Posts by AuldSoul

50

Shammatta"Disfellowshipping" Jewish Style

by AuldSoul in

matthew 24:48-51 48 but if ever that evil slave should say in his heart, "my master is delaying," and should start to beat his fellow slaves and should eat and drink with the confirmed drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and in an hour that he does not know, and will punish him with the greatest severity and will assign him his part with the hypocrites.

there is where [his] weeping and the gnashing of [his] teeth will be.. insight on the scriptures, volume 1, p. 787, expelling.

finally, there was shammatta, an entire cutting off from the congregation.

AuldSoul

I dislike the the loaded language states use to condemn 'murder' while sanctioning state-sponsored 'killings' and 'executions'. The state wants a monopoly on the exercise of violence. I say it is one particular commodity it is time humans stopped trading in altogether.

Beautiful. And if I'd posted this thread in POLITICS it might have some freakin' business appearing on this thread. As it is, your anti-war propaganda has spewed well outside its retaining walls. You are welcome to start a thread in politics discussing the issue you feel passionate about.

By-the-by, I am generally opposed to war as well. I don't know many humans who are generally in favor of war, unless they profit from it in some way. However, I also generally try to respect topic posters enough to attempt to stay on topic. You seem to be unencumbered by such concerns. This topic is not about the merits of war-mongering versus the merits of shammatta.

This topic is about whether shammatta, as practiced by Jehovah's Witnesses, is a weapon used to coerce compliance, or whether it is an expression of love. The fact that there are worse things in the world does not change the evil nature of this thing. Please take your political commentary elsewhere.

50

Shammatta"Disfellowshipping" Jewish Style

by AuldSoul in

matthew 24:48-51 48 but if ever that evil slave should say in his heart, "my master is delaying," and should start to beat his fellow slaves and should eat and drink with the confirmed drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and in an hour that he does not know, and will punish him with the greatest severity and will assign him his part with the hypocrites.

there is where [his] weeping and the gnashing of [his] teeth will be.. insight on the scriptures, volume 1, p. 787, expelling.

finally, there was shammatta, an entire cutting off from the congregation.

AuldSoul

emptywords,

A lot of JWs and ex-JWs believe the GB sucks up to the elders. That was why I asked for their input on the issue. Nothing could be further from the reality. They placate and humor the elders occasionally, but the elders are constantly reminded of their place in the organization; a place FAR below the GB.

Respectfully,
AuldSoul

50

Shammatta"Disfellowshipping" Jewish Style

by AuldSoul in

matthew 24:48-51 48 but if ever that evil slave should say in his heart, "my master is delaying," and should start to beat his fellow slaves and should eat and drink with the confirmed drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and in an hour that he does not know, and will punish him with the greatest severity and will assign him his part with the hypocrites.

there is where [his] weeping and the gnashing of [his] teeth will be.. insight on the scriptures, volume 1, p. 787, expelling.

finally, there was shammatta, an entire cutting off from the congregation.

AuldSoul

I read the thread you linked to, sbf. I think I have intimately known and believed more active jw and ex-jw elders than you have known or believed, and THAT makes me qualified to request their opinion (which is what I did) as well as comment that I already know their answer.

I didn't request your response to that portion, because I already guessed your answer, too. Most people who haven't been elders and never were too closely attached to the religion through family and friends do not know the full extent of how demeaning it can be to have dealings with the organizational elite. You have routinely discredited such accounts, despite having no personal knowledge. I do have personal knowledge, through close observation of both friends and family who had dealings with them.

I also personally asked for an audience with the GB or with the Service Desk and was informed that they wouldn't talk to me. Classism.

You don't know anything about this particular matter beyond what you have observed from the periphery, and I mean the absolute fringe periphery. You said you never even had any deep friendships among JWs except your wife. You are the only one from your immediate family who is a JW.

Virtually all the Witnesses I met are very nice people...

Yeah, as if most people are complete jerks when you meet them (myself being an obvious exception). How many did you get to know intimately? In my case, I can answer more than 300 without reservation.

All of my friends and all of my immediate and extended family were JWs, including the men who stood with me at my wedding and the man who gave my wife away nine years ago (two of the four are now dead; one elder who committed suicide, the other died of heart trouble from complications during a surgery).

Most especially, sbf, I have lived through shammatta, you haven't. Maybe that's why I don't think you really know what the hell you are talking about on this issue.

You have researched a lot of books while I have lived what I speak about.

50

Shammatta"Disfellowshipping" Jewish Style

by AuldSoul in

matthew 24:48-51 48 but if ever that evil slave should say in his heart, "my master is delaying," and should start to beat his fellow slaves and should eat and drink with the confirmed drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and in an hour that he does not know, and will punish him with the greatest severity and will assign him his part with the hypocrites.

there is where [his] weeping and the gnashing of [his] teeth will be.. insight on the scriptures, volume 1, p. 787, expelling.

finally, there was shammatta, an entire cutting off from the congregation.

AuldSoul

BFD, I felt the same way when I read what he wrote. Isn't that like saying, "I don't think fondling kids is a good idea either, but it sure beats raping them."

297

BETHELITES - Whatever Became of?

by Black Man in

jw
friends

i often times wonder what happened to certain bethelites that i ran around with during my 1990s tenure there.

while there are still a few left there, the greater majority of them aren't there for various reasons (marriage, disillusionment, left the borg, etc).

a couple of cats i wonder about - there was one brother who i believe was from kansas, who got his fingers cut off in a printing press.

AuldSoul

Anyone got any knowledge of more recent departures? I'd like to know what is up with Chad Woznick, who worked in IT.

16

Are you still lurking? Why not introduce yourself? It's very liberating!

by What-A-Coincidence in

jw
friends

.

AuldSoul

SirNose: I'm not homeless.

Color me consoled.

50

Shammatta"Disfellowshipping" Jewish Style

by AuldSoul in

matthew 24:48-51 48 but if ever that evil slave should say in his heart, "my master is delaying," and should start to beat his fellow slaves and should eat and drink with the confirmed drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and in an hour that he does not know, and will punish him with the greatest severity and will assign him his part with the hypocrites.

there is where [his] weeping and the gnashing of [his] teeth will be.. insight on the scriptures, volume 1, p. 787, expelling.

finally, there was shammatta, an entire cutting off from the congregation.

AuldSoul

emptywords,

I think it is this very classism that I was aiming to get across. SBF claims not to have seen it. I never lived in Scotland and never attended the congregations he attended, so I can't call him a liar. Maybe the JWs really aren't clique-ish there.

I was an "average Joe" the entire time I was a JW ... well, never average, but I wasn't in any of the classes. I had a reputation as a clique-buster, someone who ignores the social norms that enable cliques to thrive. I was very aware of those norms and very aware of the many cliques, I just consciously chose to pretend as though such norms and cliques didn't exist.

I just wonder whether slimboyfat was ever an elder who had interaction with the organizational elite on congregational matters. If not, he really won't know what I am talking about anyway.

I agree with you on the divisions issue. They address divergent opinions much more stringently than they address classist exclusion.

Respectfully,
AuldSoul

16

Are you still lurking? Why not introduce yourself? It's very liberating!

by What-A-Coincidence in

jw
friends

.

AuldSoul

WAC ... hi, just making sure this doesn't slip from the first page.

70

Most Ex-JWs R Not Active in the Anti-JW Community. Maybe 1%? Any thoughts?

by Seeker4 in

yesterday i called a family on the west coast that were in my congregation 18 years ago.

between parents, kids and marriage partners, there were six of them who had been witnesses.

they have all faded, and have had nothing to do with the witnesses for at least 15 year or more.. yet, none of them is in any way active even in looking at the ex-jw sites online.

AuldSoul

I think most JWs who leave the organization do so because of apathy toward the organization.

The ones who become active are the ones who have antipathy, either toward the organization, or certain types of JWs, or JWs in certain positions, or some mix of these. Active distaste is much more motivating than an absence of concern.

In my case, I have antipathy toward the organization and an almost limitless supply of empathy for its victims. This does not prevent me from recognizing those individual JWs who revel in the authority they are granted and relish control over others, but there are many who are not pillars in the congregation and who are victimized by the doctrines of the religion.

All Jehovah's Witnesses are turned into false prophets by the requirement to preach the organizational dogma. They just don't know it, they've been fooled.

Respectfully,
AuldSoul

19

"You have received nothing but love from us..."

by DeusMauzzim in

jw
friends

"... since you were raised in the truth.

we respect your decision to break your promise and walk away, but don't slander us by talking about [child abuse / ngo / malawi / insert here].

how would you respond to this?.

AuldSoul

On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will?

Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in association with God’s spirit-directed organization?

JW Daughter, they consider the answer to these two questions a promise. Notice how very different this preliminary step to baptism is when compared with Acts 2, 8, 10, and 16.