Half-Truths and Outright Lies: Shunning Part 5
In the previous video in this series on shunning as practiced by Jehovah’s Witnesses, we analyzed Matthew 18:17 where Jesus tells his disciples to treat an unrepentant sinner as if that person were “a Gentile or a tax collector.” Jehovah’s Witnesses are taught that...Shunning, Part 2: How the Governing Body Perverted Matthew 18 to Support a Judicial System
This is now the second video in this series on the shunning policies and practices of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I had to take a breather from writing this series to address the truly outrageous claim made in a Morning Worship video on JW.org that listening to the voice of...The Judicial System of Jehovah’s Witnesses: From God or Satan?
In an effort to keep the congregation clean, Jehovah’s Witnesses disfellowship (shun) all unrepentant sinners. They base this policy on the words of Jesus as well as the apostles Paul and John. Many characterize this policy as cruel. Are Witnesses being unjustly maligned for simply obeying the commands of God, or are they using scripture as an excuse to practice wickedness? Only by strictly following the Bible’s direction can they truly claim that they have God’s approval, otherwise, their works could identify them as “workers of lawlessness”. (Matthew 7:23)
Which is it? This video and the next will attempt to answer those questions definitively.
Is the Shunning Policy practiced by Jehovah’s Witnesses their version of the Hellfire Doctrine?
How the “Shunning” practiced by Jehovah’s Witnesses compares to the Hellfire doctrine. Years ago, when I was a full-fledged Jehovah’s Witness, serving as an elder, I met a fellow witness who had been a Muslim in Iran before converting. This was the first time I had...My Awakening after 30 Years of Deception, Part 3: Achieving Freedom for Myself and My Wife
Introduction: Felix’s wife discovers for herself that the elders are not the “loving shepherds” that they and the organization proclaim them to be. She finds herself involved in a sexual abuse case in which the offender is appointed a ministerial servant despite the accusation, and it is discovered that he had abused more young girls.
The congregation receives the “preventive order” via text message to stay away from Felix and his wife just before the “The Love Never Fails” regional convention. All these situations lead to a fight that the branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses ignores, presuming its power, but which serves for both Felix and his wife to achieve freedom of conscience.
United in the same mind: a brief study of 1 Corinthians 1:10
Paul was looking for doctrinal uniformity when wrote to the Corinthians about to have same mind and same judgement in 1 For. 1:10?
Applying the Two-Witness Rule Equitably
The two-witness rule (see De 17:6; 19:15; Mt 18:16; 1 Tim 5:19) was intended to protect the Israelites from being convicted based on false accusations. It was never intended to shield a criminal rapist from justice. Under the law of Moses, there were provisions to...Dealing with Sinners – Part 1
Everything Jesus had to say about dealing with sinners within the congregation is encapsulated in Matthew 18:15-17. How can we apply those principles in the modern congregation?
WT Study: Always Trust in Jehovah
[From ws15/04 p. 22 for June 22-28] “Trust in him at all times, O people.” – Psalm 62:8 We trust in our friends; but friends, even very good friends, may abandon us in our time of greatest need. This happened to Paul as paragraph 2 of this week’s Watchtower...WT Study: Facing the End of This Old World Together
[A Review of the December 15, 2014 Watchtower article on page 22] “We are members belonging to one another.”— Eph. 4:25 This article is yet another call for unity. This has become the dominant theme of the Organization of late. The January broadcast on tv.jw.org was...A Weapon of Darkness
[This post is a follow-up to last week’s discussion: Are We Apostates?] “The night is well along; the day has drawn near. Let us therefore throw off the works belonging to darkness and let us put on the weapons of the light.” (Romans 13:12 NWT)...Matthew 18 Revisited
In preparing the last post on disfellowshipping, I spent a good deal of time working out how to apply the procedures Jesus gave us at Matthew 18:15-17 based on the rendering of the NWT,[1] specifically the opening words: “Moreover, if your brother commits a sin…” I...Be Modest in Walking with God
He has told you, O earthling man, what is good. And what is Jehovah asking back from you but to exercise justice and to love kindness and to be modest in walking with your God? – Micah 6:8 According to the Insight book, Modesty is “an awareness of one’s limitations;...Love Kindness
He has told you, O earthling man, what is good. And what is Jehovah asking back from you but to exercise justice and to love kindness and to be modest in walking with your God? – Micah 6:8 Disassociation, Disfellowshipping, and the Love of Kindness What does the...Exercising Justice
He has told you, O earthling man, what is good. And what is Jehovah asking back from you but to exercise justice and to love kindness and to be modest in walking with your God? – Micah 6:8 There are few topics that will provoke stronger emotions among members and...Should We Applaud a Reinstatement?
This comes from one of the readers of this forum and involves correspondence with the branch office in his country about clarification on our position as regards whether it is right or not to applaud when someone is reinstated. (In an aside, I find it astonishing...Authors
