Since many of you were kind enough to give your responses, or at least share in my confusion, I wanted to take some time to share things that went down in the last few days in my family.
To recap, I was born-in but thankfully the hogwash never took. I was actively dodging meetings by age 13 by faking illness, usually missing 20 to 25 days of school per year. I left my family to attend college and was told by a family member that an announcement was made in my local congregation the following year that I was disassociated. I was never called by an elder and never given a reason why the announcement was made. Many of you pointed out in my original thread that I could not have been technically disassociated as I was an unbaptized publisher. In any event, I was cut off from that point on - about 25 years ago - without a word from the congregation. Except for my father's death and funeral, I was not approached by any Witness family members until last year on Facebook (which was a complete but welcome shock).
We'd gotten along well enough just talking about sports and kids, ignoring the giant elephant in the room, until I lost it this past Sunday upon seeing the screenshot of the WT study article concerning treating disfellowshipped persons. In outrage, I posted it on Facebook loudly condemning the shunning practice as un-Christian, and further noted my belief that the Witness organization has blood on its hands by advocating this practice.
Members of my family were horrified by my violent, public reaction, but it shook out some answers.
My younger brother called two nights ago and did his best to explain the situation for me. He said he'd conferred with my older brother - the one who broke the news to me 25 years ago - and confirmed that I was not disassociated or disfellowshipped. When pressed, he couldn't tell me what term the congregation actually used. He then volunteered that the reason for the announcement was because I had written a political piece for my college paper.
Ah.
Pieces of the puzzle suddenly started fitting. I was, indeed, the commentary and opinion editor for the college paper, which had a closed circulation of 7,000. I had brought a few copies on my last family visit in 1989. I realized, at that moment, that my older brother had taken the newspaper and shown the elders of the congregation what I'd written.
I leaned back and exhaled as I realized the sickening truth: I was cut off from my family, without a word of explanation, because of an innocuous article I'd written at the age of 19. Because my brother turned me in.
It seems like a scene right out of George Orwell's "1984".
My younger brother continued, saying that 'mistakes were made' and that 'it would be different now'. Precisely how would it be different? The WT article instructing followers to shun came from last Sunday's Watchtower. When he tried to counter by saying that disfellowshipping is reserved for grave offenses, I countered that many people have been disfellowshipped merely for expressing doubts that the Governing Body is the faithful and discreet slave. And too many of those have felt so abandoned by family and friends that they have felt they had no other choice but to hurt themselves or take their own lives.
He had no answer for that. Because there is none. It is an unforgivable, un-Christian practice and I suppose I should be on my knees thanking God that events unfolded as they did to open my eyes and ears early on to the hypocrisy and lies this organization teaches.
I also wanted to take a moment and thank you all for reading and caring to comment. You have all helped me immensely in the last few days, whether you were aware of that or not. Thank you so very much.