by punkofnice 11 Replies latest jw experiences
As you all know since I became a 'mentally diseased apostate that the Jehu elders should slaughter(TM)' my wife left me and ripped our family apart.
The elders are convinced it's all my fault that the family suffered although I was the one trying to hold it all together.
I just read Greybeard's story about his wife leaving.
How many of you have had family break ups as a result of the heartless and selfish WBT$ corporation?
Is this just a recent trend?
I have noticed this is occuring more since the 1975 fiasco. WT$ members must be careful what they discuss around family members or they might turn you in to the Borg leaders.
Punky, you forgot we are gangrenous as well a mentally diseased now
Re: When did the WBT$ start to break up families?
Inception
The first 2 Presidents of this crazy cult organization, both Russell and Rutherford had dysfunctional families.
From about Day One.
Although - it certainly intensified from late 1981 onward, when the WTS invented the term "Disassociated", and applied to that the same stigma as "Disfellowshipped."
Bill.
I believe it started with the "rules" for separation, one of them being "spiritual endangerment".
Yes, your "apostate" ideas/questions endanger your wife/family and anyone else that hears them BECAUSE THEY CANNOT BE ANSWERED!!! The questions Greg/Greybeard poses in his letter cut the life right out of the JW doctrine of there being any Divine Direction by God. God (as I perceive him) DOES NOT f*** up that much nor that often. Their massive failures in comprehending scripture and prophecy can only be the results of imperfect, mortal men. Their own definitions say as much. Deut 18 says as much.
When a person who was once mesmerized and blinded by the WT smoke & mirrors, steps aside far enough to "see behind the curtain", then you are damn right it causes "spiritual endangerment"! You are no longer under their spell. If you have a conscience, you cannot continue to follow them blindly, because YOU are no longer blind too. Instead, I was stunned that I had been so gullible, deceived, and misled.
Any spouse, family member, or close friend who would give an honest hearted look at such information would also be "stumbled". Thus the WT leaders have to put distance between them and you. Further, they have to "demonize" the questioner and they do so by playing he "apostate" card. Anyone that questions or chanllenges The Truth is immediately "apostate". As Greg mentioned, his JW family begged him to be quiet and keep his questions to himself. Why? Because they could see that there would be no explaining the lies/untruths. Yet, they did not want to face TTATT. They did not want their apple cart overturned. Why would anyone not what The [real] Truth? Because the WTS/GB has orchestrated it so that there are such horrible consequences to be paid by anyone that questions anything. This is how they maintain their control and power over anyone smart enough to question their "divine" authority.
Yes, it's a Cult.
Doc
Although Russell and Rutherfraud were idiots, neither of them really pushed the whole shunning-your-family idea too much. It was making ground under Knorr (who was the asshole most responsible for the blood doctrine and disfellowshipping as we know it today). For a brief period in the early or mid 70's, the rules were actually relaxed a bit as to how to treat a DF'd person and you could actually (gasp!) say 'hello' to them.
Things of course came to a head after the witchhunt at Crooklyn in 1980 and with the ousting of Ray Franz and others high up in the Organization who knew alot of what went on behind closed doors; (material that could be great fodder for Penn & Tellers 'Bullshit' show). After that, they (most prominently Freddie Franz) came down like a ton of bricks on the R&F and they did not give a damn how many families they split up---loyalty to the Borg came first and it's been that way ever since.
Although Russell and Rutherfraud were idiots, neither of them really pushed the whole shunning-your-family idea too much.
They didn't push it at all, as far as I know.
In fact, Charles Taze Russell spoke out against shunning those who left his movement:
"According to this Scripture the very most that the church could do would be that, after having vainly endeavored to get the brother to repent and reform, it should withdraw special brotherly fellowship from him until such time as he would express willingness thereafter to do right. Then he should be received again into full fellowship.
In the meantime the brother may merely be treated in the kindly, courteous way in which it would be proper for us to treat any publican or Gentile, withholding the special rights or privileges or greetings or voting opportunities that belong to the church as a class separate from the world" Watchtower 1919 Mar 1 p.69
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/disfellowship-shunning.php
According to Barbara Anderson's article at Watchtower Documents, it's been about 120 years now: (emphasis mine)
From all accounts, the Russells were a happy couple until the early 1890s. Mrs. Russell left her husband in November 1897 and they divorced in 1906. After the divorce Pastor Russell publicly distorted the facts regarding the cause of the breakup of his marriage. He denied all charges and explained that his wife left him because of revenge because he refused to permit her to take control of their religious journal to spread her women’s rights ideas. He publicly doubted his wife’s writing ability. Mrs. Russell asserted that she did at least half of the writing for each one of the first four volumes of the Millennial Dawn series of books; yet, her participation has been denied. Moreover, the legal corporation she co-founded published over 50,000 pages of material which directors have given credit solely to Pastor Russell as author of.
