By Way of Announcement, Darlene Jefferson Has Been Disfellowshiped

by Cold Steel 21 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Wait For It

  @Cold Steel, you can get reproved for anything you can get disfellowshipped for. All it means is that the person seemed repentant in the judicial committee vs a disfellowshipping which means the person displayed an unrepentant attitude. But really it just boils down to if you've convinced your committee that you are sorry. Doesn't matter if you actually are or not, but they have to believe you. And it also depends on what kind of elders you get: harsh or forgiving.

  things you can get reproved for: sex, drugs, gambling, and whatever else is in the flock book (conveniently not available to rank and file.)
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  Village Idiot

  Were any of you guys present for the announcement when you were DF'ed?

  I was and the elder who was about to announce it flinched when he saw me sitting down at the meeting.
  
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  blondie

  Yes, normally the announcements are made at the mid-week meeting (service meeting) not to have the few non-jws at the Sunday meeting ask embarrassing questions. jws like to condition their "bible students" before they drop a controversial topic on them.
  
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  James Jack

  I looked at the Elder's "Shepherd" book and the "OD" book. It makes no mention which Meeting the Announcement is to be made. However, only The mid week meeting has time allowed for local announcements(at the end). Blondie is right about the reasoning the Elders use for the time of the announcement. However, I recall a time when we rein-stated a person right before the Convention and the CO gave us permission to announce it on a Sunday Meeting, so he could have fellowship there with him.
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  millie210

  That is a good point James Jack.

  Very interesting.

  Normally there are to be no DF announcements made during the C.O.s visit (not encouraging enough and again, the visitor thing)

  But I guess a C.O. can do what he wants to a degree.
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  Cold Steel

  So if you go into a meeting and crawl, you have a good shot at not being DF'ed?

  What happens if one simply repents of the sin and decided not to trouble the elders? If one leads a good life from then on and then dies, Yahwe will not burn him at Armageddon, will He? If no, does the person just get a little singed? Maybe a little crispy around the edges?

  So why would anyone do that to themselves? Who wants to be DF'ed and treated like crap when they could keep it between themselves and God? I mean if elders can sin, keep it to themselves and repent and stay elders, why muck things up?

  Here's a scenario: Bill is a faithful brother but misses his non-JW family. One Christmas he attends the family's delicious and acclaimed festive meals and his family slips him some gifts, reminding him that Jesus gave mankind the ultimate gift. (Obviously they don't know that they'll die horrible deaths at Armageddon and that they'll perish forever into oblivion.) But for now our attention is on Bill. He accepts the gifts, but not in the spirit of the pagan holiday, but as reminders of Jesus' sacrifice as his mother had said. Later, he's wracked with guilt. He saw their vile tree and the offensive ornaments and lights. He ate their putrid food (which was excellent by the way) and had even enjoyed it! What should he do? Must he report this disgusting deed to the elders? What if he doesn't? What if he attended their despicable church, the one he grew up in, to hear bible readings?

  How much trouble is Bill in with Jehovah?
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  Lostandfound

  Years ago, when I was PO (cobe) I had to announce a couple of df'ing over time. I was physically sick for days and could hardly get up on the stage. After that the few moderate elders always set up JCs so that the lunatic element, the no thi inking elders were always outnumbered by some elders who had brains and did not just parrot party line. By having brains I do not mean they were better educated but better people, family men, not young Gung Ho elders who had no experience of life. One CO went round circuit appointing all pioneer brothers who had passed 20 mark, 30 odd year for experience went out of window. Such ones loved power of JC and disfellowshipped on sight. Balanced elders hated that CO (he was about 30) and he ruined circuit with his appointments. But back to topic, older elders reined in the elders of the CO, who had all circuit assy items and appointments, casting aside decades of experience. Now years later all young ones have been DF themselves or gone. I am in UK but recall US Constitution bans Cruel and Unusual Punishment, well the DF process and shunning certainly are both.
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  hoser

  A friend of mine was reinstated a few years back in a different congregation from where she was dfd. The announcement in our hall was two weeks before her current congregation because they had a circuit assembly and then the circus overseers visit so no announcement if reinstatement could be made.
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  Island Man

  "Who wants to be DF'ed and treated like crap when they could keep it between themselves and God?"

  Many do. Those that get DFd are mainly those that get caught by other JWs doing "serious" sins. They are then reported to the elders if they don't go themselves and confess their sin. A few sinners are plagued by guilt and voluntarily go and confess their sins without being caught by anyone. But they are probably in the minority.

  The number of people who are DF'd and reproved is not representative of all the "serious" sinning going on. Many JWs secretly carry on "serious" sins like smoking, celebrating holidays, fornication, etc. Those that are reproved or DF'd are only those that have been found out.

  There is even a JW expression - "living a double life" - to refer to a JW who is a good JW in the presence of other JWs, but is breaking the rules when not around JWs.
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  blondie

  Most jws I have known are only worried if humans find out their sins, so they hide them and successfully from other humans.

  The few jws that believe that God sees what they do, believe sincerely, will worry and eventually "confess." But they are few. Most believe as the bible says the Israelites did:

  Ezekiel 8:11,12
  

  And 70 of the elders of the house of Israel were standing before them, with Ja·az·a·niʹah the son of Shaʹphan+ standing among them. Each one had his censer in his hand, and the perfumed cloud of incense was ascending.+ 12 He said to me: “Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each one in the inner rooms where his idols are displayed?* For they are saying, ‘Jehovah is not seeing us. Jehovah has left the land.’”+