JWs are wordaphobes truthaphobes and realityaphobes.
Why the verb shun is missing from the JW lexicon
by cognisonance 20 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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slimboyfat
I think there was a recent WT publication which did use the word to describe shunning DFed people. It stuck out to me because I'd not seen them own the word. I wish I could track down the reference.
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Earnest
There is an FAQ on their website where they discuss "Do Jehovah's Witnesses Shun Former Members of their Religion". There they say :
If, however, a baptized Witness makes a practice of breaking the Bible's moral code and does not repent, he or she will be shunned or disfellowshipped.
Also, the video on how to show loyalty when a relative is disfellowshipped, in the Life and Ministry Meeting Workbook for September 18-24, is entitled Loyally Uphold Jehovah's Judgments - Shun Unrepentant Wrongdoers.
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slimboyfat
Aha that's it! Highly significant that they begin to own this word, in my view.
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cognisonance
There is an FAQ on their website
Problem is this is public facing material, not material members actually read. When talking with my parents about this I referred to that FAQ for it's deceptiveness. They apparently haven't read it. But maybe after my visit they might have done so, and seen that statement about "he or she will be shunned."
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Anony Mous
The information is also very much crafted for Google-esque services and people that just scan the information.
The first paragraph says that JW's do NOT shun people that have merely stopped participating in JW activities (something we know is false). Then the next paragraph goes in a very loaded answer to justify shunning someone. They say if someone is continuously breaking the Bible moral code and unrepentant, then they do shun/disfellowship.
The second paragraph is very convoluted and makes it appear that the only way you get shunned is if you're a child molester of some sorts.
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cognisonance
The second paragraph is very convoluted and makes it appear that the only way you get shunned is if you're a child molester of some sorts.
I think the third paragraph is the worst. It implies normal family relationships and dealings continue after a family member gets DF'd. They site an example where the Dad is DF'd but maintains normal relationships with his wife and kids at home. Only the religious ties are severed it says. What they don't say is that this is an extenuating circumstance, an exception to the general rule. For example, once those kids move out and if the Dad is still DF'd but the kids are baptized active JWs, they will shun him. If the kids get DF'd but the Dad doesn't and they move out, they will be shunned by the dad. This is the most deceptive paragraph I think. It implies families don't shun each other, only the congregation shuns DF'd members -- untrue of course.
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redvip2000
Problem is this is public facing material, not material members actually read
Well, nevertheless the fact that they admit they in fact shun people as stated on the website, and they use this word, means that when someone says they don't shun people, you can just show them the website. This will shut them up.
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OneEyedJoe
Aha that's it! Highly significant that they begin to own this word, in my view
Well, nevertheless the fact that they admit they in fact shun people as stated on the website, and they use this word, means that when someone says they don't shun people, you can just show them the website. This will shut them up
I don't think it's so significant, given the context. JWs will do lots of mental gymnastics to deny what their own leadership has said when they know it's morally wrong. I once complained at how they demonized education and was told that they don't really mean that no one should go to school, it's just that there's a lot of people that go to school and get a useless degree, wasting their time and money, and they have to phrase things more harshly to get through to those ones. In the case of their use of the word shunning in an FAQ - I would fully expect any JW that denies shunning to say something like "well this is a FAQ for the public, so they're putting things into broad terms that the public will understand. It's not really shunning."
The cult trains JWs to compartmentalize information (e.g. they'll tell you at the door that they're not looking to convert anyone, they just want to talk about the bible!) to the point that they'll see it when the cult is doing it and think that it's a valid approach to explaining things. Most JWs know (at least implicitly) that they lie to the public for their ends, so they'll have no problem claiming that they've lied to public when cornered.
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stuckinarut2
No, we all have it wrong people!
As the Branch Representative Terry O'Brien went to painful lengths to explain during the second round of the Australian Royal Commission, the Organisation does NOT shun anyone. It is actually those who leave who do the shunning you see.
The poor Society is actually shunned by us! WE are shunning them you see!
(yep, they actually went on like that for what seemed like an eternity!)