DAMNED IF YOU DO, DAMNED IF YOU DON'T: RELIGIOUS SHUNNING AND THE FREE EXERCISE CLAUSE
Damned if you do, damned if you don't - Religious Shunning and the Free Exercise Clause
by AndersonsInfo 6 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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smiddy3
Marked for later reading ,thank you for this
AndersonsInfo
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BluesBrother
I skipped to the conclusion, which said…….
“When courts ignore the free exercise rights of individuals and look only at the religious claims of groups, they elevate the group's religion over the individual's religion. This is a dangerous path to follow. It gives religious groups virtually unfettered coercive power over their members and former members and blocks dissent and doctrinal development.”
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Smiles
and that dangerous environment is exactly how high-control religious cults as WT like it... -
LongHairGal
I just spoke to some PIMI women in the religion. They are old friends and know I’m ‘Out’ and sort of understand because they have a relative who was mistreated for almost the same reason I was: having a full-time job. Their Witness extended family is pulled apart in strife with this one not talking to that one, etc. There are grown nieces and nephews shunned by parents who appear willing to go to their graves rather than reconcile or at least be civil to their children who didn’t stay in the ‘Truth’ 🙄.
I am appalled at this and am so grateful I wasn’t raised a JW!…Me being shunned as a ‘Fader’ makes absolutely No difference to me since I luckily have no relatives in that religion..I think this group could probably go down in history for their shunning routine. I know the Amish do this but they are an isolated community whereas JWs can be anywhere. Shunned JWs or ex-JWs oftentimes suffer from depression, can’t hold down a job, end up needing therapy, etc. and who knows how this all ends?
What a tragedy this shunning routine is! 👎
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Biahi
Also, LHG, I believe the Amish version of shunning lasts only 6 weeks, then ends.
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Smiles
JW shunning ends when the shunned re-surrender to the cult
or
when some shunners abandon cult policy to resume contact
Other than those scenarios, JW shunning ends only at death, yet even then, culty judgments linger over funeral arrangements & resurrection worthiness