Firstly, let me say that I agree with a religion’s right to expel members whose behaviour they deem incompatible with their ethos. I have no problem with that. However, I do have a problem with the way that disfellowshipped ones are treated afterwards.
The act of permanently shunning another human being, and especially members of your own family, is abhorrent, wicked, evil and barbaric.
I am not interested in scriptural reasoning. Show me a scripture that supports shunning in the way that the WBTS does it and I will tell you that scripture is WRONG. In any case, scriptures can be twisted, misapplied, misinterpreted and generally screwed around with to support any belief system. To paraphrase the famous line: All scripture is inspired by ancient peoples, and totally useless for setting things straight in this modern world.
People are often disfellowshipped not because of gross immorality but simply because they question the teachings of the WBTS. Either that or they are considered to have disassociated themselves – there is no distinction between disassociation and disfellowshipping in reality, both result in enforced shunning. You may ask ‘what company does not expel members who do not keep to the companies rules, or who no longer wish to be a member of the company? I hate these twisted analogies, that start out trying to portray reasonableness but in reality are a perverted excuse to hurt people who no longer believe as you do. I ask you in return: ‘What company will expel a member and then insist that all current members no longer talk to such ones?’
What is the real purpose of disfellowshipping? Is it an act of love to bring erring ones to their senses? Why, in the vast majority of cases, does it not work then? The real purpose of disfellowshipping is control. The WBTS use it to keep the congregations in order through this rule of fear. How can someone follow their heart and try to worship God in truth when they know that this will mean expulsion and shunning? When such ones try to help others to leave they are treated worse than lepers. Because of the subtle and not-so-subtle methods used to threaten congregation members that they are to avoid disfellowshiped individuals or face disfellowshiping themselves, the act of disfellowshiping is no longer a form of trying to help someone. It is no longer a form of loving or even less than loving discipline. It is not discipline at all, but a form of controlling individuals who step out of line. Many are faced with the prospect of losing family and friends or being forced to toe the party line.
Let me ask you something, Non, have you ever had the pain of shunning a family member? Until you have, you can't spout out about what a loving thing it is. I know, first hand, the pain and trauma of shunning someone you love. Being forced to do something like that against every axiom of my being hurt so bad...
My sister was disfellowshipped after she tried to commit suicide, her JW husband having left her for another woman. She wanted nothing more to do with the JW religion after that and this was seen as a sign of unrepentance. JESUS CHRIST! My own sister was hurting bad to the point of nearly ending her own life. And you know what I did? I slavishly followed those old bastard’s guidance and didn’t speak to my own sister for years! It changed forever the love we had between us. How I look back and hate myself for what I did.
Forget scripture, forget procedure, forget the meaningless platitudes dribbling out of the Brooklyn sewers, use your own conscience – in your heart you know that shunning is wrong, and that it does indeed split families and friends apart.
For God’s sake, get yourself some balls, and get yourself some morals.
