They refer to "the new system" and "reinstatement" and "disfellowshipping" as if there were some logic to their jargon.
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Witnesses are forbidden to socialize outside the organization; higher education is discouraged; and questioning doctrine is an offense punishable by disfellowshipping, or shunning.
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And yet, "disfellowshipping", as dull as it sounds, means being cut off so completely from the religion that your closest relations in it are forbidden to socialise with you.
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Church leaders have used this removal, called "disfellowshipping," in extreme cases in the past, such as when a church in Georgia had been deemed too racist to align with Southern Baptist teaching.
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Though unusual in that she "strayed" sexually and experienced disfellowshipping at a young age, Scorah was reinstated when deemed properly repentant, and fell quickly in step with established doctrine, ultimately marrying a devout Witness for whom she felt little romantic or sexual interest.
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A variety of controls can be enforced, from reproof and restriction of congregational duties to excommunication, known as disfellowshipping, which includes shunning by the congregation. Individuals who are disfellowshipped may be reinstated after an extended period if they are deemed to demonstrate repentance. The practice of disfellowshipping has been criticized by many non-members and ex-members.
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If the person is deemed guilty and unrepentant, he or she will be disfellowshipped. Unless an appeal is made within seven days, the disfellowshipping is made formal by an announcement at the congregation's next Service Meeting. Appeals are granted to determine if procedural errors are felt to have occurred that may have affected the outcome. Disfellowshipping is a severing of friendly relationships between all Jehovah's Witnesses and the disfellowshipped person.
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Jehovah's Witnesses practise a form of shunning which they refer to as "disfellowshipping". A disfellowshipped person is not to be greeted either socially or at their meetings. Disfellowshipping follows a decision of a judicial committee established by a local congregation that a member is unrepentantly guilty of a "serious sin". Sociologist Andrew Holden's research indicates that many Witnesses who would otherwise defect because of disillusionment with the organization and its teachings retain affiliation out of fear of being shunned and losing contact with friends and family members.
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Witnesses practice disfellowshipping of members who unrepentantly engage in "gross sin","Always Accept Jehovah's Discipline", The Watchtower, November 15, 2006, page 26. (most commonly for breaches of the Witnesses' code of personal morality),"Cultivate Obedience as the End Draws Near", The Watchtower, October 1, 2002, page 21 and "remorseless apostasy"."Elders, Judge With Righteousness", The Watchtower, July 1, 1992, page 19. The process of disfellowshipping is said to be carried to uphold God's standards, preserve the congregation's spiritual cleanness, and possibly prompt a change of attitude in the wrongdoer.
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Official concern about the work of dissident scholars within the church led to the excommunication or disfellowshipping of six such scholars, dubbed the September Six, in September 1993."Six intellectuals disciplined for apostasy." Sunstone, November 1993, 65-73.
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Reproof involves sins that could lead to disfellowshipping. Ones considered "truly repentant" are reproved rather than disfellowshipped.“Questions From Readers”, The Watchtower, January 1, 1983 pp. 30–31. Reproof is given "before all onlookers", based on their interpretation of 1 Timothy 5:20.
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Longfield defended the Church's actions of "disfellowshipping" members for breaking the rules. He said in other churches people who disobeyed the Bible were given a "smack on the wrist" and were allowed to keep attending services. "The church as a rehabilitation centre is ridiculous", Longfield said.
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Our Kingdom Ministry March 1983, p. 3. Marking is practiced if a person's course of action is regarded as a violation of Bible principles, reflecting badly on the congregation, but is not a disfellowshipping offense.The Watchtower, July 15, 1999, p. 30 The person is strongly counseled.
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The consociations (where laymen were powerless) could impose discipline on specific churches and judge disputes that arose. The result was a centralization of power that bothered many local church activists. However the official associations responded by disfellowshipping churches that refused to comply. The system worked for 150 years, guaranteeing orthodox Puritanism.
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According to Raymond Franz, a letter dated September 1, 1980, from the Watch Tower Society to all circuit and district overseers advised that a member who "merely disagrees in thought with any of the Watch Tower Society's teachings is committing apostasy and is liable for disfellowshipping."Franz, Raymond. Crisis of Conscience. 4th ed.
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The only way to officially leave Jehovah's Witnesses is to disassociate or be disfellowshipped, and both entail the same set of prohibitions and penalties, with no provision for continued normal association. Jehovah's Witnesses state that disfellowshipping is a scripturally documented method to protect the congregation from the influence of those who practice serious wrongdoing.Jehovah’s Witnesses – Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom chap. 15 p.
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It is unclear whether accused individuals have always had the option to call witnesses. The judicial committee hearing accusations that resulted in the disfellowshipping of Canadian Witness James Penton in February 1981 refused Penton's request to have a lawyer present and to call witnesses. See James A. Beverley, Crisis of Allegiance (Welch Publishing, 1986, page 71). Recording devices are not permitted at the hearing.
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The committee may then proceed with discipline such as is described for 'non-judicial' situations."New Arrangements for Congregation Organization", Our Kingdom Ministry, September 1977, page 6 Alternatively, the committee may decide that a serious sin was committed, in which case, the committee gives verbal admonitions and gauges the individual's attitude and repentance. The committee then decides whether discipline will involve formal reproof or disfellowshipping.
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It housed a hospital with research facilities and a nursing school, as well as the Sanitarium Food Company, among others. Following the disfellowshipping of Dr. Kellogg in 1907, the physician stated that he and his employees were "independents" who "did not belong to any church" and that the Sanitarium promoted his theory of "biologic living" based on Adventist principles. In 1928, a distinct 14-story addition to the main building, the "Towers", was constructed.Land, Gary.
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Instead of the congregation from each local church selecting its minister, the associations now had the responsibility to examine candidates for the ministry, and to oversee a behavior of the ministers. The consociations (where laymen were powerless) could impose discipline on specific churches and judge disputes that arose. The result was a centralization of power that bothered many local church activists. However, the official associations responded by disfellowshipping churches that refuse to comply.
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John Winter, and on July 11, 1823, a schism split the congregation, with each side disfellowshipping the other. On October 11, Rigdon was "excluded from the Redstone Association Baptist Denomination", of which the First Baptist Church was a member. From 1824 to 1826, Rigdon worked as a journeyman tanner in Pittsburgh, while preaching Campbell's Restorationism on Sundays in the courthouse. In 1826, Rigdon became the pastor of the more liberal Baptist church in Mentor, Ohio in the Western Reserve.
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When a decision is made regarding disfellowshipping or disassociation, an announcement is made that the person is "no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses", at which point shunning is immediate. Members are not told whether the person has disassociated or has been disfellowshipped. Neither testimony nor evidence in support of the judicial decision are provided. Congregation members are told to accept the rulings without question and Witnesses who refuse to abide by a judicial committee decision will themselves suffer expulsion.
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Formal discipline is administered by congregation elders. In the event that an accusation of serious sin is made concerning a baptized member, if there is sufficient evidence, a tribunal or judicial committee is formed to determine guilt, administer help and possibly apply sanctions. Disfellowshipping is the most severe form of discipline administered. Before taking this step, the judicial committee must determine that the individual has committed a "serious sin" and that there is no evidence of true repentance.The Watchtower 9/15/87 p. 13.
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The first trial was Woodhull's, who was released on a technicality. Subsequent hearings and trial, in the words of Walter A. McDougall, "drove Reconstruction off the front pages for two and a half years" and became "the most sensational 'he said, she said' in American history". On October 31, 1873, Plymouth Church excommunicated Theodore Tilton for "slandering" Beecher. The Council of Congregational Churches held a board of inquiry from March 9–29, 1874, to investigate the disfellowshipping of Tilton, and censured Plymouth Church for acting against Tilton without first examining the charges against Beecher.
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During this period of formulating his ideas John Thomas was baptised twice, the second time after renouncing the beliefs he previously held. He based his new position on a new appreciation for the reign of Christ on David's throne. The abjuration of his former beliefs eventually led to the Restoration Movement disfellowshipping him when he toured England and they became aware of his abjuration in the United States of America. The Christadelphian community in the United Kingdom effectively dates from Thomas's first lecturing tour (May 1848 – October 1850).
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Formal discipline is administered by congregation elders. When a baptized member is accused of committing a serious sin—usually cases of sexual misconduct or charges of apostasy for disputing Jehovah's Witness doctrines—a judicial committee is formed to determine guilt, provide help and possibly administer discipline. Disfellowshipping, a form of shunning, is the strongest form of discipline, administered to an offender deemed unrepentant. Contact with disfellowshipped individuals is limited to direct family members living in the same home, and with congregation elders who may invite disfellowshipped persons to apply for reinstatement; formal business dealings may continue if contractually or financially obliged.
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The Watchtowers description of those who leave as being "mentally diseased" has drawn criticism from some current and former members; in Britain some have argued that the description may constitute a breach of laws regarding religious hatred."Jehovah's Witnesses church likens defectors to 'contagious, deadly disease'", Sunday Herald Sun, page 39, October 2, 2011. The Watch Tower Society has attracted criticism for disfellowshipping members who decide they cannot conscientiously agree with all the denomination's teachings and practices. Sociologist Andrew Holden says that because the group provides no valid reason for leaving, those who do choose to leave are regarded as traitors.
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Tilton had spoken, among others, with Richard Salter Storrs, a gifted scholar and pastor of the Church of the Pilgrims in Brooklyn, New York. Bowen and others had left Storr's church when they formed Plymouth Church and chose Beecher as its pastor, preferring his charisma and showmanship. Now Storrs convinced the Council of Congregational Churches to investigate the disfellowshipping of Tilton from Plymouth Church, in particular whether Plymouth Church could do so without investigating the allegations against Beecher. The Council potentially had authority over not only Beecher, but the very existence of Plymouth Church. The Council met from March 9–29, 1874, and concluded by censuring Plymouth Church's actions.
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Witnesses are taught that avoiding social and spiritual interaction with disfellowshipped individuals keeps the congregation free from immoral influence and that "losing precious fellowship with loved ones may help [the shunned individual] to come 'to his senses,' see the seriousness of his wrong, and take steps to return to Jehovah." The practice of shunning may also serve to deter other members from dissident behavior. Members who disassociate (formally resign) are described in Watch Tower Society literature as wicked and are also shunned. Expelled individuals may eventually be reinstated to the congregation if deemed repentant by elders in the congregation in which the disfellowshipping was enforced.
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This committee investigates the case and determines the magnitude of the sin committed. If the person is deemed guilty of a disfellowshipping offense, the committee then decides, on the basis of the person's attitude and "works befitting repentance" (), whether the person is to be considered repentant. The "works" may include trying to correct the wrong, making apologies to any offended individuals, and compliance with earlier counsel. If deemed guilty but repentant, the person is not disfellowshipped but is formally reproved and has restrictions imposed, which preclude the individual from various activities such as presenting talks, offering public prayers or making comments at religious meetings.
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Raymond Victor Franz (May 8, 1922 – June 2, 2010) was a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses from October 20, 1971 until his removal on May 22, 1980,"Announcements", Our Kingdom Ministry, August 1980, page 2, "This is a notification that Raymond Victor Franz is no longer a member of the Governing Body and of the Brooklyn Bethel family as of May 22, 1980." and served at the organization's world headquarters for fifteen years, from 1965 until 1980. Franz stated the request for his resignation and his subsequent disfellowshipping resulted from allegations of apostasy. Following his removal, Franz wrote two books that related his personal experiences with the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society and his views on Jehovah's Witnesses teachings.
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This suggestion is made in Wilson, B. Sects and Society, 1961, and while not explicitly documented with primary evidence, has some basis in the increased then decreased prominence given to Clapham in ecclesial intelligence in 1914–1918 and after. The Birmingham Temperance Hall meeting did eventually "disfellowship" the two special constables, after opposition from two Arranging Brethren of the ecclesia, A. Davis and T. Pearce, who signalled disagreement by abstaining in the final vote on the issue. The Clapham brethren then demanded of Birmingham Temperance Hall ecclesia that they also "disfellowship" A. Davis and T. Pearce for abstaining in the vote. This the brethren at Birmingham were unwilling to do, so London Clapham issued a letter "disfellowshipping" Birmingham, and more significantly any ecclesia in Britain that would not do likewise.
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Jehovah's Witnesses practice a form of excommunication, using the term "disfellowshipping", in cases where a member is believed to have unrepentantly committed one or more of several documented "serious sins". The practice is based on their interpretation of 1 Corinthians 5:11-13 ("quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that is a fornicator or greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man....remove the wicked man from your midst") and 2 John 10 ("never receive him in your home or say a greeting to him"). They interpret these verses to mean that any baptized believer who engages in "gross sins" is to be expelled from the congregation and shunned. When a member confesses to, or is accused of, a serious sin, a judicial committee of at least three elders is formed.
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