful process. The positive side