Shunning now applies to non-jw relatives of apostates...

by Julia Orwell 8 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Julia Orwell

  Apparently. My never-a-jw mother was at the shops with my never-a-jw 5 year old niece today and saw some jws she's known loosely for years as they were friends of mine. She'd even taught the teenaged girl among them. She sees them and decides to approach them to say hello, and as she reaches them they all turn their backs on her and the little girl. She thought it pathetic of them but when she told me I wanted to tear their heads off.

  It's one thing that people I've known since birth ( the teenager) and since 1998 shun me because their puppet masters tell them to, but my mother? WTF did my mother ever do to them? I'm so mad cuz no one treats my mother like that!!!! I want to call them up and give them a mouth ful, but WTF would be the point!
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  AnneB

  You're right, what would be the point?

  It's a life lesson. People aren't always what we think they are.

  Hug your mom for me...I'm sad that she was "shunned".

  AB
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  snowbird

  I'm sad for the people who feel the need to shun.

  If we deliberately hurt someone, we are diminished, either in our eyes or the other person's.

  When are we going to learn that?
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  The Searcher

  God help those and such as those! If only they'd study the Bible and not the literature from the "gods of Brooklyn", then the scales on their eyes would fall off. Jesus Christ himself said that his disciples would recall his words with the help of his Father's Holy Spirit. It is patently obvious that such Jehovah's Witnesses do NOT have God's Holy Spirit, otherwise they would have been helped to remember these words of Christ -

  (Matthew 5:44-48) " However, I say to you: Continue to love your enemies and to pray for those who persecute you, so that you may prove yourselves sons of your Father who is in the heavens, since he makes his sun rise on both the wicked and the good and makes it rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those loving you, what reward do you have? Are not also the tax collectors doing the same thing? And if you greet your brothers only, what extraordinary thing are you doing? Are not also the people of the nations doing the same thing? You must accordingly be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

  Imagine this very likely scenario; in the coming weeks, your mother get's a knock on the door from Witnesses on their ministry. How should your mother react?

  She should invite them in, offer them a cup of tea, and then share the Bible verses above with them - followed by her "experience" of how she was treated by self-righteous people who are defaming the name, "Christian".
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  Julia Orwell

  Lol if they came mum would be as nice to then as to anyone because although she's atheist, she's more Christian than anyone else I've met in my life. Although a non believer, she's modeled her life after Jesus's example of charity and forgiveness so although the jws upset her, she's forgiven those who will never forgive someone with an apostate daughter.
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  LongHairGal

  Julia Orwell:

  It is simply guilt by association. It is similar to me being shunned by my sister's ex's family when they see me in a store. She divorced him so therefore our whole family are the bad guys.

  As far as JWs are concerned: their religion's beliefs are so flimsy and ridiculous that they cannot stand up to any kind of scrutiny. I am of the opinion that every JW goes through a period of doubt at some point in their "career" as JWs. I know I did.

  Sometimes Witnesses are able to suppress these doubts but they suffer a mental price of cognitive dissonance. Sometimes the evidence against the religion is overwhelming and they have to get out.

  So, when JWs see anybody who defects from the religion (and appears to be happy) it really messes with their heads because how could anybody leave the religion if it was truth??? You and every other ex-JW is a living reminder that something is wrong with their religion and they can't deal with that.
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  piztjw

  Your account reminds me of what happened to me some fifteen years ago, or so.

  I was at the time married to a woman who was not a jw. I was "marked" and actively shunned by most in the congregation. A particular eldurr seemed to take great pleasure in openly shunning me, unless my wife and her nine year old daughter were with me at a meeting. Then, and only then, he would make a big show of walking pompously from one side of the kingdom hall to the other, smile that Chesire cat smile, ask me, "How are you my brother?" and totally ignore my wife and daughter. Even if they would at first try to talk to him he would treat them like shit! It was so obvious my daughter asked me, "Why does that man HATE us so bad?"

  Hypocrites is what they are!
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  kaik

  My JW aunt shunned her grandchildren when my cousin walked away from the >Truth<. She was proud doing it because she considered his offspring as children of Satan who would weaken her faith. She pretty much died without knowing them.
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  Julia Orwell

  It's amazing how much these people don't think. I shunned with the rest of them as a jw, but not to the point of ignoring someone. I'd make eye contact or say hi where I could. Isn't that a better way to win someone over?