Why are Jehovah's Witnesses disfellowshipped?

Answer 1

I cannot answer the question for you but I do know that it is true. I don't understand how they don't "forgive" when to me, God IS ALL ABOUT forgiveness. HE FORGIVES SINS! I'm involved with a JW (secretly) and we face being found out all the time. He is terrified of what will happen to him and terrified that he will lose his entire family just for being with me. He takes that chance because he loves me but sometimes I wonder what he will do if he IS caught. I cannot understand how you can disown the ones you love most, I think it is the WORST thing about this religion. EVERYONE makes mistakes, some bigger than others BUT GOD FORGIVES and so should the family of someone who does something that is "forbidden". We do not disown family members. Occasionally, a member of our family who has made a vow of dedication to Jehovah God to do his will turns their back on that vow, and we no longer have a spiritual relationship with that person. That, however, does not break the family ties, nor the love and relationship that goes along with it. We still have a family responsibility toward them, and we still love them, but by their actions they have cut themselves off from their relationship with their and our heavenly father, so that action severs any spiritual ties between us. That being said, it is true God does forgive sins if one repents and turns around from their rebellious course. One cannot continue to live a lie, or live a life in opposition to their dedication. Our having no spiritual relationship with them often acts as a motivation for them to examine themselves to see what they have done wrong and correct it, and then that relationship is restored. The first answer indicates a person is "having a relationship" with one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and he is "terrified" that he will be caught because of what might happen. This attitude indicates that more is involved than just dating. While we do not encourage dating/marriage to those who are not fellow worshippers of God, this is not a disfellowshippable offense. However, if either person is not Scripturally free to marry, or if there is a sexual relationship going on, then he ought to be concerned, not because of congregation action, but because he is clearly violating Scriptural admonition. 1 Corinthians chapter 5 discusses a case where a person is to be removed from the congregation for sexual immorality, and in that chapter other possible offense are also named. Chapter 5 is only 13 verses long - doesn't take too long to read.) Apparently this action had the desired affect, because in 2 Corinthians 2:5-8, the congregation is told to accept the repentant sinner back. As the above answerer indicated, there are situations where the scriptures command that someone be remooved from the congregation. This is not a suggestion, but a command. It is this simple: Any organization that does not follow The Bible's commands, are not following the Bible, period. Since JW's are a Bible-based organization, we are going to follow the Bible. When the Bible says 'remove such a person from you,' we are going to follow that direction. Keep in mind that we are all sinners in need of a saviour, so a person is not removed from the congregation for simply sinning. he is removed for his atitude toward the sin. If he has stopped, and is genuinely sorry for it, he is not removed. In either case, whether removed from the congregation or not, he is counseled and given scriptural instruction to help him regain spiritual strength. At one time, I fell into severe wrong doing, and I was disfellowshipped from the congregation. That was about 12 years ago. I was helped by the elders in the congregation to regain spiritual strength, to the point that today, I am stronger spiritually now, than I was previous to my disfellowshipping, and I am being used in the congregation in a position of responsibility. I owe it all to the fact that I was disciplined by God according to the arrangement in the scriptures. When you follow God's reasoning, instead of man's reasoning, you will always come out better, even if for a time it seems harsh. Like the previous answerer, I would also suspect that the "boyfriend" in question is terrified because there is some serious wrong doing involved such as sexual relations outside of marriage, which is strictly condemned in the Bible. It sounds like this person needs help from the congregation. That help may not end up being disfellowshipping, but if it comes to it, that may be the best thing, it sure helped me. In fact, as I see it, it probably saved my life. Additional answer: I will give an example as to why we do not disown our family. My mother was never really one of Jehovah's Witnesses, she left our family arrangement but she still keeps in contact with us. I love her because she's my mother I just don't approve of the things she does. Another example would be there's an elder in our congregation and they had a son that was really strong in the truth until he just started to rebel almost and so he left the christian congregation. Just because you are disfellowshipped or you choose to leave doesn't mean that you are disowned they are still your family and you love them but you don't agree with what they are doing so you choose to put your own spirituality ahead of their choices.

Answer 2

I am going to apologize because i stand to be corrected. If you are a Jehovah witness and you are dissfellwoedship and you live in your parents house your parents can talk to you but if you live outside their home and dissfellowedship your family cannot by no means associate with you and that is including other Jehovah witnesses. So i apoplogized for the misunderstanding.

*** w81 9/15 p. 31par. 28 If a Relative IsDisfellowshiped . . . ***

Naturally, if a close relative is disfellowshiped, human emotions can pose a major test for us. Sentiment and family ties are particularly strong between parents and their children, and they are also powerful when a marriage mate is disfellowshiped. Still, we must recognize that, in the final analysis, we will not benefit anyone or please God if we allow emotion to lead us into ignoring His wise counsel and guidance. We need to display our complete confidence in the perfect righteousness of God's ways, including his provision to disfellowship unrepentant wrongdoers. If we remain loyal to God and to the congregation, the wrongdoer may in time take a lesson from that, repent and be reinstated in the congregation.

\A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE FROM A Jw

I am not sure what the motivating factor behind this question is, but I would like to chime in my personal experience.

MY first wife committed adultry, and there was a child born as a result. This child was not biologically mine, nor was she even of my race. Yet, I raised my daughter just the same, even when her mother and I were divorced 5 years later due to her further indiscretions.

I fought for, and gained custody of my daughter, though she was not even biologically related to me, but I was the only father she had ever known. I then spent the next 8 years of my life as a single father raising her on my own until I remarried in 2001. My daugther is now 20 years old.

I am not telling this to "toot my own horn" so to speak. But hope this helps to put things in perspective when someone questions about Jehovah's Witnesses disowning their own kids.

Answer 3

Jehovah's Witnesses disfellowship unrepentent individuals who violate bible principles because scripture instructs them to do so. They believe this bible law has the effect of keeping their organisation free from institutional corruption and ensures their religion does not provide a harbour for pedophiles and other individuals that would otherwise continue to prey on the vulnerable by moving from "parish to parish".

They also hope the discipline will move the wrongdoers to repentence and a renewed desire to conform to bible principles. Jehovah's Witnesses also feel the need to keep their house in order, before preaching high moral standards to others.

A wise decision to disfellowship an unrepentant wrongdoer produces righteous results. Consider three ways (1) Since we bear the name of Jehovah our behavior inevitably reflects on his name (Isaiah 43:10) We would bring reproach on God's name if we practiced immorality. 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 such as fornication, adultery, homosexuality, idolaters and drunkards.

Answer 4

Disowned is not the correct word. There are times when one might get disfellowshipped from the congregation. This is done when someone has committed themselves to be one of Jehovah's Witnesses through baptism, but then commits a serious sin of which they are not repentant for. Whether or not someone is repentant is based on the attitude they have towards the sin they committed and whether or not they keep doing it. Disfellowshipping is considered a loving form of discipline and is scripturally based. The goal is to get the unrepentant one to see the error of his ways and to repent while at the same time keep the congregation clean.

Many ones that have been disfellowshipped end up repenting in time and are reinstated into the congregation.