by minimus 48 Replies latest jw friends
The "official" attitude is, if you're not witnessing for Jehovah, you're not one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
However, the org no doubt delights when JW's decide for themselves to shun any irregular/inactive ones.
Shunning is now viewed as both a conscience matter and as a mandatory one by many JW's.
The last meeting I attended was 1983, no FS time reported, never go to meetings, no assemblies, no memorial either. I understand they keep your record card on file forever. Am I still “technically” a witness? I don’t know or care.
So does the JW religion count inactive persons as one of Jehovah`s Witnesses when they claim they have 8-9 million members ?
I say in all honesty, considering all the PIMOs and inactive ones, the membership worldwide is more like 5 million and shrinking. Which is why kingdom halls are closing, literature is shrinking, and meetings are getting shorter. They're done, they just don't know it yet.
We certainly are not treated as though we are JWs any longer, although officially I suspect we are in the “inactive” file in the Pub Card box of a Cong Sect somewhere.
If they were to learn either (or both) of us had “committed adultery” or gotten arrested for drunk driving, I suspect we would then still be considered JWs by them and summoned to a Kangaroo Court. Most certainly that would be the case if we were publicly advertising our real opinions on the current JW Doctrines. Apostasy is a far greater sin in their eyes than drinking too much (most of them do that regularly) or screwing around (plenty of that goes on too).
Question. I haven't been to a meeting in 18 years this month. What happened to my publisher card?
I am not DF'd or DA'd. I just saw my old BOE last week at a memorial. Only went because the daughter of the deceased, who has been out for decades, asked that I go and of course I went to support her. Navigating a JW function when you are out and have unwelcomed DF's relatives is dodgy business.
The elders were nice. They seemed shocked to see me. Curious about the card...is it destroyed and am I off the official books?
If a person does not "witness" about their god Jehovah any more, formally or informally, are they still a jw? It depends on when what article you look at. It is a dance around issue. Ask yourself, if you are inactive, do the other jws think you will survive Armageddon if still inactive?
*** w08 11/15 p. 16 par. 17 Help Them Return Without Delay! ***
Why did the brother become inactive? He admits: “I started giving more attention to worldly matters than to spiritual things. Then I stopped studying, engaging in the ministry, and attending meetings. The next thing I knew, I was no longer a part of the Christian congregation
** w82 4/15 pp. 23-24 par. 10 Enduring Joyfully Despite Persecution ***
Hence, when our activity is banned, it is generally our preaching and our meetings that are prohibited. “You can be Jehovah’s Witnesses,” we are often told, “but you may not preach or hold any meetings.” Yet if we did not preach or hold meetings, we would not be witnesses of Jehovah God or Christ Jesus, since a witness who does not say anything is really not a witness at all. (Isaiah 43:10, 12; Acts 1:8)
*** w55 1/1 p. 14 par. 14 Holding Fast the Public Declaration of Our Hope ***
Under that wholesome counsel by Paul it is very necessary for each one of us to look after himself. It is not just a matter of saying, ‘I am one of Jehovah’s witnesses,’ or one’s coming to a meeting and there sitting quietly. It really is a matter of inspecting yourself, testing or proving yourself by answering questions in public, voluntarily or when called upon. How can anyone say he is one of Jehovah’s witnesses if he does not attend and participate in the meetings of true worshipers of Jehovah? (John 4:23) How can he say, even to himself, that he believes the truth of God’s Word if he never expresses that truth to his brothers?
It seems to me there is a lot of confusion and wrong info on this topic.
The membership count given (around 8.5 million) does not include inactive members, only ones who are regularly submitting field service reports. These ones are called publishers, and you do not have to be baptized to be considered a publisher.
If you do not submit any field service reports for a consecutive six months, you are considered "inactive", and thus no longer a publisher. You would not be counted in their membership total.
Regarding publisher cards, my understanding is that if you become inactive, your publisher card remains with the last congregation you were associated with indefinitely, at least in the United States. You are still technically "on the books", but are no longer counted as a publisher (active member). Depending on how zealous the local elder body is, they may try to contact inactive ones occasionally, especially when the Circuit Overseer comes around and bugs them about it.
Other countries might have different rules on keeping files like this, but I wouldn't be able to comment on that.
Is it like the Eagles say,
"You can check out any time you like but you can never leave"?
It reminds me of when my husband was an elder and decided not be an elder any more. He was told by the COBOE that he could not make the decision to "step down" only the BOE could make that decision, as if he would be left in limbo until they decided he could.
He just handed them his elders manual, KH keys, and other material from his assignments, and said, "you will look foolish when you announce me next week for my part and I don't go up to the stage." The COBOE decided immediately then that he was no longer an elder.
He was told by the COBOE that he could not make the decision to "step down"
They want to control EVERYTHING.
