Active/Fading JWs...How Many Have Been DFd in Your Hall in the Last Year?

LostGeneration

My JW wife came home really upset a couple weeks back. Someone was "announced" at the hall that she really loves, a young woman.

It was the fourth person DFd from her hall since the beginning of 2012. Two young people, one single mother, (those three probably for "sex crimes" but I don't know 100%) and one MS, which is the most interesting from my perspective because I knew the guy to always be a rebel, and I suspect it was for apostasy or he DAd. I tried to track him down but he moved right after.

We pretty much have a radio silence agreement about religion these days, as I screwed up when leaving myself, but when she brings up things I gently discuss them, trying to use questions to help her evaluate right and wrong from her non-cult personality. She has slowly slacked off in activity, missing about 40% of meetings over the last six months, but still pretty much mentally captive. Slow progress I know, but its something.

Back the the DFd people...curious on how many have been kicked out of your hall in the last year to 15 months. I would guess from my years "in the cult" that it is usually 1-2 a year, per congo. Four is a lot, IMO, so I speculated to her that the literature is increasingly harsh, judgemental, shrill, and unforgiving. The elders follow the lead of the WTS and the material they print, so they too are being harsh. To my surprise, she agreed.

There is a new CBOE in the hall, who I guess is a real hard ass - so I don't know if he is leading the lynchings. So what I'm asking is have more people been DFd in your area than usual?

finally awake

In the entire 12 years I was attending, there was only one disfellowshipping and a couple of reproofs.

LostGeneration

Wow that's really low Finally....

Maybe I should also ask the demographic of the congo if people would be willing to share...indicate city/suburban/rural.

My wife attends a suburban congo...lots of families/kids/teens.

ÁrbolesdeArabia

LostGen, what's the secret to help deprogram your wife? The usual being treated like trash from the congregation only amplifies "Jehovah is testing us all, we need to wait on him to fix all the bad taking place in the Kingdom Hall!"

With elders gossiping to their wives, she hears all the speculation about my particular departure and all the lies still can't break that weird loyalty only Jim Jones would be proud of!

Vidiot

ÁrbolesdeArabia - " 'Jehovah is testing us all, we need to wait on him to fix all the bad taking place in the Kingdom Hall!' "

To which I would respond, "In the Bible, God 'fixed the bad' taking place in wayward Isreal by letting the agents and armies of 'Satan's World' spank 'em, and spank 'em hard, did He not?"

Growing up, my devout (but nontheless very intelligent) JW parents taught me that God expects us to live with the consequences of our mistakes or "sins", and that said consequences were - far more often than not - appropriate for the alleged "sin".

When the reasons for my inactive status came up in a conversation with my mom a couple years back, I reminded her of both those principles, and asked her if they applied to the WTS and the GB as much as anyone else.

She had to honestly concede that yes, they did; she's never given me much shit about fading since.

Darkside Blues

As of this writing, three people have been disfellowshipped in (my parent's) cong. No one's been reinstated, at least not yet.

EmptyInside

Three also in the local congregation here,mostly middle-aged,different reasons for disfellowshipping.

finally awake

The hall I attended was rural, basically middle class people with a few on the lower end of the economic spectrum. There were a lot of family groups - the PO and the secretary were brothers, their wives and children all attended the same hall. Another family group included a mom, daughter, son in law, 3 grandchildren, the spouse of one grandchild, and that spouse's mother, brother, and sister in law. There were only about 40 people total who attended meetings regularly. There were just a few teens/young adults.

oppostate

The congo I attend is about two hours away from a major city. We've had 6 df's in the last year. Just recently two teenagers aged 16 and 17, both females were df'ed. One just came back from staying with relatives in Alaska, her Dad was an MS and was reproved. The other was baptized less than a year ago. An older brother who's been in the Hall since the 70's just got df'ed as well in 2013, for "violent anger" issues (read alzheimers) he used to be a logger and then worked in a saw mill, he lives on Social Security and used to get rides to the meetings.

DesirousOfChange

In the past 2 years, I can think of 3 persons, and 5 in the past 5 years. Middle class area of the Bible Belt, 1 hour from major Metropolitan city.

#1 & #2: Young couple doing the Dirty Deed, she got pregnant. They never missed a meeting, yet still it was well over a year before they were reinstated. And I suspect it would not have happened even that soon except her mother was dying of cancer and they were reinstated weeks before her death. (Evidently someone on that committee did have some compassion and pushed to make it happen.)

#3: Newly baptised convert who came in "wiz-bang". He was a wonderchild and baptized within a year. Wife and kids did not all take the plunge. He had a personal dispute with an elder and quit attending and very soon he had discovered jwfacts and was full of fear about TTATT. He actually went to the elders over these issues (failed prophecy and 607) and was told he should DA or they would form JC for his involvment in apostacy. Without having to worry about any other family in The Truth, he didn't think twice about it.

#3 & #4: Though more than 5 years ago, 2 young persons. One for "drunkenness" (sadly a young man with alcoholism problems early in life --20s) and a young woman for going back to the Party Lifestyle -- pot and screwing around.

Evidently a lot more who have been "reproved" than DFd.

Doc

Active/Fading JWs...How Many Have Been DFd in Your Hall in the Last Year?

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