I called a Jehovah's Witness friend of mine a couple weeks ago, yes I still consider him a friend though he would not say the same of me. I've known him for almost 40 years. Our families went on many vacations together including my only trip back to Bethel in 1996. This trip was made with 40 other "brothers and sisters."
We texted back and forth for about a half an hour late one Saturday night. I could tell something was wrong so I finally picked the phone and called him.
He had been drinking and told me how much he loved me and that "he had never given up hope for me to come back." He finally said. "Your probably calling me because you heard that I had been dis-fellow-shipped a week ago!"
"No!" I said. "I had no idea!"
Yes,his wife had turned him in for drunkenness and had left him. I tried to console him but he would not have it. Though he loved me, he could think of me only as the devil's disciple trying to steal what was left of his soul!
He was in the only real Hell there is. The Hell the Jehovah's Witness world had created for him. The Hell of being cast out of god's loving organization. Though "out" he was more "in" than ever. To lose everything he had was more than he could bare!
Hell for sure. Who know how many suicides have resulted from people living in this kind of made up Hell?
PS In the 50 years I was a JW he is the first and only person I have ever heard of getting dis-fellow-shipped for drinking too much. Because we all know here that is one area they cut people a lot of slack!