by minimus 31 Replies latest jw friends
It should be up to us as individuals to decide who we should be around, not the WTS.
As far as the example of would we want a pediphile in our hall: NO, they should be in jail where they belong, not in the congregation or roaming around the streets for that matter.
When someone has errored, they should be around loving people to help them get their life together not being shunned.
Shunned is hateful, and goes against everything God is.
I brought up the pedophile issue because as much as all the comments here are against the JW way of disfellowshipping, it seems that when it comes to pedophiles, the view in the past is that such sick individuals should not be allowed near children and that if the person is such a deviant, they should be disfellowshipped as well as reported to the police so that they might be incarcerated. In view of the fact that families are at Kingdom Halls, do you feel that the JW treatment that is shown to DF'd ones would be proper toward pedophiles?
I think that Paul was writing to the Roman congregation, not the body of elders which shows it is a personal decision. Plus I think it is a personal decision in the way that witnesses are told to consider their forms of entertainment. After all the first century congregation we told that the only laws that applied to them was eating blood, fornication and eating things sacrificed to idols.
Plus even if disfellowshipping is scriptural, judicial committees certainly have no basis in scripture.
Hey, I never claimed to have a forgiving nature
There is a big difference from being cut off from your family and friends and being told god is going to destroy you for smoking, voting or talking against the governing body; and being a predator who physically or sexually abuses children.
The brother of one of my good friends made a very serious pass at me when I was 10 or 12 (none of this had anything to do with any JWs). I was scared and didn't report anything to parents or anybody. Nearly 30 years later he got busted for sexually abusing his girlfriend's kids (yeah, I have some guilt feelings). My friend, last I heard, didn't want to have anything to do with his brother anymore. He didn't need a bunch of elders telling him to.
Pedophilia and some other serious mental illness issues have no business being dealt with by a congregation (I don't know of any JW congs who are equipped to properly deal with even a repentant pedophile in their midst). Mental health professionals (if not a good castrating knife) are a much better solution.
Mystery, excellent, excellent, excellent!
Rosemarie
elumn8_2 - i am sorry if i misunderstood. I thought you were FOR disfellowshipping. A lot of the scriptures you quoted, the ones I remember from growing up, are the scriptures proving disfellowshipment.
And I was more than a little upset that day, due to an X-JW close friend of mine dying on Friday. I had just spoke with his JW sisters (literal sisters) and apparently they had not really talked to him in the past 20 years! After hearing them (and their justification of not talking to him from the scriptures) and then reading your post, it was some of the same scriptures they reminded me of during our telephone conversation.
I do apologize that I took your post wrong.
Min,
What kind of man instills hate and fear in others in the name of God?
1Corinthians 5:13? Read the whole chapter. What was it that the holier than thou church could not decide what to do about? What was that young long dong doing? Paul was furious and so should the rest of us. But not Jehovah Witnesses. They are led by a different light. (No shock there)
Rebuke means to softly admonish "To rebuke the boy for smoking." It does not mean to shun for anything that fancies a dictator. And that is what JW Elders and their kangaroo courts are. If they want to shun that is their business. But I will not accept their behavior as Christian, humane or loving. It is petty really. A way to control people through emotional blackmail. It is their choice. But, it is a bad one.
Shunning for God? Never. Shunning for being a jackass? I can understand that. Shunning for FKing children? Jail or a noose, I am OK with either one IT IS A CRIME! In fact, I'll tie the knot; Let God forgive that; I don't.
It is inconsistent to believe that the congregation as a whole would refuse to talk to a sinner. Christ constantly ate and drank with them. A disorderly one could be taken special notice of, to rebuke the person and help him see the error of his ways.But it doesn't mean that we HATE the sinner. This cannot be love.
Oh my, Jesus even associated with Mary Magdalene.
Do you think the elders would have taken the time?
