Reproof announcement wording.

by Jofi_Wofo 6 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Jofi_Wofo

  Hey, all. It's been a while!

  I had an old memory pop into my head today about an oddly worded announcement made by an elder at a meeting back when I was a bible study. I couldn't find anything in the WOL nor on Google about it, so I wondered if this was just some rogue one-off, or if this is the way things used to be announced. This would have occurred circa the year 2000.

  The elder was listing off several standard announcements, then invited another elder to come on stage to make just the one announcement. Without any introduction, without any context, the second elder just came to the microphone and said "Brother _____ has been counseled on the matter, and he has repented" then stepped off stage.

  So, no explanation of what "the matter" was, but phrased as if we all knew what he was talking about (we didn't). It sounds like something that would follow up a reproof or a marking talk, but I've never known reproof announcements to be phrased like that and marking talks don't mention names, so this would be a meaningless way to follow up on it.

  Does anyone else remember an announcement like this, or know of any previous policy, letter or manual that worded am announcement like this?
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  Vidqun

  They usually have a general talk in the same meeting about a particular sin or misstep, if I remember correctly.
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  neat blue dog

  This wording is mentioned specifically in the Elders manual with respect to blood transfusions. It is part of a larger protocol made in response to governments threatening legal consequences if JWs are not allowed to have a blood transfusion. In response JWs effectively lied under oath and said that there are no repercussions and it is a personal choice, and meanwhile they 'discontinued' judicial committees in such cases, making it seem more informal but for all intents and purposes it is still a JC. If the person ISN'T repentant, instead of disfellowshipping they will regard the person as having disassociated themself whether or not that's what they want, and in any case the announcement at the Hall will be the same: "so-and-so is no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses".
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  James Jack

  In cases of “Public Reproof (Repentant)”, the announcement is “A matter involving so and so has been handled and he/she still serves as a publisher of the good news”.
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  neat blue dog

  James Jack what decade are you posting from, they just say "so and so is reproved", that's it.
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  BluesBrother

  Just checked the up to date Shepherd The Flock book and I agree with Neat Blue Dog, above. These days it is brief and to the point
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  Lost in the fog

  Vidqun.

  The instructions were that you shouldn't have the general talk on the matter in the same Service Meeting as the one where the reproof was announced.

  I mean the brief announcement was to let the congregation know that this person had committed some sinful act and wasn't going to be disfellowshipped but was still having some sort of prohibition placed upon them. The only people - in theory anyway - who knew the details were the person themselves and the brothers who served on the committee.

  Naturally, after that announcement, the congregation were all "ooh I wonder what they were getting up to?" If a talk on the very same night warned everyone against doing _______ , well it sort of gave the secret away!

  We were always told if possible to wait a while before giving "the talk" usually during a future local needs item. Unless of course the sinful act was known about in the community outside of the congregation - that was the only time that the talk was to be given immediately following the announcement.