DF announcements...Is this funny or sad?

by Double Edge 10 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Double Edge

  Something just struck me as being kind of funny, and never being a JW I'm not sure if it's amusing or sad. In the various Christian churches I've attended no ones 'departure' is ever announced unless there's a farewell or party, always 'positive' - wishing the departees 'good luck'.

  Am I getting this right...everytime someone is DF'd or DA'd an announcement is made, usually on Thursday nights (or whenever). If so, wouldn't it seem kind of odd if you're a JW sitting in the pews and every other week or so you hear one of 'those' announcements. Wouldn't it get you thinking...what's going on? Isn't anyone ever curious? How often were announcements made, what did you think....is anyone's announcement ever discussed with the other congregants?

  Edited by - Double Edge on 4 October 2002 20:23:14
• 

  Marilyn

  Are you kidding? The congregations life's blood is gossip. There is so little fun and entertainment in the Organisation that gossip is one of the only semi legal, not disfellowshippable passtimes left to everyone. Of course the gossip has to be conducted in the "proper" manner. One must assume a concerned look and start small and work up to a full blown character assasination. Also care must be taken not to gossip about or to the wrong person. There are always 'spoil sports' who are just too righteous for their own good. Luckily though, they are few and far between.

  Btw - we don't say pews. That's another unacceptable use of language. We just have chairs at the Hall (not the church). :-))))

  When I was in, disfellowhipping didn't happen much. That's why I got a shock when they laid that trip on me. (1981 - disfed for apostasy - yaaaaaa!!) Now I'm heathen to the core!

  Marilyn
• 

  Double Edge

  Thanks for the info Marilyn ... what, no pews? dang!
• 

  Quotes

  Nope, no pews. But some of the "spiritual food" STINKS. PEE-YOU!!!
• 

  Gopher

  In the congregations I was in, the Disfellowshipping/Disassociation announcements seemed to average about one per year. (Usually the total number in the congregation was about 100, which lends credence to the statistic that about 1% of the membership get df'd each year, although many more committed DF-able offenses but gave an awe-inspiring display of repentance in order to continue to have the privilege of serving as a Jehovah's Witness.)
• 

  onacruse

  "...although many more committed DF-able offenses but gave an awe-inspiring display of repentance in order to continue to have the privilege of serving as a Jehovah's Witness."

  LOL Gopher! So true!

  Statistics for the last 50 years do show that the average df'ing rate is about 1% per year, and about 40% of those df'd get reinstated (as per WTS statements, don't have a ref handy ). However, there are "runs" where a congregation will go for years without any df'ings, then all of a sudden there are a slew of them. My last cong went for 10 years without a df'ing, then had 8 in one year, including 2 on the night I was df'd (haha, the PO even made sure to add that the df'ings were not related...the other was also a brother...gossip would have made us homosexuals, no doubt). In that year, there was a "numbing" effect...pubs acted stunned, even overwhelmed (how could this be happening in OUR cong?).

  "The congregations life's blood is gossip."

  Marilyn, hahaha...what? You don't mean that everybody rushes home after a df'ing announcement and immediately calls everybody they know to tell them the latest news??????? LOL (btw, I beat you by 2 years...but I came back for 19 years of more)

  Craig
• 

  freedom96

  What was weird is that if you heard the announcement, it was as if the person had died. Same response.
• 

  GentlyFeral

  Double Edge, my sole experience of organized religion is 1) JW's and 2) Unitarian Universalists. So I have only two examples of reactions to someone leaving the church.

  1) JW, as described: fear and loathing and total silence.

  2) UU: As you described, positives only: "Gently Feral is leaving us to pursue other spiritual paths. Good luck, and come back to visit!" (And then church members take me aside to ask: "So, when are you coming to visit?" "What kind of spiritual stuff are you doing now?")

  What I'm having trouble digesting is the idea that this is true of other, Christian churches. (UU ceased calling itself a Christian church a generation ago.) Christianity believes that "there is no other name under heaven by which to get saved." Do other churches view a change in someone's religion as a good thing? I can see a farewell party for someone who's not changing religions, but just changing congregations or moving out of territory -- but would Methodists throw a farewell party for someone who's joining a Buddhist temple?

  Gently (and curious) Feral
• 

  NeonMadman

  Do other churches view a change in someone's religion as a good thing? I can see a farewell party for someone who's not changing religions, but just changing congregations or moving out of territory -- but would Methodists throw a farewell party for someone who's joining a Buddhist temple?

  No, not very likely. Even a change in denomination would probably not be the impetus for a sending-off party (for example, a Methodist who decided to start attending a Lutheran church). But niether would there be any shunning of the person making the change, and if the former Methodist seemed happy as a Lutheran, I think all of his Methodist friends would be happy that he found somewhere to serve the Lord more fully.

  As for the Methodist who joined a Buddhist temple, I think his Methodist friends would consider him a bit misguided, but would "continue admonishing him as a brother" to return to the love of Jesus. In any event, they would not cut him off from all association, his family life would not be interfered with, and he would not be regarded as an "apostate" to be hated.

  In fact, in most Christian churches, even if someone is removed from membership due to gross sinning (and some churches will do this), he is regarded as an erring brother who needs to be helped so that he can be restored to fellowship, not as an enemy.
• 

  Double Edge

  Do other churches view a change in someone's religion as a good thing?

  Changing religion's (Christian vs. non-Christian) probably not....I was referring to someone moving out of their Church, like going to another town to attend another Christian Church, whatever denomination, which from my experience is no big deal now. Years ago it would have been, but still they didn't shun.

  In fact, in most Christian churches, even if someone is removed from membership due to gross sinning (and some churches will do this), he is regarded as an erring brother who needs to be helped so that he can be restored to fellowship, not as an enemy

  BINGO! That's the sad and very telling difference.