Need Jehavah's Witnesses and ex JW's to answer this please?

Question

What is the deal with disfellowshipping? I was never df'd, im inactive....but all my "friends" abandoned me. Don't you think a person such as myself would need help, encouragement, a shoulder to cry on during a tough time? Believe me, the abandonment by everyone has taught me who my 'true' friends are. If they think that by leaving my life it'll make me want to come back, they are truly mistaken....I don't enjoy mental and emotional abuse.

Your thoughts on why this should be the practice?

Answer 1

Even if a former Jehovah's Witness is not formally disfellowshipped, individuals who learn of the former Witness's debauched lifestyle will likely recognize her as "bad association". The Scriptures encourage each individual and family among Jehovah's Witnesses to be conscious of the dangers of bad associations.

(1 Corinthians 15:33-34) Do not be misled. Bad associations spoil useful habits. 34 Wake up to soberness in a righteous way and do not practice sin


Former Witnesses cannot pretend that they are unaware of Jehovah's standards. Jehovah's Witnesses make every conceivable effort to assure and ascertain that their students know what Jehovah's Witnesses teach from the bible and what Jehovah's Witnesses expect from baptized members. The process that must be followed before one can become baptized as a Jehovah's Witness requires many many hours and lots of hard work, and a typical minimum of six months.

A person is *NOT* expelled from Jehovah's Witnesses for personal misgivings or confusion regarding some teaching. In the matter of doctrine, it is only those who ADVOCATE unscriptural teachings who disqualify themselves from continuous spiritual fellowship with the congregation.

Jehovah's Witnesses do practice the Scriptural practice of disfellowshipping for unrepentance of such serious sins as fornication, drug abuse, stealing, and apostasy. Baptized Witnesses who join the military or publicly engage in worship with another religion are considered to have disassociated themselves from Jehovah's Witnesses.

Contrary to the misinformation of anti-Witnesses, it is quite possible to become inactive in the JW religion without becoming disfellowshipped. As long as one's lifestyle does not bring reproach upon the congregation, and as long as one does not advocate one's disagreements with the religion, the congregation has no interest in "investigating", exposing, and disfellowshipping an inactive former Jehovah's Witness.

For those who are disfellowshipped or disassociated, a primary goal is to shock the person into recognizing the serious of their wrong so that they rejoin the congregation in pure worship. Since the primary bonds that are broken involve friendship and spiritual fellowship, it is well understood that family bonds remain intact. Parents, siblings, and grown children of disfellowshipped and disassociated ones sometimes choose to limit what they may feel is discouraging or "bad association" but that is a personal decision and is not required by their religion.

Former Witnesses who are disfellowshipped or disassociated are typically treated in accord with the Scriptural pattern explained in these Scriptures:

(1 Corinthians 5:11-13) Quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that is a fornicator or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man. ...Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.

(Titus 3:10) As for a man that promotes a sect, reject him after a first and a second admonition

(Romans 16:17) Now I exhort you, brothers, to keep your eye on those who cause divisions and occasions for stumbling contrary to the teaching that you have learned, and avoid them.

(2 Thessalonians 3:6) Now we are giving you orders, brothers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw from every brother walking disorderly and not according to the tradition you received from us.

(2 Thessalonians 3:14) But if anyone is not obedient to our word through this letter, keep this one marked, stop associating with him, that he may become ashamed.

(2 John 10) If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, never receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him.

(Matthew 18:17) If he does not listen to them, speak to the congregation. If he does not listen even to the congregation, let him be to you just as a man of the nations

Becoming baptized as a Jehovah's Witnesses is not a trivial step. At a minimum, a student must demonstrate months of regular meeting attendance and public ministry, then must himself express the desire to be baptized. The candidate then spends hours answering hundreds of bible questions wherein he expresses both a clear understanding and personal conviction regarding Jehovah's Witness teachings in at least three separate interviews with three different elders. The candidate must vocally agree to be baptized in front of hundreds or thousands of eyewitnesses, and must be publicly immersed in water. This is not a momentary emotional decision by an unreasoning child. Dedication as a Witness required hard work and determination at the time.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/19880415/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/19970101/article_01.htm

Answer 2

Admitting that our own wrong inclinations were at the root of our loss of faith takes courage. But doing so is the first step toward working our way back to a solid relationship with Jehovah. The experience of Steve, a pioneer in England, well illustrates this point.

Although Steve never did fall out of the truth, at one point he began to feel an emptiness and a lack of conviction. When he preached to others, his words sounded hollow in his own ears. When Steve was among his spiritual brothers and sisters, he felt out of place, as though he was not one of them.

Happily for Steve, he recognized that the problem rested with him. “I did not make the mistake of isolating myself in order to think things out, as if there were some source of inspiration within the imperfect flesh that would provide the right answers,” recalls Steve. Rather, he realized that he must search his heart and root out the deceptive desires leading him away from the truth. Starting from the very foundation, he worked to reaffirm his love for God and faith in His Word. Today, Steve is happily serving as a missionary.

How Others Can Help

Not everyone who has lost or is losing his grip on the truth sees things as clearly as Steve did. In fact, often it is this loss of clear spiritual vision that leads to a final downfall. This is where fellow Christians can lend a helping hand. But how can this best be done?

Obviously, it is not enough to invite or encourage such a person to return. Obstacles need to be identified and removed. Efforts must be made to appeal to the heart of the weakened or inactive individual. Frank, but kind, heart-to-heart discussions may help the person. Using scriptures such as 1 Timothy 1:19, Hebrews 3:12, and Jeremiah 17:9, 10 may help him or her to search deep down in his or her heart and see what is causing him to ‘draw away from the living God.’

Once the causes are identified, efforts must be directed toward dealing with them. A diseased physical heart requires care and perhaps painful surgery if the patient is to survive. It is similar with an ailing figurative heart. Wrong desires, tendencies toward independence, or other factors that are causing the heart to be wayward must be removed if it is to become responsive once again. Active Christians might well pray with the inactive person, even studying the Bible with him if the elders consider this advisable. Only in such ways can the heart be revived and the individual come to love Jehovah once again. Proverbs 2:1-5.

For any who feel that they do not love Jehovah any longer, the road back to a godly life may be a long and difficult one. Yet, restoration is possible through the working of Jehovah’s spirit, the application of his Word, and renewed cooperation with his organization. It is our sincere hope and prayer that you can be helped to rejoice once again in Jehovah’s worship and sacred service as those who wholeheartedly love Jehovah.

Answer 3

A couple of my favorite scriptures are

Prov. 18:1 "One isolating himself will seek [his own] selfish longing; against all practical wisdom he will break forth."

and

Luke 6:37 “Moreover, stop judging, and YOU will by no means be judged; and stop condemning, and YOU will by no means be condemned. Keep on releasing, and YOU will be released. 38 Practice giving, and people will give to YOU. They will pour into YOUR laps a fine measure, pressed down, shaken together and overflowing. For with the measure that YOU are measuring out, they will measure out to YOU in return.”

When ever I find myself feeling sorry for myself or wishing the brothers would do something, I go to these verses and ask myself have I started doing these things?

It's easy to say, "I haven't been invited to so and so's house." and it may be true, but even if it's so we still can invite them to ours.

Rejecting Jehovah because of what an imperfect human is doing is blaming the wrong One.

Answer 4

I am not a JW but I have had many dealings with them, and I have read scripture using their bibles. They have changed scripture to suit their needs. They have added some, including the word Jehovah after the word God. I remember I was hurting a whole lot cause I had recently lost my son, he was stillborn. I needed answers, to get those answers I asked every religious faction from Catholics to baptists to methodist to the non-denominational Christian pastors and also JW's. The JW's were the first. I invited them into my home for a bible study, I craved Jesus and I craved answers, I know that every child is "born into sin" but because babies cant ask for Jesus to forgive, if they die, they will eventually end up in heaven. The JWs told me that he is dust, no heaven no nothing. That statement killed my want to find Jesus, they pushed me further away. After that bible study I had nothing more to do with them. It wasnt so much the answer they gave, but it was the way they gave it. No heart, no emotionAll the answers were filled with emotion and love. My current pastor even did a service for my son, on his 6th year angelversary. It was so appreciated.

A couple days after my visit ith the JWs they came knocking and I refused to answer! They came back day after day after day. I finally had to tell them I am not interested. They responded by giving me a Watch tower magazine (the 2nd one they gave me) and their bible and telling me I am going to hell if I dont repent/join them cause they are the one true religion. lol I said that I would rather go to hell then deal with them again. They came back several times to try to "win over" my soul, I finally told them, and I know I shouldnt have, but I told them I was a satan worshipper. (I AM NOT A SATAN WORSHIPPER, MY HEART AND SOUL BELONG TO JESUS) that got rid of them for good....,

Answer 5

The sect known today as the Jehovah's Witnesses started out in Pennsylvania in 1870, as a Bible class started by Charles Taze Russell. Russell named his group the "Millennial Dawn Bible Study." Charles T. Russell began writing a series of books he called "The Millennial Dawn," which stretched to six volumes before his death and contained much of the theology Jehovah’s Witnesses now hold. After Russell's death in 1916, Judge J. F. Rutherford, Russell's friend and successor, wrote the seventh and final volume of the "Millennial Dawn" series, "The Finished Mystery," in 1917. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society was founded in 1886 and quickly became the vehicle through which the "Millennial Dawn" movement began distributing their views to others. The group was known as the “Russellites” until 1931 when, due to a split in the organization, it was renamed the “Jehovah’s Witnesses.” The group from which it split became known as the “Bible students.”

What do Jehovah’s Witnesses believe? Close scrutiny of their doctrinal position on such subjects as the Deity of Jesus, Salvation, the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, the Atonement, etc., shows beyond a doubt that they do not hold to orthodox Christian positions on these subjects. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus is Michael the archangel, the highest created being. This contradicts many Scriptures which clearly declare Jesus to be God (John 1:1,14; 8:58; 10:30). Jehovah’s Witnesses believe salvation is obtained by a combination of faith, good works, and obedience. This contradicts countless Scriptures which declare salvation to be received by faith (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). Jehovah’s Witnesses reject the Trinity, believing Jesus to be a created being and the Holy Spirit to essentially be the power of God. Jehovah’s Witnesses hold to a ransom theory of the atonement, in which Jesus' death paid only for what mankind lost when Adam sinned - namely, the right to perfect life on earth. Thus, they believe in a faith + works arrangement, where sin and death are freely atoned for by Christ, but physical perfection is attained through personal effort, coupled with faith in Christ.

How do the Jehovah’s Witnesses justify these unbiblical doctrines? (1) They claim that the church has, over the centuries, corrupted the Bible, and (2) They have re-translated the Bible in what they call the New World Translation. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society altered the text of the Bible to make it fit their false doctrine – rather than basing their doctrine on what the Bible teaches. The New World Translation has gone through numerous editions, as the Jehovah’s Witnesses discover more and more Scriptures that contradict their doctrines.

Jehovah's Witnesses are readily shown to be a cult that is only loosely based upon Scripture. The Watchtower bases its beliefs and doctrines on the original and expanded teachings of Charles Taze Russell, Judge Joseph Franklin Rutherford, and their successors. The Governing Body of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is the only body in the cult that claims authority to interpret Scripture. In other words, what the Governing Body says concerning any Scriptural passage is viewed as the last word, and independent thinking is strongly discouraged. This is in direct opposition of Paul's admonition to Timothy (and to us as well) to study to show yourself approved of God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of God. This admonition, found in 2 Timothy 2:15, is a clear instruction from God to each of His individual children in the Body of Christ to be like the Berean Christians and search the Scriptures daily to see if the things they are being taught line up with what His Word has to say on the subject.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses should be commended for their “evangelistic efforts.” There is probably no religious group that is more faithful than the Jehovah’s Witnesses at getting their message out. Unfortunately, the message is full of distortions, deceptions, and false doctrine. May God open the eyes of the Jehovah’s Witnesses to the truth of the Gospel and the true teaching of God’s Word.

Answer 6

I agree I have had relatives go against disfellowship and give the religion up entirely my GrandMother cause she could not and would not turn her back on her grand children and she was a truly Saintly person humble compassionate and giving all to others even when she had nothing to give.

Answer 7

Have you considered that this may not be practiced to punish you, but to make sure your "outside inspiration" doesn't do any "damage" to those who are still active? I believe they do this to protect their ways.