Question: When did the JWs start having judicial committees?

Spiral

I've been reading the book recommended by Zing "Soul Snatchers, the Mechanics of Cults" (bought a used copy online) and one of the things mentioned was how cults police all aspects of their members' lives. So it got me to wondering, when did the practice of three men (elders) having a hearing (or should we say trial) and passing judgment on a member start? Did the early Bible Students do this? This aspect of being a JW has always given me the creeps.

DesirousOfChange

There is WT article in about 1947 that condemns "excommunication" (referring to the Catholic Church). But JC's and DFing was around in the mid-60s. I remember a DF announcement when I was early teens

ZindagiNaMilegiDobaara

Good question Spiral,

As far as I can go with this, I can only say that this was already in place in 1961 (I was not even born then).coz the shepherding/fleece the flock book of 1961 talks about this as if it is already in place. So it goes back as far as 1961.

Zing

ZindagiNaMilegiDobaara

washtowel 1961 february question from readers: a few lines which also proves they were in place in 1961:

." For his moral uncleanness, of which his hypocritical, unloving course shows he has not repented, he must be disfellowshiped from the Christian congregation on the basis of the evidence laid before the congregation’s judicial committee."

Zing

Spiral

Thanks for the information.

When you read a book about cults and look at this kind of thing through that lens, you wonder how anyone thinks joining a group like this (outside joining the military) is okay.

I can remember when I was young a talk about the Catholic Church and how confession to a human priest was wrong. How could confession to a tribunal of brothers be any different? At least at confessional, you're in a booth and supposed to be anonymous, from what I understand.

I think that the judicial committee practice is abuse.

Finkelstein

Did the early Bible Students do this?

Yes but in a different way.

If you were a recognized member of the IBSA and openly criticize the teachings/doctrines of the WTS, you could be identified as subversive and evil or an apostate and others were discouraged to not associate with you.

The top IBSA head was C T Russell and a couple of close associates, they were ones who created the doctrines which included Pyramidology and so forth.

When Rutherford took over the WTS and the IBSA in 1916 he created more of a watchful eye on to dissenters within the organization. which eventually developed into the DFing judiciary procedures in the 1950's.

Athanasius

The JW disfellowhiping arrangement by the congregation service committee was put in place in the early 1950s. In 1954 there was a sister in our congregation who was disfellowshipped for immorality. In those days one had to wait a year before they could be reinstated. She did her time and after the year was up she was reinstated. A couple of years later some teens also got canned for the same reason.

However, in those days the disfellowshipped person could still talk to their family. Then in the 1970s during the reforms of Watchtower Vatican 2, disfellowshipped people were treated more humanly and not harshly shunned by non-family members in the congregation.

But after Ray Franz was removed from the GB, the new rules now required family to shun the disfellowshipped.

Stuck in the middle37

I was attending a congregation in central California in 53 or 54. A woman in the congregation was disfellowshiped for immorality. At that time they read out the complete reasons for the offense. Had some friends in southern California, they were doing the same down there. It didn't seem to be something new they were just starting.

Vidiot

Spiral - "When did the JWs start having judicial committees?"

Pretty much the moment rank-and-filers with half a brain started suspecting it wasn't The Truth.

babygirl30

So wait...it wasn't until the 70s that they made the decision that families shouldn't associate with a DF'd member? WOW!

Question: When did the JWs start having judicial committees?

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