Santo Mengoli

Dear John, you have confused me (and possibly some other friends too). When friends responded previously, you accused them of expressing their opinions and decided that you needed to ask the question again. When someone answered your second post, you asked him to give his personal opinion. I am sure that the local elders know how to handle the matter scripturally; if there are any doubts, your friend could have used the appeal process and of course he is always free to write to the Branch. You might be surprised to know that all over the world, in all Christian congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses, we have the habit of examining the Scriptures first. Using insight and wisdom, we then have to discern how to apply the relevant Bible principles to the situation at hand. I do not think that having an 'open' judicial hearing, as you seemed to suggest in the other post, is a wise application of Bible principles or shows respect for the wrongdoer.

This is not a matter for discussion in this forum, or even between friends. That is the Christian Way, where love rules. There are no time rules and no Pharisaic approach. The judicial committee will discuss lovingly with the disfellowshipped person what he needs to do to be reinstated and the truly repentant person will humbly and lovingly accept the counsel. Discussing the matter outside of the judicial committee arrangement is not loving to the disfellowshippped person, the elders involved or our organisation. The elders on the judicial committee, as an act of love, will not discuss the details of the case even with other elders on the body.