new rules concerning disfellowshipping/ disassociating after you have stopp

RubaDub

I know of no such rule. Where did you hear about this ???

***** Rub a Dub

quinah

recently heard it on another forum, do you know if you can be disfellowshipped for any certain time after you stop going to meetings, not that i am planning a massive sin or anything?

There is no explicit rule stating that an inactive person must be disfellowshipped. Hopefully the local elders have enough sense to leave an inactive person alone if they aren't associating with the congregation anyhow. They would pose no threat to the congregation, so what would be the point?

However the organization does fear the possibility that inactive ones can spread critical information about them to the active ones.

So earlier this year, for the 3 months leading up to the annual Memorial, there was a campaign (as announced in the Kingdom Ministry and told to the elders in their KM school) to go "visit" all inactive ones with a view to reactivating them. However, there was a more sinister purpose to these visits. Often the direction was to see if the inactive one still considered themselves a JW. If they said no, that would be taken as evidence of opposition to the organization (and probably apostasy), and then such inactive ones would be announced as DF'd.

So the organization made a crude move to thin the ranks of the inactive ones. However if they didn't find you, likely they didn't DF you in your absence.

On the other hand (there are so many "other hands" when dealing with the JW's), there have been many instances where an alleged wrongdoer, when failing to appear for a judicial committee meeting, has indeed been disfellowshipped in their absence. The most notible recent example of this was Bill Bowen, who runs www.silentlambs.org . This former presiding overseer was DF'd in a secret meeting.

Maybe this answers some of your questions. Feel free to tell us your story (anonymously of course).

wednesday

i do not believe that is an official rule. Someone is just dreaming. Actaully, in reality, if u become inactive, u are more or less "shunned" which gives the same effect as DF/da, b/c people will not associate with u, but they might say "hi" at the grocery store.Unless u are an "special' one -ie were very popular, and elder/fmily. then the rules change.

RubaDub

No, a person would not be disfellowshipped for simply not going to meetings.

However, when you get the elder visits and they start asking WHY you are not attending the meetings, that is where the trouble can begin.

A person would undoubtedly be questioned about belief in the F&DS, the Organization, etc. If you give the wrong response, then there is the issue of apostacy. Or, a person saying that he or she was simply not interested in the organization may be regarded as having disassociated themselves.

But just not attending the meetings in itself will not get a person DA'd or DF'd.

***** Rub a Dub

rocketman

So earlier this year, for the 3 months leading up to the annual Memorial, there was a campaign (as announced in the Kingdom Ministry and told to the elders in their KM school) to go "visit" all inactive ones with a view to reactivating them. However, there was a more sinister purpose to these visits. Often the direction was to see if the inactive one still considered themselves a JW. If they said no, that would be taken as evidence of opposition to the organization (and probably apostasy), and then such inactive ones would be announced as DF'd.

Gopher's assessment is accurate, as some other posters have attested to from time-to-time.

rocketman

Where are my manners?...........And welcome to the board Quinah!

quinah

Thanx for the reply, my story is non too dissimilar to many you may have heard before. After many years of seeing hypocrisy in the congregation me and my husband both became very disillusioned with the "truth" and stopped going to the meetings. I am struggling with coming to terms with not being a witness, even though wild horses would not drag be back to the hall. I have been brought up in the truth from the year dot and had been in it for 20 yrs plus. The problem we are anticipating is that if we do anything classed as "wrong" in the elders eyes, my in-laws still attend meetings, and it would make life very difficult if we were disfellowshipped and they wouldnt be allowed to talk to us would they?

wednesday

The problem we are anticipating is that if we do anything classed as "wrong" in the elders eyes, my in-laws still attend meetings, and it would make life very difficult if we were disfellowshipped and they wouldnt be allowed to talk to us would they

i think that is called the "slow fade" so u won't get D/F and can still talk to your relatives. Would your relatives "rat" u out? be careful. If they catch u doing holiday decorations, the elders or fmily, then u may have trouble. Otherwise, just don't talk about it, or if they ask, u were stumbled and or are feeling depressed. That last one is always a good one. U probably are a little depressed,and they won't harass u as much. I'd be more afraid of my family more than the elders. Families will rat each other out and u r more likely to "talk" freely around your family.

If u are quiet, and just try and appear normal , u can probaly pull off the fade.

new rules concerning disfellowshipping/ disassociating after you have stopp

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