Are Jehovah's Witnesses who are disfellowshipped allowed to communicate and comfort each other while waiting to be reinstated?

by Vanderhoven7 19 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  LongHairGal

  VANDERHOVEN & SLIMBOYFAT:

  If the religion is discouraging DF’d people from communicating with each other it is because it is afraid people ‘will compare notes’ about their experience in the religion (“Suzie Q and Joe Blow had the same thing happen to them..”)

  The last thing they want is for people to talk about issues and injustices they faced in the religion and elders who did what, etc. They want to compartmentalize information. This is why they want to isolate each ex-JW so that they have nobody to talk to and will not hear about other bad things that happen there!
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  llubrevlis2000

  I remember going to funerals where there were two groups, those still in and those who left or were never in.

  as those who left were talking to those who were never in those still in seemed to ignore all in case they spoke to a disfellowshipped one
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  Biahi

  I hard faded…and when my elder dad died, of course I went to the funeral. Most came up to me to offer their condolences, and I noticed many had jealous looks on their faces, like they wished they were out, too. I had my worldly husband and my toddler daughter with me.
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  LongHairGal

  BIAHI:

  No doubt some were secretly jealous.. I sort of hard ‘Faded’ myself over two decades ago. From time to time over the years I would run into Witnesses either in stores or at the few wakes of JWs I attended.

  While some said hello, I perceived others were a little resentful. (Don’t know if it’s because they don’t know how to react to somebody ‘Out’ or it’s mixed emotions because you look like you’re doing well and seemingly happy.) If they ask about me, I tell them I am retired.. Some of them were individuals who were not friendly years ago because I worked and didn’t pioneer.

  Who knows what emotions or thoughts went through their heads?
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  ThomasMore

  We were hearing a reinstatement request when one of the committee said that we could not because the person was associating with another DF'd person in the cong. I had no problem with it, but I did agree that if that person was reinstated, then communication would have to cease and that would be cruel. As I recall, the C.O. felt that DF'd persons should have NO ASSOCIATION WITH ANYONE. That seemed particularly cruel to me!

  That's when I started chafing at the practice altogether. It was unncessary and extremely cruel. I would venture to say that JW's probably DF more people in one year than the Catholic church has excommunicated in the past 4 centuries. Let me know if I am wrong.
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  Vidiot

  ThomasMore - “As I recall, the C.O. felt that DF'd persons should have NO ASSOCIATION WITH ANYONE. That seemed particularly cruel to me!”

  Not to mention a perfect recipe for eventual paranoia and psychosis.
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  Vanderhoven7

  Fulfilling the org's claim that many who apostatize are mentally diseased.
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  Linda14

  The disfellowshiping policy is cruel and mean. Let Jehovah judge them for their chasing away His worshipers. Well, worship of God has no link with the watchtower. You worship God in spirit and truth.
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  Reasonfirst

  The main problem the witnesses have is that the whole basis for their practise of DFing is FAKE (that's the bible, of course).
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  Gorb

  An active JW friend of my visits DF to support en encourage them without the come back message.

  The elders know, because he told them "you miss the christisn point of your position."

  Because he is an unique person they accept it.

  So, not all je"s are that hard in these cases.

  G.