In 2014, Randy Wall had been disfellowshipped (shunned) in his local Canadian congregation for alleged drunkenness and verbal abuse, the result of stress from his 15 year old daughter having been disfellowshipped prior. He took the case to the Supreme Court of Canada arguing that the internal judicial proceedings of Witness elders are invasive, destructive, and violate Public Policy and on May 31, 2018 they voted and determined that interfering would violate religious rights. Let’s take a beat and learn what the policy, procedure and execution of judicial committees and disfellowshipping entails for the allegedly “guilty” party.

What Constitutes a Sin Serious Enough For Shunning?

Adultery – Abandoning wife and eloping with another woman – w79 11/15 31-2, w76 p.728 Planned adultery to break Scriptural marriage ties – w83 3/15 p.29 Remarriage without Scriptural permission – w56 10/1 p.597 Polygamy – jv 176 Dating a person not legally divorced – ks91-E p.135

– – w79 11/15 31-2, w76 p.728 – w83 3/15 p.29 – w56 10/1 p.597 – jv 176 – ks91-E p.135 Apostasy- Rebellion against Jehovah’s organization – w63 7/1 Promoting sects – it-2 886

– w63 7/1 – it-2 886 Associating with disfellowshipped people including ; Friends – ks91-E p.103, w81 9/15 pp.25-6, w55 10/1 p.607 Family – ks91-E p.103

; – ks91-E p.103, w81 9/15 pp.25-6, w55 10/1 p.607 – ks91-E p.103 Blood and blood transfusions – w61 1/15 ks91-E p.95, jv p.183-4

– w61 1/15 ks91-E p.95, jv p.183-4 Drug use – ks91-E p.96

– ks91-E p.96 Drunkenness – ks91-E p.95, it-1 656

– ks91-E p.95, it-1 656 Dishonest business practices – w63 7/1, w86 11/15 14

– w63 7/1, w86 11/15 14 Employment violating Christian principles – km 9/76 p.6, km 2/74 Working for any religious organization – ks91-E p.95 Working in a gambling institution – ks91-E p.136 Selling tobacco – ks91-E p.96 Contract work at a military establishment

– km 9/76 p.6, km 2/74 False worship . Includes; Attending another church ks91-E p.94 Following mourning customs that involve false worship – w85 4/15 p.25

. Includes; Fornication it-1 863 Bestiality – w83 6/1 p.25 Incestuous marriage – w78 3/15 p.26 A rtificial insemination and surrogate motherhood. “True Christians, therefore, avoid surrogate motherhood as well as any procedures that involve the use of donated sperm, eggs, or embryos ” g04 9/22; “ Artificial insemination of a married woman by a donor other than her husband makes her guilty of adultery ” g74 8/8 p.28 sexual abuse of children – g93 10/8 p.10 (I call bullshit, but we’ll talk about this another time) Reviling – ks91-E p.94, w96 7/15 pp.17-18; it-1 p.991; it-2 p.802

it-1 863 Fraud – ks91-E p.94, om pp.142-3

– ks91-E p.94, om pp.142-3 Gambling or related employment – w80 9/1, ks91-E p.136

– w80 9/1, ks91-E p.136 Gluttony – w86 5/1

– w86 5/1 Greediness , this in used to include; gambling ks91-E p.95 extortion ks91-E p.95, w89 1/15 22, it-1 p.789 greed in relation to bride-price: w98 9/15 p.25

, this in used to include; Homosexuality – w83 6/1 pp.24-6

– w83 6/1 pp.24-6 Idolatry – w52 3/1 p.138

– w52 3/1 p.138 Loose conduct – ks91-E pp.93, 96, w83 3/15 p.31, w73 9/15 p.574, it-2 p.264, ks91-E p.93, w83 3/15 p.31, w73 9/15 pp.574-6, w97 9/1 p.14, it-2 p.246.

– ks91-E pp.93, 96, w83 3/15 p.31, w73 9/15 p.574, it-2 p.264, ks91-E p.93, w83 3/15 p.31, w73 9/15 pp.574-6, w97 9/1 p.14, it-2 p.246. Sexual perversion transvestism/sex change – cg p.98 Disregard for Jehovah’s moral standards Disrespect, disregard or even contempt for standards, laws and authority

Lying – ks91-E p.94, g00 2/8 p.21

– ks91-E p.94, g00 2/8 p.21 Non neutral activities (involvement in politics and the military) – ks91-E p.96

(involvement in politics and the military) – ks91-E p.96 Military service and non military service including working casual work (certain civilian work has recently been made a conscience matter w96 5/1 p.20) – ks91-E p.96

and non military service including working casual work (certain civilian work has recently been made a conscience matter w96 5/1 p.20) – ks91-E p.96 Obscene speech – ks91-E p.95

– ks91-E p.95 Parents condoning immorality – w56 p.566

– w56 p.566 Political involvement , including voting or holding a political card – ks91-E p.96 (w99 11/1 p.28 made voting a conscience matter)

, including voting or holding a political card – ks91-E p.96 (w99 11/1 p.28 made voting a conscience matter) Porneia . Includes oral and anal sex between married couples, mutual masturbation between persons not married to each other, homosexuality, lesbianism, fornication, adultery, incest, and bestiality. – ks91-E p.93

. Includes oral and anal sex between married couples, mutual masturbation between persons not married to each other, homosexuality, lesbianism, fornication, adultery, incest, and bestiality. – ks91-E p.93 Slander – ks91-E p.94, w63 7/1, w89 10/15 p.14, om p.142

– ks91-E p.94, w63 7/1, w89 10/15 p.14, om p.142 Smoking or selling tobacco – km 2/74, ks91-E p.96

– km 2/74, ks91-E p.96 Spiritism (includes yoga w02 8/1 p.22) – w55 10/1 p.607

(includes yoga w02 8/1 p.22) – w55 10/1 p.607 Stealing, thievery – om pp.142-5, ks91-E p.94

– om pp.142-5, ks91-E p.94 Subversive activity – w95 10/1 p.31

– w95 10/1 p.31 Uncleanness

Violation of secular law if flagrant attitude – w86 10/1 p.31

if flagrant attitude – w86 10/1 p.31 Violence, extreme physical abuse, fits of anger – ks91-E p.96, w75 p.287, g01 11/8 p.12

– ks91-E p.96, w75 p.287, g01 11/8 p.12 Wilful non support of family, endangerment of mates spirituality – w88 11/1 pp.22-3, km 9/73 p.8, ks91-E p.95

– w88 11/1 pp.22-3, km 9/73 p.8, ks91-E p.95 Worldly celebrations such as Christmas – ks91-E p.95 (It appears celebrating birthdays is not a reason to be disfellowshipped)

Have ya’ll stopped reading yet? I wouldn’t even blame you. There’s more but you get the idea. Basically don’t breathe without permission and you’re good! Disfellowshipping was not practiced in it’s current form by the Watchtower Society until 1952. After condemning the Catholic practice of Excommunication back in 1947, The Jehovah’s Witness organization reversed direction and decided that disfellowshipping and shunning are very powerful tools for maintaining control over the activities and behavior of it’s members. So you’ve sinned, now what? Well, you could come out with it or keep it to yourself which let’s be real, most do and wait for it to come out on it’s own which then means you will be summoned. (dun dun duuuuuuun)

Judicial Committees

The elders serve as the prosecutors and the judges, generally 3-4 men. The accused faces them alone, with no support, with the exception of minor children that have their parents present, or married women who can have their husbands present(this is more of a requirement) You are asked a series of unbelievably personal questions. People who are invited to a judicial committee are considered guilty before ever entering the meeting. Elders can go to great lengths to collect evidence of guilt before inviting someone to a judicial committee, and most often they will not inform the individual that they are collecting such information. Nobody is ever invited to a judicial committee unless the elders have some sort of proof or reason to believe the individual is guilty. The point of the committee is not to establish guilt, but rather to determine the appropriate punishment.

There are four possible outcomes of a judicial committee. The first is that the individual is reproved privately. This happens when the elders are convinced that the individual is repentant enough for whatever sin they committed, and few people or nobody knows about their sin. The second is public reproof. In that case, an announcement is made to the congregation that the individual has been reproved. Most times, the congregation will severely limit any association with someone who has been reproved, so it is like “disfellowshipping light.” The third is disfellowshipping, meaning that your friends and family will begin to shun you until (or if) you are reinstated. Or if you get lucky, they find that there was no basis for the sin or accusation and you’re free to go. The judicial committee meeting can be anywhere from a few minutes long to several hours and at the end you have your answer, (for the sake of this blog) congrats, you’re being disfellowshipped! They will announce your execution to the congregation at the next meeting (you know, where your friends and family you’ve likely known your entire life are) where if you are not present to hear yourself being shunned are considered weak or a coward. From the time you leave the judicial meeting your family will immediately begin to to say their goodbyes or in many cases their disappointment in you ( because you didn’t feel shitty enough, amirite?) and then that’s it. Within a moment, no one you know or have known, family or friends are allowed to speak to you. If you are under the legal age you may remain in your home but contact is to be limited. If you are of legal age you will most likely be kicked out of your home. No emails, no texts, just awkward exchanges of pretending you haven’t known Susan or Henry since you were 3 or walking past your mother or best friend and having them pretend they don’t know you. And so it goes until you either become lonely enough to return because you haven’t been taught how to make friends outside of this group or have always been told you can’t or you decide to move on with your life without all of your family and friends, so super easy decisions to make.

Randy Wall’s story along with my own are 2 in thousands just like this or much worse. I decided to break down this entire process upon seeing the above post on JW.org which made me sick to think of a group that likes to pretend that they are a group exuding God’s love when they are posting and “rejoicing on the vindication of Jehovah’s standard” of shunning their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends etc… This is not only an unloving practice, it is detrimental to the mental well being of everyone involved. Telling a parent they can no longer speak to or hug their child is not only wrong it is a despicable and pathetic way of controlling your followers. Telling those same parents that if they do enter into contact, they will face the same expulsion is in fact, despicable. For those reading this, whether pimi (physically in/mind in) or otherwise, take a hard look at what you are being asked to do (this should be true in everything in life). A God or a religion that demands you turn your back on anyone unless you fall in line is not a loving God or a loving provision. Your family and your friends miss you but “the truth will set you free” and once you know the real truth about the truth, there is no going back, not that we want to anyway.

Articles and clips taken from http://www.JW.org http://www.jwfacts.com and http://www.jwvictims.com