You’re right that it’s wrong, but ostracism doesn’t strike me as something that can be outlawed—not just because it’s one of our fundamental primitive social behaviors, but because of logistics. I’m curious how you envision it working? That is, you could probably forbid a church from declaring excommunication in a formal fashion, but could you actually stop its members from shunning someone? It would raise a lot more questions, like what if one member of the church is revealed to have abused another? Does the church still have to welcome them back?
Well my experience is with Jehovah’s witnesses. In that religion some of the top reasons for being officially shunned (forever loosing your family and friends) are:
*Reaching adulthood and deciding to leave the religion.
*Premarital sex, including making out, even mild things that many would not include in sex. Even if you then get married.
*Smoking cigarettes.
*Being Gay.
*Openly disagreeing with a doctrine. (To name a few)
So there are many JW parents who cut off and do not talk to their children, because reaching the age of 16-18 the children get a girl/boyfriend and leave. The parents are forbidden to talk to their own children. (Don’t be quick to judge the parents, they are victims also here) Then there are the ones that upon reaching the age of 25-30 they genuinely realize that the religion is man-made and not for them, so they leave. They loose there parents and friends.
Then for the poor souls that work it out when they are in their 50s+ they loose their children as the religion tells the children that God wants them to shun their parents for leaving. The family members do not want to shun each other, but they do, because it is brainwashed into them. Many commit suicide. All of this just mentioned has nothing to do with biblical sin.
I believe that the law should not allow a religion to tell family members to shun each other (in the name of God) when a family member leaves the religion. It should be the personal decision of the family members. This is a MAJOR problem in the JW religion.
The reason it continues is because it is all hidden from the media and public. JW is a very secretive religion.
If (on the rare occasion) a member was to abuse another, then the church could expel the guilty party from the church building. But should not have the right to tell that person’s family to cut them off in their personal lives. That is too far.
In the JW religion it’s rare for this to be the reason though.
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You’re right that it’s wrong, but ostracism doesn’t strike me as something that can be outlawed—not just because it’s one of our fundamental primitive social behaviors, but because of logistics. I’m curious how you envision it working? That is, you could probably forbid a church from declaring excommunication in a formal fashion, but could you actually stop its members from shunning someone? It would raise a lot more questions, like what if one member of the church is revealed to have abused another? Does the church still have to welcome them back?
Well my experience is with Jehovah’s witnesses. In that religion some of the top reasons for being officially shunned (forever loosing your family and friends) are: *Reaching adulthood and deciding to leave the religion. *Premarital sex, including making out, even mild things that many would not include in sex. Even if you then get married. *Smoking cigarettes. *Being Gay. *Openly disagreeing with a doctrine. (To name a few) So there are many JW parents who cut off and do not talk to their children, because reaching the age of 16-18 the children get a girl/boyfriend and leave. The parents are forbidden to talk to their own children. (Don’t be quick to judge the parents, they are victims also here) Then there are the ones that upon reaching the age of 25-30 they genuinely realize that the religion is man-made and not for them, so they leave. They loose there parents and friends. Then for the poor souls that work it out when they are in their 50s+ they loose their children as the religion tells the children that God wants them to shun their parents for leaving. The family members do not want to shun each other, but they do, because it is brainwashed into them. Many commit suicide. All of this just mentioned has nothing to do with biblical sin. I believe that the law should not allow a religion to tell family members to shun each other (in the name of God) when a family member leaves the religion. It should be the personal decision of the family members. This is a MAJOR problem in the JW religion. The reason it continues is because it is all hidden from the media and public. JW is a very secretive religion.
If (on the rare occasion) a member was to abuse another, then the church could expel the guilty party from the church building. But should not have the right to tell that person’s family to cut them off in their personal lives. That is too far. In the JW religion it’s rare for this to be the reason though.