Regarding the JWs on this site about how much they LOVE EACH OTHER .... !!
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Jehovah's Witness Magazine Under Fire For Claiming Defectors Are 'Mentally Diseased' First Posted: 9/29/11
English police are investigating whether a Jehovah's Witness magazine violated the country's religious hatred laws. The July edition of the monthly publication Watchtower warned readers not to follow "false teachers" who may be "mentally diseased," The Telegraph reported.
Part of the passage at issue reads:
"Suppose that a doctor told you to avoid contact with someone who is infected with a contagious, deadly disease. You would know what the doctor means, and you would strictly heed his warning. Well, apostates are 'mentally diseased', and they seek to infect others with their disloyal teachings."
Watchtower is distributed around the world, but it was in the English town of Portsmouth that a group of ex-Witnesses made an official complaint.
Many Jehovah's Witnesses are not comfortable with the religion's notoriously harsh treatment of members who disagree with its doctrine and may choose to leave the church, reports The Independent One former member told the newspaper that "Many like me remain associated with the Witnesses out of fear of being uncovered as an 'apostate' and ousted, not just from the organization, but from their own friends and families. I find I am now branded as 'mentally diseased'--giving any who discovers my true beliefs free license to treat me with disdain."
According to PBS, Jehovah's Witnesses shun "as many as 30,000 members each year who refuse to live by the religion's moral tenets," as of 2007. Members who leave the group are subject to similar treatment.
Rick Fenton, a church spokesman, backed up the organization's practices to The Telegraph: "Any one of Jehovah's Witnesses is free to express their feelings and to ask questions," he said. "If a person changes their mind about Bible-based teachings they once held dear, we recognize their right to leave."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/28/jehovahs-witness-magazine_n_985479.html
Originally posted by Rajk999I know YOU will not understand this on any level but some here will..........
Regarding the JWs on this site about how much they LOVE EACH OTHER .... !!
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Jehovah's Witness Magazine Under Fire For Claiming Defectors Are 'Mentally Diseased' First Posted: 9/29/11
English police are investigating whether a Jehovah's Witness magazine violated the country's religious hatred la ingtonpost.com/2011/09/28/jehovahs-witness-magazine_n_985479.html
Why Some Are Disfellowshipped
God’s servants study the Bible and Christian publications. Jehovah’s standards are discussed at their meetings, assemblies, and conventions. So Christians are in a position to know what Jehovah requires of them. (((((((( Disfellowshipping takes place only if a member of the congregation unrepentantly engages in gross sin.)))))))
Consider a Scriptural example of disfellowshipping. The congregation in Corinth tolerated “such fornication as [was] not even among the nations, that a wife a certain man [had] of his father.” Paul urged the Corinthians to “hand such a man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, in order that the spirit may be saved.” (1 Corinthians 5:1-5) When disfellowshipped and thus handed over to Satan, the sinner was again part of the Devil’s world. (1 John 5:19) His expulsion removed an evil fleshly element from the congregation and preserved its godly “spirit,” or dominant attitude.—2 Timothy 4:22; 1 Corinthians 5:11-13.
Before a very long time had passed, Paul urged the Christians in Corinth to reinstate the wrongdoer. Why? It was so that they might not be “overreached by Satan,” said the apostle. The sinner had evidently repented and cleaned up his life. (2 Corinthians 2:8-11) If the Corinthians refused to reinstate the repentant man, Satan would overreach them in that they would be as hard and unforgiving as the Devil wanted them to be. Very likely, they soon did “forgive and comfort” the penitent man.—2 Corinthians 2:5-7.
What is accomplished by disfellowshipping? It keeps Jehovah’s holy name clear of reproach and protects the fine reputation of his people. (1 Peter 1:14-16) Removing an unrepentant wrongdoer from the congregation upholds God’s standards and preserves the congregation’s spiritual cleanness. It may also bring the unrepentant one to his senses.
Repentance Makes a Difference
Most who sin seriously are truly repentant and are not disfellowshipped from the congregation. Of course, genuine repentance does not necessarily come easily. Consider Israel’s King David, who composed Psalm 32. That song reveals that for a time David did not confess his serious sins, likely involving Bath-sheba. The result was that anguish over his sins depleted his vigor, just as summer’s dry heat saps moisture from a tree. David suffered physically and mentally, but when he ‘confessed his transgressions, Jehovah pardoned him.’ (Psalm 32:3-5) Then David sang: “Happy is the man to whose account Jehovah does not put error.” (Psalm 32:1, 2) How wonderful it was to experience God’s mercy!
Clearly, then, a sinner must be repentant if he is to receive mercy. However, neither shame nor fear of exposure is repentance. “To repent” means “to change one’s mind” with regard to bad conduct, because of regret. A repentant person has “a heart broken and crushed” and wants to ‘right the wrong’ if possible.—Psalm 51:17; 2 Corinthians 7:11.
Repentance is a very important factor in connection with reinstatement into the Christian congregation. A disfellowshipped person is not automatically accepted back into the congregation after a certain amount of time has passed. Before he can be reinstated, his heart condition must undergo a great change. He must come to realize the gravity of his sin and the reproach he brought upon Jehovah and the congregation. The sinner must repent, pray earnestly for forgiveness, and conform to God’s righteous requirements. When requesting reinstatement, he should be able to give evidence that he has repented and is producing “works that befit repentance.”—Acts 26:20.
When Individuals Choose to Ignore Bible Standards
Millions of persons have studied the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses, but not all of them have become Witnesses. When some persons learn the high standards that apply, they decide that this is not the sort of life that they want. All who do get baptized are first given thorough instruction in basic Bible teachings, and thereafter (especially since 1967) elders in the congregation review such teachings with each baptismal candidate. Every effort is made to be sure that those being baptized clearly understand not only doctrine but also what Christian conduct involves. However, what if some of these later allow love of the world to entice them into serious wrongdoing?
As early as 1904, in the book The New Creation, attention was given to the need to take appropriate action so as not to allow a demoralizing of the congregation. The understanding that the Bible Students then had of the procedure for dealing with wrongdoers as outlined at Matthew 18:15-17 was discussed. In harmony with this, there were, on rare occasions, ‘church trials’ in which the evidence of wrongdoing in serious cases was presented to the entire congregation. Years later, The Watchtower, in its issue of May 15, 1944, reviewed the matter in the light of the entire Bible and showed that such matters affecting the congregation should be handled by responsible brothers charged with congregation oversight. (1 Cor. 5:1-13; compare Deuteronomy 21:18-21.) This was followed, in The Watchtower of March 1, 1952, with articles that emphasized not only proper procedure but the need to take action to keep the organization clean. Repeatedly since then, the subject has been given consideration. But the objectives have always remained the same: (1) to keep the organization clean and (2) to impress on the wrongdoer the need for sincere repentance, with a view to recovering him.
In the first century, there were some who abandoned the faith for loose living. Others were turned aside because of apostate doctrines. (1 John 2:19) The same thing continues to occur among Jehovah’s Witnesses in this 20th century. Sadly, in recent times it has been necessary to disfellowship tens of thousands of unrepentant wrongdoers each year. Prominent elders have been included among them. The same Scriptural requirements apply to all. (Jas. 3:17) Jehovah’s Witnesses realize that maintaining a morally clean organization is vital in order to continue to have Jehovah’s approval.
Discipline That Can Yield Peaceable Fruit
“No discipline seems for the present to be joyous, but grievous; yet afterward to those who have been trained by it it yields peaceable fruit, namely, righteousness.”—HEBREWS 12:11.
THINK back to your childhood days. Can you recall your parents disciplining you? Most of us can. The apostle Paul used that as an illustration when commenting on discipline from God, as we read at Hebrews 12:9-11.
God’s fatherly discipline, which can affect our spiritual lives, can take many forms. One is his arrangement to exclude from the Christian congregation a person who no longer wants to live by God’s standards, or who refuses to do so. A person who is thus strongly chastised or disciplined may repent and turn around. In the process, the congregation of loyal ones are also disciplined in that they learn the importance of conforming to God’s high standards.—1 Timothy 1:20.
‘But,’ someone may ask, ‘is it not harsh to expel and then refuse to talk with the expelled person?’ Such a view surfaced in a recent court case involving a woman who was raised by parents who were Jehovah’s Witnesses. Her parents had been disfellowshipped. She was not, but she voluntarily disassociated herself by writing a letter withdrawing from the congregation. Accordingly, the congregation was simply informed that she was no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. She moved away, but years later she returned and found that local Witnesses would not converse with her. So she took the matter to court. What was the outcome, and how might this affect you? In order to understand the matter properly, let us see what the Bible says about the related subject of disfellowshipping.
Why This Firm Stand?
Most true Christians loyally support God and his righteous laws. (1 Thessalonians 1:2-7; Hebrews 6:10) Occasionally, though, a person deviates from the path of truth. For example, despite help from Christian elders, he may unrepentantly violate God’s laws. Or he may reject the faith by teaching false doctrine or by disassociating himself from the congregation. Then what should be done? Such things occurred even while the apostles were alive; hence, let us see what they wrote about this.
When a man in Corinth was unrepentantly immoral, Paul told the congregation: “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.” (1 Corinthians 5:11-13) The same was to occur with apostates, such as Hymenaeus: “As for a man that promotes a sect, reject him after a first and a second admonition; knowing that such a man has been turned out of the way and is sinning.” (Titus 3:10, 11; 1 Timothy 1:19, 20) Such shunning would be appropriate, too, for anyone who rejects the congregation: “They went out from us, but they were not of our sort; for if they had been of our sort, they would have remained with us. But they went out that it might be shown up that not all are of our sort.”—1 John 2:18, 19.
6 Hopefully, such a one will repent so that he can be accepted back. (Acts 3:19) But meanwhile, may Christians have limited fellowship with him, or is strict avoidance necessary? If so, why?
Cut Off Thoroughly?
Christians do not hold themselves aloof from people. We have normal contacts with neighbors, workmates, schoolmates, and others, and witness to them even if some are ‘fornicators, greedy persons, extortioners, or idolaters.’ Paul wrote that we cannot avoid them completely, ‘otherwise we would have to get out of the world.’ He directed that it was to be different, though, with “a brother” who lived like that: “Quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that [has returned to such ways], not even eating with such a man.”—1 Corinthians 5:9-11; Mark 2:13-17.
In the apostle John’s writings, we find similar counsel that emphasizes how thoroughly Christians are to avoid such ones: “Everyone that pushes ahead and does not remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God . . . If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, never receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him. For he that says a greeting [Greek, khai′ro] to him is a sharer in his wicked works.”—2 John 9-11.
Why is such a firm stand appropriate even today? Well, reflect on the severe cutting off mandated in God’s Law to Israel. In various serious matters, willful violators were executed. (Leviticus 20:10; Numbers 15:30, 31) When that happened, others, even relatives, could no longer speak with the dead lawbreaker. (Leviticus 19:1-4; Deuteronomy 13:1-5; 17:1-7) Though loyal Israelites back then were normal humans with emotions like ours, they knew that God is just and loving and that his Law protected their moral and spiritual cleanness. So they could accept that his arrangement to cut off wrongdoers was fundamentally a good and right thing.—Job 34:10-12.
We can be just as sure that God’s arrangement that Christians refuse to fellowship with someone who has been expelled for unrepentant sin is a wise protection for us. “Clear away the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, according as you are free from ferment.” (1 Corinthians 5:7) By also avoiding persons who have deliberately disassociated themselves, Christians are protected from possible critical, unappreciative, or even apostate views.—Hebrews 12:15, 16.
What About Relatives?
God certainly realizes that carrying out his righteous laws about cutting off wrongdoers often involves and affects relatives. As mentioned above, when an Israelite wrongdoer was executed, no more family association was possible. In fact, if a son was a drunkard and a glutton, his parents were to bring him before the judges, and if he was unrepentant, the parents were to share in the just executing of him, ‘to clear away what is bad from the midst of Israel.’ (Deuteronomy 21:18-21) You can appreciate that this would not have been easy for them. Imagine, too, how the wrongdoer’s brothers, sisters, or grandparents felt. Yet, their putting loyalty to their righteous God before family affection could be lifesaving for them.
Recall the case of Korah, a leader in rebellion against God’s leadership through Moses. In his perfect justice, Jehovah saw that Korah had to die. But all loyal ones were advised: “Turn aside, please, from before the tents of these wicked men and do not touch anything that belongs to them, that you may not be swept away in all their sin.” Relatives who would not accept God’s warning died with the rebels. But some of Korah’s relatives wisely chose to be loyal to Jehovah, which saved their lives and led to future blessings.—Numbers 16:16-33; 26:9-11; 2 Chronicles 20:19.
Cutting off from the Christian congregation does not involve immediate death, so family ties continue. Thus, a man who is disfellowshipped or who disassociates himself may still live at home with his Christian wife and faithful children. Respect for God’s judgments and the congregation’s action will move the wife and children to recognize that by his course, he altered the spiritual bond that existed between them. Yet, since his being disfellowshipped does not end their blood ties or marriage relationship, normal family affections and dealings can continue.
The situation is different if the disfellowshipped or disassociated one is a relative living outside the immediate family circle and home. It might be possible to have almost no contact at all with the relative. Even if there were some family matters requiring contact, this certainly would be kept to a minimum, in line with the divine principle: “Quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that is a fornicator or a greedy person [or guilty of another gross sin], . . . not even eating with such a man.”—1 Corinthians 5:11.
Understandably, this may be difficult because of emotions and family ties, such as grandparents’ love for their grandchildren. Yet, this is a test of loyalty to God, as stated by the sister quoted on page 26. Anyone who is feeling the sadness and pain that the disfellowshipped relative has thus caused may find comfort and be encouraged by the example set by some of Korah’s relatives.—Psalm 84:10-12.
Originally posted by galveston75your making too much sense and have provided too much reason and knowledge, hes
Discipline That Can Yield Peaceable Fruit
“No discipline seems for the present to be joyous, but grievous; yet afterward to those who have been trained by it it yields peaceable fruit, namely, righteousness.”—HEBREWS 12:11.
THINK back to your childhood days. Can you recall your parents disciplining you? Most of us can. The apostle Paul used that as a ...[text shortened]... find comfort and be encouraged by the example set by some of Korah’s relatives.—Psalm 84:10-12.
not interested in reason nor knowledge, hes just a lonely old guy with no friends and
no future who likes to accuse others,
(Revelation 12:10) . . .“Now have come to pass the salvation and the power and the
kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ, because the accuser of our
brothers has been hurled down, who accuses them day and night before our God!
Originally posted by Rajk999And yes you get ones who turn their backs on many things in life and bi..ch about it no matter how justified they were to be fired or kicked out or whatever the situation was. How many fools get fired from their jobs and then get a gun and kill everyone in sight because they feel they were done wrong?
Regarding the JWs on this site about how much they LOVE EACH OTHER .... !!
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Jehovah's Witness Magazine Under Fire For Claiming Defectors Are 'Mentally Diseased' First Posted: 9/29/11
English police are investigating whether a Jehovah's Witness magazine violated the country's religious hatred la ingtonpost.com/2011/09/28/jehovahs-witness-magazine_n_985479.html
So yes there are ones who have been removed from the congregation for reasons we don't always know but the elders do. No elder ever wants to remove anyone from the congregation, EVER.
I've know a few that I grew up with and that were eventually removed and I did know why. They should have been removed long before they were but the elders try everything they can to turn them around with the Bible's morals and principles. And then they have the stupidity to turn against the congregations and even try to disrupt the meetings or whatever they can do to make fools of themselves and point their stupid little fingers at them instead of accepting that they were wrong.
All I can tell you Raj is as usual YOU KNOW NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Originally posted by robbie carrobieLol....Thats the truth in a NUT shell.
your making too much sense and have provided too much reason and knowledge, hes
not interested in reason nor knowledge, hes just a lonely old guy with no friends and
no future who likes to accuse others,
(Revelation 12:10) . . .“Now have come to pass the salvation and the power and the
kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ, bec ...[text shortened]... e accuser of our
brothers has been hurled down, who accuses them day and night before our God!
Originally posted by galveston75Oh .. I know I know nothing, and I never said I know anything.
... All I can tell you Raj is as usual YOU KNOW NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its the 30,000 per year ... now they know something 😀 30,000 mentally diseased people per year. In the last 5 years the JWs have shunned 150,000 mentally diseased JWs.
Mental disease is a common ailment among JWs. Now that makes perfect sense, and explains a lot 😀
Originally posted by Rajk999Your a real looser. I actually feel sorry for you and I can promise you didn't look up one scripture in any of those post. Even if you happened too I know your blind to what any of them say.
Oh .. I know I know nothing, and I never said I know anything.
Its the 30,000 per year ... now they know something 😀 30,000 mentally diseased people per year. In the last 5 years the JWs have shunned 150,000 mentally diseased JWs.
Mental disease is a common ailment among JWs. Now that makes perfect sense, and explains a lot 😀
Originally posted by galveston75Truth .. its a hell of a thing. Can't stand the truth. I understand.
Your a real looser. I actually feel sorry for you and I can promise you didn't look up one scripture in any of those post. Even if you happened too I know your blind to what any of them say.
Perhaps if other religions would do as the Bible says in cleaning house when issues arise such as child abuse, then maybe so many cases wouldn't have happened to those poor kids.
Then you have the issues of homosexuality that is not only accepted but even their preachers are coming out of the closets and being welcomed and even preaching from the stage with open arms.
So very disgusting.......................
Originally posted by galveston75It always turns out that way with Raj? It is you who is using a tu quoque argument, not him. You haven't responded convincingly to the article in the OP yet. Why do you behave as if you are so thoroughly rattled when there is a bit of plausible criticism about your organization?
It always turns out that way with Raj..... He's only here to tear down and never anything good.