you can't get anymore back row than my lounge room....
New Announcement At The 2017 - DF'd People To Sit At The Back Of The Hall
by pale.emperor 43 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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jaydee
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konceptual99
OK - it was longer ago than I thought but here is the article about where DF'ed ones can sit.
https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/w20130815/disfellowshipped-child-seating-location/
Although the title refers to children it is clear that a DF'ed person of any age can sit anywhere just so long as they respect where they are.
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konceptual99
I should add that the above article has a footnote to confirm it updates previous direction in The Watchtower of April 1, 1953, page 223.
This is referenced by Blondie in this thread...
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jp1692
K99, thanks for the link!
Here are three relevant quotes from that 2013 QFR:
- It is not required that a disfellowshipped person sit at the back of the hall
- There is no reason to be unduly concerned about the seating location of a disfellowshipped person in the Kingdom Hall.
- Whether a disfellowshipped person sits next to a relative or next to any other member of the congregation should not be a cause for concern as long as he behaves properly. [Emphasis added]
There there it is. The borg doesn't really care where a DF'd person sits in the KH as long as they sit down, shut up and behave yourself.
It's all about one thing: CONTROL!
- It is not required that a disfellowshipped person sit at the back of the hall
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pale.emperor
...as long as he behaves properly
The last time i was in a Kingdom Hall, right after the closing prayer i stretched my arms above my head and said "ohhhhh shit". And left.
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My Name is of No Consequence
Nazi elders.
LOL!!
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John Davis
Kingdom Halls are private property, the owners of that property can restrict your entry and actions within that property. If they wish they can charge you with trespassing.
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Londo111
The heck with that. As if I want to every step into a Kingdom Hall again.
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OUTLAW
New Announcement At The 2017 - DF'd People To Sit At The Back Of The Hall
It`s been that way for as long as I can remember.
Every once in a while the WBT$ sends out a reminder.
Just in case some JW`s in good standing with the WBT$, start acting like decent human beings towards DF`d JW`s.
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Londo111
In my area, the last two rows were reserved for latecomers, and in particular, those with small children. Sometimes it was reserved or cordoned off by attendants.
Of course, most JWs find meetings dull as wall paper and would prefer to be at home or doing something else, or at least, not to have to go to the Kingdom Hall SO often. But they are under fear, obligation and guilt and feel compelled to attend.
There seems a general tendency that most JWs do not like sitting up front. Often, counsel was given from the platform to counter this, because I think many JWs would prefer to sit in back and not feel like they are being watched by everyone sitting behind them. If one has social anxiety, this sense is even more acute.
A DFed person who attends the Kingdom Hall has to endure allot of shame. It is an uphill battle for them to even walk in. I suspect this is so even for those without social anxiety.
Therefore, rather than a rule, it’s a natural consequence for a DFed person to slip in during the song, sit as far back as they can, be as invisible as possible (with exception of the elders to note their attendance), and slip out during the final song.