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Jehovah's Witnesses and Disfellowshipping

dawny0826

Mother Heathen
nutshell said:
Interesting. By being bound to my Heavenly Father he has led me to a religion that I feel brings me closer to him by teaching me how to become more like him.

I have NEVER found me religion binding. The commandments we are given are for our spiritual liberation and I happily choose to follow each one.
That's truly awesome. I'm glad that you've been led to religion that you're happy to be a part of.:)

I was moreso referring to myself...
 

michel

Administrator Emeritus
Staff member
dawny0826 said:
It's actually kid of liberating not being bound to your religion but bound instead to your Heavenly Father...
That's the way I feel; that's why I call myself 'a follower of Christ';)
 

Scuba Pete

Le plongeur avec attitude...
So disfellowship is akin to a Ban from a forum. I wonder what equates to putting someone on ignore?
 

Snowbear

Nita Okhata
NetDoc said:
So disfellowship is akin to a Ban from a forum. I wonder what equates to putting someone on ignore?
Hmmm.... the person still gets to show up for services, but they have to sit alone and no-one speaks or prays with them?
 

Bangbang

Active Member
SoyLeche said:
And yet, hopefully, we are all intelligent enough to know that learning about their beliefs from someone who is antagonistic against them is unproductive.
I am just statng the facts. If we get information from the Jews about Hitler is that unproductive?
 

Mike182

Flaming Queer
Bangbang said:
I am just statng the facts. If we get information from the Jews about Hitler is that unproductive?
different scenarions :D

hitler pursecuted the jews - any information they have about this may give an insight into the context surrounding it

someones personal commitment to a church, we have no right to judge

mike
 

SoyLeche

meh...
Bangbang said:
I am just statng the facts. If we get information from the Jews about Hitler is that unproductive?
I've seen a lot of "facts" about the LDS faith from those who are antagonisitc against it. The large majority is a bunch of malarkey. So forgive me if I don't accept your "facts" about the JWs as being authoritative.
 

Bangbang

Active Member
SoyLeche said:
I've seen a lot of "facts" about the LDS faith from those who are antagonisitc against it. The large majority is a bunch of malarkey. So forgive me if I don't accept your "facts" about the JWs as being authoritative.
Ok....so you are saying information coming from a former minister of the LDS would not be authoritative? Areyou saying that I have lied about what the witnesses have believed and preached. Seems to me the JW's that are here have not denied anything that I have posted at this site. Prove me wrong.
 

SoyLeche

meh...
Bangbang said:
Ok....so you are saying information coming from a former minister of the LDS would not be authoritative? Areyou saying that I have lied about what the witnesses have believed and preached. Seems to me the JW's that are here have not denied anything that I have posted at this site. Prove me wrong.
I'm saying that most of what you post is a straw man type arguement. You find the worst thing you can find about them and then argue against that. I'll stick to information from someone who hasn't publicly declared that they do not care for the religion.
 

Bangbang

Active Member
SoyLeche said:
I'm saying that most of what you post is a straw man type arguement. You find the worst thing you can find about them and then argue against that. I'll stick to information from someone who hasn't publicly declared that they do not care for the religion.
Ok....one of the good things about them is they got hot single babes in the Kingdom Hall that will marry a man twice their age. :biglaugh: I have had and still will have incidents when I defend the religion itself. I can't stand it when people make ignorant remarks about the religion. However I got big issues with many of the members. I guess I should just get over it and just answer peoples questions when they want to know about the JW's.
 

sushannah

Member
I once studied with JW's for quite awhile just to find out about what they believe from them. I found them to be very genuine and caring people. I also got the impression that disfellowshipping is done out of love and concern for the person being disfellowshipped. I ultimately decided that JW's weren't for me personally because of many reasons, one of those being that JW's are not free to question changes in doctrine, or disagree with them.

People who choose to be JW's know this and accept it. If this is the best way for those individuals to have a relationship with G-d, then who am I to say they are wrong. JW's were just wrong for me.
 

cardero

Citizen Mod
I believe exercises in disfellowship and excommunication go directly against an organization that promotes an accurate knowledge of God and the consideration of the Christ. It flies against the principles of forgiveness and exposes the fragility of faith. It also blurs the lines of dealing with people as individuals as opposed to living a relationship through another entity’s relationship. It supports judgment and confirms the presence of extreme prejudice.
 

bluestone

New Member
Jehovah's Witnesses disfellowship for many reasons. I'm not sure if it's been noted here, but it's generally only unrepentant individuals who get disfellowshipped...that is, if someone is doing something wrong, they will be first asked to change their ways and repent before being disfellowshipped. It's only if they refuse that they are disfellowshipped. Part of it stems from the scripture at 1 Corinthians 15:33 where it says "Do not be misled, bad associations spoil useful habits." A person who is willingly, knowingly, and unrepentantly committing wrong is considered a bad association and therefore removed from the congregation. However, if somewhere down the road they do choose to stop doing whatever it was they were doing, they will be accepted back into the congregation with open arms.
 

Nanda

Polyanna
Tell me something... When I was in highschool, I knew quite a few JW's - they were friends of mine. One was an incredibly sweet, caring girl who was everyone's friend; we all liked her very much. Later in life, I found out that something "bad" had happened to her - no one would say specifically what, but it was insinuated that it might have been rape, or sexual molestation - something of that nature. Most importantly, something that was clearly not her fault. Whatever this something was, it caused her to be removed from the congregation, and at this point, many of my JW friends left the church. I've always been thoroughly confused by this story. It never seemed to make any sense...
 

bluestone

New Member
That doesn't make any sense. She should not have been removed for something that was clearly not her fault. The person who committed the act against her should have been- if they were a Witness.

Unfortunately, without full details there's no way to say what happened or why, and full details are not something likely to ever come out. The Witnesses- at least the ones here- tend to be very close-mouthed about the circumstances of a disfellowshipping. In an ideal world, only those actually doing wrong would get disfellowshipped- but this isn't an ideal world.

I'm sorry that happened to your friend. The practice of disfellowshipping, and the way the rules are sometimes bent or altogether disregarded, is one of the many things that made me leave the Witnesses.
 

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
It is now the year 2013 and I know something about disfellowshipping. It is almost always a harmful practice in the Watchtower organization. I do not know about other religions. How is it harmful? It causes family division for the Name of God.

People will say it is good for the disfellowshipped because they will realize the error of her way and come back. Presently many cases are due to a lack of loyalty to the men of the governing body. How will the person who is loyal to what is written be helped to recognize her error by being ignored? What is written is this; Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. Psalm 146:3 People who don't know what they are talking about should not talk about it. That's what I think.

People who are told they are marked or disfellowshipped are not told it is for their own good. They are told it is for the good of the congregation. They are told they are making the congregation unclean. I will provide scriptures upon request.

I have a question. It is related to the fact they cannot be considered a "private" organization as they really believe they are led by Jesus for The Lord God Jehovah.

Let's reason. If Jesus leads them and an unclean person is in their midst to make it unclean, Jesus should reveal all the unclean ones. No? Or yes?

It cannot be that only the sins that become known can make it unclean because of this; God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth John 4:24

So my question is, why does Jesus their leader allow Jehovah's Witness mavericks to remain Jehovah's Witness for many years but someone who just woke up to, let's say, the pyramid thing, and leaves silently, be marked?

I have another scripture upon request.
 

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
I do not want to be. I have not sent a letter of dis-association because I don't want to.

I do not care too much if they disfellowship me. I have no family who are Jehovah's Witnesses. I have some friends who are but I have not seen them for a few years. Sometimes I see a fellow Jehovah's Witness around town. Even though I have not been to a meeting in a few years they still sometimes say a friendly hello. If I am disfellowshipped then just passing Jehovah's Witnesses on the street will make some of them feel uncomfortable. But I won't feel the same way.
 

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
One more thing for now. The congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses will not, no never (I think) say why the person is no longer a Jehovah Witness. The talks and the literature say it all carefully so there will be no personal reason for outside recourse. This is what they are saying: People who no longer believe the Jehovah's Witnesses picture God's organization on Earth are called; liars, mentally diseased, apostates, destined to die,

[youtube]fcIC4g5tulw[/youtube]
A message to Jehovah's Witnesses from Advocates for Awareness of Watchtower Abuses (aawa.co) - YouTube
 

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
I should reword the question and then get to work on something worthwhile.

It is believed that a little leaven ferments the whole bunch by the same people who believe it is lovely to disfellowship opposers.

My question again is this -

Some people's sins become known and they are disfellowshiped for the purpose of keeping the congregation clean. Then there are many sins that are on-going that never become known by anyone interested in disfellowshipping. How can the congregation be considered clean with them there? If it is unclean with them there how does it become MORE unclean with the mavericks still there? How?

I shall tell to how. And then you tell me if I am right or wrong. OK!

The congregation is considered the place to go for fighting sin. So sinners are welcome there as it is the best place, some people will say the only place, for sin to be fought successfully. A maverick is she who knows that isn't so, so, a maverick is she who might lead people away from the premier establishment. That is why people who talk against the establishment must be removed secretly. Whenever people are removed secretly the rest just assume they have returned to the mire.

The other question was, how does Jesus not know what I am doing?
 
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