by Scully 20 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Today on Dr. Phil, he says to a woman who has not spoken to her brother and sisters for 12 years:
"Withholding emotion is one of the most mean and vicious and aggressive things you can do."
I think he'd have a field day with JWs who shun friends and family members who choose to leave the organization!
Love, Scully
There are so many things emotionally-screwed-up about JW's, Dr. Phil probably wouldn't even know where to start (if he even cared to) !!
But don't you get it Scully -- shunning is an expression of "LOVE" !! For if you don't shun, you're merely ENCOURAGING the wrongdoer to continue down the "broad and spacious path leading off into destruction". So all that silence we hear -- that's true Christian LOVE, JW style!!
Hi Scully,
A couple friends and I were talking about this kind of thing a few days ago. I think that because Witnesses are forced to crush their compassions down to comply with policy on such a regular basis, it gradually creates an emotional coldness in which they are not able to feel empathy for others. And since Witnesses are not allowed to follow logical paths completely, either, they end up being complete neither emotionally or intellectually. They are stuck inside a box that is shallow both emotionally and intellectually!
That revelation really hit me. Your post made me want to share it.
SNG
I think you are right Scully....
They would have a hay day with us
Morty
But don't you get it Scully -- shunning is an expression of "LOVE" !! For if you don't shun, you're merely ENCOURAGING the wrongdoer to continue down the "broad and spacious path leading off into destruction". So all that silence we hear -- that's true Christian LOVE, JW style!!
Gopher stole my thought!
Meanwhile this nice love of course causes people to come back--you have no support in the real world, you have to go back in. It's the only thing they know most often.
As for shunning, I remember studying in one of my classes, it was either sociology or child development--or both--about the shunning practices of other cultures, and throughout history. For example in Victorian England, as a form of punishment for troubled youths, whenever they would do something "wrong" they would be locked in a room for a time, then when let out they would be treated as if they did not exist. No one was allowed to talk to them or make any move to say the person even was alive. Many of the children wrote about this practice later that they would rather have been physically beaten then have to deal with this.
Also in some of the Pacific Islands I believe the worst offenders were cast out of their tribe and forced to live alone. If they tried to come back to the tribe, they were again treated as if they did not exist. Often times the "offender" would wander off and simply disappear (the notion being they killed themselves--how often have we heard of shunned JW's doing that?). The point being this was the WORST punishment you could inflict on someone. It's so true!
SNG stop it!!!! I'm having to agree with everything you post!
Witnesses are forced to crush their compassions down to comply with policy on such a regular basis, it gradually creates an emotional coldness in which they are not able to feel empathy for others. And since Witnesses are not allowed to follow logical paths completely, either, they end up being complete neither emotionally or intellectually. They are stuck inside a box that is shallow both emotionally and intellectually!
I felt like an emotional zombie during the last few years I was in the organization. Couldn't feel anything, couldn't get excited about anything. Now I'm starting to feel again (and reading CoC it's mostly anger at those a&&holes ). Well, I guess I may as well start with that emotion then work my way through to the others.
"Withholding emotion is one of the most mean and vicious and aggressive things you can do."
I think of it as negative punishment & reinforcement to the one *sinning/disobeying* (jw standards)..............but never thought of it as "aggressive" on the part of the shunner. Thanks to ol' Dr. Phil (and Scully) for New Light.
Much like saying "I'd hit you if I could, but since I can't - I'll cut you out of my life until you behave like I want you to."
Remember that old Watchtower saying that *in ancient times, rebellious children were stoned.* Also the Watchtower (almost quote) which said that *in ancient times, apostates were stoned to death. We can't do that today, but we can show godly hatred of the sin.*
I think Jehovah's Witnesses would be excellent poster children for Passive-Aggressive Behaviour.
Good and interesting thread Scully..
Question:
What were Dr Phil's suggestion to this family (not talking to each other for years) problem..
Just curious?
and seatleniceguy.. good comment and makes sense. I found alot of J.W's to be emotional blocks of concrete.
I'll come back and read this topic again.. very interesting.
sincerely
special k
My mother was an emotional block of concrete 99.9% of the time as we kids were growing up Her background before jw was mennonite from many generations, descended from anabaptist.
SS
About a year ago, there was a family on Dr. Phil where the husband had had multiple affairs and the wife just didn't feel like she could keep forgiving him, and they had no support from family or friends, and she was at her wits end. He asked why. She said their church had kicked the husband out, for his actions, but their whole family were being affected. He said "I think it's time you found a new church" and went on to talk about how terrible that was to kick someone when they were down, and at a time they needed help the most.
At the time I suspected they might have been JW's, but it was not said which church they had attended.
You've got to love his common sense. He really tells it like it is.
(I can't make that box go away, so have to just leave it)
