PLEASE REPLY ASAP!!! Disfellowshiped without a meeting with elders?!?!?!

by chok 63 Replies latest jw experiences

• 

  rebel8

  quote from the elders' handbook:

  Handling Judicial Cases

  Do not send an individual any kind of correspondence that directly accuses him of specific wrongdoing.

  It is best for two elders to speak with the indlvidual and invite him to meet with the Judicial committee.

  Suitable arrangements should be made as to the time and place of the hearing.

  State what the person's course of action is supposed to have been.

  If it is necessary to send a written invitation, you should simply state what the individual's course is alleged to have been, the time and place of the hearing, and how the
  person can contact the chairman if the arrangements are inconvenient for him.

  If the accused wishes to bring witnesses who can speak in his defense regarding the matter, he may do so.

  However, observers are not permitted.

  No tape-recording devices are allowed.

  If the accused reeatedly fails to come to the hearing, the committee will proceed with the hearing but will not make a decision until evidence and any testimony by witnesses are considered.

  The committee should not take action against a person unless the evidence clearly proves this necessary.

  Failure to appear before the committee is not in itself proof of guilt.

  What kind of evidence is acceptable? There must be two or three eyewitnesses, not just persons repeating what they have heard; no action can be taken if there is only one witness. (Deut. 19:15;Jol1ll 8:17)

  Confession (admission of wrongdoing), either written or oral, may be accepted as conclusive proof without other corroborating evidence. (Josh. 7:19)

  Strong circumstantial evidence, such as pregnancy or evidence (testified to by at least two witnesses) that the accused stayed all night in the same house with a person of
  the opposite sex (or in the same house with a known homosexual ) under improper circumstances, is acceptable.

  The testimony of youths may be considered; it is up to the elders to determine if the testimony has the ring of truth.

  The testimony of unbelievers may also be considered, but it must be carefully weighed.

  If there are two or three witnesses to the same kind of wrongdoing but each one is witness to a separate incident, their testimony can be considered.

  Such evidence may be used to establish guilt, but it is preferable to have two witnesses to the same occurrence of wrongdoing. ...

  Inform the wrongdoer that he may appeal in writing ithin seven days if he feels a serious error in judgment as occurred. (om p. 147; km 1/80 p. 4)

  If I were you, I'd write a letter to the elders stating you are appealing their decision because:

  1) They did not invite you to the JC.

  2) They did not notify you of the decision to DF.

  CC the WTS!
• 

  Elsewhere

  Two years ago I got the nerve up to call the elder who was on the call. And he said that that is not how it happened. I said "oh really?"

  Fucking liers!

  I had some elders lie to my parents too. The elders denied making threats againts me.
• 

  95stormfront

  All they have to do is observe some behavior that does not conform to Witness rules and they can disassociate a person without informing them and start right in shunning them.

  The day I went to the convention with my wife......I didn't wear a tie.

  Does that count?
• 

  Honesty

  I am reminded that the JW's are not a Democracy (government by the people, of the people and for the people. They are a Theocracy (God ruled.) Don't you just love Jeehober's sense of Divine Justice?!!!!

  Can you imagine serving a god like this for eternity? I fear that many JW's are going see the WT god face-to-face and experience his hatred for all mankind for an eternity unless they reject him and his organisation.
• 

  roybatty

  the PO is on the committee!!!!

  I guess my time is up, and I have just been pushed off the fence. But as my wise brother said to me, its time to move on and start living now!

  Chok,

  When the elders have a one of their "after the meeting" get togethers, the PO will inform the other elders that "it has been reported that so & so has....", he'll then "assign" two elders to investigate the matter or he'll state that they need to form a JC. Wheather or not he's on the JC, he's the one to call if you want to "buck the system."

  You can call him and mention that you were never contacted, etc...etc. His neck is on the line if it ends up that you are being df'd w/o following procedure should you decide to call the CO or the Society. If you decide to make fight it, it really comes down to how much of a hassle will it all end up being for the elders and if they have the balls to for it.

  In my particular case, I had stepped down as an elder (after having a crisis of conscience) and stopped going to the meetings. A year later I was called before a JC because I had joined the YMCA (my JW wife tattled on me). Anyway, I didn't want to be a JW but I wanted to have a little fun with the local elders. To maked a long story short, I enjoyed making the local PO look like a fool in front of the appeals committee. In hindsight, it was childish behavior but at the time, I enjoyed it.

  Well, good luck with whatever you decide to do. Something to remember though. A short time from now, you'll look back and see that all of this disfellowshipping business was such a minor part of your life, you'll wonder what the big deal was.

  roybatty
• 

  chok

  Thanks everyone for your advice.

  I decided to send a letter to the elders involved.

  Nothing was announced...we'll see what they try next.

  I dont want to be a JW at all, thats not the issue. The fact is that I have like many of you have family that are still trapped in it, and it easier to be faded than outed, mainly for the sake of my children. I have been outed before (should never have returned, but thats another story).

  Thanks again. Watch this space.

  Chok
• 

  Princess

  I believe that is the way VeniceIT's dad was df'd. No meeting, just an announcement.

  Can they also reinstate you without notice....

  Yup. Happened to my brother about 15 years ago. My best friend called right after they made the announcement at her hall (the hall he was originally df'd in, not where he currently attended). I called my brother and asked him about it, he had no idea. The elders never called to let him know they had reinstated him. Bastards. He never attended again.
• 

  9thWonder

  Not only are they supposed to meet with you...they are supposed to pray and deliberate and give you spiritual counsel. My committee decided not to reinstate me without meeting with me...I was already disfellowshiped, but they read my letter and gave me a courtesy call and a 15 minute courtesy meeting and without leaving the room to discuss the situation they had already made up their mind that they weren't going to consider reinstatement because of my past history and because it had only been a little over 6 months. The 2nd time I went before them, they pulled out the OM book and read a few lines that are supposed to be the guidelines for reinstatement. I paraphrase: the individual should be disfellowshiped for several months, to a year, to several years. I kept arguing that it had been several months and they kept stressing several years, so they got their wish.
• 

  9thWonder

  One of the elders on my committee asked very lewd questions...wanting details and descriptions of who, what, when where and how. Now, he is disfellowshipped...has left the wife of his youth and I know this because I saw him 6 months ago dining at a restaurant sitting beside a woman in a booth (notice I said beside and not across). I did a double-take and shook my head a couple of times to be sure it wasn't the alcohol. The next day I called my brother and got confirmation.
• 

  Wasanelder Once

  Take your self respect and ditch those clowns. Rattle thier cage a little, that's all you'll do I'm sure. A stacked deck don't ya know. That's why I "wasonceanelder" and am not now. Lets just say I never served on a committee without fighting tooth and nail to stop the lynching. I avoided serving on committees because they were so screwed. Only one person was ever disfellowshipped when I was on a committee and that was because they told us to fornicate ourselves. I thought at the time, Fly away little bird!

  Never give up, never surrender.

  W.Once