by ozziepost 26 Replies latest jw friends
Some excellent insights! All along I thought it didn't really matter much, as both (DA & DF); would get you shunned (with a few exceptions as posted above). I hadn't really thought much about it from the WT's point of view.
I do have a question though. I've never BEEN a JW. Just married to a DA'd JW. I've been shunned by active JWs all along. So, what's my status ? If I'm not DF, DA, and never been active how do I break through the shunning ? Any legal advice AlanF ?
thinker
G'day Amazing,
Love the new category "FA". Wasn't there a popular song with the words "just fade away"?
I guess I like that 'class'. I might join!
Cheers,
Ozzie
"Truth persuades by teaching, but does not teach by persuading."
TERTULLIAN, Adversus Valentinianos
Ozzie you said
I would think, though, that many women would find it an emotionally draining experience and very intimidating.
To tell the truth, I found the "help" I was receiving to be emotionally draining.
I wouldn't turn up to to my JC because I didn't consider they had the right to sit in judgement of me, told them I didn't consider it to be "the truth", so they DFed me. It was hard at the time, but things healed well over time. I think I would chose DF again - for me it is cleaner, and doesn't give the Borg as much satisfaction as a DA.
Hi, Ozziepost,
In my case, I chose DA quickly, or after only weeks of learning the Truth according to WT Society interpretations of the Bible was not really the Truth.
Fortunately, maybe, being a solitary man, I did not have to consider the issue of being shunned by familty members, so I just wrote a ltter off to the Australian Bethel resigning my assignment as an MTS pioneer and slipped away into theocratic oblivion.
One motivation which was very strong for me - still is - and one which apparently has not been mentioned in your follow-ups here was the legal implications of remaining an 'on file' Jay Dub with the Sydney Bethel, or for that matter any other satellite control centre for the great God of Brooklyn.
When I was studying twenty years back it was brought to my attention how important it was that I write a formal letter of resignation to the Anglican Church where I was supposedly registered as a C of E, having been formally confiormed into this Church as a 15 year old schoolboy. I did that, writing to my school chaplain who is/was married to one of Australia's leading Anglican advocates/apologists,
Barbara Thiering.
I quoted all this gobbleygook about the Nicene Creed and other anti-Christendom stuff, and as expected, never heard back from the good Reverend. I had been softened up for this non-reaction by the elder who studyied with me - a former Methodist himself - and told not to worry about it. (Recognition wasn't the issue here, but more important was coming clean before Jehovah; by sending off the signed resignation letter.)
Point being, I can't see the difference in the process from formally quitting the Church of England or the good ole WT Society. To me now, they're all tarred with the same brush strokes of self-interest, conflicting doctrines, double standards and lies.
With those issues aside, I certainly don't want my name listed with either of these scams of religion. Who would? And to present a worse case scenario: What if the Satan's Governments really do turn nasty on religions like the JWS? I certainly will not now be tracked down like a dog and strung up for being still formally listed as a JW.
Uncanny
Howdy thinker:
Not much you can do about that kind of shunning. There's nothing in WTS literature about it, so the Dubs are doing it on their own. Legally you can't force them to not shun you, and you can't hold the WTS liable for something that it has no specific policy on.
AlanF
My husband and I just flat out left five years ago. I guess we fall under the FA category. They didn't waste any time in shunning us. I have seen many a dub turn on their heel in the grocery store and walk the other way! A couple of months ago one of the local elders was in line directly behind me in the post office and never said a word. Just as well, I don't speak with Jehovah's Witnesses! HAHAHAHA
Yeah, we aren't df'd or da'd either, and a few months ago, I ran right into a woman, whose marriage my husband performed, and I smiled, and said "Hi, Joanne". She walked past, with her nose in the air, as if I were invisible. Everyone around us, in the store looked at her like she was really weird. I wanted to tell them "she really is." We are definitely FA's too.
AlanF: Did you know Princess is my daughter? She looks just like me but much thinner, and a bit taller.
