Walking away will get you D/Fed (page 3)

ToesUp

WT is full of bullies. My spouse and I would love to be DF'd and have our families us ask why. We could honestly respond...."for exercising our freedom of religion."

The ''Society'' definitely has gotten more strict and 'weird' over the last few years. The friends within the 'Congregations'' make statements about ''worldies'' think we're a bunch of ''extremists''. The more and more 'weird' and 'strict' the 'Society'' becomes I wouldn't put anything past them to disfellowship for any a little thing, like ''fading'' away.

LongHairGal

After all these years of me being "faded" and essentially out, it would make no difference what action the religion would take. Over the years I have been very outspoken and curt, in some instances, to JWs I have seen in stores. Surely word must have gotten back. I'm surprised I'm not already announced.

However, I have no family there so I don't care. Other people have to play the "game". I wish them the best of luck.

Simon

Nope. Not true - they need a reason

It's really semantics - they may not disfellowship you, but if you are a threat to their authority & control then they can and will announce that you have disassociated yourself and the treatment is exactly the same, possibly worse - someone who is 'evil' (because they reject them) is seen as worse than someone who simply sins.

TD

There are no laws in the U.S. governing the conditions of being a JW or (AFAIK) any other religion. There are laws that indirectly affect those conditions though..

If a minor voluntarily chooses to engage in JW activities, that's one thing, but if a minor is compelled to do so, then the door to door ministry becomes child labor. JW's have been accused of violations on this front more than once and the standard defense is that JW activities are wholly voluntary for all.

Similarly, some who wish to leave the JW's after attaining the age of majority have argued that since minors lack the autonomy to enter into an at-will relationship, their own baptism means nothing and claims of pastoral interest and/or the assertion of ecclesiastical authority are therefore harassment..

Here again, the standard argument invoked by JW attorneys is that people identify themselves as JW's by continuing to engage in the full spectrum of JW activities as adults. Since those activities are wholly voluntary, the choice to be a JW was therefore the wholly voluntary decision of an adult.

Conversion rates are not what they used to be. Not by a long shot. There was a time when a knock on the door was a pleasant diversion from the sheer monotony of day to day life. Today, it instantly puts people on the defensive. Baptizing children when they are young and malleable and making it stick has become more and more important to the long term survival of this organization. And it is against their own self interest to open up a loophole they've already closed.

Phizzy

" Since those activities are wholly voluntary, the choice to be a JW was therefore the wholly voluntary decision of an adult."

If the said "volunteer" decides to withdraw from the Org, what right does the Org have to take action against such a one ?

OUTLAW

If a minor voluntarily chooses to engage in JW activities, that's one thing, but if a minor is compelled to do so, then the door to door ministry becomes child labor. JW's have been accused of violations on this front more than once and the standard defense is that JW activities are wholly voluntary for all......TD

As a JW Kid I was led to believe JW activities were voluntary..

I found out other wise when I refused to go out in the field service..

When you`re a JW Kid,you volunteer free labour for the WBT$..

OR..

Face the Consequences from your JW Parents..

Image result for Thanks mom and dad

blondie

Actually, my siblings and I found it safer to go with mother in service than stay alone at home with pedophile father.

Nicholaus Kopernicus

Several in my and a neighbouring congregation have become inactive. One was pursued by two elders for a "shepherding visit" but they weren't successful in making contact and haven't pursued him any further. So he's well and truly inactive without any "judicial" consequences.

My attendance at meetings is quite irregular. In response, very few talk to me (called pre-emptive shunning I understand) as if I had perpetrated a great travesty. But I see this positively in that when I give up attending completely, the shunning will hopefully continue rather than my being pursued by elders.

In Britain, the latest peak publisher numbers from last year's JW Yearbook indicated a reduction of just under 900 from the previous year. That would make a lot of disfellowhipping were the reduction in part or in whole due to fading / inactivity were there uch a policy response.

I'm waiting for the 2017 yearbook to see if this peak publisher decline is a one off or not.

Crazyguy

A friend of mine was wrongfully dfd. After he got reinstated he faded away and nothing has happen to him. Another friend saw the light after they mishandled his situation and he walked nothing happened to him. I know of a few others that stopped going for one reason or another and after being gone they are forgot about. I think this is the norm unless you make waves.

Walking away will get you D/Fed