Ozzie's Weekend Poll #10

ozziepost

The weekend poll's come a bit earlier than usual this weekend; there's more to read!!!

This week's poll question is a follow-up to last week's question: "What did you think of when you heard that so-and-so had been DF?"

The question for this weekend is:

When you heard a re-instatement announcement, what was the first thing you thought of?

1. How merciful Jehovah is!

2. How merciful the brothers are!

3. How merciful we are!

4. How merciful I am!

5. I'll have to warn the brothers in my group to watch their association with him/her.

6. I'm sure the elders are convinced he/she is repentant.

7. So the elders have been "conned" (tricked) again!

8. It seems too soon.

9. I hope no-one applauds!

10. So why was he/she disfellowshiped?

11. Was it worth it?

12. I must invite them around for a meal.

13. I hope he/she isn't going to come to our group.

14. I can't see they would have really changed.

Feel free to add other points.

Next week: a question about doctrines. Stay tuned!

Keep those poll entries coming in!

Cheers, Ozzie (free to enjoy the weekend class)

Freedom means not having to wear a tie.

Edited by - ozziepost on 6 July 2002 9:35:47

blondie

#8 (child molester re-instated after only 9 months)

(side point: adulterous wife of prominent elder--5 years)

Sometimes "they" (the borg) can be harder on those who have more "privileges"; "the higher they are, the harder they fall" type of thing. Other times there's most definiely a degree of subjectiveness involved, and aren't we imperfect "subjects"? So this, of necessity, means the decisions MUST be faulty.

Oh, if only they could see that we ALL sin!

Cheers, Ozzie

Perfection Seeker

My thought was always "how long will this last" Then, of course- my mind would go to the judicial committees- wondered how that went.

On a side point- when I got reinstated, and yes, it was ONLY to have dealings with my family- it was on a Monday night- they said "Now, you are technically disfellowshipped till the announcement Thursday night- don't tell anyone or talk to anyone" Screw that! I went DIRECTLY over to my parents house! (My dad was a servant- so he was a little worried they would see my car) And, the stupid thing was I got my judicial committee to get DISFELLOWSHIPPED on a Friday- they said it wouldn't take effect till the Thursday night meeting. DUH- hello- whats with the date? I'm either bad or good (ACCORDING TO THEM) whats with waiting till the "OFFICIAL" announcement? What a crock.

Matty

It's never been my experience personally where a re-instated one had upset me to the extent that I didn't think they deserved to come back. Maybe 9. I hope no-one applauds for the basic reason that I have always found this type of thing cringeworthy.

Naturally, in order for them to be reinstated, the person has to go to the meetings for a period of time. They have occasional little talks with the elders, but obviously nobody else. They often look very sheepish, coming to and from the hall, and I generally felt very sad about their predicament. I always felt particularly awful not being able to smile or say hello to them, like I did everyone else at the hall.

Because of the fact that I will have already observed them making their attempts at a comeback, it would be an announcement I would be waiting for impatiently. Sometimes this nonsense lasts for a very long time and so my natural reaction tended to be was: "I'm not sure I could stand going to the meetings and sitting at the back, being ignored for all that time. They must be very very humble and very very brave to go through all that palaver!"

ozziepost

They must be very very humble and very very brave to go through all that palaver!"

The flip-side of that is it can also be taken as an indication of a lack of humility! In the Borg, you sometimes can't win!

Edited by - ozziepost on 6 July 2002 10:6:36

Shimmer

Being the curious (nosy) person that I am it would usually have been #10--So, why was he/she disfellowshipped?

Shimmer

Bendrr

1. How merciful Jehovah is! 2. How merciful the brothers are! 3. How merciful we are! 4. How merciful I am! 5. I'll have to warn the brothers in my group to watch their association with him/her.

Never! I didn't like the shunning even when I was a "good little dub" and liked it even less when I began drawing away in my late teens. Number 5 gets an absolutely never! Having spent a good 5 years or so being the target of baseless accusations spread around by this sawed-off little backstabber elder named Dan Mason I can tell you personally just how painful that is. The dubs may think that the target of such a statement is unaware of what has been said but they always do learn of it sooner or later.

6. I'm sure the elders are convinced he/she is repentant. 7. So the elders have been "conned" (tricked) again! 8. It seems too soon.

Having heard a few stories through the grapevine I never thought 6, 7, or 8. Hearing how the spouse of a df'd brother cried after every meeting because he was trying so hard to come back and his efforts were being ignored. Or comments made by elders to the effect of "we're gonna get him/her sooner or later" or something to that effect.

9. I hope no-one applauds!

I always wished there was applause and more of a loving response after the announcement. Luke 15:7

10. So why was he/she disfellowshiped?

Nope. Don't forget how much dubs like to gossip! I didn't always know what had happened, and if I didn't know I didn't ask or care.

11. Was it worth it?

See response to #10.

12. I must invite them around for a meal.

Not with my anti-social mom.

13. I hope he/she isn't going to come to our group.

Nope.

14. I can't see they would have really changed.

Nope. Luke 6:37

There was this girl in a nearby congregation. Jolie H. I'd known her all my life. She was a couple of years older than me. I can't use the term fine as hell, it's just too crude. Beautiful. Stunning. I had a major crush on her when I was 14. Well when I was 17 or 18 she was disfellowshipped for about a year. When she was reinstated, it was right before a district convention. I didn't set out to do it, but ended up spending some time talking to her at that convention. She told me how weird she felt, how differently people were treating her. So many of her old friends she had known all her life were now acting so differently. Jolie didn't really let it show but I could tell how much that hurt her. It was then that I really began to feel very differently about the shunning doctrine. During her sentence of shunning, I was in the record store where she worked one evening. I looked up to see her behind the counter and she looked right at me and I acted like the typical cowardly dub and immediately looked away and ignored her. During our conversation that incident came back to me in a hard flash and I felt so bad. I still do to this day.

Even if I did go back (which I won't because they have these silly little rules about long hair and smoking) I would never again be a part of such a hateful practice as shunning. We have only to look to Jesus as an example. Matthew 5:43-48 and again, Luke 6:37.

Mike.

ozziepost

She told me how weird she felt, how differently people were treating her.

Very true, Bendrr. A problem with the shunning procedures (one of many!) is that the R&F are required to change their emotional responses at the sound of an announcement at the KH.

So, when the R&F hear a DF announcement, they will "switch' their emotions from one of love/friendliness to hate. Likewise, when they hear a re-instatement announcement, they are required to change their emotional response "back" to the former responses.

Now how can a person walk into a KH with hate towards an individual (and I use that advisedly) and then at the end of the meeting display friendliness and bonhomie towards that person. If it's possible, what damage is it doing to the individuals involved?

Cheers, Ozzie

Pathofthorns

Thanks for another poll Aussie..

I would have to say that I was generally pretty happy when people were reinstated. I usually felt pretty bad when people were disfellowshipped because I bought into the "no one is disfellowshipped for the sin but only because they weren't repentent" stuff, which later I found out was a crock. Favoritism and other politics played a part in who was disfellowshipped and who was not.

I usually felt the urge to applaud after the announcement but due to the WT telling us how inappropriate that would be I would restrain myself.

Over the years I found myself drawn to those on the "fringes" and those who were in and out of the organization in the perpetual cycle of 'sin' and guilt and punishment because they still 'believed it was the truth'.

I found these people to be more "real" and genuine than most. I was also good friends with many of the elders that would deal with them. I think many of these elders too were good men but at a loss how to deal with these sorts of persons. Within the framework of the rules and directions they were given, I think most just did what they had to do.

Path

Ozzie's Weekend Poll #10

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