Shunning, Part 1: The Tragic Harvest of Jehovah’s Witnesses Unbiblical Shunning Practices 

I quit going to the hall, because of the shunning. I knew Jesus would never treat people that way, plain and simple. They are so brainwashed, they won't listen to any reason.

i was shunned over 20 years ago and I still feel the pain as mental anguish and emotional Pain.

My ex wife’s uncle was DF . He had asked the elder that he wanted reinstatement and was told “I don’t have time for this we are building a Kingdom Hall” He killed himself that day . What a waste . And what a way to treat someone

We should pray sincerely for those we love that are still in fear. We should pray for our children, parents, any friends we lost. My Jehovah open their eyes and rescue them. We still love them.

Good job, Eric! A few years ago I wrote to the GB that if they didn't change their unbiblical doctrines, including shunning policy, God would use his "servant" from Romans 13:1-7 to correct them. The latest events probably show that it's going to happen soon.

Thank you for shedding light on this very harmful practice, Eric. I never realized how mean, judgemental, and hurtful this form of 'discipline' was until I experienced it myself. I can not imagine our loving heavenly family ever coming up with such a destructive way of handling the flock.

Thank you Eric! I can think of a very lovely sister who will be thrilled to see you cover this topic, it was on her wish list. She was hoping you would do a video on this subject:-) You never disappoint:-)

I was DF 3 times . Reinstatement 3 times . Then I woke up finally last year and my family shunned me again so I took the decision to dissasociate myself. I took back my power . Now it’s on my terms. Disfellowshipping is cruel and unchristian and unnecessary

Beautiful Eric!..Cant wait for the next video..I fully appreciate your corrective guidance...Yes shunning is unlovingly hurtful and shamefully disgraceful..How we need to not touch this unclean thing by not sharing in her sin and so staying clear of her plague. Are we not a log snatched out of the fire!..Indeed!..All my love mi hermano!..😊

And here something else - You do not even have to be Shunned to be directed away by the Elders. If you accidently put a foot wrong or upset someone unintentionally, you can and will be driven away, yes effectively engineered out. They have 'door staff'; the doors will be shut through the Meeting; it's true, so much Double Talk and Bigotry goes on behind in secret and the Elders gang up on you. Not even the Circuit Overseer will be contactable, the Circuit Overseer only appears once a year to shake your hand. The Branch Office will not entertain your problem and will certainly not respond to your request to deal with anything in person but just roll off their tongue a Pre-Selected 'once verse fits all' Bible Verse. The whole thing is a sham. There's no evidence of real love in my experience, it's just like a pub quiz with no prizes. If you want a clue, the answers in the Watch Tower study are all in the above paragraph. So much Bigoted people in Suits, so much Bigotry you wouldn't believe.

Great job Eric. I am being shunned as I write this comment. It’s been at least 3 weeks since I sent my letters to my friends and not ONE has responded to ask what led me to disassociate. Its a feeling of sadness and emptiness and a terrible loss. It’s very difficult to deal with. Thank you for all your wonderful work. ❤

Eric this was a great great video. As sad and undeserving of the lives lost, Watchtower is fully responsible for ALL the deaths involved. This entire institution is riddled with decades of murder suicides. The entire leadership very undeserstands the effects of SHUNNING. They simply don't care, because it fulfills their narrative when someone leaves and resorts to drugs alcohol ect. These shunned individuals are self medicating because of their internal emotional pain that they are suffering due to loosing their entire social network they ever knew. If an ex members flounders in such debauchery then this will only APPEAR to prove true and give a false sense of credibility to the cult's leadership. Then this will give the entire organization of appearing as the "True Religion " ..the brainwashed members don't KNOW that ALL RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS CLAIM TO BE THE TRUE RELIGION. THE ONLY REAL DIFFERENCES ARE IS THEIR DOCTRINES. Religious leaders are running a PONZI SCHEME. Their tools are Shame Obligation and Guilt. And the GB will take your family just like the mafia. Watchtower's time is now up. The world is tired of their hate towards others not like them, their hate towards the government and the mentality cruelty/CSA towards their members. Watchtower will now be exposed on a worldwide 🌐 level. The leadership will be stigmatized in the worst way. And there will be nothing this DOOMSDAY CULT will be able to do about it.

Where I don't have T.V. (Cable) Just cheap internet, which gives me what I need. I don't watch the news, because they only report what needs to be seen. But what I just heard from this video shocked me. I've been by their words disfellowshipped since 2007. I thought of going back, but there was an obstacle presented before me to make that step. I never kept taps of what was going on their religion. Anyhow I've been asked back then by some whom would come up to me and asked if I thought of coming back. Well about month and a half ago I had one, whom I respected as dear friend. Came up to me put on arm around me and asked "Do you ever of thinking coming back" My answer "always" and he said "That's a start" Then I stumbled on these videos which showed up in my Gmail. I was hooked. I have watch 1/3rd of the back and present videos. Would I ever go back them or their congregation... NO... I was so blinded and soaked in all their writings, teachings, council, told what and not to do, whom I should fellowship with. I was a their puppet. It really makes me feel sick. My heart goes out to my old friends whom I haven't talked to or seen. I hope they see and their heart up. But As I have heard they, the Gov. Body twist their words like a snake. I would like to thank Eric and the people who help in producing these videos. looking forward to the next video.

Another well spoken clarification. I'm looking forward to the next video. I'm looking forward also to reading your recent book. Thank you for the clarity that is missing from the majority of Bible based discussions no matter their source.

Thank you for continuing to share your well reasoned biblical logic, I greatly appreciate it and consider it a precious gift that offers relief from the limitless void of contentious arguments.

Thank you Eric . You explained this crystal clear ! 🙏🙏🙏🙏

Couldn’t agree more, thanks so much for sharing.

Encore une fois un grand merci pour vos vidéos. Vraimentt dommage qu'on ne puisse les écouter directement en français. Néanmoins, je vous remercie sincèrement pour tout le travail que vous faites vous et votre équipe. Have a good Day !

Well presented Eric! I hope this video finds its way to many to see it in the right light.

Up until 25 years ago they were able to keep a closed community and avoid apostates and be their own isolated group. But now with the internet....no more. The shunning won't work anymore. They're going to have to shun half of the followers as more and more people wake up.

Eric, my friend, i just want to say Thank You to you for posting your videos. I only just recently came across them, and have been watching them. It has been many years since I have left the organization, and have been just reading my NIV bible on my own. I would not say about myself that i have a deep understanding of everything in the bible, (but i think that is okay. Jesus did say that the simple were the ones who understood his message.), so that is why I appreciate your videos. They are informative and promote bible understanding. I actually have been avoiding ex-JW content because they tend to bend towards being hateful. I find that to be discouraging. I am looking for encouragement, not negativity. But at the same time i do want to know the truth. You are doing a good thing, and i appreciate it.

A while ago...I finished watching the movie "Jesus of Nazareth" . The Pharissees in this movie reminds me of the governing body of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Thank you brother Eric. You always have a balanced loving interpretation.

This happened to me yesterday. A family member of mine died and I wanted to reach out to my aunts who I haven’t seen or spoke to in 15 yrs. (They are elders wives and pioneers) ( I am still a witness not df) I still go. My aunt wouldn’t talk to me unless I proved myself, she wanted to know the name of my elders my congregation if we were still on zoom it was like Nazi Germany she was trying to see if I was real and if I was who I said I was so she wanted to call my CO as well. She knows very well who I am so I gave her my elders information and everything and it still wasn’t good enough I finally told her she can stick it where the sun doesn’t shine and you know what her response was “See I knew you weren’t a true Christian.” So she basically baited me pushed me and pushed me treated me like crap and then when I reacted to her she sat back and said see. That’s what people in this organization do they treat other people like absolute crap and then when they react to it and stand up for themselves they cry persecution and say oh see I knew you weren’t Christian no that’s narcissistic gaslighting. Disgraceful. Because of the shunning and treating family the way they do their efforts in the ministry are absolutely futile and they can’t see it.

Bravo Eric! As I look at just a few of the comments following this video the collective comments have made it all to evident that the reasoning surrounding this subject that you have made are true and good. Well done and we look forward to the next installment.

Beautiful video! I was disassociated then a few years later disfellowshiped, years ago. I since then got reinstated but have faded away. The mental pressure was terrible I still suffer from mental illness now. I have family in JW. I have become born again I’m a little nervous that if they find out I’ll be seen as an apostate reported then shunned. Lord JESUS, please help us. Ps: I’m looking forward to your next video!

Thank you Eric. It appears that the Society is collapsing under its own weight. I spoke w/ my 83 yo mother a few days ago (having not spoken with her for about 5 months) and she as much as hung up on me because she had to prepare/study for her meeting that night. Clinging to it with everything she has left.

I always enjoy your videos eric. but this was a particularly powerful presentation. TY for all the hours and hard work of preparing this clear and logical presentation.

We here united for a common history needed to re-start our lives with a healing perspective. Christ is the starting point to go on

Masterful as always. Cant wait for the next video

To me shunning is so childless like grade school behaviors

Well done br Eric. Clear and informative. Very faith strengthening and enthusing to spiritual growth. In the Hebrew/Aramaic scriptures is a frequent term, 'strength to strength' where as the Greek scriptures it is 'faith to faith'. Same meaning. Demonstrate faith and that faith grows stronger. I see this in you sense you started your podcast in the beginning. It is also evident in the comments returning back. Your words are strengthening the faith of the crushed and disappointed ones, giving us a truly stronger and living faith. This was originally the purpose of the WTBTS, to lovingly cultivate and grow mature followers of our Lord. Thank you br. Eric for stepping up and filling that vacuum. A life well lived.

I am a somewhat now faded JW baptized 30 yrs ago. In general however in those yrs my friends and associates were mostly "worldly" non-jw. Of course the congregation is also a social network but the "love" of the bros/sis is , in general, quite superficial, unless you do develop close relationships as I did. But i was not emotionally dependent on "the congregation" at all -at any time - so fading out for me was easy. My siblings however are still heavy duty JWs and, except for one of my sisters who doesnt speak to me for no other reason that i dont go to meetings ( therefore a bad associate) the rest of us get on well though if i was actually DFed, that would change. If i ever were to be DFed it would not concern me too much in regards to my siblings because it would show the superficiality and conditionality of their "christian love" and the fakery of it all. The intense irony of my sister is that she spends much of her time "teaching" the bible to others ( via studies and witnessing) about the virtues of being christian ,yet refuses to spend any meaningful time in helping look after the needs of our father ( also a JW baptised at 80 to appease the family) who resides in a nursing home in the SAME suburb as her and my siblings. JWs are fully conditioned and convinced to NEVER question ( CANNOT question) the GB under ANY circumstance. Of course the penalty in doing so almost ALWAYS leads to disfellowshipping/ shunning so its almost the perfect mechanism of control. If the GB came out and did a complete about face on some doctrine under the guise of "new light", the rank and file would accept it regardless. The definition of "New light" is whatever the GB says it is. Yet the founder of the JWs , Charles Russel said that "new light" ( new understanding) never replaces " old light"( old understanding) but only builds on it. The trouble is that a lot of the "old understanding" has been fully discarded( eg pre 1950, the JWs viewed excommunication ( aka disfellowshipping) as a tool of the devil practiced by false religion ( namely the catholics) and was unsupported by scripture yet now they embrace it as a key part of their "christian love" fruitage. The "judicial" system as practiced by the JWs is very much pharisaical but the majority are conditioned not to see it like that and believe its "christian" because the GB wholly defines for them what is "christian". If the GB does not approve of some view, automatically this becomes the view of the majority and to question that ALWAYS leads to consequences. Ive observed this in my 30+ yrs as a JW but also as one not wanting to "progress" or desiring to "reach out" for any position of "authority"- mind you, its never called "authority" but as an elder or MS you are supposedly just a "lowly servant" to the brothers looking after their spiritual needs with Jesus as your master. The reality however is otherwise.

I was shunned one month ago and I did nothing unscriptural. My feiends in the congregation who own a hot dog stand told me "They said that we can't talk to you." The wife said, "I can only smile at you" 🤔🤫🤐..........But I thought that they had "free will" 🤷🏾‍♀️.......I am looking for an attorney. They need to be stopped ✋🏿 ✋🏿 ✋🏿

Excellent teaching video Eric. Who knows how many JW’s may be helped here.

The biggest problem jw have ,you can show them something in the Bible ,that CLEARLY contradict there beliefs ,and they will really believe in there heart that you are trying to trick them,the second big problem they have ,they will believe the word of men ,in the wt mag as truth thats FULL of speculations ,before they believe the word of God ,So Sad!!,Isaiah 48:17-18 ,Genesis 40:8 ,Jeremiah 17:5

Eric your videos are so informative 🎉 Thank You

Excellent commentary!!!

From outwards appearance we can't judge whether he is a good christian bcos we don't read his heart except Jehovah God.Good works do not cover only preaching works but many others like exercising generousity,kindness filiality to parents,purity of hearts ,honesty n fairness

The Leaders have the Rank and File vulnerable while they treat ex members that way...which results in these horrible actions. The whole while the Leaders are living in their well fortified Compounds!

Bravo! Excellent video Eric! I see John 13:34,35 in a new light. Who did Jesus shun? Looking forward to your next video!

I just understand why Anthony Morris is not part of the GB. He is the goat for changing a policy. He was who insist that the policy would never change. So, now will look like he was in his own view, not the GB. A simple way, a normal political way, to escape for a bad decision.

Hello Brother Eric, Thanks for the video. Please would you put part 1 of 2 or something like that. So it's easier to work out the order of this new video series you've put together. Thanks again. 🙂

"Unbiblical" shunning practices? Is there anyone who dare says, "Un-Christlike" shunning practices? Why is almost everyone of ALL "Christian" religious groups giving "The Bible" credence and a more prominent position than the one God commanded us to listen to, His Son. (Luke 9:35) Personally, I do not care what "a book" says about a matter, I care about what "Christ" says (and taught his Apostles). Is not Christ Jesus "The Word of God?" How in the world did a book usurp that holy position? So there are two "Words of God?" No! Just as there is one God, there is only one Word of God, Jesus Christ. Yet, many time and time again show a lack of faith in him by referring to a "book" and what "it:" says. How about what Christ says? He is not dead you know. He ascended but is still with us. (Matt 28:19-20) God sent is His Son. Men sent a book. Obey God's command to "Listen to His Son." If He wanted us to listen to a book, He would have said so. Inspite of what has been written here, people are hard-headed and will still place a book above the one who "is" The Word of God. It is Christ who condemns shunning, not a book.

A very excellent video dear brother Eric

Great Job Eric God Bless You

Very Well Presented , Bro. Eric . . . 👏😌 And very Timely !! 😉👌

Dear Shunners: Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” -Abraham Lincoln

You’re Amazing Eric!!! Thank you for speaking up!! 🔥🔥🔥 Doug gave a public marking talk about me in 2019, because I “put fitness ahead of Jehovah” ??!??!

JWs isolate themselves . Disfellowshipping was used once when a Christian man was the talk of the town about a grave sin and later it was used by prideful men to throw people out of the congregation. 3 John 1:9,10 This practice was used sparingly. I belong to Paul I belong to Apollo’s I belong to the GB. People with mental illness can’t handle more rejection. Years ago I heard about a man that got DFd in Australia, he lost his wife, kids and job. He would break into the elders house and poison the milk. The elders family got very sick. At the time I wondered why these things didn’t happen more often. When you lose everything........ Maybe Jehovah has released the winds against the JWs. The elders have never had fear of their actions..... as an elder told me.... oh they thought the pain this person was feeling was amusing I told them about-they thought it was funny.... until I told them and they have a gun. Not fun anymore... they thought for a minute and said oh people like that just end up using it on themselves. No fear-Jehovah protects them.

Great video brother Eric, I think, Watchtower should be broken up all assets sold. And the money distributed to all members. Especially the people with no decent pension. Because they wasted their early years working for free for Watchtower.

Ezekiel 45:9- against shunning etc

If I am deprived of communication, on the contrary, I will only be glad, because the values are different. Sorry for my "English"

The shunning contributed to my ex-husband’s suicide. Not the entire reason, but part of it. No surprise the impact of shunning and destroying families is creating havoc and violence.

Well explained 😊

Very very good

Maybe the subliminal messages in the watchtower booklets and memorial invitation are putting out there.

they do not shun thieves for sure :)

When I was baptized Christian I was asked by JW whoever baptized you know the Bible? What should I have said?

Watching Tony Morris at 15:08 and smiling to myself. Somewhere right now good ol' Tony is feeling sting of being on the receiving end of the so-called congregational discipline. I'm sure he knows to never speak freely now though, lest he get the full "apostate" treatment.

Interesting.

Correction:....spiritually.

Prawda.

My dearest friend a devout JW would not discuss anything happening against wt Germany etc told me remember it's expected we are in the last days of the last days don't think about it.any how thankyou for your recent video on scriptural doctrine of shunning.

Merci beaucoup pour votre vidéo très intéressante. Dommage que cela n est pas en français car ils y a des personnes qui ont du mal à lire mais merci

"Shunning" is pretty harsh, is the good word? I'm not certain, we are always, dear brother, expecting your coming back. Love never ends...

I enjoyed meetings more When i was shunned..😂 That shocked me!!! 😮 Really... I am a very artistic person. Im not average. I am not normal. So. I never fit in anyway... Why was it when isolated from all, only then....able to see. Interesting isnt it.

Why are you JW's that are commenting on an 'apostate' channel in the first place? Your GB says you're not supposed to do that. So supposedly he is wrong and you are wrong but it's okay for you to be wrong (and disobedient) and also have the nerve to lecture somebody else? 👌🏽😂

Hello Eric, can u please share video on celebrating birthday and Christmas. Is it wrong or pagan to celebrate birthday and Christmas?

Keep up with the good job Eric but I wanna ask you something you know that Jehovah isn't the real name of god

Hi brother, when will this video be uploaded in the Spanish channel?….

Why do Jehovah's Witnesses take SHUNNING so hard?

7 month old human being😢

I heard JW saying not know when Armaggedon coming. Also stop preaching time for JW members. And active JW not to be judgmental to Ex JW or DF cause might be in new world order. Only God can judge not man. Big changes for JW now.Thank you for your hard work and vids!

I'm a Christian & was told Iby JW I'm following false religion what?

Jesus would never shun anyone. He would love them, say hello, check in on them in hopes of reaching them, but would certainly not show outward distain towards someone like the Witnesses do. You don’t associate with them but certainly love them in hopes of reaching them someday. My opinion.

it is biblical . refer to 1 Corinthians 5:11-13

The gb needs to read the scripture at jer 19: 5 about their shunning policy and keep in mind Matt 7:12

....zoom.....first 😂

I am Josephine demirbas Joseph's mum I am Jehovah's witness stop apostating we die for Jehovah stop turning every thing to your reasons your opinion we know we are hated

JW's have been proven to be God's people. Apostates will take full responsibility for their hatred and violence towards God's people.

It is unfortunate that they nullify Christ sacrifice. Thank you Eric! ❤❤