Elders and DF'ing

Crazyguy

To those that have been DF'd do they elders imply or tell you that you no longer have a relationship with god and you can't even pray to him until your back in? I was watching a video and the former jw was implying this.

blondie

According to this df'd jws can pray, in fact must pray before they can be reinstated, p.27 para 9. Can an individual elder say the above, of course, but what scripture does he point to and how does that agree with the official WT stance?

The Watchtower (2006)
w06 11/15 pp. 26-30
Always Accept Jehovah’s Discipline

Repentance is a very important factor in connection with reinstatement into the Christian congregation. A disfellowshipped person is not automatically accepted back into the congregation after a certain amount of time has passed. Before he can be reinstated, his heart condition must undergo a great change. He must come to realize the gravity of his sin and the reproach he brought upon Jehovah and the congregation. The sinner must repent, pray earnestly for forgiveness, and conform to God’s righteous requirements.

DesirousOfChange

There are a couple other things that help --

Doc

Oubliette

There is an irresolvable conflict in JW policies and procedures in this regard. It is inherent in the process and has untold heartache for countless people seeking to be reinstated for any reason.

A DF'd person is supposed to pray for God's forgiveness. But if they tell the elders that they are sure of God's forgiveness before the elders approve their reinstatement request, they run the very real risk of having their request denied for that very reason. The elders will often accuse such a person of being presumptuous and lacking humility.

It's a Catch-22.

I've seen it and experienced it from both sides of the little, back room.

sarahsmile

Never heard that one, but it is in WT: That God does not hear dfd ones prayers. God's active force,holy spirit,left dfd because they are practicing sin!

There might be some elders out there thinking he has rights to tell someone that there is no reason to pray, because Jehovah will not hear you. I do not recall any elder making that statement to me.

I personally heard elders start little discussions about this topic with younger JWs to scare them! In the sixties and seventies, members jumped in on the band wagon to scare their friends and family. The voice of warning!

I think it is a heavy mind control technique that sets people up for failure!

Becoming aware of mind control traps!

Good topic!

stillin

Ones who are in good standing are not to pray FOR DFd ones. It would be acting out of step with the organization. Sorry, no reference, but I'm fairly sure that JWs are told NOT to pray for these. Let 'em burn.

another thing. When I was an attendant an elder told me not to include DFd ones in the count for attendance. He said they were not really there, or some such nonsense. I resisted that, saying that it wasn't something that could be done at assemblies or if there were a family visiting. He backed off on that.

Separation of Powers

JW = relationship with God. No JW = no relationship. There is no "implied" comment. It is a cold hard fact! (at least to them).

SOP

problemaddict

I was disfellowshipped when I was 18 (18 years ago), and it was clearly conveyed to me that I better be reinstated before jehovah came. This was from a mature elder.

I was reinstated in less than 5 months.

Elders and DF'ing

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