by kneehighmiah 21 Replies latest jw friends
The only way the WTS will ease up on disfellowshipping is to stop the practice entirely and that is something it will never do. That would effectively end the control it has over individuals as well as congregations and no cult willingly does that.
Quendi
Making it visible.
Be sure to read the last paragraph:
"The weapon of excommunication became the instrument by which the clergy attained a combination of ecclesiastical power and secular tyranny that finds no parallel in history."
- -
No parallel that is until the WTBTS took up the practice! Hypocrites.
- Let's review: It's a cult! -
They may informally (or through some hand written note in the secret elder's book) ease up on DFing for appostacy, but only in cases where the appostate is not spreading his views. There's no way the org would survive if they let the R/F talk to people who've stopped believing the BS.
The WT Society is to far down the disfellowshipping rabbit hole to back out - especially for 'crimes' of apostasy.
By this I mean spreading apostate viewpoints to congregation members or on the internet. Then they are under obligation to shut you up.
Leniency on this particular matter would only lead to divisions - and that is the number ONE thing that the Governing Body can't risk.
ginger
designs - "To much latitude and they get mass exodus, to much restriction and they get mass exodus."
IMO, you'd have to be f**king nuts to want that job.
Thier entire house is built on sand! If they let people fade and apostasy is allowed the rankand file will qquickly learn of all their lies and the whole house will come down. They have to isolate and keep the rank Nd file stupid or it all dies.
I can't see them ever going soft on apostates. The whole cult is built on CONTROL.
They have to create a barrier (shunning) between the 'apostate' and the loyal sheep.
That barrier can only be enforced by individuals being DA'd or DF'd.
I think the only reason I got away with it was because I took control of the situation.
Additionally, my mother, brother and sister have never been in the cult and I made it clear that they were very interested to observe how 'true Christians' treat a member who no longer believes their teachings.
The elders are in a difficult position.
They need to control the congregation from my influence, while being under the gaze of my non-believing family.
TF1
I agree to a point. Its like this basically already.
You want to leave quietly, they assess you as a "threat" and decide you aren't going to "cause problems".....you can go. Just don't let us hear to talking to anyone. So no DFing, unless it rattles back to them somehow.
If you start blabbing on, tell others how you feel, anyone "complains" to the elders, then you are quite possibly going to be DF'd.
Basically if you become or even resemble, that what they are going to say you are anyways.....you are disfellowshipped. If you aren't, they will let you fade, and basically tell everyone that is what you are anyways. :)
It won't ever happen.
They KNOW DFing is wrong...they've known for a very long time.
The problem?
People have killed themselves over this 'doctrine'.... to go back on it will invite lawsuits and a major league defection.
It won't happen.... it's their only weapon.
I don't ever see it happen unless it is in response to legal issues in various parts of the world, for example, Finland is looking seriously that required shunning might be religious discrimination or abuse.
Major changes are always the results of Damage Control.
Follow the Money!
Doc
