I listened to (and read) the audio-bible version of 1 Corinthians this afternoon, which in the 5th chapter discusses a certain man who was having an affair with his stepmother, or to be more precise, his father’s wife.

Paul was utterly gobsmacked that the congregation in Corinth was tolerating such blatant immorality of such brazenness that it isn’t even found in the (immoral) world around them.

Paul ordered the congregation of Corinth to shun this man so that he may know the wrongfulness of his perversion, and to protect the flock from the leaven of gross sin as well as upholding the honor of the reputation of the congregation.

As a follow-up, Paul later ordered the congregation in Corinth to accept the sinner back into their good graces when it was clear that the man had sufficiently repented. (2 Corinthians 2:5–11)

The time frame from the initial shunning to Paul ordering the congregation to accept the man back was evidently about one year.

Well, history shows that the Catholic Church has had various methods … such as burning people alive tied to a public execution pole, hangings, tortures, whippings, stretching bodies on a rack until they were dismembered, having hungry lions attack people in public arenas and coliseums, digging up dead people and burning their corpses publicly while confiscating their property so that the heirs were not entitled to it, and various forms of ex-communications, etc.

Maybe you might know of some other forms of “shunning.!”

Jehovah's Witnesses use a gentle, non-violent form of ‘shunning’ that is commonly known as “avoidance.” Compare Matthew 18:15-17; with Luke 12:51–53 and 1st Corinthians 5:9-13, and 6:9-10; & 2 Corinthians 6:14–18; Titus 3:10-11.

The key here is if someone has been baptized and left. At that point, it’s a requirement.

I was corralled (somewhat against my will) and studied with them when I was young. This religion just never made sense to me. When I first heard what Jehovah had planned for anyone who was “wicked and didn’t follow him” I was scared. It meant certain death from an angry God flying down from the sky with flaming arrows and lightning bolts.

Truly, these were the images I was shown. Imagine being a girl-crazy kid entering puberty and being told that your feelings were “wicked and evil.”

I felt the JW God was far too angry and punitive, and I didn’t like the representation that my friends who weren’t a part of the organization were “worldly and wicked.” After a while, I stopped studying. The God I believe in and pray to isn’t looking to kill people who didn’t believe JW’s.

For that reason, my mother (a baptized JW) doesn’t have to shun me. However, if I had been baptized, she would be required to.

And even though I was never baptized and only studied, a girl I knew at school who also was a Witness. She stopped acknowledging my existence. Refused to even look at me. When I attended meetings, she would always say hi and smile; once I stopped going, she would turn her head in a haughty, holier-than-thou way, and walk silently past me.

I don’t care what many of the Witnesses here say, I’ve seen family members shunned for simply not wanting to be active anymore. JW’s are taught that lying to promote “Jehovah and his organization” is allowable because they are doing it for a good reason.

I’ve seen lifelong best friends torn apart because one simply changed their minds about wanting to be a JW. This happened to my grandmother and one of her best friends after her friend’s husband demanded that she leave the religion or else face divorce. She was an older woman who would have had no means of support. Instead of helping her, my grandmother was told to shun and avoid her, and she did.

I’ve seen brothers and sisters in families torn apart, simply because one of them choose to move onto a different belief system in God. it’s important to note that in the Bible, shunning was only done when a member of the congregation had done something awful and was unrepentant about it. This is understandable, since it’s essentially not keeping a toxic person in their church.

However, JW leadership has determined that simply no longer believing what they say, constitutes toxic behavior. News flash, it doesn’t.

There’s a great book on this called “Shunned” by Linda Curtis on Amazon.

In short, the answer is yes—Jehovah’s Witnesses will absolutely shun family members for leaving the religion. They will be held accountable and face shunning themselves if they don’t. There are links to videos in this thread that will prove that statement.

For anyone to think or say otherwise is just misleading and wrong, and can do incredible damage to families that don’t understand what they may be getting into.

Some JW's will argue this isn’t true and that they do not shun family members. Here is a video directly from http://JW.org that proves they do:

This question has been answered many, ,many times on this forum; but since people insist on continuing to ask it., I will reiterate yet again what the true answer is.

No. We do not “shun" former members or discourage our children from interacting with them. This goes for those who have simply left the organization as well as those who have been removed due to unrepentant sin. Someone who has voluntarily left is viewed as inactive, and we talk with them the same as we would anybody else who is not currently a part of the congregation. We might even tell thrm how much we miss them and encourage them to return, but we recognize they have free will and do not force anyone to come back..

Those who have been removed, or disfellowshipped as we used to say, were not arbitrarily kicked out of the congregation, as some would have you believe. They have met with the elders, likely more than once, and the elders have done their best to help the person to repent and change their behavior, but the person has refused to do so.The person CHOOSES to be removed , and they are well aware that this means their former brothers and sisters will not socialize with them as long as they are removed. Note that I said “socialize". That doesn't mean that we completely avoid them. If the person still attends meetings or resumes attending them at a later time, we might give them a smile and a brief greeting. We neither snub them outright nor converse at length with them.

For the Scriptural precedent behind removing unrepentant sinners from the congregation, please read 1 Corinthians 5:9-13. Also see 2 John 9 -11 for the reasons why we choose to avoid certain people (such as apostates)who used to be among us but chose to leave and thereafter promote false teachings and lies about our organization.That includes only those who actively turn against and malign the organization, not those who simply leave and get on with their lives.

I’m answering anonymously because much of this is very sensitive - more than just ME.

I was disfellowshipped back in the early 90s and personally, it was a relief because I hated pretending. I was only going through the motions for my mother. But it became difficult to maintain that and live my life.

Flash forward - my younger sister was never baptized. She had a child out of wedlock. No issue there! My mother welcomed her into her house to help her raise her daughter. THEN my sister moved in with a boyfriend and took her daughter. She got pregnant a second time, had that baby. Again, no worries.

While I was planning my wedding (I finished college and got engaged in all this time, no illegitimate children, mind you), it came out that my sister’s boyfriend had been sexually assaulting my niece. It started when she was 5 and she was now 7. The worst part? My sister knew and told her daughter if she told anyone they would take her and her brother away from her and only bad people took in foster kids…

My mother took full custody of my niece and nephew. She lives with her two sisters who are JWs as well. They raised both of them but as you can imagine, there have been multiple issues due to the abuse. Not only that but my family is highly dysfunctional, toxic, and abusive anyway… it was never going to go well.

My sister is welcomed with open arms into that house. Me? I’m occasionally welcomed but sometimes I’m told my mother enforcing no contact. Or I get emotionally blackmailed in other ways. Once I was told that I should go through the motions of getting reinstated and then just go inactive… so it would be okay for them.

I’ve realized through my own personal work that I was an abused child. So I pretty much keep my distance. And can you imagine how hurtful it is to have my sister who abused her own child in such a way welcomed into that house but me treated like a pariah? Come on… it defies right and wrong. It defies justice. It certainly doesn’t speak to a loving god to me.

And it’s an organization that watched me be abused in their very buildings. Week after week. It was fine because I was a handful. Noisy.

Or had undiagnosed ADHD like my daughter has (but diagnosed).

I keep my own child quite far from the house of horrors. I do my own form of shunning now, I guess. It kind of backfires, doesn’t it?

Each and every a person that’s a Jehovah witness, and those who are not. They must be responsible for themselves, this system is about to blow and you speak of a disagreement, and shunning.

Jesus was beaten spat upon , dragged face down over a tree log , soldiers galloped with string ropes with small pieces of bone pushed into each whip, galloping spread so as to whip his back , this was called the half death. Then he was punched humiliated, thorns pressed into his head , then impaled with 6 inch nails , until his lungs burst and died. If such a case did occur then they need to grow up, and stop thinking about themselves.

There are certainly some groups that treat religion as a self-help opportunity. It's all about personal enrichment and feeling affirmed, and there is no difference between someone coming or going or doing whatever they want to “live their truth.” Yes, those exist.

Some groups, like the Amish, allow people to leave, but if they do, they're permanently cut off.

Some groups of Judaism shun, others don't. But the general presumption is that people who leave “forfeit their place in the world to come.”

When someone leaves other groups, like scientologists, they stalk you, and use the information divulged in your “readings" to actively attempt to sabotage your life.

People who leave other groups like Islam, are supposed to be killed.

To be fair, this is not actually done in most countries. But it happens in other places.

In most of nominal christianity, people who leave are considered damned to eternal first torment, where they will be tortured beyond any human imagination today for all eternity.

Catholicism allows people to come and go and whatnot, as long as they follow the sacraments of the church. But, their practice of excommunication not only removes people from a community, but also damns them to eternal hellfire. And God himself is “not allowed to" go against the church's decree. Excommunicated people are not allowed to repent to God until the church gives them permission to.

Even if a person isn't excommunicated, priests allegedly have the personal authority to forgive or withhold forgiveness for whatever they want. Even if you're knowingly and willingly and intentionally sinning, and plan to continue to do so, a priest can declare you forgiven, and God “must hold to the church's decision.” And if a priest simply chooses not to forgive you, God is still bound to not forgive and torment their souls for all eternity. (Although the current pope seems to be overruling the concept of hell)

When people leave the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses… we say “ok. Bye.”

We hope they maintain their relationship with God, keep praying and studying. But, anyone can still repent to God. Jesus still died for their sins too. And we will eventually be judged by our heart condition, not enrollment.

They can choose to be a part of the congregation or not. If they ever way to come back, they can.

But if they choose not to be a part of the congregation, then they're not.

No, we are avoiding such ones in a spiritual association way due to what they refuse to quit doing ,that God and his son condemn. You can see here on Quora why we avoid many as they are angry, dishonest about us, lie and make many claims showing that they have a lack of love. Jesus told true followers to love even their enemies and in the vast majority of Disfellowshipped members here, they ignore what he says and keep disobeying him. Thus they shun Jesus and us.

Now just leaving us as a group, but not being disfellowshipped they are not shunned at all. Their hatred, anger or animosity, means they are not shunned at all by us. They do the shunning, not us.

Asking for donations, such as passing the plate or have ATMs ready in the lobby, is bull crap.

God said in Malachi He only asks for 10% of our increase for the purpose of putting “meat in mine house”, meaning to bless the members during hard times and to strengthen the Lord’s Kingdom. That’s it.

For those who are in unfortunate financial circumstances, the Lord knows. That’s why 10% of no income = $0. So those who have a tough time paying bills because they don’t make any money have nothing to worry about, and they should not be compelled in any way to pay tithing/donations.

It should NOT go to the pastor for payment. Jesus specifically calls out those who preach for money.

You mean ignore God’s Word?

Aside from the lies and misinformation from our opposers, we will always “obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29.

Now how would you apply 1 Cor. 5:9–13 “In my letter I wrote you to stop keeping company with sexually immoral people, 10 not meaning entirely with the sexually immoral people of this world+ or the greedy people or extortioners or idolaters. Otherwise, you would actually have to get out of the world.+ 11 But now I am writing you to stop keeping company+ with anyone called a brother who is sexually immoral or a greedy person+ or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard+ or an extortioner,+ not even eating with such a man. 12 For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Do you not judge those inside,+ 13 while God judges those outside?+ “Remove the wicked person from among yourselves.” NWTST

What other church even cares about doing what God says?

Jehovah’s Witnesses do not shun people who leave the organization unless they a disfellowshipped by a judicial committee because of serious unrepentant sin. This is Biblically supported practice.

( BTW — Almost all religious organizations have procedures for excommunicating, shunning, or disfellowshipping, etc. members who are disruptive or commit serious violations of their religious standards, this is not unique to Jehovah’s Witnesses. )

Jehovah himself set the precedent for expelling and cutting of communication with unrepentant sinners in the Garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve sinned God expelled the from the garden and had no further communication with them because of their sinful actions. Later he did so again when Cain murdered his brother. God sent him into exile and cut off communication with him.

Genesis 3:23–24 NW — With that Jehovah God expelled him from the garden of Eʹden to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken. 24 So he drove the man out, and he posted at the east of the garden of Eʹden the cherubs and the flaming blade of a sword that was turning continuously to guard the way to the tree of life.

Genesis 4:10–14 NW — At this He said: “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed in banishment from the ground that has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you cultivate the ground, it will not give you back its produce. You will become a wanderer and a fugitive in the earth.” 13 At this Cain said to Jehovah: “The punishment for my error is too great to bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your face; and I will become a wanderer and a fugitive on the earth, and anyone who finds me will certainly kill me.”

Later God authorized Judges in Israel to cut off and order the execution serious sinners:

Leviticus 18:29–30 AS — For whosoever shall do any of these abominations, even the souls that do them shall be cut off from among their people. 30 Therefore shall ye keep my charge, that ye practise not any of these abominable customs, which were practised before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am Jehovah your God.

When the Christian Congregation was established Congregation Elders were instructed to keep the congregations clean and to expel unrepentant sinners:

1 Corinthians 5:11–13 NW — But now I am writing you to stop keeping company with anyone called a brother who is sexually immoral or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man. 12 For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Do you not judge those inside, 13 while God judges those outside? “Remove the wicked person from among yourselves.

Those who follow Jesus and the Bible do so.

Matthew 18:15–17

• 15 “Moreover, if your brother commits a sin, go lay bare his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two more, in order that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. 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 and as a tax collector.

1 Corinthians 5:13

• “Remove the wicked [man] from among yourselves.”

Titus 3:10, 11

• 10 As for a man that promotes a sect, reject him after a first and a second admonition; 11 knowing that such a man has been turned out of the way and is sinning, he being self-condemned.

2 John 10

• 10 If anyone comes to YOU and does not bring this teaching, never receive him into YOUR homes or say a greeting to him.

Those who are disfellowshipped and speak out against Jehovah’s Witnesses, how do you think the conversation would go, if they were invited to someone’s house for dinner or a barbeque? Any reasonable person would tell a Jehovah’s Witness to not invite them. Doing so would be asking for trouble.

With Jehovah’s Witnesses the disfellowshipping is basically eliminating non-essential association. The person is welcomed at the Kingdom Hall. The serious sinner often chooses not to want this association.

Disfellowshipping does not end the marriage vow or other family relations. So, in those cases the people do not discuss spiritual matters unless it is a minor child. People still live near and work with disfellowshipped people and have normal work relationships.

Disfellowshipping is really kind and mild. It is stopping association of things like barbeques, picnics, etcetera. If you ever experienced attending a Catholic church, to me it is exactly like being a Catholic.

Those who tell false stories about disfellowshipping are just trying to manipulate your thinking and feelings to hate what they hate. They hate those who did not praise them for serious sin and for breaking their informed vow to God. They hate those who still live by their own vow to obey the Bible. We welcome them back. But we will not invite them to our homes to verbally berate us either!

The Bible tells us to watch our association. 1 Corinthians 15:33

Disfellowshipping is a protection for those who do not want to rejoice over serious sins against God. It is also with the intent for them to return if they want to. - James 5:20

Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Shun Those Who Used to Belong to Their Religion?

Jesus actually said this about unrepentant wrongdoers.

Matthew 18:15–17

• 15 “Moreover, if your brother commits a sin, go and reveal his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two more, so that on the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. 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 and as a tax collector.

Jesus established that if your brother does not seek repentance or forgiveness, there's none for you to give. He said let him be a man of the nations and as a tax collector, as in no longer a friend. We forgive at every possible opportunity. But if someone is not sorry for what they did, that is not a possible opportunity and that's how you get disfellowshipped.

I think so, yes because they loosely play with the word “apostate”.

Also, they are NOT a “Christian denomination”.

They are technically an anti-Christian cult.

They class anyone who rebels against the watchtower organisation or who disagrees with it as a person who rebels against and disagrees with God.

Check out their loaded speach.

“Persons who deliberately spread (stubbornly hold to and speak about) teachings contrary to Bible truth as taught by Jehovah's Witnesses are apostates.” Pay Attention to Yourselves and to All the Flock p.94

“Apostasy is abandoning or deserting the worship and service of God ( IN A JW WAY ), actually a rebellion against Jehovah God. Some apostates profess to know and serve God but reject teachings or requirements set out in his Word. Others claim to believe the Bible but reject Jehovah's organization.” Reasoning From the Scriptures p.34

Apostasy Insight, Volume 1 "Apostates often seek to make others their followers. (Ac 20:30; 2Pe 2:1, 3) Such ones willfully abandoning the Christian congregation ( the watchtower organisation ) thereby become part of the “antichrist.” (1Jo 2:18, 19) As with the apostate Israelites, destruction is likewise foretold for apostates from the Christian congregation."

Watchtower 2013 Apr 15 p.11 "Strong hope enables us to resist apostates and their gangrenous "empty speeches.""

Examining the Scriptures Daily 2011 Aug 18 p.83 "Satan was the first creature to turn apostate. Modern-day apostates display characteristics similar to those of the Devil. Their mind may be poisoned by a critical attitude toward individuals in the congregations, Christian elders, or the Governing Body. Some apostates oppose the use of the divine name, Jehovah. They are not interested in learning about Jehovah or in serving him. Like their father, Satan, apostates target people of integrity. (John 8:44) No wonder servants of Jehovah avoid all contact with them!"

Watchtower 2011 Jul 15 p.11 "Apostates “quietly” bring their ideas into the congregation, like criminals who secretly bring things into a country. Apostates use “counterfeit words.” This means that they say things that make their false ideas sound true, like criminals who make false documents look real. They try to get as many people as possible to believe their “deceptive teachings.” Peter also said that they like twisting the Scriptures. They explain Bible verses in the wrong way to make others believe their ideas. (2 Peter 2:1, 3, 13; 3:16) Apostates do not care about us. If we follow them, we will leave the road to everlasting life. ... The Bible says that apostates are mentally diseased and that they use their teachings to make others think like them. (1 Timothy 6:3, 4) Jehovah is like that good doctor. He clearly tells us to stay away from false teachers. We must always be determined to follow his warning. What must we do to avoid false teachers? We do not speak to them or invite them into our houses. We also do not read their books, watch them on television, read what they write on the Internet, or add our own comments about what they write on the Internet. Why are we so determined to avoid them? First of all, it is because we love “the God of truth.” So we do not want to listen to false teachings that go against the truth in God’s Word."

Watchtower 2004 Feb 15 p.28. "It would be a mistake to think that you need to listen to apostates or to read their writings to refute their arguments. Their twisted, poisonous reasoning can cause spiritual harm and can contaminate your faith like rapidly spreading gangrene. (2 Timothy 2:16, 17) Rather, imitate God's response to apostates. Job said of Jehovah: "Before him no apostate will come in." - Job 13:16."

Watchtower 1993 October 1 p.19. "Apostasy is, in reality, a rebellion against Jehovah."

"Have No Dealings With Apostates, ... For example, what will you do if you receive a letter or some literature, open it, and see right away that it is from an apostate? Will curiosity cause you to read it, just to see what he has to say? You may even reason: `It won't affect me; I'm too strong in the truth. And besides, if we have the truth, we have nothing to fear. The truth will stand the test.' In thinking this way, some have fed their minds upon apostate reasoning and have fallen prey to serious questioning and doubt." (Watchtower, March 15, 1986 p12)

“Avoid them,” says God’s Word. Other translations render that phrase “turn away from them,” “keep away from them,” and “stay away from them!” There is nothing ambiguous about that inspired counsel. 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. - The Watchtower 15 July 2011

Attending weddings and funerals of "non-JW friends and family", allowed but STRONGLY discouraged! (Watchtower 12/15/74 p. 766-767 & 3/15/70 p. 191-192)

Association with non-JW family and friends (Watchtower 2/15/60 p. 112)

Yes, they shun their own family members for life, their love for their own family is conditional and based on weather or not they agree with their religion. The sin of Pride is one of the seven deadly sins you can commit, that's when you put yourself above others, believing you are superior. The Jehovah Witnesses make millions a year and only help other Jehovah Witnesses, they give ZERO to help with world hunger, they have no food pantries, or soup kitchens, and they feed only their hungry, believing only they are worthy of food. Jesus said that the goats had treated Him badly. They didn’t feed Him when He was hungry; they didn’t take care of Him when He was sick. The “goats” would have helped a King, but they had never helped a common, regular person. They would have helped a King because the King would have rewarded them in return. Their help would have been motivated by selfish reasons. In their minds, they had nothing to gain by helping a common person. What could a poor, needy person possibly give them in return?

Selfish help is not what Jesus is looking for. I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these My brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help Me. - Matthew 25:45

When Jesus spoke of the “goats,” He was talking about those who did not follow Him, God treats everyone the same, and his sheep follow him and they feed everyone,especially the unbelievers in hopes a few will follow. And come judgment day that is exactly how God will separate the sheep from the goat by their love.

Your question is flawed and could be interpreted as rather cynical. It betrays ignorance of our disfellowshipping protocols and exaggerates the numbers of those who leave.

It also missapplies the term, “shunning.”

“Shunning, social control mechanism used most commonly in small tight-knit social groups to punish those who violate the most serious group rules. It is related to exile and banishment, although shunning is based on social rather than physical isolation or separation.Mar 21, 2014

http://www.britannica.com › topic › shun...

Shunning | social control mechanism | Britannica”

Shunning is not a “social control mechanism to punish violators” by JW’s. Disfellowshipping is the last step in a restorative procedure to help someone who has seriously broken God’s law. If he refuses all help and counsel and will not stop his immoral activity, then the following applies.

1 Cor. 5:11–13 “But now I am writing you to stop keeping company+ with anyone called a brother who is sexually immoral or a greedy person+ or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard+ or an extortioner,+ not even eating with such a man. 12 For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Do you not judge those inside,+ 13 while God judges those outside?+ “Remove the wicked person from among yourselves.”

This is to protect the reputation of the congregation, to protect God’s name and to keep the congregation clean. Imagine the criticism if we simply tolerated such activity?

Those disfellowshipped are restricted from spiritual and casual association, but family and business/work obligations remain. They are free to attend meetings but may not participate in them.

The numbers disfellowshipped each year is relatively low, it was said to be about 40,000, many of whom accept the discipline and return. They are now returning in increasing numbers as the world situation worsens and we see Jesus’ words coming true.

Those joining us number well over 300,000 per year or about 1 new congregation every day.

We are one of, if not the, fastest growing organisations in the world. The only desperation is in trying to keep up and build enough Kingdom Halls fast enough.

Have you ever read the Bible?

The nation of Israel, disobeyed their God, Jehovah, and lost His protection and love. As a nation in the wilderness they all agreed to serve and obey Jehovah through Moses, and to continue through all generations. Sadly they repeatedly disobeyed and were “shunned” by Jehovah for as long as 70 years. After repenting as a nation Jehovah forgave their disobedience several times until the last rejection “as a whole” of his son Jesus as their messiah.

The word “shun” meaning - persistently avoid, ignore, or reject (someone or something) through antipathy or caution, can be applied to many facets of human society.

The worshipers of Jehovah who follow the scriptures as closely as possible obey the commands and instructions to deal with believers who speak against God or act in rebellion towards God’s laws.

If a person decides that what the Bible actually says concerning the protection and purity of the congregation to be unfair or unloving, then their argument is with God, not his worshipers.

Just as God made it possible for his worshipers to return to him in the past, today the door is always open to all who left or turned away from Jehovah.

What a Jehovah’s Witness will tell you:

Jehovah’s Witnesses disassociate anyone that doesn’t follow Bible principles. Bad associations spoil useful habits.

What a Jehovah’s Witness won’t tell you:

They consider being a Jehovah’s Witness a Bible principle.

What this really means:

If you tell them you are following every single Bible principle exactly the way they teach it. If you tell them that you believe 99.9% of what they believe. If you tell them you will continue to do everything that is outlined as good Christian behavior but you do not believe in their organization,

You will be shunned.

Because they believe they and only they know “The Truth” (that is literally what they call their religion)

Because they believe that without the constant supply of “spiritual food”(that is literally what they call their books and magazines) from the Governing Body you will fail.

Because they believe anyone who is not a Jehovah’s Witness is a “worldly person” (that is literally what they call anyone who is not a JW, that means you) and are doomed to die with no hope of everlasting life.

Because they believe shunning is “showing love” (that is literally what they teach their people from the earliest age).

They will tell you you have free will. That you can choose to be a JW or not and so the shunning is your fault. It’s never their fault. You should listen and be a JW and you wouldn’t get shunned.

Well, I for one, have used my free will to exclude that negativity from my life. I refuse to be shunned anymore. I am shunning them. If they want to be a part of my life or my children’s lives then they can recognize that we are human beings with value. We are not just what we do or do not believe in. They can even remain Jehovah’s Witnesses, I don’t discriminate, but I refuse to be treated as subhuman and mentally diseased (that is literally what they call Apostates of their religion) by a group of people that practice selective discrimination.

When you read the active J.W’s answers on here it’s not surprising that they try and laugh the implication off with humour.

They take the spy part and stretch it to the extreme, you think this is us they say with a smile on their face.

Yet those same witnesses will happily confirm it’s their responsibility to report any wrongdoing to the elders, they don’t like to call it spying because they maintain that they aren’t actively looking for faults they just happen to land in their laps.

These are just the normal publishers, what about the fanatics and over zealous.

J.W’s like to say they are human and have human imperfections, what about those who have a vindictive trait, the inbuilt desire to get even, or those who suffer with jealousy, don’t tell me they don’t ever try to find faults.

I remember a time when there was a problem in my local congregation, a talk was given in the most bombastic way possible, designed get publishers into reporting anything they knew.

I know of many examples of elders in our circuit who just happened to be passing by and just happened to park somewhere within viewing range of publishers they suspected of something.

But this is not spying, it’s doing gods will to keep the congregation clean.

Of course the examples I’ve given are all lies because I’m an Ex J.W. and must have an axe to grind.

I left the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod the day I graduated from their school. In the eight grade a boy my age studied the Bible with me in my home every Saturday afternoon. My mother and the woman who studied the Bible with her set the study up. I learned more about the Bible in a one hour study one day a week than I did in a morning religious class at the school five days a week. I learned that God would not torture people in an eternal hell fire and that Jesus is not the Almighty God, but as the Bible says, he is the son of God and his father is greater than him. I am in my late eighties now and recently went on the net to see what happened to the church and school. The school was gone and the Church was taken over by some non-denominational group.

We hope they will realize that by their activity or behavior they are causing division and pain to their family members.

“If you turn to doing good, will you not be restored to favor? But if you do not turn to doing good, sin is crouching at the door, and its craving is to dominate you; but will you get the mastery over it?” Genesis 4:7

This is what Jehovah God told Cain. He did not listen. The reason we do not associate with our family members is because they are determined to participate in behaviors or activities condemned by Jehovah.

Who wants to be with people, even family members that are not good associates?

Over the years I've seen many come and go

I'll pick one example. Sister Y had a study, got baptised and everything seemed fine. Then out of the blue, she left her husband and decided being a witness wasn't what she wanted. She didn't go back to the meetings

Was she shunned? Nope.

Why not? She hadn't done anything scripturally wrong. She just decided not to go back.

Her story isn't unique

Now take Brother X. He was baptised when I knew him. He had a couple of issues elders tried to help him and his wife with but eventually they split. He was like a dog on heat and ended up disfellowshipped. He was not repentant, he continues in this way. We would not speak to him. He's like a dog eating his own vomit

The lack of engagement with us, may shock him back to his senses.

But we do wish for him to be spiritually healthy again so elders are there if he wishes their help. His family will be there for him if he needs practical help too

In this way an immoral person is not contaminating the congregation ie his example won't affect others to imitate him. If there was no sanction, they would be encouraged to do so.

Sister Y is no longer part of the organisation, we do not shun her.

Brother X is no longer part of the congregation, we do not associate with him because he recieved discipline for his gross sinning while still presenting as one of Jehovahs Witnesses

Because the bible tells us to do so. And who says God does not disapprove of some people??

The bible clearly states we are not to tolerate and accept willful and unrepentant sinners, approve of or associate with such ones.

1 Corinthians 5:11 New King James Version

11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner--not even to eat with such a person.

Romans 16:17-18 NKJV

17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.

2 John 1:10-11 NKJV

10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; 11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.

2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15 NKJV

6 But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.

14 And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. 15 Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

Mathew 18:15-17 NKJV

15 "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

Now that is what the scriptures state. If one disagrees it is with the bible not Jehovah’s Witnesses.

I have cited scripture to support this comment objectively without any personal opinion or interpretation. There will be those that disagree, this comment is not intended to debate anyone's personal opinions or beliefs nor will I engage in any such. I offer information only. The reader is free to draw their own conclusions. I tell no one what they are to believe.

Absolutely!

JWs operate on a simple rule.

The Watchtower is always right no matter how wrong they are.

Everyone else is always wrong no matter how right they are.

It's called a doubly corrupt double standard.

Clearly we need an absolute standard.

Jesus.

And he described himself exactly that way:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, NIV)

Measured against a perfect standard, we are all wrong.

We need to be put right and made clean.

Not by the hand of man.

By the hand of God.

God does this gradually, starting with IMPUTING Jesus right and clean standing to us as a FREE GIFT.

Nothwithstanding the Watchtower's redacting of the liberating gospel message to exclude the FREE GIFTS of justification, sanctification, salvation, and a whole lot more besides.

The reason for the Watchtower's surreptitious and intense hostility toward the un-redacted, liberating, enlightening, and empowering gospel message?

It was specifically designed to lead to the real Jesus.

The real Jesus came to set us free from any and all religion.

Yes, oddly enough, intentions aside, there was a time, up to 1950, that the Watchtower had one thing right:

“all religion is a snare and a racket”.

However, lust for intercourse with the god of religion, led the Watchtower to employ swindler and former VP Hayden C Covington to invent the spurious terms “true religion” and “false religion" in a simple but breathtaking legal swindle America's greatest legal minds have never been able to recover from for 70 years and counting.

The human and financial cost of this perennial swindle is in the quadrillions of dollars…

This swindle conflates the mutually exclusive mortal enemies of proselytizing and evangelizing.

Google image search:

“religion vs the gospel”.

The organization has very explicit rules regarding contact with ex-JWs (no contact whatsoever can be made with adults who have been disfellowshipped with perhaps some exceptions with regard to children on behalf of men) and even making friends outside of the organization is highly discouraged.

Why?

To separate the cult from the rest of the world, to discourage the flow of contradictory information and limit rational influence, and most importantly, to make the prospect of leaving the organization or even just getting on its bad side all that more frightening. Leaving means you are literally on your own with no friends or family to speak of.

Luckily, it's easy enough to find a nearby ex-JW support group, and many who leave or are forced out go on to lead happy, fun- and meaning-filled lives.