Church Discipline

[Opie]

Could it be that B.H. is having trouble dealing with his own impure thoughts, and trying to project it onto the rest of us?

[Dodger]

They should just get us Scarlett Letters to wear.

"The Nazi's had pieces of flair they made the Jews wear"

Office Space

[KLP]

Yeah, but they always wore the bare minimum...is that the way you want to be Dodger?

[Lev]

LOVE the DISFELLOWSHIPPED™ card!!!! That's awesome. They just stalk you and put it under your windshield????? Is it red?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

It should definitely be red. Mine was a black and white photocopy (or, as the old elders used to say, long after Xerox had become a household name, "mimeograph"). I'll see if I can find it and if I do, I'll scan it and post an image here. In the meantime, here's an ASCII rendition:

Front:
--------------------------------
| WITHDRAWN |
| FROM |
--------------------------------

Back:
------------------------------------
|(a bunch of prooftexts in |
|support of disfellowshipping|
------------------------------------

Lev

[Ivy]

LOVE the DISFELLOWSHIPPED™ card!!!! That's awesome. They just stalk you and put it under your windshield????? Is it red?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

It should definitely be red. Mine was a black and white photocopy (or, as the old elders used to say, long after Xerox had become a household name, "mimeograph"). I'll see if I can find it and if I do, I'll scan it and post an image here. In the meantime, here's an ASCII rendition:

Front:
--------------------------------
| WITHDRAWN |
| FROM |
--------------------------------

Back:
------------------------------------
|(a bunch of prooftexts in |
|support of disfellowshipping|
------------------------------------

Lev

Lev, are you serious? I am so sorry you experienced such disrespect. Such a violation of interpersonal boundaries.

[B.H.]

Could it be that B.H. is having trouble dealing with his own impure thoughts, and trying to project it onto the rest of us?

There was this ass that kept tempting me to lust after it and I said "No. I will not lust after this ass." Then I went over to the town down down the road and saw an even better looking ass and ended up lusting after it instead.

[Lev]

Lev, are you serious? I am so sorry you experienced such disrespect. Such a violation of interpersonal boundaries.

Thanks for the sympathy, BH, but I didn't receive the card as part of an actual disfellowshipping. As far as I know I've never actually been withdrawn from. The only thing the COC has on me is my failure to attend COC services. Besides that I feel like I'm a much better Christian since leaving, IMHO. No, the card was given to me by a friend who was in the process of leaving at the same time as me. It was all in jest. Of course, it's a real card that is (was?) really used for real withdrawals, just not for me personally. Even if it had been used on me, I'd probably have laughed it off.

Lev

[IntrepidOne]

If I ever sat through the reading of a "disfellowshipping" letter I don't remember it. My maternal grandfather was disfellowshipped and my mom had to sit through the reading of that letter, though. I am not sure of exactly when it happened, but my best guess is the mid to late 60s. Even though that terrible experience put such a bad taste in her mouth, she was too afraid to leave the "one true church"; and that's unfortunate because my sister and I also grew up in the CoC. I have wondered many times how different my mindset would have been if I hadn't been indoctrinated to believe I was right and everyone else was wrong.

[cotjockey]

Our CofC disfellowshipped a few families when they moved. "Our congregations is already struggling. How can you move for a job?" (or to care for aging parents? or so your severely autistic son can attend a special school? or because you are in the military and were only here on leave?) They gave people the boot because they had to work every other weekend and because they wore their McDonald's uniforms to worship.

Our former CofC has been sending us the Gospel Minutes since we left the church (and sent them a letter telling them so). We called to ask to be taken off the list. They told us they would lose some sort of discount if they did. Now, they are calling and asking to be reimbursed for the cost of or subscription.

[margin overa]

Our CofC disfellowshipped a few families when they moved. "Our congregations is already struggling. How can you move for a job?" (or to care for aging parents? or so your severely autistic son can attend a special school? or because you are in the military and were only here on leave?) They gave people the boot because they had to work every other weekend and because they wore their McDonald's uniforms to worship.

Our former CofC has been sending us the Gospel Minutes since we left the church (and sent them a letter telling them so). We called to ask to be taken off the list. They told us they would lose some sort of discount if they did. Now, they are calling and asking to be reimbursed for the cost of or subscription.

What's the point of disfellowshipping someone when they no longer live in the area? That seems the very essence of thickheaded thinking. As to your second paragraph, perhaps it's not so much thickheadedness as it is cojones of brass. Sending you periodicals you don't want, and then asking you to reimburse them for the costs involved in sending you periodicals you don't want?