by reubenfine 5 Replies latest jw experiences
I was never DF'd or DA'd. I am curious if you ever were and were reinstated, what was it like to be shunned and treated as a non-person while sitting in the rear of the hall? I can only imagine it to be the utmost humiliation on top of a public disfellowshipping and can't imagine having to go through it. Maybe it is one reason when the vast majority of reinstated people are anemic in meeting attendance and witnessing.
Was the resultant love bombing upon reinstatement phony to you?
At the time, it is like some weird mental self-mutilation that you go through. It is almost like you want to feel bad and loathesome because you turned you back on Jehovah so the worse you feel the "better" if you follow me. The agony of it can be exquisite...and going to meetings really served to heighten that destructive mindset. It becomes a self-perpetuating attitude.
Being reinstated didn't regain me any self-worth. It only served to further highlight how "bad" I had been in the eyes of my congregation and how undeserving I was of forgiveness. Heck, the sister that was appointed to study with me when I was reinstated even told me there was no way Jehovah would let me through Armageddon, I was so lucky just be able to associate with his people now, I should be very grateful for that and accept it. (Now that's encouraging and uplifting isn't it?!)
There was no love bombing...just thinnly veiled association that was worse than the shunning.
I was reinstated when it was still allowed for the audience to applaud. I have been in this same area for almost 40 years, and my reinstatement was rather welcomed. I was under restrictions for about 6 months, and the only "embarrassing" thing that happened was being out in mid-week field service and having to defer to sisters to conduct the meeting and say the prayer.
I still felt that the reason for my being df'd (for apostasy) was bogus, and as a result felt no personal discomfort...just treated it as going through the "process."
A friend of mine was df'd about the same time (for adultery), went through the reinstatement procedure, was at the Hall the night his rei-ing was announced, walked out the door and never ever came back.
In that respect, anyway, he was the smarter one.
Craig
Heck, the sister that was appointed to study with me when I was reinstated even told me there was no way Jehovah would let me through Armageddon, I was so lucky just be able to associate with his people now, I should be very grateful for that and accept it.
That's almost hysterical..... if that was the attitude, why even try to come back, might as well Eat, Drink and Be Merry! ... pathetic
Hi all,
I think shunning is unloving, unchristian and unforgiveable (so are most disfellowshippings - but that's another matter). How ridiculous to ignore a person when you arrive at the KHall, yet, at the end, because the elders give you permission, you go up and hug that person. YUK!
xxR
Reubenfine
Luk 15 ...speaks about the prodigal son, his father who ran out to meet him, certainly didn't shun him - didn't sit at the back of the room for 1 year, while he heard everyone else eating food. in fact he did the opposite - ordering a banquet especially for him. At that time, he didn't even know whether or not he was repentant.. The very fact that he came back, was enough to make that Father act as a christian.
As usual, the elder older brother was very upset about this.
Surely we could learn a lesson from this parable. I personally have got into a lot of trouble many times for speaking to such ones, but my conscience is clear.
KT
Surely,
