Hi Shamus,
In no way do I defend the Watchtower on this, but to try and make sense of their convoluted logic, some of what I state may sound like I am defending them. You asked,
How can you explain to a person that "God is love" then explain disfellowshipping to them, even though the person who is the "prodigal son" is forgiven instantly?
First, the Prodigal son was not forgiven instantly ... he was never actually disfellowshipped in any sense of the word. He chose to take his inheritance and run off. After spending years squandering his wealth, he ended up in a dire state and decided to return home. Before he could even get all the way home, his dad ran out to greet him ... and he fully restored his son, including restoring his full inheritance. This pissed off the older son who was jealous of the attention his wayward brother received. Perhaps he would be upset at seeing him receive his full inheritance since he already squardered what he earlier received. But the father makes it clear how much he loves the wayward prodigal son. How much he is releievd to have him back ... how much he cried over this son who has returned home.
The entire prodigal son account is about parental love and what Jesus was teaching us about how God is supposed to feel for us. To JWs, disfellowshiping is considered an act of tough love, or loving discipline. It is supposed to be reserved for the clearly unrepentant. Disfellowshipping is intended to give a wake up call to the wayward JW so thay they come to their senses, repent, and seek to be restored. The JWs do not stop to fathom the real impact of DFing and how it actually accomplishes nothing, and often makes matters worse.
The problem is that many people are DF'd for things that are not the business of the congregation. They are often repentant. Of they have mitigating circumstances that preclude the need for repentance. And most of all, the problem with such "discipline" is that no where does the Bible ever teach total shunning as part of the process. The Watchtower process of DFing is totally unbiblical, immoral and pointless. The only ones who have a right to discipline us are our parents, and if we commit serious crimes, our fellow citizens using impartial courts. Religious discipline is a sham.
In the prodigal son parable, no where does Jesus discuss shunning. No where are there any mentioned of meetings between the father or the elder family members to determine repentance. There is no basis to forgive the prodigal son, because it was never about sinning against the father, but rather about a lost son who was now home. The father did not give a damn about what the son did, now did he inquire. He did not ever once shun his son. He never asked for nor received any advance letters requesting restoration (reinstatement) from his son. His son simply walked home, and he was so happy to see him that he ran to him and fell upon him, hugged him, kissed him ... and in his excitement to welcome home his son, he accidently ignored the feelings of the elder son.
In my mind, a Christian community, and individual families are more like this. They tend to love one another, and are far less concerned about expressing anger, resentment, and retaliation to wayward and lost members. If only the JW community would greet those who return this way ... they might have a much happier and more loyal religion. Oddly enough, the JWs are even forbidden to clap when one of their own is reinstated ... thus showing that the Watchtower religion can't get anything straight when it comes to what Jesus actually taught.
Thanks for raising a great issue. - Jim Whitney
