Disfellowshipped For Apostasy in 1884.

by hillary_step 10 Replies latest jw friends

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  hillary_step

  Hello,

  As some of you may know, I am engaged in research regarding the history of Church Discipline.It comes of course as no great surprise to learn that the WTS seldom has an exclusive right to any of its own doctrines despite its attempt at painting itself as the champion of prime Truth and integrity.

  I chanced upon a statement made in a book dealing with Methodist discipline and published in 1884 that focuses on the charge of apostasy and its outcome :

  "#235 - If a Member of our Church shall be accused of endeavoring to sow dissension in any of our Societies, by inveighing against either our Doctrines or Discipline, the person so offending shall first be reproved by the Preacher in charge; if he persist in such pernicious practice he shall be bought to trail, tried by three discreet members of the Church, and if found guilty should be expelled".

  Of course Members could appeal their expulsion :

  "#253 - In all cases of trail and conviction under the provisions of #214-222, an Appeal shall be allowed to a Judicial Conference, constituted as hereinafter provided, if the condemned person signify his intention to appeal at the time of his conviction, or at any time thereafter when he is informed thereof..this done the parties shall withdraw, and the Judicial Conference shall then decide the case."

  Once sentence has been passed and the Member is expelled his punishment was:

  "#256 - After a Preacher shall have been regularly tried and expelled he shall have no privileges of Society ( communication ) or Sacraments in our Church without confession, contrition and humiliation, and satisfactory reformation. italics mine

  The Methodist's seem to have been one of the few religions that grew out of the mid C18th revival who practiced a communicative shunning, as opposed to a more natural exlusion of fellowship.

  More later - HS
• 

  ozziepost

  G'day H.S.,

  Have you looked at the Baptists? I think they have something similar. It's one of the reasons I prefer not to regularly associate!!! Truly.

  There's also the cult known as "The Way" or "Two by twos". Here's a link to an experience from someone who came "out": http://www.caic.org.au/stories/theway1.htm

  More details are found at:

  http://www.gospelcom.net/apologeticsindex/t17.html

  http://www.wollongong.apana.org.au/~fin/sects5.html

  Cheers, Ozzie
• 

  Alf3831

  Hilary,

  You might find of interest the series "History of the Christian Church." I know that in the first three volumes of this work by Phillip Schaff, that "Church Discipline" is discussed. I found it interesting that this work discusses that in the early church they practiced three forms of discipline, namely "private counsel", "public correction", and "excommunication." It goes into detail how the early church instilled a system of showing repentance, and how those expelled could "prove worthy" to return to full fellowship in the church.

  Hope this helps.

  Alf3831
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  hillary_step

  Alf3831,

  Thank you for your comments and recommendation. I do have Scahff's and Latourette's sets of books on the history of Christianity. My own interest is from mid C18th onward. If you have any information, espcially pamphlets in the way of Sermons Preach'd by Quakers, and other fringe religions, I would be most interested.

  Many thanks - HS
• 

  minimus

  From your research, Hillary and/or others, are the JW's the most extreme in history? The RCC?
• 

  larc

  Hillery, I have something you might find interesting. It is the account of the Millerites failed prophecy, on the believers in a midwest town, as told my the local historian.
• 

  hillary_step

  Larc,

  That sounds fascinating, is it in a published paper?

  Best regards - HS

  Minimus,

  No, the WTS are actually rather mild in the way that they apply the DF procedure. What happened to most of the other fringe religions like the Quakers, Shakers, Methodists etc. was that they began to fall foul of the Law when it became more centralized. This resulted in their having to adopt less draconian measures in controlling their parishioners. As the world was made smaller by the journeys of Captains Cook and Dixon and the Victorian explorers, people became aware of cultures and religions from the far reaches of the world and they began to think further than their 'village' religions. Knowledge is freedom and the same process is sure to happen to the WTS eventually.

  Best regards - HS
• 

  Earnest

  hillary:

  The Dead Sea Scrolls included a "Manual of Discipline", which outlines the church discipline of the sect. It has a section entitled "Of defection" (vii, 18-25) which specifies that:

  "If a man has been a formal member of the community for a full ten years, but then, through a spiritual relapse, betray the principles of the community and quit the general body in order to walk in the stubbornness of his own heart, he is never to return to formal membership in the community. No member of the community is to associate with him either by recognizing him as of the same state of purity or by sharing property with him. Any of the members who does so shall be liable to the same sentence: he too shall be expelled."

  A bit before our time but a shadow of things to come.

  Earnest

  Edited by - Earnest on 2 September 2002 21:48:41
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  hillary_step

  Earnest,

  Yes, and I am sure that you are aware that both the Christian and C1st sectarian forms of discipline were modeled very closely on the Jewish faith which allowed for the expulsion from the synagogue, and all that that entailed, for those infringing the religious laws of the community. Before there were policemen there were priests! The process of expulsion was of course used as a weapon against many innocents in the community. As you say, what is new?

  Best regards - HS

  Edited by - hillary_step on 2 September 2002 21:57:12
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  onacruse

  Thanks for peaking my interest! I just retrieved a 1968 edition of The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church that was buried deep in my library, and was amazed to find that it has 59 sections (28 pages) in chapter 7 devoted to Judicial Administration. Beats even Pay Attention, I dare say!

  If excerpts from this edition would be of any value, I would be glad to forward.

  Craig