Tag Archives: church

Is It Time To Finally Outlaw Extreme Religious Shunning?

In an issue of The Watchtower magazine from a few years ago, no doubt was left as to how Jehovah’s Witnesses should treat family members who have been “disfellowshipped,” or ex-communicated, from the religion. “Really, what your beloved family member needs to see is  your resolute stance to put Jehovah above everything else – including the family  bond,” warns the magazine on page 16, before asserting, “Do not look for excuses to associate with a disfellowshipped family member, for example, through e-mail.”

Shunning.

Jehovah’s Witness is not the only religion that calls upon  its followers to ostracize anyone who leaves the faith. Described as  psychological torture by University of California-Davis Professor Almerindo E.  Ojeda, such social rejection is used in the United States by Anabaptists (the  Amish, Mennonites, Hutterites), Scientology, and the Baha’i Faith, among others.

Some contemporary evangelical Protestant churches have renewed the practice of  shunning, as in the case of a 71-year-old former Sunday school teacher who was  arrested on trespassing charges after questioning her pastor’s authority.

The practice can have devastating consequences.

In 2011, Eric Reeder was disfellowshipped from the Jehovah’s  Witnesses after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle accident that led to a blood  transfusion – a medical treatment prohibited by the religion.  His family subsequently shunned him in accordance with the faith’s rules.

Eric posted about his predicament in an online forum for  ex-Witnesses in August of that year, admitting, “The only thing I am really going to miss is my folks … my dad is a hardcore elder and has told me he will no longer be able to speak to me 100% of the time.”  In April 2012 he wrote that he was “still not used to my parents totally shunning me …” before adding, “It’s so hard … nobody should have to lose their parents twice.” By the end of September, Eric was found dead at age 51. He had killed himself.

Nobody can be certain what dark thoughts were swirling through Eric’s mind when he took his own life, or what finally drove him to such a desperate act. But we do know that in the preceding months, Eric was deeply tormented by the ostracism inflicted on him by members of his family.

While The Watchtower Society, the name of the legal entity used by Jehovah’s Witnesses, proudly publishes annual statistics related to its worldwide evangelism work, there are no official figures for those who are shunned, and no way to confirm how many of these former members, like Eric, feel desperate enough to take their own lives. However, one can find a great deal of anecdotal evidence on Internet forums frequented by Ex-Witnesses. One well-known researcher, Terri O’Sullivan, reported that being shunned worsens one’s mood within 60 seconds.

Ex- witness Richard E. Kelly is the Managing Director of AAWA and the author of Growing Up in Mama’s Club: A Childhood Perspective of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Ex- witness Richard E. Kelly is the Managing Director of AAWA and the author of Growing Up in Mama’s Club: A Childhood Perspective of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

In the absence of any popular or political impetus to address the issue of religion-incited shunning, I am proud to be part of an organization that dares to face it head on. Advocates for Awareness of Watchtower Abuses (AAWA) has been established to educate the world via its website (www.aawa.co) about some of Watchtower’s most shocking practices.

While these are often pardoned in the name of religious freedom, there are instances where governments have successfully sanctioned extreme shunning:

“The Jewish tradition frequently confronted this issue in the many Eastern European communities where the government outlawed the use of excommunication and shunning. Not surprisingly, when confronted with significant governmentally imposed sanctions against this practice, the Jewish authorities ceased using exclusion as a method of community formation or maintenance,” states an article by Michael J. Broyde, academic director of Emory University’s Law and Religion Program.

My colleagues and I believe that the shunning of relatives and friends represents mental and emotional abuse. Modern society must no longer allow Watchtower to promote this barbarous practice through printed word or otherwise.  For the Silo Richard E. Kelly.

Colouring In The Bible Is The Latest Trend In Journaling

An interesting new trend is on the rise—colouring in a Bible.

What was once frowned upon, is now encouraged. This new trend is called Bible journaling. Bible journaling is the act of doodling in one’s Bible, as a way to creatively express one’s faith. However, some people choose to illustrate outside their Bible; as for some, doodling on the Bible itself is still prohibited.

Over the past few years, the movement has grown significantly with many online groups, forums, Facebook communities, blogs, and church groups creating groups where people share their Bible journal artwork, offer techniques, and provide a supportive boost.

People even discuss where to get Bibles with the largest margins so that there is room for their designs, creating an interesting demand on publishers and retailers.

Complete Guide to Bible Journaling: Creative Techniques to Express Your Faith (Fox Chapel Publishing), by designer, inspirational speaker, and author of the best-selling Zenspirations® book series Joanne Fink, was created in response to this amazing trend.

The book features the works of top Bible journalers, offers drawing tips, the best tools to use, and even offers traceable vellum sheets to use on your own Bible. For the Silo, Elizabeth Martins.

Main image courtesy of biblejournallove.com


8 Great Christmas Presents For Caregivers To Give To Themselves:

Peter Rosenberger, author of Hope for the Caregiver, offers these 8 great tips for caregivers to give to themselves for this holiday season and time of visiting family and friends.

1) Commit to seeing a doctor. More than 70% of caregivers don’t see a doctor

2) Commit to doing something that brings joy to your heart. It doesn’t have to be exotic: a good movie, watch a standup comedian, read a good book, paint, play the piano …something that speaks beauty and joy to you in the middle of your stuff.

3) Make a list of people you resent and forgive them and then burn the list. Lose the grudges but keep boundaries.

4) Make one small change in your diet. For instance, substitute water for a sugary drink. Grab a piece of fruit instead of a candy bar. Substitute a salad for a burger … olive oil for butter.

5) Send a Christmas card to yourself. Pick out a card your loved one would send if he/she were healthy emotionally and physically. And put a $10 bill in it.

6) Do something physical. Walk to the back of the house and back. Alan Alda walks around to John Phillips Sousa to help with his Parkinson’s. He’s not a doctor but he played one on TV …and it’s pretty good advice. He lifts up his knees. Something that simple can really benefit caregivers. Weight gain is common in caregivers. Peter quips, “I got so big my picture fell off the door and it took 2 dogs to bark at me!”

7) Isolation is crippling. Go to church or other places of worship. Slip in and listen to the music of the season.

8) Call a trusted friend and tell them you’re struggling. Take a leap of faith that they will listen. Don’t ask for solutions …just an ear and a tender heart.

A 30+ year caregiver for his wife, Gracie, who lives with severe disabilities, Peter Rosenberger understands the caregiver’s journey in ways few do. Broadcasting on Sirius XM’s Family Talk Channel (131) and an additional 180 stations through American Family Radio, Peter hosts the nation’s #1 show for family caregivers. From Autism to Alzheimer’s to Addiction, Peter addresses the needs of those caring for loved ones with chronic impairments.