Just my ten-cents-worth.
Quite some time ago, I did some research into this whole disfellowshipping thing and found a few interesting tibids on it. Due to a medical problem I am having at the moment, I can't give references. however, here are the highlights of what I found out.
1. Expulsion was started in the post-Maccabean Jewish Community. After the Romans added Israel to its empire, they restricted the locals' rights to imp[ose certain punishments for certain things under the local laws. Hence the Jewish leaders developped expulsion and shunning as a way to maintain discipline in the community.
2. The expulsion was NOT done in the secretive manner used by Jehovah's Witnessess today. They were treated in much the same manner as Judicial cases were always handled in ancient Israel by an open, public hearing before the leaders themselves with due process being observed. This is what made Jesus' hearing so remarkable as an injustice because it was held in the middle of the night in secret much like a modern-day JW Judicial Committee meeting in violation of Jewish law and tradition.
3. Although it appears that the early Christian congregations adopted the expulsion and shunning of the Jewish model, it appears that they followed the model as practiced by the Jews. Their is no evidence that they used secret tribunals to administer the system. It also ap[pears that expulsion was only used on those individuals who were NOTORIOUS in their practice of what was wrong, the man mentioned by Paul in 1Cor. being an example of someone who was involved in a gross sin that was even condemned by larger Greco-Roman society around them.
So we can see that the model followed by the WTBTS is a twisted version of the biblical. Shunning should be a last resort, saved for PRACTICERS of gross sins, notorious in the community for their course. The hearing should be held before the whole congregation with the accused given full opportunity to defend him/herself, as befits a people who claim to follow God's love.
Would Jesus shun anyone?
by JH 29 Replies latest jw friends
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Forscher
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Mary
There was actually a brief moment in time, when the Borg was a bit more reasonable about how to treat disfellowshipped ones as the captions below note...
*** w74 8/1 p. 464 Divine Mercy Points the Way Back for Erring Ones ***
Clearly, treating an unrepentant sinner as "a man of the nations and as a tax collector" means there should be no fraternizing with such a one. But, as Jesus? example shows, this does not require our treating such a one as an enemy or refusing to show common courtesy and consideration.................. In this regard, we may note that the common greeting among Jews in apostolic times was an expression meaning "May you have peace." The Christian certainly would not want to wish peace to the man who was a deceiver and an antichrist. There is, however, nothing to show that Jews with a balanced and Scriptural viewpoint would refuse to greet a "man of the nations" or a tax collector. Jesus? counsel about greetings, in connection with his exhortation to imitate God in his undeserved kindness toward "wicked people and good," would seem to rule against such a rigid stand.?Matt. 5:45-48....................
Note that in verse seven the apostle John says that "many deceivers have gone forth into the world, persons not confessing Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist." Then John gives the warning to be on guard and not to receive such ones into one?s home, for these are active propagandists of false teachings, deceitful advocates of wrong conduct........ However, not all who are disfellowshiped thereafter follow the course of such ?deceivers and antichrists.? They do not all engage in actively promoting wrongdoing, opposing the truth and endeavoring to deceive others into following the wrong course that led to their disfellowshipping.
This is a far cry from the fanatical stand they promote today where they tell grandparents not to even speak to a DF'd grandchild, or vise versa....or where they tell parents not to have anything to do with their children or vise versa.
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freedom96
No, I do not believe he would shun anyone.
He would win them over by his love and understanding.
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The JellyBaby
Gumby
Yeah your right there....Its just that the Shunning business is so damaging, to call it an act of love is just laughable. If a D'flw person goes to a meeting in the KH..(as they're entitled). How the hell can someone refuse to say hello to another human being, in the house of God???!! If anyone 'new' is visiting the KH themselves at that time, picks up on this, what message is it sending to them? The words Disfellowshipped and Apostate are two very powerful, and covenient words that that the org have used to suit their needs.
One of the last meetings I went to a D'flw women was attending, and sitting in the back room with the rest of the 'reprobates'..(as you are made to feel). After the meeting, an elder that was new to the congregation made a move to say Hello to this woman, not realizing her position. She politely told him who she was, and the situation. The look on the elders face changed instantly, and he turned away and carried on being Bro''Love' to the rest of the cong. It turned my stomach. This is shunning of the most despicable nature. It is just so rude! Surely, if anybody, an elder could have just said.'its good you're here...' sort of thing....Jesus didnt shun anyone, as there is nothing positive to be gained. The opposite action would have far more of a positive effect, wouldnt it?
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gumby
JellyBaby,
It is just so rude! Surely, if anybody, an elder could have just said.'its good you're here...' sort of thing............ The opposite action would have far more of a positive effect, wouldnt it?
I never shunned anyone in the manner decribed above when I was an Elder. I always welcomed a DF'ed one with words or a smile. I figured they made the effort to come....why not acknowledge it?
I agree with you my friend. It was be so much more christlike if they would show love in this situation rather than disgust to the one they have DF'ed. If a person is a depraved ruthless sinner....they wouldn't be coming to the hall after being DF'ed anyway....but most are not that way.
Gumby
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PinTail
You got that right, would you hang up there and be impailed like that for just the good ones?
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confusedjw
Valis. Clearly he would shun Valis.
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eyeslice
I never shunned anyone in the manner decribed above when I was an Elder. I always welcomed a DF'ed one with words or a smile. I figured they made the effort to come....why not acknowledge it?
Gumby - I can see why you and I are no longer elders.
Eyeslice
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Doubtfully Yours
JH,
That is such a good point!
DY
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franklin J
no, but he might have stoned them....
