Make Shunning A Hate Crime

by Lost in the fog 27 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Giordano

  You don't get to have freedom of religion without freedom from religion.

  Stunning violates the law of coercion. The WT makes it's followers act in a certain way re shunning........ otherwise they in turn.......... will be shunned by close family and friends. It has evolved to a punishment for the innocent.

  The question is if you didn't have this rule and your own fear of being shunned......... would you still maintain some level of contact with the person who has left the JW construct?

  When you look at the history of 'the truth' according to the WT........ people were shunned for getting a transplant during that era and ongoing smoking a couple of cigs a day. Watching a little porno. ETc. and even if the policy changed that were never notified and welcomed back.

  There is a deep sickness in the JW construct just like the Christian Scientists, Scientology, the Amish etc.

  When a religion promotes negative issues it has little to no value.
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  Jehalapeno

  S[h]unning violates the law of coercion.

  No it doesn't. In Criminal Law (at least in the US) for duress/coercion to be considered a "crime", it must meet certain requirements, the first of which is "The threat must be of serious bodily harm or death."

  The question is if you didn't have this rule and your own fear of being shunned......... would you still maintain some level of contact with the person who has left the JW construct?

  This happens all the time outside of religion. A circle of friends may end up shunning a member of that circle because of some perceived wrong. Other members of that circle may fear associating with that shunned member because they themselves don't want to be ostracized by the others in the group.

  Is this toxic behavior? Clearly. Should this be considered a "criminal offense" in a free society? Of course not. I reserve the right to shun people that behave this way.
  
  
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  Simon

  Stunning violates the law of coercion. The WT makes its followers act in a certain way re shunning ... otherwise they in turn ... will be shunned by close family and friends. It has evolved to a punishment for the innocent.

  It's all largely voluntary - nothing happens to people who don't shun their friends or relatives if they don't go out of their way to publicize the fact.

  They may not be given "promotions" in the group, but who cares ... they don't want to follow the group rules anyway do they, so is it any loss?

  The only people who can shun you are your friends and family and if they do, your complaint is with them - they chose to put that organizations voluntary rule ahead of your relationship in reward for group "points".
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  MeanMrMustard

  You don't get to have freedom of religion without freedom from religion.

  And you have it. You have freedom of association. You joined the group with a set of specified, pre-discloses rules. Now you can leave the group. The current members also have the same freedom of association as you do. You can choose to disassociate, they can too.
  

  Stunning violates the law of coercion.

  What is “the law of coercion”? Can this be defined clearly? If a wife says, “Stop smoking or I want a divorce,” does this mean she is breaking this law?
  

  The WT makes it's followers act in a certain way re shunning........ otherwise they in turn.......... will be shunned by close family and friends. It has evolved to a punishment for the innocent.

  No. Why do you wish to take away the moral agency of family members? These are people that make the choice to side with the group you left. *They* chose this. By removing their agency, you make them unaccountable. Do you see them as children?
  
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  MeanMrMustard

  The Humanist organisation in the UK wants to protect non-religious people who leave their church/religion from being punished for doing so.

  Holy shirt. They want to outlaw Islam?
  
  
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  resolute Bandicoot

  
  

  MeanMrMustard 2 hours ago

  The Humanist organisation in the UK wants to protect non-religious people who leave their church/religion from being punished for doing so.

  Holy shirt. They want to outlaw Islam?

  That is the head shot that they really need to take before it is too late.

  RB
  
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  JeffT

  Consider this: if the law makes it illegal for them to shun you, it also makes it illegal for you to shun them. If your crazy JW relatives crash your birthday party to tell you Jehovah is going to kill you, throwing them out of your house might be a criminal act.
  
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  Xanthippe

  I can't understand people who say shunning in that religion is voluntary. Ray Franz was disfellowshipped for refusing to shun a friend, that was the official reason anyway.

  Of course people will eventually find out if a JW keeps seeing disfellowshipped or disassociated relatives, the way these cultists spy on one another. I can remember people going on at me at the KH because they'd seen me going into town several times a week to buy fresh bread! I didn't see them, they didn't come over and speak! Weird people always trying to catch you out.

  Surely if relatives have gone because of changed beliefs they are viewed as apostates and JWs are forbidden from association with them or be classed as apostates themselves.

  I think when you've been out a while it's easy to forget that atmosphere of fear and always looking over you shoulder. Following the shunning rules to many is a life or death matter. If they get chucked out for not shunning their everlasting life is at risk, panda paradise gone!