Thursday, September 29, 2011

Jehovah's Witnesses and apostates: "Mentally diseased"?

The Independent is reporting (here) on a controversy regarding Jehovah's Witnesses and their views on former members of their faith. The paper reports: "The official magazine for Jehovah's Witnesses has described those who leave the church as 'mentally diseased,' prompting an outcry from former members and insiders concerned about the shunning of those who question official doctrine. An article published in July's edition of The Watchtower warns followers to stay clear of 'false teachers' who are condemned as being 'mentally diseased' apostates who should be avoided at all costs."

1 comment:

Adrian DeVore said...

Shunning is a common practice among Jehovah's Witnesses when a member elects to leave the denomination. I personally feel that people who are very unhappy with their religions should have the right of rejecting it for something else that works. However,in the Jehovah's Witesses, when one rejects their faith, it is viewed as an insult within their congregations. Despite having several family members within that religion, I don't agree with them on anything because I prefer to have freedom within religious practice instead of blind obiedence.