Jehovah's Witnesses use secret trials that sound like something out of the dark ages. If a person is accused of wrongdoing, they are asked to meet with a group of three "elders" to decide on their guilt and level of repentance. The accused is not allowed legal counsel. He can't take notes or use a recording device. If he refuses to attend, he can still be disfellowshipped in his absence.
He can appeal a negative decision, but this is a bit of a joke because he has no way of proving what took place in the first trial. The emotional consequences of being disfellowshipped can be severe. There is the fear that they will be destroyed at Armageddon. They will also by shunned by their friends and family. If they followed Jehovah's Witness teachings, they will not have friends or a support network outside that organisation. If they want to come back, they have to undergo a humiliating process of attending meetings for an unspecified period of time while everyone avoids them.
It's not surprising that this brutal process often leads to severe depression and suicide. Jehovah's Witnesses have the nerve to call this a "loving arrangement".
1 comment:
Very true!! Well written, thank you for that. I have lost my entire family & everyone I ever knew from df'ing. This, after 3 men determined I wasn't 'repentant' after I went to them and confessed my sin!
It is a barbaric, ridiculous, devastating, controlling practice and I am only grateful that it propelled me to see the truth about the religion.
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