Quite frankly, even if the G.B are a bunch of narcissistic wannabe powerful guys, the WORST thing they have done is to wake up people on Saturday mornings.
The Governing Body have instructed millions of Witnesses, in God's behalf, that anyone the elders decide is to be dispellowshipped must be cut off and not spoken to.. They have told millions that this is a matter of loyalty to God, a command from Almighty God himself.
Further they have repeatedly and relentlessly indoctrinated millions of people to see the shunning as a loving action.. Even when their own beloved children are disfellowshipped.
Robert was disfellowshipped for nearly 16 years, during which time his parents and siblings firmly and loyally applied the direction in God’s Word to quit mixing in company with wrongdoers, not even greeting such ones. Robert has been reinstated for some years now and is progressing well spiritually.
When asked what moved him to return to Jehovah and His people after such a long time, he replied that the stand that his family took affected him.
“Had my family associated with me even a little, say to check up on me, that small dose of association would have satisfied me and likely not allowed my desire for association to be a motivating factor to return to God.”
http://m.wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2013446#h=27:181-27:850
14 God’s Word commands that unrepentant sinners be removed from the congregation. (Read 1 Corinthians 5:9-13.)
This is necessary for at least three reasons: (1) to keep Jehovah’s name free from reproach, (2) to protect the congregation from contamination, and (3) to help the sinner come to repentance if possible.
15. Loyalty to Jehovah calls for an answer to what searching questions?
15 Do we share Jesus’ view of those who have become set in their lawless course?
We need to give thought to these questions: ‘Would I choose to associate regularly with someone who has been disfellowshipped or who has disassociated himself from the Christian congregation? What if that one is a close relative who no longer lives at home?’ Such a situation can be a real test of our love of righteousness and of our loyalty to God.*
16, 17. What difficulty did a Christian mother face, and what helped her to uphold the arrangement for disfellowshipping unrepentant wrongdoers?
16 Consider the experience of a sister whose adult son at one time had love for Jehovah. Later in life, however, he unrepentantly chose to practice lawlessness. Hence, he was disfellowshipped from the congregation.
Our sister loved Jehovah, but she also loved her son and found it extremely difficult to apply the Scriptural command to avoid associating with him.
17 What advice would you have given this sister? An elder helped her to realize that Jehovah understood the pain she felt. The brother invited her to think about the pain Jehovah must have experienced when some of his angelic sons rebelled.
The elder reasoned with her that even though Jehovah knows how painful such a circumstance can be, he requires that unrepentant sinners be disfellowshipped.
She took the reminders to heart and loyally upheld the disfellowshipping arrangement.* Such loyalty makes Jehovah’s heart glad.—Prov. 27:11.
18, 19. (a) Cutting off contact with a practicer of lawlessness gives evidence of our hatred for what? (b) What may result when we are loyal to God and his arrangement?
18 If you face a similar situation, please remember that Jehovah sympathizes with you.
By cutting off contact with the disfellowshipped or disassociated one, you are showing that you hate the attitudes and actions that led to that outcome.
However, you are also showing that you love the wrongdoer enough to do what is best for him or her. Your loyalty to Jehovah may increase the likelihood that the disciplined one will repent and return to Jehovah.
19 One individual who was disfellowshipped and was later reinstated wrote: “I am happy that Jehovah loves his people enough to see that his organization is kept clean.
What may seem harsh to outsiders is both necessary and really a loving thing to do.”
Do you think that this person would have been helped to come to such a conclusion had members of the congregation, including her family, maintained regular contact with her while she was disfellowshipped?
Our supporting the Scriptural arrangement of disfellowshipping gives evidence that we love righteousness and recognize Jehovah’s right to set standards of conduct.
http://m.wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2011129#h=20:0-25:621
19, 20. (a) How has Christ gradually helped his followers to refine the way serious wrongdoing is handled? (b) What are three reasons for disfellowshipping unrepentant wrongdoers?
19 Back in 1892, the Watch Tower commented that it is “our duty to disfellowship (as Christians) those who, either directly or indirectly, deny that Christ gave himself a ransom [a corresponding price] for all.” (Read 2 John 10.) In 1904, the book The New Creation acknowledged that those who persist in wrong conduct pose a real danger of demoralizing the congregation.
Back then, the entire congregation would participate in “church trials” to examine cases of serious wrongdoing. However, such occasions were rare.
In 1944, The Watchtower showed that only responsible brothers should handle such matters.
In 1952 a Bible-based procedure for handling judicial matters was published in The Watchtower, highlighting a key reason for disfellowshipping unrepentant ones—to keep the congregation clean.
20 In the decades since then, Christ has helped his followers to clarify and refine the handling of serious cases of wrongdoing. Christian elders are carefully trained to care for judicial matters in Jehovah’s way...
http://m.wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102014250#h=25:608-25:799
The Governing Body decide the judicial procedures.. as well as all the instructions in the Watchtower publications, and when the publications are to be studied.
The responsibility of the Governing Body is clear;
for indoctrinating well-meaning parents to believe that DFing is a direct command from God, and necessary to save their childs life (what parent would not do absolutely anything to save their children??).
The only people who cannot see the effect of the undue influence the GB and their teachings have exerted.. are people who do not understand the effect of undue influence, or they are still under it's influence themselves.
Steven Alan Hassan’s BITE Model to Mind Control & Undue Influence
It is important to understand that destructive mind control can be determined when the overall effect of these four components promotes dependency and obedience to some leader or cause.
It is not necessary for every single item on the list to be present...
www.truthrundown.net/think-about-it/cult-expert-steven-hassan/
