Jehovah's Witnesses say, If one does not follow the rules of the Watchtower they will be stunned.?

Question

I for one would not fellow such absurd
rules, that the cult hands down to it's
people. The control it has on it's people
is ridiculous. With the beliefs and
practices are not christian.
The 101 strange beliefs and practices
of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

Answer 1

Jehovah's Witnesses 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

This is a well query, I have not a clue which it's and I'd like to look a instantly sure or no reply. I get the identical combined messages because the asker at any time when I listen approximately it. Everyone above turns out to pretty much say 'we will be able to however I do not' after which offers you their reasoning. All I particularly have got to cross off is that you do not see many JWs who learn aspects of view that distinction with their possess (aka apostate literature), so I get the affect it perhaps discouraged although it isn't in opposition to their laws (proper me if I'm flawed and there's certainly no respectable JW stance on watching into opposing perspectives).

Answer 3

"...If my family has any contact with me they will be justifying my ungodly lifestyle"

Ring a bell? It's not from the Jehovah's Witnesses it's an excerpt form the discovery channel documentary on 'doomsday cults' describing the practice of the *Roberts group* a disturbing cult.

See all cults like JW's have a shunning shame device to control members.. To be treated like a man of the nations (gentile) or as a tax collector does not mean that i am viewed as 'dead' by my mother.

The shunning by other religions for comparison is irrelevant as the Watchtower claims that it's disfellowshipping is at the direction of the holy spirit so it must be infallible.This is outright blaspheme.

In just one year 1987 I calculated by the Watchtower's own stats that 4.4 men woman and children were disfellowshipped per hour as the world turned on it's axis.

Get this,the Watchtower asserts that every single one was @ "the direction of the holy spirit"
This is utter blaspheme by the watchtower/elder leadership.

How many blasphemes do you charlatans need to be eternally damned?One,or how about 37,000 for that year of 1987?These are wrecked and ruined lives people.

Matthew 18:10 Jesus dire warning to his high ranking apostles;"see to it that you do not despise one of these little ones,for i tell you their angels in heaven always behold the face of my father who is in heaven."

The written and oral directives of the elders is one priority,that is to intimidate and save face with the followers and to stonewall a potential civil lawsuit.

Look either it's the Holy Spirit or it ain't da Holy spirit.They told me even when they are wrong in Judgment i must consider it a test of my faith and bite the bullet.What kind of mealy mouthing gobbledygook is that?

No it's blaspheme.

Danny Haszard 'expert witness on the Jehovah Witness' http://www.freeminds.org

Answer 4

Yes you can get shunned/disphellowshipped for not following the rules. But sometimes its hard to work out what their rules are!

For example... a very good friend of mine is an 'inactive' JW.

Her son was sexually molested by a brother in the congregation.

When this was discovered the attempts were made to cover up the incident.

My friend took it to the police despite the elders asking her not to.

Now here was this child molester walking around the congregation without getting disphellowshipped! Surely there was a rule that he broke? Well unfortunately there were not 2 witnesses to the event (as per the watchtower rules) so they refused to do anything. How pathetic!

So my friend cautioned other mothers in the congregation when she saw this 'brother' becoming friendly with their children.

End result? My friend got disphellowshipped for slander. SLANDER!? She wasn't lying! This guy admitted to his crime in a polic statement. They were trying to SILENCE her.
Eventually she got reinstated but the 'love' the brothers showed to her after reinstatement was pathetic. She is inactive. Can you blame her?

So long story short... The elders will disphellowship anyone who they deem a threat. This will ensure people in the congregation shun them and don't learn the truth of what goes on behind those closed doors!

Answer 5

Again, not asking a Q??? Ya know 360 was made for posting statements.

In response to your statement, Nope, not by a long shot. It is simple, to be a Witness you must follow Bible principles. If after publicly dedicating your life to Jehovah, you decide to no long follow the Bible, then you cannot be a Witness.

PS I love the 101 list. It is hilarious. I love reading it while playing chess and drinking rootbeer out of a aluminum can.

Answer 6

I certainly agree, shunning is a typical method used by cults to keep their members under control.

The Watchtower goes well beyond Bible guidelines in how it enforces disfellowshipping, and has made up many rules that a person can be shunned for that are not in the Bible. For a detailed list see and discussion see http://jwfacts.com/index_files/disfellowship.htm

Answer 7

The simple answer to your question is YES. And anyone can make a typographical error. We know what was meant.

What truly amazes me is that some JW's don't think there are any rules and that they don't shun people who break them. At least May C was honest enough to spell it out for us. There are, however, two points I would like challenge.

Yes, it would be Biblically correct to avoid associating with an unrepentant sinner, but for apostasy, read "anyone who fails to follow the JW rules or disagrees with their beliefs".

As to the analogy of how a parent would treat a disobedient child, I would respectfully suggest that shunning is not loving nor is it practical. A parent who truly loved their child would never abandon them, or cut them off. And a true Christian would follow Jesus' example by showing compassion, forgiveness and love. It is not up to us to judge. That is God's privilege. Love never fails. Check out 1 Corinthians 13.

If JW's were less judgmental and more compassionate they would get less bad press.

Answer 8

I want to know what are the rules you are referring to. In regards to being shunned (assuming that is what you meant to say), I believe that Jehovah's Witnesses do have some strict guidelines on how to treat those who are shunned because of GROSS SINS and are not repentent---such as adultery, fornication, homesexuality, & apostasy which all these are in the Bible and not rules that the Watchtower made. yes, family and friends of person shunned are advised not to associate with this person mostly because they need to proctect themselves from the possible negative influence this person shunned may have on others who are trying to live by Bible standards especially if this person did not repent. In regards to family, family members are not completely cutting off the family relationship with the person shunned. I don't think. They may still talk but not about spiritual things or activities but may communicate when it comes to personal family matters. Of course, socializing is a no-no because that only shows they don't take seriously the serious sins that person did towards God. These are the strict guidelines..... from the Bible and not from the Watchtower.

It's like being a parent, i guess. If your child delibrately disobeyed you, not once but 2x or more and is unrepentent-- don't care about your instructions and becomes a rebel, would you allow this child to influence the rest of the family members to become disobedient to you? of course not. You will set some guidelines. Being shunned is like a child being grounded. the rest of the family cannot be talking to him or giving him any special treatment until he comes to his senses...and it also protects the rest of the children at home. It's the same with God, wouldn't you think? If we all think of it this way, it is not as cruel as it seems. It's actually loving and practical.

Anyway, Jehovah's Witnesses, please correct me if I am wrong with the information above. I do apologize if my answer is far from what you all have learned but i do acknowledge and respect what you are doing.

Answer 9

LOL

1. You mean "shunned."
2. Jehovah's Witnesses don't use the term "shunned."
3. The Watchtower has no rules.
4. Jehovah's Witnesses follow the same laws, principles and procedures that are outlined in the Greek Scriptures for the early Christian congregation.

Answer 10

You are right that Jehovahs Witnesses are not christians. Christians believe in a forgiving God and do not disassociate themselves with people who backslide. They pray for them and hope that they will find their way back to God and christianity. I am glad that God does not dissassociate himself with us when we decide to fall back into the ways of the world.