Normal Family
Normal Family – Next: 4g – Suicide and Other Effects of Shunning
One of the ideas publicly promoted by Jehovah’s Witnesses is that of finding family happiness by joining their religion.
The Watch Tower Society has an FAQ section on their website – with one of the questions being: Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Break Up Families or Build Them Up? [1]
In the event that a family member leaves the religion, the Watch Tower Society states to outsiders that “normal family relations continue.” On their website, the Governing Body dances around the question, “Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Shun Those Who Used to Belong to Their Religion?” [2] There is no other correct answer but, “Jehovah’s Witnesses are instructed to shun those who leave the religion.” Instead, the statement is made: “The marriage relationship and normal family affections and dealings continue.”
(The reality of the strictness about the shunning of family members can be seen in these articles on their website: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200272103?q=disfellowshipped+or+disassociated+family+members&p=sen )
Countries vary as to the rights of the corporate religion versus the rights of the individual. In countries where the rights of the corporate religion counteract or even prevail, the Watch Tower Society aggressively pursues their “right to shun.” [3]
This applies even when applied retroactively to an instance whereby a person “disassociates” [4] or resigns from the religion, even when there was no such policy in place when the person joined. [5]
In this video from 2016, [6] the child is not portrayed as a “wrongdoer,” but simply as someone who no longer subscribed to the beliefs as when he was baptized at an unstated age. For this, his parents have dutifully avoided the child’s efforts of contact, which at this point, has been going on for five years. The mother copes with her cognitive dissonance by busying herself in increased canvassing for the religion.
Source:https://www.jw.org/en/library/videos/#en/mediaitems/StudioMonthlyPrograms/pub-jwb_201611_1_VIDEO
Also, in 2016, Jehovah’s Witnesses globally at their conventions applauded the talk: “Shun Unrepentant Wrongdoers” [7] and the corresponding video. [8] It is not stated as to the length of time of the shunning, but given the age of Sonja’s children, it is a period of many years. (A commentary on this can be read at https://jwsurvey.org/news/the-worst-convention-ever-part-1-shunning)
In most countries, the extreme shunning demanded by the religion is not just frowned upon, but is illegal. In those countries the Watch Tower Society downplays the effects of disfellowshipping, essentially stating that they do not shun. This is while in fact, the Watch Tower Society even expects former members to isolate themselves – “He may prefer not to have Christians visit the home; or if they do come to see the loyal family members, he may not have the courtesy to keep away from the visitors.” The Watchtower magazine, April 15, 1991, page 24
Canada Supreme Court – Wall vs Highwood Congregation (2017)
The Watch Tower Society also misleads with respect to the effect upon family relationships.
“Another sort of loss may be felt by loyal Christian grandparents whose children have been disfellowshipped. They may have been accustomed to visiting regularly with their children, giving them occasion to enjoy their grandchildren. Now the parents are disfellowshipped because of rejecting Jehovah’s standards and ways. So things are not the same in the family. Of course, the grandparents have to determine if some necessary family matters require limited contact with the disfellowshipped children. And they might sometimes have the grandchildren visit them. How sad, though, that by their unchristian course the children interfere with the normal pleasure that such grandparents enjoyed!” The Watchtower magazine, January 1, 1983, page 31
Canada Supreme Court – Wall vs Highwood Congregation (2017)
Does Canadian society consider encouraging a 10-year-old to estrange her sibling to be normal?
Jehovah’s Witness Convention – 2018
Next: Next: 4g – Suicide and Other Effects of Shunning
See Barbara J Anderson et al v Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. et al, 2007 WL 161035 (Tenn Ct App) ↑
The policy on disassociation was created in 1981. Disassociated persons are to be treated identically as would be a disfellowhipped person. See articles at: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200022289?q=how+to+treat+disassociated+persons&p=sen ↑
See Paul v Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc, 819 F .2d 875 (9th Cir 1987) https://casebriefsco.com/casebrief/paul-v-watchtower-bible-and-tract-society-of-new-york-inc ↑
https://www.jw.org/en/library/videos/#en/mediaitems/StudioMonthlyPrograms/pub-jwb_201611_1_VIDEO ↑
Convention program: https://faithleaks.org/wiki/documents/2/20/CO-pgm_E_2016.pdf
Talk outline: https://faithleaks.org/wiki/documents/0/0d/NO_15-E.pdf ↑
https://www.jw.org/en/library/videos/#en/mediaitems/2016Convention/pub-jwbcov_201605_3_VIDEO ↑