Why would Jehovah's Witnesses be required to shun members who disassociate themselves?
Vanderhoven7
JoinedPosts by Vanderhoven7
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Do Jehovah's Witnesses shun non-believers and those who leave the faith?
by Vanderhoven7 ingraeme hammond writes:.
in his 2002 book that examined the behaviour and practices of jehovah’s witnesses, english sociologist andrew holden devoted an entire chapter to the trauma and friction experienced by those who choose to leave the jehovah’s witness religion.
“those who do eventually break free,” he concluded, “are seldom allowed a dignified exit.”.
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Do Jehovah's Witnesses shun non-believers and those who leave the faith?
by Vanderhoven7 ingraeme hammond writes:.
in his 2002 book that examined the behaviour and practices of jehovah’s witnesses, english sociologist andrew holden devoted an entire chapter to the trauma and friction experienced by those who choose to leave the jehovah’s witness religion.
“those who do eventually break free,” he concluded, “are seldom allowed a dignified exit.”.
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Vanderhoven7
Graeme Hammond writes:
In his 2002 book that examined the behaviour and practices of Jehovah’s Witnesses, English sociologist Andrew Holden devoted an entire chapter to the trauma and friction experienced by those who choose to leave the Jehovah’s Witness religion. “Those who do eventually break free,” he concluded, “are seldom allowed a dignified exit.”
He noted: “As far as the Governing Body is concerned, there is no difference between those who leave the Watch Tower community voluntarily and those who are disfellowshipped.”
Though the Watch Tower Society denies it, those who who choose to depart are shunned by family and friends. This, as Holden says, can create enormous problems given that JWs are urged to limit their contact with the outside world for fear of “spiritual contamination”.
There are three exit doors for Jehovah’s Witnesses:
- Disfellowshipping as a result of a judicial committee, a shocking kangaroo court process that results in organised shunning, with even verbal greetings prohibited;
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- Disassociation, a voluntary but formal cutting of ties with the congregation and religion, which attracts the same response from the congregation; and
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- “Fading”, in which JWs gradually reduce their contact with the congregation before ceasing attendance entirely, hoping their absence won’t be missed.
Those who do “fade” however, not only often find that they are shunned by former friends anyway, but that their new life of independence — which may include celebrating Christmas, attending a different church, engaging in premarital sex or criticising their former religion — can result in being summoned to a judicial committee with the likely result of being disfellowshipped. Jehovah’s Witnesses regard baptism as a lifelong commitment to the church, and therefore lifelong subjection to the authority of elders.
Non-believers (those who have never joined the Jehovah’s Witnesses) are not formally shunned; they are simply avoided as “bad association”.
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Former Elder, Pioneer and WT Writer Earns 9 Science Degrees - Jerry Bergman, Ph.D., BiologyJerry Bergman, Ph.D., Biology
by Sea Breeze injerry bergman, ph.d., biology.
biography.
jerry bergman has taught biology, genetics, chemistry, biochemistry, anthropology, geology, and microbiology at northwest state college in archbold oh for over 25 years.
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Vanderhoven7
Slim
Yes, he is now convinced that evolution on a macro scale did not happen. He is a creationist.
"There is no question in my mind that evolutionism and its branches of Darwinism will eventually fall, just as Marxism and Freudianism did. The belief structure is wrong and has produced an enormous amount of harm in history. When I mention this, my colleagues (and the atheistic community) typically point to what they believe is the harm caused by Christianity. This putative harm of Christianity, though, often results from not following Christianity, not from following it. Those who knew, understood, and lived the teachings of Christ would not have perpetuated the sins attributed to “religion.”"
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Brainwashing
by MaudeW inbrainwashing.
a systematic, coercive effort to alter an individual's beliefs and attitudes, usually by physical and/or psychological means; also referred to as "thought control.".
brainwashing has been used predominantly in reference to severe programs of political indoctrination, although it is used occasionally in connection with certain religious, especially cultic, practices.
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Vanderhoven7
This thread did not go as far as it should have.
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What if Witnesses presented their core beliefs at the door?
by Vanderhoven7 inhere is an interesting skit of what would happen if a witness was transparent at your door.. https://youtu.be/b0koiba2kyq.
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Vanderhoven7
Giles Gray writes
Are Jehovah’s Witnesses transparent about their core beliefs when out proselytizing?
If Jehovah’s Witnesses were open and honest about their core beliefs when they called at people’s doors, they would stand little chance of making any converts whatsoever.
Let’s consider two of the main reasons why Jehovah’s Witnesses knock on the doors of their neighbours:-
-- One reason is because of their belief that the ‘end of the world’ is imminent. They teach that their religion is the only ‘true’ religion being used by God on earth today, and anyone who does not belong to it or who fails to subject themselves to directions from the leaders, will soon be destroyed by Jesus in the ‘imminent’ war of Armageddon. The only way to survive Armageddon for those who hear the message preached by Jehovah’s Witnesses, is to submit to the Watchtower Organisation and obey every dictate from the leadership.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are not forthcoming with this doctrine when they first meet people in their ministry, because they are aware that if they presented the full facts, it’s likely that householders would find the arrogance of the claims offensive. So this teaching is revealed much later in the indoctrination process.
-- Another reason why Jehovah’s Witnesses call at people’s doors is to preach the ‘good news of the kingdom’.
They allege that Jesus invisibly returned and began to rule in 1914 and God’s Kingdom has been active ever since that year. They believe that Jehovah’s Witnesses were the only people who were ‘awake’ when the Lord returned and they uniquely have knowledge that this event has already taken place.
What they don’t tell you about this core belief is the fact that it was made up over a decade after the events of 1914 allegedly occurred, and apart from wild speculation, there is absolutely no good evidence that what they believe is true.
Jehovah’s Witnesses will also refrain from telling you that the leaders who concocted these prophetic pronouncements were not Divinely inspired, received no communication from God and only had their best guesses to guide them in their bible interpretations. This is still equally true of today’s Governing Body (the leaders of the religion) who continue to base their teachings on guesswork. This has resulted in their predictions consistently failing and requiring constant amendments and alterations. This information is kept back from newly interested people and even from believing members.
Instead the Governing Body proudly boast that they are being led by God, whilst at the same time contradicting themselves by denying this when they are called to account for their false or erroneous teachings. An essential aspect for the survival of the religion is their ‘doublespeak’, which can lead astray the unwary and those who are easily beguiled.
If the above facts were openly admitted by the Jehovah’s Witnesses when they call at householders’ doors, most people would see the organisation for what it is… merely a man made institution founded on false information and promoting falsehoods.
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What if Witnesses presented their core beliefs at the door?
by Vanderhoven7 inhere is an interesting skit of what would happen if a witness was transparent at your door.. https://youtu.be/b0koiba2kyq.
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Vanderhoven7
Mark Jones writes
Let’s imagine you get a knock on your door from Jehovah’s Witnesses.
How would you react if they said the following:
“Good morning. We’re in the area visiting you and your neighbors to warn you that the United Nations is going to ban religion. Every one will go “sure, ok”. Muslims will gather together to dismantle Mecca, Catholics tear down the Vatican and Buddhists will firebomb their own temples. - because the UN told them to.”
The United Nations telling religious people to stop believing in god. And them just shrugging their shoulders and going along with it. - Watchtower, September 2012.[1]
“Then, Jehovah’s Witnesses will be the only religion on earth. As such, we’ll be hunted down worldwide so we’ll hide in bunkers[2] waiting for Michael the archangel (who is Jesus alter-ego) who will swoop down on a flying horse along with 144,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses who have been transformed into male angels (including our governing body) and kill all non-Jehovah’s Witnesses with bow and arrows.”
“Then they’ll throw Satan disguised as a cat into an abyss.”
Satan, in cat form, being hurled into an abyss. Watchtower, May 2015[3]
“All you have to do to survive is become a Jehovah’s Witness, disown your family and shun your own children or parents if they join then decide later to leave.[4] You get to spend your weekends (minimum) peddling magazines door to door for free while abandoning any idea of a career or University education.”
“Also, we’re to look to 8 men in America who we’ve never met as god’s sole means of communication on earth. They’re not our leaders, no-no, they’re simply Guardians Of Doctrine (G.O.D.) on earth who “take the lead”. Totally different. - Wanna join?”
What would you think?
We knew that if we presented you with what Jehovah’s Witnesses actually believe you’d never join. It’s like the frog in a boiling pot of water. You need to start with cool water then gradually heat it up until the frog is boiled alive. Give you generic teachings, then add to it bit by bit until you’re indoctrinated.
All of the above are real Jehovah’s Witness beliefs. And that’s just scratching the surface, there’s lots more bizarre things. So much so, that a lot of Jehovah’s Witnesses on Quora either don't know they’re supposed to believe some of the things I mention or haven't got that far in their indoctrination yet to have heard about it.
You’ll find if you get a Jehovah’s Witness on the door they’ll instead use the bait and switch method: Ask a generic bible question and get a magazine in your hand. That’s stage one of the indoctrination process.
Because otherwise you might think they’re a mad end of the world cult that breaks up families or something.
You know, like a mad end of the world cult that breaks up families?
Footnotes
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"The End is Imminent" - Tony Morris, 2017
by Smiles in2017 tony morris jw gb.
"the end is imminent!".
timestamp (06:00).
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Vanderhoven7
@Ding
But you see the Pandas are still biting...and Satan is still running America so the 1000 years definitely isn't here yet.
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Would You Like To Be God?
by Ultimate Axiom inwe know there are a few on this forum who think they are, but consider this for a while.
if you are god, you are omniscient, therefore you have nothing to learn.
nothing to research, investigate or explore as there is nothing you don’t already know.
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Vanderhoven7
Was the Father ever alone?
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Welcome happydownhere
by smiddy3 inwelcome to happydownhere who joined a day ago but hasn`t yet posted anything.. smiddy3.
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Vanderhoven7
Welcome! Are you down-under?
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Leading First Amendment scholars intervene in CA loyalty oath case
by Corney inbrianna bolden-hardge, a mother of two, a devout jw and a career california civil servant, sues the office of the state controller which revoked a job offer after she objected to swearing a loyalty oath, even though three other state agencies she worked for "either did not insist on the oath or provided her a religious accommodation to it" (by allowing to submit a clarifying statement).
she sued, and the case was dismissed by a district court.
now it's heard by the ninth circuit.
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