Disfellowshipping for old "sins"

by ballistic 10 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  ballistic

  I'm attempting to post something JW related for once...

  There was a thread on here a while ago, I can't remember who posted it or what it was called,

  but in essence it was saying, all you disfellowshipped ones couldn't have been repentant so you asked for it.

  Well, I wasn't too chuffed about that, so here's my follow up question,

  I was disfellowshipped for sex with my wife before we were married. I was told by the judges, I mean, elders that they could not

  accept my repentance because I had had two years in which I could have confessed but that I hadn't.

  Later on, conversations with others (older family members in the JWs) led me to believe that sex before marriage

  (or at least very heavy petting and the like not going into gory details) was probably more common than imagined. One

  coment was that an older person 20 years into marriage had confessed following a disfellowshipping of someone else for similar, and was told that "it was so long ago not to worry about it"

  So... how can we equate being disfellowshipped for something because "you had two years to confess but didn't" with after 20 years -

  "it was so long ago - don't worry about it"?
• 

  Sirona

  A classic example, ballistic, of their hypocrisy. They'll turn a blind eye to elder's sons and daughters doing similar, but if someone else gets found out years later they form a JC.

  IMHO the WHOLE ridiculous judicial system within the JWs is proof that they're not directed by GOD they're directed by men and manmade rules. They judge, although the bible says not to.

  Sirona
• 

  stillajwexelder

  and to complicate matters it depends on the body of elders - if you were regular pioneering at the time and being super loyal and ass-kissing the elders I guarantee the reply would have been -Oh that was a\while ago, lets not worry about that, thankyou for coming forward that shows you are repenatnt. If on the other hand you were a trouble maker or other non-pioneer , poor hours or whateverthen you can kiss your ass goodbye
• 

  Rod P

  I wonder what they would do if you had had a blood transfusion, say 25 years ago, and you were JW at the time, but no-one knew about it.

  For example, suppose back then you were quite "new in the troof" and fellow JW's didn't know you very well. And then you moved to another city, and got in a car accident and were hospitalized. The doctors told you you had to have a transfusion or you would die, because you had simply lost too much blood already. (Saline and glucose solutions wouldn't work in your case.) And you decided you did not want to die, but you did not want any JW's to know. And no-one really knew you in this city you just moved to, so you could keep things hidden until the operaton was over. Then later, when you got out of the hospital, you resumed your activities as a JW in the new congregation. And for 25 years you did not tell anyone. Finally, you are racked with guilt, and you feel you must now confess to the Elders.

  Would they disfellowship you now? And how long would they wait to reinstate you? What could you possibly do to show remorse or repentance? Would they have to wait until you were in another life and death situation where you needed another blood transfusion, and then you pass the test by refusing the transfusion. That should be proof enough, but how long does it take to prove you have changed?

  Rod P.
• 

  thom

  I have a JW friend that feels he has to confess all the time. Turned me in a few times too which pissed me off. Anyway, he was "inactive" for about a year and during that time he spent time at strip clubs and took a girl home once or twice. About 6 months later he started going back to meetings and confessed what he'd done and the elders told him that he wasn't active and that he's not doing it anymore, so don't worry about it. They also told him "it really wasn't necessary for you to bring it up."
  That really seemed strange to me because I've seen so many people get into trouble for things they did more than 6 months ago.
• 

  ballistic

  hmmm, yes, I read all your coments, very interesting.

  My story actually gets even worse and I don't want to go into gory details. But lets just say that my JC for what happened (as above) was scheduled for the same time (a double JC) as my wifes JC for what she'd been up to with numerous people throughout the marriage.

  I was telling a bit of the story to my new lady friend the other week, and she was apalled at what happened. It's funny how sometimes you can live with it for years as if it's normal, and then realise you were kicked in the teeth by these representatives of God.
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  tijkmo

  sorry guys but just because you are an elder..elders son or daughter..elders wife...pioneer..or anything else for that matter is no guarantee of preferential treatment...there have been plenty of examples of people in these positions been used as examples even though they were repentant..and i know of plenty of people not in these position who have been treated with leniancy...

  and that is the problem

  there is no consistency...period

  repentant ones df-ed...unrepentant not df-ed...people who told the absolute truth at their jc df-ed...blatent liars let off...those that hid their offence df-ed...those that hid let off...those that hid and confessed years later told that that in itself is evidence of jah forgiving them...and yet others constantly told that not confessing to the elders means that jah could never forgive..

  the only thing it proves is that god does not direct these decisions...(but it does not in itself prove that he doesnt exist)
• 

  Honesty

  It's funny how sometimes you can live with it for years as if it's normal, and then realise you were kicked in the teeth by these representatives of God.

  They don't represent God.
• 

  greendawn

  Didn't they do you a favour by expelling you from their org? There is nothing really worthwhile going on there and all those ideas about armageddon and salvation in god's ark like org are a myth.
• 

  garybuss

  The elders want fresh memories and new guilt.
  The elders look at errant members like Jefferson looked at Lewis and Clark. Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark to explore places he couldn't go himself and then had them report back to him. The elders do the same thing. That's why they ask so many questions. The elders say, We hear you've been on a sex trip. Publisher says, Um, yes . . . Elders say, tell us the wonders you saw.
  Publisher says, Well, I saw many wonders. I saw hills and valleys and mountains and streams. I saw plains and forests and caves and geysers.
  Elders say, Very interesting! Did you make a map?