As a JW, how did you feel about shunning? (page 5)

William Penwell

I have to say I am ashamed of the way I treated disfellowshipped people when I was a JW. It wasn't as if they were some evil mass murderer or pedophile (not that the JW's know anything about these types) but because they may have not seen eye to eye with the WBTS we were forced to shun them.

20yearfader

I never practiced it, to me the dumbest thing to do to someone that you claim to love is to ignore them.We would go to the dc and i had 2 aunts that were dced.l always made an effort to go and sit with them,which would drive my mother and father bananas.It's funny even as a child i had more sense then most jws,every person i talked to that was dfed was bitter and angry,how is this christian?Most jws use it as a status thing,my mother regular tells me that she's been in the org for 50 years and never been in trouble or dfed,she really looks down on people that have been dfed i think she gets off on it she gets such a certain joy when someone is read off.All my life this wicked cold hearted women has been this way i think the ultimate pleasure for her is to see me destryed at armagedon.If people like her are to be the ones that populate paradise if there is such a thing i'll pass.

rubadubdub

Thanks for the "Welcome", Gone for Good and JW Facts! I owe a debt of gratitude to JW Facts.org, Ex-Jehovah's Witness Forum and Recovery Site (Yuku) and JWN, not to mention all of the YouTube posters! Thanks to all for your help on my journey toward regaining my sanity!

gma-tired2

My first two experiences was at age 14. Couldn't shun first sister. I found her in labor at circuit assembly at out of way restroom. I couldn,t ignore her so took her 4 year old and he and I found her mother to go help her. Samee year teenage friend got pregnant (by CO son) we were told from elders to shun her and not to touch the newborn because she was unclean. Seemed a hateful way to treat someone who was treated so nasitly. (CO son never disfellowshipped.) That started me young to see how unlovîng disfellowshipping was. Also how unfair the elders could be.

ÁrbolesdeArabia

Little children who remember the kind things a disfellowshiped person did were shocked when their parents would grab them by their arms and scream "Why are you talking to that man, he is from the Devil!" How do you explain to a seven year old child, "I don't know what that person did but they must be evil, Jehovah judged them for Gehenna so stay away and never talk to him again!" but Mommy "He was the only person who ever talked to me, he gave me his old video games and Legos, why does Jehovah want to kill him?" because that boy is dating a girl from another church! "Shut up because your making me stressed out with all your questions, just shut up and accept it like me!" but Mommy!

ÁrbolesdeArabia

My bible study teacher was disfellowshiped for marrying out of the truth (20 year old).I was told he was evil and not to question anything the elders said. I am ashamed how stupid a 12 year old was back than, why did I listen to them as having the gospel?

jambon1

One of the big reasons that I left.

gorgia

jwfacts,

My cousin was df'd as a teenager; since then her mother has flip-flopped between total shunning & part-time shunning. When her grandchildren were born, my aunt would visit, when my cousin's marriage broke down, she visited - and every now and then, usually after a CO special talk or assembly, she would send my cousin a letter announcing her reinvigorated stance on shunning - after a while my cousin didn't even bother opening the envelopes.

This same aunt was df'd at one point, and promptly made contact with her daughter, even staying in her house during this time of personal crisis. Once she was reinstated, the status quo resumed.

gorgia

ps - you could also put as an option in the survey - disagreed and openly associated with df'd people

Pyramid Scheme

Did not agree with the practice and secretly associated with disfellowshipped people

Great topic, JW Facts.

I say this with a caveat though....if it was a family member, I always associated with them. If it was a close friend, I didn't go out of my way to associate with them, but I was always friendly, offered a greeting, and was warm and kind to them. If I ran into they at the mall or a restaurant, I would chat with them - sometimes over a coffee......if we were in our "home territory", my DF friends were more mindful of the situation that I even was and we would be discreet.

I think it is a deplorable practice, completely misapplying scripture and shamefully enforced.......along with being inhumane.

XBEHERE

Pre 1998 full support without question. Post 1998 (especially 2002) shunning is total, 100% b/s designed to quiet dissenters and keep people from learning TTATT.

As a JW, how did you feel about shunning?

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