SBF, when reading your opening paragraphs about the change in announcement protocol, I immediately thought exactly what you also concluded: this is a way to further demonize DAs, by lumping them together with DFs. My gut tells me that this is the reason (or at least, one of several reasons).
People, esp. JWs, often assume the worst. So if/when they hear that "SBF is no longer one of JWs" they will assume you were caught in a motel room with a Goat, smoking weed.
But if they hear "SBF has DA himself" then little wheels will be spinning, curiousity will be piqued, and people will want to know WHY! How could good, strong Bro. SBF DA himself? What could possibly cause him to walk out? -- their quest for answers could lead to more DAs.
Nope, better to let people assume you "couldn't comply with God's high moral standards" and were caught with the Goat in the motel.
The new obscure announcement serves two purposes: demonize the conscientious DAs, and hide the fact that more and more people are voluntarily leaving, and have not "broken god's rules".
Hey, if you make your announcement, try and tape record it, eh?
~Quotes, of the "never smoke weed with a goat in a motel" class
Disassociation = Disfellowshipment = The Final Insult (A Proposal)
by slimboyfat 25 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Quotes
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seattleniceguy
LOL @ Quotes and his goat
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slimboyfat
Hi Seattleniceguy,
You say:
Then again, I have never been one for spectacular displays, so I don't think I would have tried the approach you suggest.
It need not be melodramatic. You could even cut out the preliminary explanation and simply say "I wish to disassociate myself from Jehovah's Witnesses", just so everyone knows. Writing letters is good too, but as a direct response to the denial of a proper disassociation announcement from the platform I think my idea is proportionate. I am not suggesting an extended mad apostate rant. As you know, I don't care much for apostates in any case.
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GetBusyLiving
:As you know, I don't care much for apostates in any case.
(*psst* hey slim.. you're an apostate.)
GBL
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seattleniceguy
I am not suggesting an extended mad apostate rant. As you know, I don't care much for apostates in any case.
LOL...Yeah, I guess you're right about that. :-)
Are you saying you don't like me? :-)
SNG
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willyloman
A much better way, previously suggested elsewhere, is to get a copy of the congo mailing list and send a copy of your DA letter to everyone on it.
Most people would be too nervous to be very effective at "outing"themselves at a public meeting, over a microphone! Even if they managed to blurt it out, there's the real possibility others will view this as a wild-eyed rant by a crazy person.
There continues to be the misunderstanding that somehow DA and DF are different by degrees. In the eyes of the WTS, they are the same. In the eyes of the rank and file, DA is often viewed as "worse" because the person voluntarily left, whereas one can chose to view a DF'd person as someone who suffered a momentary weakness or lack of judgment. I'm pretty sure VERY FEW dubs would view your DA as a matter of principle or conscience. They've been trained to view someone who DA's himself as a dangerous individual who is just trying to stay one step ahead of a judicial committee, or else they've taken the plunge into Darkness and embraced Satan as their new best friend.
My view of the official change in the wording of the announcement is that the lawyers told 'em to do it, so they did. And the reason the lawyers told 'em to do it is the way the rank and file views the two forms of excommunication (see above).