It might easily be thought that when a person has been formally removed from among the brethren, by being "withdrawn from", that there would be no further levels to attain in an outward direction. That isn't so, and the misconception is probably part of the reason why those who are "out" get confused by how they are treated.
The highest form of out-ness is seen in those who completely submit to the brethren's handling of them, and live quiet lives exactly as though they were still among the brethren, never making any new links elsewhere. They may well even arrange their lives around the times of the meetings they cannot attend. This is the ideal, and if these people are fortunate enough to attract the attention of a current member, they will probably be reinstated very quickly and become instantly important.
If, however, they behave exactly like this, but have the audacity to hold a grudge - or worse yet, a doctrinal quibble - they are evil and must continue to be shunned. This detail can shunt a person many levels down the "out" hierarchy.
The next category consists of those who try their hardest to become normal "worldly" people. They leave the brethren behind, take no further interest, and plunge themselves into all the forbidden things that they couldn't do before. The brethren feel that these people are entirely understandable, and often hold out hope that they will see the error of their ways once they realise that these earthly activities will never satisfy their souls. Consequently, contact will probably be maintained, because the brethren hope to nudge them towards that realisation and step in with heroic help when it happens.
Strangely, it's worse if ex-brethren are happily Christian and lead moral lives connected with a church of some kind. This is downright suspicious, as nobody who has experienced the fellowship can be satisfied with an alternative. They have succumbed to wrong doctrine and "eaten at a rival table". The more similar the group they have joined is to the brethren, the more reprehensible this behavior is, with the absolute worst being other forms of brethren.
Then comes the group of those with doctrinal or philosophical differences. Whatever their behavior, these people are evil. Great trouble will be taken to make sure there is no contact whatever, for fear of either becoming contaminated by their ideas or giving them any kind of ammunition to use.
Finally, and worst of all, come those who go out of their way to oppose the brethren. They are tools of the Devil himself, as opposing the brethren is his main occupation. That makes them fair game for any action at all. Even unChristian actions are acceptable. The likelihood of any congenial behavior towards somebody who has been placed in this category is miniscule unless there might be political advantage in it. It's war.
I'm still waiting to see which category I fall into. This blog, reasonable or not, may plunge me straight into the abyss of the last one, but it hasn't yet.
4 comments:
There are still some souls alive on this planet, who at least had a choice, albeit somewhat pseudo, of refusing to enter "fellowship" in their early teens. They were considered a notch above any of those who entered, then left or were "kicked out" of the communion. Hope springs eternal (<;
"The highest form of out-ness is seen in those who completely submit to the brethren's handling of them, and live quiet lives exactly as though they were still among the brethren, never making any new links elsewhere..."
This may have varied according to locality. I know of one person who was born into this situation which endured for about the first twenty years of her life. The "Ghost Meeting". Spooky to say the least!
Heavens to Betsy!
I wonder which category I fall into!
But then again, does it really matter?
Eric, George and I fall certainly in that last category - I am already named 'the embodiment of evil'
This is really useful information as it helps me understand why some former EBs have more contact than others. But some people are labelled by association - my mother is not the lowest of the low but I am so she is also tainted.
As Jill shows, it may matter or it may not.
If it does matter, it's only because of the treatment you get as a result. Classification is painless, but it's good to know in advance if someone's gunning for you.
As for those people who never entered fellowship, my observation is that they are reckoned to be more of a privileged class of worldly person than ex-brethren, and so stand (fortunately for them) outside the categories.
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