Will The Watchtower's Last Weapon Fail?

by metatron 4 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  metatron

  Shunning! Disfellowshipping!

  The Watchtower's final weapon in its corrupt war against
  exposure.

  But is this weapon weakening?

  1) If they keep stressing shunning the weak and inactive,
  and CALLING THEM APOSTATE - they tend to dilute
  the whole sanction.

  Note: in this regard, I laughed some years ago at a
  born again pastor who lamented that many of his flock
  "lived together". "What can I do? Tell them all
  they're going to Hell?"
  
  Indeed, if you df too many people, the whole thing
  gets ridiculous.

  2) I've noticed that DF'd people locally can be well
  informed about gossip in the congregation. The
  secret is to meet them privately. Better yet, use
  e-mail! Act surprized if their identity is exposed.
  ("I had no idea SatansSpawn69 was Brother DF'd!")

  3) The Society keeps complaining about meeting with
  df'd family members - looks like their control
  is slipping.

  4) Frankly, most Witnesses I've known MY WHOLE LIFE
  ARE JUST BORING COMPANY. God!, I often ask myself
  what did I ever talk to these people about? They
  don't read, think, or generally have hobbies
  other than chronic illnesses! I don't care how
  elevated they may think themselves to be - the
  narrowmindedness of the 'truth' takes it toll!
  Boring meetings make boring people! Their loss may
  not be that great.

  5) finally, a thought from my stepdaughter:

  "if my 'friends' shun me, they never really
  were my friends!" dang!, she's right!

  and they still talk to her secretly! Love those 'loyal
  Witness kids, breaking the system down!

  Too bad for the old men in power,
  Control and domination is slipping away.

  metatron
• 

  Bendrr

  Metatron, right as usual.
  My brother is DF'd (or DA'd, he never actually said for sure) and still has loads of friends still in. Last time I talked to him he was in his truck en route to the house of some dub friends. He still talks to our parents like I do. I talk to mom on the phone once a week, and if I miss calling mom calls me and makes it a point to say she's calling because I DIDN'T. Only thing we don't do is actually get together in person, though when dad is giving a public talk in town they do like to stop by.
  A couple of times mom has said something to the effect of "being discreet" in calls and visits, hence I don't go to their house.
  The main auto parts supplier for the shop where I work is ran by dubs, a couple of whom I've known for years. They all say hi when they see me there.
  I really have to agree with you that most of the r&f deep down inside don't like the shunning policy. Especially those who have kids who are/were df'd. For a parent to watch their child shunned in such a way is unimagineable to me. I can see it in my own parents. One conversation with my mom regarding a family death ended up going into the disfellowshipping issue and I let her have it pretty hard about what I thought about the policy. She tried to tell me it was right, but I could hear the conflict in her voice. I knew somewhere deep down inside she was agreeing with me.
  Maybe I'm way out there with this, but it's conceivable that the ever-increasing df'ings will have a hand in reforming the policy itself. I really just don't see this policy surviving in its present harsh form forever. I don't see it going away though.
  It's been noted that the stance on shunning swings back and forth from draconian to kinda-sorta-liberal. Say what you like about how dubs will gulp down without question "[blinking] new light" on policy but this one hits closer to home and the heart than just about all others and going from hard to soft to hard every several years just ain't gonna fly forever.

  Love conquers all. We just have to keep on working on our family and friends who shun/semi-shun us. Some will eventually get results, others maybe not. The only way to garantee no results is not to try at all.

  Mike.

  whatever...
• 

  rmayer32

  Their greatest fear is people opening their eyes.

  -Rick
• 

  MacHislopp

  Hello Metatron and the others,

  thanks for the comments...very true indeed.

  Rik: "Their greatest fear is people opening their eyes."

  You couldn't have stated better!

  Greetings, J.C. MacHislopp
• 

  Angst

  to quote Metatron:

  4) Frankly, most Witnesses I've known MY WHOLE LIFE
  ARE JUST BORING COMPANY. God!, I often ask myself
  what did I ever talk to these people about? They
  don't read, think, or generally have hobbies
  other than chronic illnesses! I don't care how
  elevated they may think themselves to be - the
  narrowmindedness of the 'truth' takes it toll!
  Boring meetings make boring people! Their loss may
  not be that great.

  I think the chronic illness part is so true Metatron. I've known countless chronically ill witnesses including my own mother. Personally I think that their being chronically ill is due in part to the fact that they are weak minded individuals who desparately feel the need to be led along mentally.