Have to reiterate my thoughts from my own convention, as posted on my previous convention thread. Sadly my music was not up loud enough to drown out this particular talk on Saturday...
"They also blamed "unbelieving family members" for causing division. So...whose religious leaders tell who to shun who here? Is there something difficult to understand about your own policies? Why do you think you can tell people the opposite of the truth (a lie) and--okay. It's a lie--family members are typically baffled and legitimately concerned when their relative's religion causes them to start withdrawing from the family like they've got a disease. I guess I called to mind how they railroaded the late Ray Franz, who was kind enough to write good articles giving family members a chance to reconnect with DF'd relatives. A shame. Shame on them.
"The wrongdoer has changed his relationship with Jehovah and thus his family members." "The DF'd person chose to leave Jehovah and us." <--That one really pissed me off. The DF'd person left a religion and did NOT leave his family, his family abandons him, shuns HIM. The religion tells the family to shun HIM, not the other way around. If a family member is to be held hostage by the dictates of the religion for fear of losing his family, well, "Let's review: It's a cult!""
--sd-7