Disfellowshippees Go Public w/Photos! Courageous Testimonials Online

by Derrick 9 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Derrick

  The human rights abuses of our spiritual brothers and sisters by elders shepherding the flock, leading to countless ruined families and suicides, cries clear to heaven:
  

  http://www.disfellowshipped.org/Testimonies_page_3.htm

  I recall the unforgettable claim by an elder that "Each elder on every judicial committee has no moral responsibility for suicides after they disfellowship wrongdoers in the Christian congregation AND bears no burden of conscience for disfellowshippees or their families. Disfellowshipping of wrongdoers is taught by the Bible and required by the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York. I find it tragically ironic that those who succumb to suicide due to post-disfellowship depression could very likely have a better chance at resurrections than those who are outside Jehovah's organization when the fast approaching great tribulation starts."

  Disfellowshipping is obviously a practice that causes great social and psychological harm to its victims. It seems hypocritical to justify this practice based on various comments by the Apostles when these servants of Christ would have never endorsed a practice resulting in spiritual harm to not only the alleged "wrongdoer" but their innocent family members and friends whose lives are often destroyed. The abuse of human rights from misinterpretation of various Bible passages has obviously affected the conscience of this elder in a manner best described in 1 Timothy 4:2.

  Do not be afraid to speak out against this form of spiritual violence in your community. Get your local newspaper to publish accounts of local disfellowshippings to raise public awareness in your field service territories. Those who commit suicide after being disfellowshipped or seeing a beloved family member expelled, like it or not, have died as a direct consequence of gross negligence on the part of a religious organization and its practitioners who have not taken the trouble to delve deeply enough into the Bible. Ask yourself a difficult question. How can disfellowshipping be "scriptural" when it often results in DEATH thus leading to the elders breaking the most critical of the ten basic Commandments given by God to Moses? Not only does disfellowshipping result in ruined lives of family and friends not even involved in the original "wrongdoing" but in the deaths of some disfellowshippees whom the elders have taken it upon themselves to judge.

  Derrick
• 

  Brummie

  Hi Derreck I heard most of these testimonies on tape and they are great stories and very theraputic to listen to. Thanks for the URL

  Brummie
• 

  MacHislopp

  Hello Derrick,

  welcome on board and thanks for your post, with the link.

  I'll look into it later. Meanwhile , please read this post of mine:

  Let's travel back in time, to the year 1958, and imagine to be among

  the 148,046 audiences , on Wednesday , August 2 nd and the place:

  Yankee Stadium-PoloGrounds, New York City, for the "Divine Will"

  International Assembly of Jehovah's Witnesses.

  The evening speaker is F.W. Franz, vicepresident of the Watch Tower

  Society, the them of his discourse " Keeping Strict Watch on How We Walk".

  (Eph. 5:15)

  "…Pointing up the need of constant prayerful vigilance, Franz told his hearers

  that for each of the five years from March, 1952, to April, 1957, there had been

  an average of 500 persons disfellowshiped from congregations in the United States.

  "However," he said, " during the past year , from April 1957, to April, 1958, the

  numbers rose sharply above that yearly average to 1,334 delinquent members, or more than two and a half times as many." The Society's vice-president further stated: " We dare not dull the shock of this by arguing that this may , in part , be due to American congregations having at least 18,537 new persons associating

  themselves with the witnessing activities this past year." He proved statistically

  that " this definitely disclose that more than twice as many as in previous years

  have failed to watch themselves and act wisely.

  It was made apparent that if anyone commits a sin deserving disfellowshiping

  he should be painfully grieved, should repent and confess his sin, not just to God,

  but to God's visible organization through his local theocratically appointed servants. The Society's vice-president instructed overseers who receive reports

  of some delinquent member of the congregation to investigate the matter and take steps concerning it.

  Regarding disfellowshiping, he said: " The primary righteous purpose of this is to keep God's visible organization of his sheep clean and safe from a spread of sinfulness. The recovery of the offender is secondary." At a hearing before the congregation committee, it was pointed out , the offender or supposed offender, should not attempt to justify himself but ought to seek the unity of the theocratic

  organization and should be concerned with settling matters quickly. Only then "

  is he in a right condition to offer sacrifice to God and to find acceptance with him."

  Noting that congregation service committees have what he termed " fearful power" to disfellowship unruly ones, Franz admonished : " They must use this power with caution, not only to avoid getting into legal difficulties with the law courts of the land, but also to avoid sinning with this disfellowshiping power

  through a misuse or an abuse of it."

  In conclusion the Society's vice-president told his listeners that wisdom and salvation lie in ' keeping a strict watch on how we walk'. «

  (The 1958 REPORT - "Divine Will" International Assembly of Jehovah's Witnesses, Yankee Stadium-Polo Grounds, New York City, Agust, 2, 1958 .pp.54,55 )

  I 've found these revealing points:

  1)"…above that yearly average to 1,334 delinquent members,.."

  2) "…He proved statistically.."

  3) " he should be painfully grieved.."

  4)" …should repent and confess his sin.."

  5)" .. not just to God, but to God's visible organization through

  his local theocratically appointed servants."

  6) "…instructed overseers who receive reports of some

  delinquent member.."

  7)"…keep God's visible organization of his sheepclean

  and safe from a spread of sinfulness. "

  8)" …The recovery of the offender is secondary."

  9)"… seek the unity of the theocratic organization .."

  10)"… should be concerned with settling matters quickly."

  11) ".. At a hearing before the congregation committee.."

  12) " that congregation service committees have what

  he termed " fearful power" !!!

  13) " They must use this power with caution,

  not only to avoid getting into legal

  difficulties with the law courts of the land.."

  °°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

  I'm sure that this could be useful even if only as a thought provoking material.

  I do have the original - 112 pages ' brochure.’ -.

  Greetings, James Charles MacHislopp
• 

  Derrick

  Hello James,

  Thanks for the information regarding Fred W. Franz's views on disfellowshipping in the late 1950's. I just wonder specifically how his views have changed between that address you quoted and the Society's stance today? Also, I wonder what were the substantive differences between Fred Franz's viewpoint on disfellowshipping near his death decades after that address and Ray Franz's viewpoint on the practice today?

  I want to also make clear that I'm not opposed to the practice in extreme circumstances where proven criminal wrongdoing is involved, or where an individual disrupts meetings thereby denying the religious freedom of worship of attendees, and so forth. Other religious organizations throughout Christendom seem to have in place the judicial process for excommunications, albeit rare occurrences for the most part, for extreme situations without turning the congregation into a police state. I think it's imperative for the Watchtower Society to reform its practices accordingly to avoid stumbling innocent family and friends of anyone accused of extreme "wrongdoing" and avoid the appearance of operating a controlling and manipulating cult before the general public. The Apostles surely would have reproved the present-day Governing Body for trying to legislate matters that are best left to personal consciences before God based on their general counsel in the scriptures on conscience matters.

  Derrick
• 

  Derrick

  Hi Brummie,

  I'm glad you benefitted from the URL. I sincerely hope many more disfellowshipees will surface to tell their experiences on the global Internet for the benefit of our brothers and sisters everywhere.

  Derrick
• 

  Gopher

  Derrick,

  Thanks for the post. It is good information.

  Disfellowshipping is a heinous, murderous practice which ranks right up there with the blood doctrine and the harboring of pedophile abusers among Jehovah's Witnesses. I know I just said a mouthful, but I mean every word! This religion doesn't care if its teachings harm or kill its members, its ex-members, or those who are associated with members or ex-members. It puts the blinders on and pushes ahead with a narrow, egotistical, Pharisaical view of the world, i.e. "they're always right", and "my religion right or wrong".

  Derrick you said, "I'm not opposed to the practice in extreme circumstances where proven criminal wrongdoing is involved, or where an individual disrupts meetings thereby denying the religious freedom of worship of attendees, and so forth."

  I think you don't need disfellowshipping in these cases either. These are criminal matters. If it is "proven criminal wrongdoing", the person likely is in prison anyway. But if not, you'd think the general membership of the religion would know this person is a bad egg and would steer clear of association with him/her just on general principle.

  If an individual disrupts meetings, the police can be called and the individual removed. If the individual tries this repeatedly, the police will know who he/she is and will deal with him/her in quite a strict manner.

  So disfellowshipping is really a completely unnecessary, not to mention unscriptural practice. Of course this practice furthers the interests of the Watchtower Society, so until legally compelled to quit it, they will continue this backward and harmful practice.
• 

  MacHislopp

  Hello Gopher,

  thanks for your interesting comments.

  "These are criminal matters. If it is "proven criminal wrongdoing", the person likely is in prison anyway. But if not, you'd think the general membership of the religion would know this person is a bad egg and would steer clear of association with him/her just on general principle. "

  Excellent points and very logical.

  "So disfellowshipping is really a completely unnecessary, not to mention unscriptural practice. Of course this practice furthers the interests of the Watchtower Society, so until legally compelled to quit it, they will continue this backward and harmful practice. "

  I do agree with you. The WTBS Inc. usese to 'instill fear' and the 'elders' are used to apply it.

  Then they' forbid ' to talk to disfellowshiped and dissociates ones to make sure

  that certain things do not become general knowledge, and they...talk about the

  Scribes and the Pharisees of Jesus' time!

  Greetings, J.C.MacHislopp
• 

  Mulan

  My cousin's story is on this site. Sharon Kennedy.

  I wrote it for her. (He asked permission to include it)
• 

  William Penwell

  With a cult this is the only way they can keep their membership in line. The borg has to keep control of the flow of information otherwise they feel they will lose membership and monetary contributions. That is their ultimate goal not the spiritual or mental well being of the membership.

  Will
• 

  Michael3000

  MacHislopp sez:

  Let's travel back in time, to the year 1958, and imagine to be among

  the 148,046 audiences , on Wednesday , August 2 nd and the place:

  Yankee Stadium-PoloGrounds, New York City, for the "Divine Will"

  International Assembly of Jehovah's Witnesses.

  Freaky! That's the Convention my Dad was baptized at! Mom got dunked the year before - our family was never the same...