Wow, this is the first time I have seen this thread, and since LDH asked that I post some experiences over 6 months ago, I think I will finally get around to it.
I am a 3rd-generation Jehovah's Witness. My grandfather was a Jehovah's Witness for over 54 years and serving in some capacity either as congregation overseer or elder for over 45 years prior to his death. His wife (my grandmother) was a Jehovah's Witness for over 40 years and served 20+ of them as a regular pioneer.
My mother was born into the Jehovah's Witnesses and has been baptized over 40 years.
With that type of history, you KNOW I have some stories I can tell.
I don't even know where to begin.
Should I begin with my own story? Or the stories of those I grew up with or encountered from having a grandfather who was an elder and served on hundreds of judicial committees?
I will warn you though, some of these stories will either shock or horrify you. Th first stories I will share all involve elders.. ironic when you consider that the elders are supposed to be appointed by Jah. Does their behavior reflect that?
I had a friend growing up in the Jehovah's Witness organization, his name was Jared Vaughn of the Canterbury Congregation in Markham, Illinois.. USA. (names are REAL, this is no lie, these stories are legit) His father, Alvester Vaughn, was an elder in the Canterbury Congregation. The examples of hypocrisy and abusiveness is almost unspeakable. I cannot count the times that Jared would call me asking for something to eat, and when I would visit his home when his parents were out on the town, I would see that they left him nothing, barely a loaf of bread or a box of crackers, with which to nourish himself. Now these people were not poor.. oh NO.. not by any means. They had moved into an expensive $300,000+ home in the ritzy Richton Park neighborhood in the south Chicago suburbs. They could easily afford food. Instead, the husband and wife spent quite a bit of time going out to fancy restaurants and enjoying $100+ meals, the wife had a fur coat worth several thousand dollars, and the elder had a vast array of expensive custom-tailored suits. All the while they forced their son to sit at home alone and to go hungry. They were also hypocrites in the fashion that the father was abusive. On more than one occasion I was actually visiting when I witnessed Mr Vaughn beat his son without warrant in a fit of anger. I myself was a teenager at the time so how would my voice be heard against a prominent elder in the congregation? Even more laughable, Jared and I were being bad by Jehovah's Witness standards and attended an R-rated movie (Waiting to Exhale) and low and behold, 6 rows in front of us his parents walked in to view the same R-rated film! When earlier that same Sunday his father had given a talk from the platform against R-rated films and rap music!
The hypocrisy and double-standards are actually mind-boggling.
Another example. Many times I have seen individuals without any prominence in their congregations be downtrodden or used, while those in positions of power can commit the same actions without fear of reprisal. Sam Davis was and still is to this day an elder in the Canterbury Congregation of Markham, Illinois. I cannot count the number of young single women or the sons of regular ole publishers who got reproved or DF'ed for any action that violates Watchtower doctrine. Then I look at this man who has served in the capacity as either school overseer or presiding overseer for years.. yet he has a daughter who is a lesbian (not that there is anything wrong with that, but a big NO-NO in JW-land) that lives in his own household, and he maintains his position of authority.
How is this possible if all are alleged to adhere to the same guidelines? The elders even moreso?
Another elder in the same congregation, Lionel Day.. was alleged to have beat his wife. I cannot confirm this, but when you notice a woman (his wife) sitting in a cowering position most of the time and always wearing HEAVY makeup and sunglasses even when it is cloudy or rainy, it makes you think.
I always suspected that the elders in the Canterbury Congregation skimmed off the donations as well. If you ever visit the Chicago area, contact me and I will show you how to view that congregation's parking lot. It looks like a car show. Counting the elders that I know, they drove:
- Lexus
- Mercedes
- BMW
- Range Rover
- Infiniti
- Jaguar
the list goes on and on.
One of the above was a member of a carpet-cleaning service, another, a janitor. Determine the income of such a profession, and then the cost of such an automobile. You do the math.
Next post will cover some of my own experiences and some of those involving my family.
