Just like a husband brutally forcing his control over his wife through the physical act of forcing her to have relations with him against her will, so this metaphor is played out by "Judicial Committees" comprised of elders in tens of thousands of Kingdom Halls weekly. Although the Watchtower Society claims that disfellowshiping is an act of love..., I believe its real intent is a forceful act of spiritual control over congregation members who step out of line. Is the phrase "spiritual assault" or even more strongly "spiritual rape" too forceful? To answer that I had to ask myself what is the physical act of assault or rape? Is it about harming a person's body or satisfying an act of sex? No, it's about forced control. Then what is the spiritual act of rape? Does it involve spirituality? Again, no, it's about forced control.

The disfellowshiped individual is forced to no longer participate in congregation fellowship by being denied this human right. Congregation members are forced to completely ignore the disfellowship-victim by being threatened with expulsion themselves for fraternizing with a disfellowshipee. Who does the forcing? It is the disfellowshipers who were literally drafted into a Judicial Committee by virtue of being elder appointees. Who appointed and pulls the invisible strings that compel these elders into the cruel act of disfellowshiping of those who step out of line? Why, it is the Watchtower Society, of course. Specifically it is those individuals within the Watchtower who claim divine inspiration in the use of disfellowshiping.

Ministers of churches are held by the public in a position of public trust, much like doctors, lawyers and psychiatrists. It is highly unethical to reveal what goes on behind closed doors in these professions. However, a public announcement or even privately warning congregation members not to speak to individuals who were supposedly "disciplined for their own spiritual benefit" in private is a violation of the deepest sort of personal privacy. When it is clearly understood by congregation members that being told not speaking to someone means they were likely disfellowshiped for gross wrongdoing, then it is the same as announcing a disfellowshiping publicly. As a result of the methods used to disseminate threats to congregation members that they are to avoid disfellowshiped individuals or face disfellowshiping themselves, the act of disfellowshiping is no longer a form of trying to help someone. It is no longer a form of loving or even less than loving discipline. It is not discipline at all, but a form of controlling individuals who step out of line.

Examples of stepping out of line: expressing a belief openly that is contrary to the interpretations of the "divinely inspired" ones at the Watchtower headquarters; greeting a disfellowshiped one; expressing a disagreement with a Watchtower teaching or practice; and so forth.

By teaching that those found at Armageddon in a "disfellowshiped state" may be executed by God without the hope of a resurrection (the same fate as the Watchtower teaches will "likely occur" to non-Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide), the act of disfellowshiping becomes a weapon similar to a gun aimed at the one accused of "wrongdoing." By telling a person they must comply with Society teachings to not be disfellowshiped, many are faced with a choice of lyingly claiming they no longer disagree with the Society's teachings, lyingly claiming they no longer practice something not in accord with the Society's teachings, or having their lives ruined by a disfellowshiping.

Many fail to grasp the enormity of disfellowshiping. If one has built a career at a company where their boss is also a JW, then they are thrusted into an impossible situation that often leads to the loss of employment. Worse, families who are JW will not speak to them, leading to a dysfunctional family and possibly severe psychiatric problems with the children and spouse who is not allowed by the elders to speak to their disfellowshiped family member (or face expulsion themselves).

Fear is often the operative word in these types of situations, as those who love the disfellowshiped person ask, "Is it worth losing out on everlasting life, as the Society warns, if I speak to this disfellowshiped individual?" The entire life of a person, then, revolves around the spiritual congregation life they have built over the course of many years that, like siamese twins, is joined to every other aspect of their life. Kill one of the twins, and the other dies. Kill a person's spiritual life and their life is destroyed. Therefore is this spiritual life they have built in service to God as sacred spiritually, as the bond between a husband and wife is also sacred spiritually as well as psychologically, emotionally and physically?

It is apparent, then, that the act of spiritual "communion" one has developed in the congregation is as intimate spiritually as the act of sex between a husband and wife is intimate physically and emotionally. Consider, then, if a husband beats his wife when she doesn't live up to his expectations, is he not trying to control her towards meeting his personal expectations?

Suppose a husband is more astute on legalities and decides, instead, to declare a "silent period" as punishment for her not meeting his expectations in some manner?

Suppose he refuses to speak to her for at least one year or more, and compels the kids to do the same and ignore her for that period of time, or face sanctions themselves (such as discontinuance of their allowance or other privileges)?

Suppose he convinces her that she is a terrible person until he decides to "reinstate" her with full family speaking privileges?

Suppose he even compels her come in the back door of the house rather than the front door to minimize facing the kids for the duration of her punishment?

Is this psychological abuse not as intolerable as physical abuse? Yet as adults with constitutional rights, as taxpaying citizens who often have responsibilities in corporations and often own homes, we should have freedom to work out our own salvation before God. How is it possible, then, for a religious organization we trust with our hearts to hold a life-destroying punishment, sanction and threat of spiritual death (all rolled into one vicious package) over all our heads?

How can we stand by like fearful emasculated citizens of totalitarian regimes are know to do, and allow the spiritual assault of those who have been yoked together with us as spiritual brothers and sisters? How can we then proceed to fearfully share in the crimes of those whom the Society has drafted as "henchmen" by further traumatizing these victims of spiritual abuse?

Why doesn't the body of congregations that comprise Jehovah's Witnesses and the circuit and district overseers over these congregations speak out enmasse against this outrageous abuse in Jehovah's name against defenseless little lambs who need nurturing and love? In essence, the committees of elders formed by the Watchtower to try and convict congregation members whose "crimes" are the sins that Jesus Christ died for, are bludgeoning these little lambs to death in judicial hearing rooms throughout the world.

And when the few who spiritually "live" manage to crawl, spiritually bloodied and bruised, into the gathering of sheep, their frail helpless bodies are even dishonored and treated as worthless. They are so precious in Jehovah's eyes, and yet they are spit upon by those compelled to break their baptism vows by compromising to the teachings of a few men who have long ago left the narrow road we strive to follow.

If you who read this post are in a position to legally stop them, then it is your obligation to! Jehovah could do it himself, but then why does he use those who claim to serve him to stop unscriptural practices like disfellowshiping in the congregation? Because Jehovah tests our loving willingness to do what is in our human power. That has always been his way, and I appeal to your heart not to let Jehovah down.

Rick