Why No Disfellowshipping Before 1952? (page 2)

ozziepost

G'day Mac,

Now we know how you're able to bring out all those excellent Watchtower references! Well done. Keep it up!

Cheers,
Ozzie

"You can know the law by heart, without knowing the heart of it"
Philip Yancey, What's So Amazing About Grace?

blondie

I found 2 in the New Creation book (1899, 1915 ed. pp 303)

[q]He should not be passed on by on the street unnoticed by the brethren, but be treated courteously.[/q]

and pp. 198

[q]We, therefore, leave to the Husbandman the pruning of the "vine" - the correction of every truly consecrated member of the Church of Christ - letting him do the excommunicating, recognizing that he did the planting and watering also, and brought forward the sprouting of every branch in the true Vine.[/q]

Thanks MC and Ozzie.

Daniel R. Lee

I don't know if this would apply to the question under consideration. I want to get this out there. In 1985 there was an insert sent to all the elders by the GB outlining the criteria for baptismal canidates with mental deficeits. Is this true? What did it say? Can a copy of that, if it exists, be put on this website as verifiable evidence. My questions revolve around an accident that took place in 1986. I was in a coma for 3 months, sent to a rehabilitation hospital for the next year and 9 months. It was determinend that I now suffer from Organic Brain Disorder. If the words, deficeit or disorder preceed or follow it, I've got it. I viewed such a paper on this site, however, it did not have any of the WTS identification on it. I AM a fool, but, I am NOT an idiot. A fool is inexperienced, an idiot is one that does the same thing, the same way over and over again expecting differnt results. That being said, I have been taken over and over by trusting people. I seriously want this information. Why is a personal matter.

truthseeker1969

Blondie I think that there was an awake in 1947 that mentioned how excommunication as carried out by the cathiolic church was steeped in pagan ritual. It is on Marvin Shilmers website, good reading I will try and find it.

ScenicViewer

Blondie asked,

Does anyone know of some quotes from the WT publications before 1950 regarding disfellowshipping? Here are a couple. I. This article discusses elders that are opposed to “The Finished Mystery,” which is the 7th Vol of “Studies in the Scriptures.” If they are opposed to the book, they are opposed to, and out of harmony with, the Society’s work, and they are breeding discontent and trouble. Even so, should they be disfellowshipped? The article says No! Today the DF'ing would be swift on the charge of apostasy. (W 3-1-1918 p6220 of Reprints) (The quote is split into two parts due to column split in the Reprints) II. This Watchtower reference is critical of Churches that bring "taunts, reproaches, disfellowship and persecution" on any members that dare to express disapproval of the religion. Notice the remark about being held in 'creedal bondage...in prisons against their sense of justice and right.' Over time, Watchtower has become just like the Churches that it continues to condemn. (from Marvin Shilmer's blog, http://marvinshilmer.blogspot.com/2011/04/cruelty-and-threat-shunning-and.html ) (W 10-1-1930 p301)

Band on the Run

I never heard of Moyle. We certainly heard about Covington-though in his later years, there were rumors that he disfellowshiped b/c of alcoholism. No one we knew knew the truth. My mom mentioned Moyle and the WT radio dJ (forgot his name) as gifted people. She said anyone who contributed enough to take away from the adulation of Rutherford for only a few minutes was doomed.

She said neither did anything wrong. I had no idea they had a radio station until this conversation.

It does seem to me that for Jah's org, so many leaders became disenchanted.

I thought there was always disfellowshipping. So we know post-1952 and their explanation. I find the portion Blondie quoted interesting b/c it seems to go out of its way not to mention the pre1952 practice. Isn't this rewriting of history a major portion of 1984 or Brave New World?

cofty

Slightly off topic but I remember people being "put on probation" in the 60/70s.

Phizzy

They probably had fears of legal repercussions on that one Cofty !

It is an interesting set of questions that Blondie poses in her post of 11 years ago, if only you could get a JW to honestly look at it and say to themselves:

"Did Jehovah really bring this about in 1952, or did men ?"

They would be on their way to feeedom.

Black Sheep

WT 1 Oct, 1915 Page 5782

Amongst Bible students, informed respecting the divine
Word and its requirements, Matthew 18:15-17 is the accepted
standard of action:-
(1) Private conference;
(2) If necessary, taking a couple of brethren in a further
endeavor to get at the right and to stop what is believed to be
the wrong ;
(3) In the event of the concurrence of the brethren that
the wrong is being done, and of the refusal on the part of the
wrong-doer to desist, the third step is to bring the matter before
the church. If the church agrees, then the wrong-doer, if
he still refuses to desist from the wrong course, is to be disfellowshiped--
to be barred from any office or service of the church
--treated as an outsider--"like a publican."

ScenicViewer

I like Black Sheep's reference because it describes how disfellowshipped people are to be treated - as an outsider - like a 'publican', or as the NWT says, a 'tax collector', and they can't hold Church office. In other words, like a normal person of the world, a non-Christian.

This seems to be much different from the total cutting off and shunning that the Society today promotes, since outsiders are still spoken to and treated politely.

Jesus had no problem approaching Matthew, a tax collector, to be one of his apostles.

How the Watchtower has changed!

Why No Disfellowshipping Before 1952?

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