Disfellowshipping by Jehovah’s Witnesses: A Brief History - Great article

by defender of truth 7 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  defender of truth

  Despite the Governing Body’s best efforts, members do leave the faith. The Governing Body insists there is no valid reason for leaving the religion.

  In fact, their brand new brochure, Return to Jehovah, lists only three reasons why someone might leave the religion: misplaced guilt, being mad at a Witness, and being busy with life.

  But of course, there are several valid reasons for walking away from the faith, all of which are much more damning than the sanitized “reasons” the Watchtower Society lists.

  This includes cover-up of child abuse, the Witnesses’ refusal to accept large chunks of accepted science and history, and their refusal to admit any biblical interpretation — however slight — that differs from their official doctrine. With so many reasons for leaving, it’s almost a wonder that the religion has any members left… almost.

  In order to ensure the faithful stay faithful, the Watchtower Society maintains a policy of shunning dissenting members. It’s a process called disfellowshipping.

  ...James Zimmerman‘s essays have appeared in The Humanist, Atheist Voices of Minnesota, and The St. Paul Almanac. He is also a frequent host of the Twin Cities-based cable TV show Atheists Talk. This post is an edited version of a paper he presented at the National Conference of Undergraduate Research last spring.
  

  www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2015/09/04/disfellowshipping-by-jehovahs-witnesses-a-brief-history/
  
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  defender of truth

  Shunning has been a common tool of cults and other organizations throughout the centuries.

  Though it wasn’t always so, Jehovah’s Witnesses’ policy of shunning former members has developed into what Don Cameron in his book Captives of a Concept calls “one of the harshest instances among major organized religions.”

  Such shunning serves to strengthen and protect the group. Not only does it remove burdensome members, but it can correct deviant behavior in such members because they will long to return to normal relationships with their former associates.

  Groups become more cohesive when they ostracize dissenting members, and it provides members of the group a feeling that they are more powerful and have a higher level of control.

  But shunning is a form of psychological torture.

  Almerindo Ojeda, from the Center for the Study of Human Rights in the Americas, defines shunning as “the deliberate, systematic, or wanton infliction of physical or mental suffering by one or more persons acting alone or on the orders of any authority, to force another person to yield information, to make a confession, or for any other reason.”

  Shunning, therefore, “is torture” (emphasis his).

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  Please read the whole article:

  www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2015/09/04/disfellowshipping-by-jehovahs-witnesses-a-brief-history/
  
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  defender of truth

  ^^ Just to be clear, I bolded the word torture, that is not in the article.

  The most widely accepted definition of torture internationally is that set out by Article 1 of the United Nations Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT):

  “... 'torture' means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person...

  Torture is often used to punish, to obtain information or a confession, to take revenge on a person or persons or create terror and fear within a population.

  Victims of torture do not suffer alone. Victims' families and friends are also greatly affected. Local society is damaged both through the trauma inflicted on its members but also through an instilled awareness that basic human rights are neither guaranteed nor respected. Freedom is not respected. People are not respected. The use of torture sends a strong warning to those within a political, social, or religious opposition, but also to normal citizens who cannot rightly claim to live in a free or safe society.

  www.irct.org/what-is-torture/defining-torture.aspx
  

  Here is a related petition you may wish to sign:

  www.change.org/p/launch-an-investigation-to-determine-if-jehovah-s-witnesses-have-a-right-to-use-coercion-forms-of-mental-torture-to-force-its-members-not-to-leave

  And this survey is fairly interesting:
  

  The findings are not surprising, given the fact the not so family friendly shunning policy of Jehovah’s Witnesses has been called cruel and inhumane by cult experts like the Australian Psychologist Raphael Aron and is even categorized as psychological torture.
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  EdenOne

  Marked
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  Heaven

  Hi dot, thanks for posting this.

  Such shunning serves to strengthen and protect the group. Not only does it remove burdensome members, but it can correct deviant behavior in such members because they will long to return to normal relationships with their former associates.

  While shunning is a method that works to coerce some people, it doesn't work with me. I have NEVER been anyone who grovels after someone's attention, even from my family. If people don't want me around, I don't come around. So shunning is not a method that works all the time with all people. But I suspect it works well enough that Botchtower won't stop using it until it becomes illegal.

  
  
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  umbertoecho

  I know a young woman who was disfellowshipped for having a boyfriend outside of the WT parameters. She never looked better, lost weight, was a bit wild but still a lovely person. However, the lack of contact with her family and her lifetime friends was too much in the end. She told me she went back because she missed them. Interesting that she never once mentioned the pseudo-biblical reasons. No. It was loneliness that drove her back. And back onto anti-depressants; which loaded the weight back on, the ups and downs that came with the medication she had re-commenced.

  She came to see me last year and was afraid that Armageddon was literally around the next corner, next week, next month! I reminded her that no one would know the day or the hour, that this was not the right approach. I had lived in fear of death whilst trying to grow up. She couldn't understand the disconnect with real life that such a style of religion could create........She's back full on and off to where the need is greater.
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  Vidiot

  Heaven - "...I suspect it works well enough that Botchtower won't stop using it until it becomes illegal."

  Hmph.

  As if that would stop them.
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  Heaven

  Heaven - "...I suspect it works well enough that Botchtower won't stop using it until it becomes illegal."

  Vidiot said: Hmph.

  As if that would stop them.

  Vidiot, you may be correct. However, my statement is based on Geoffrey 'That's not my area of expertise' Jackson's position during the ARC that secular authorities have to make reporting of child rape mandatory in order to force JW's to actually do this. Perhaps laws need to be enacted on all the negative, harmful doctrines of Botchtower.