by Justice-One 20 Replies latest jw experiences
There are three cult leaders (opps, I mean Elders) on the JC, right? Does it take a majority or all three to agree to DF you?
Can anyone give the outline on the standard JC? You know, how they do it from start to finish? There must be a standard format to follow I would think. After all, the society will barely let you go to the bathroom without making sure its done in a highly efficient (supposedly) JW approved manor.
I've never faced a jc, I da'd before they could get me in front of one, but here's a link to the flock book, which should tell you all you need to know about a jc:
Wow. What a load of horse crap.
Wow. What a load of horse crap.
Very true Justice_One, but when you think of how they apply that horsecrap, it makes you feel kind of sad for anyone facing a jc, it does me anyway.
Are you gonna go before the firing squad, J1?
Ok, here's the basic format of a JC.
1) bring you in and make small talk
2) explain why you are here
3) pray for holy spirit to come to the brothers and help them make a decision
4) berate you for being human and sinning, berate you for having doubts, berate you for the sake of berating you
5) read scriptures (see step 4)
6) excuse you from the room (brate you some more?)
7) invite you back in, give you an over view of the berating you received earlier.
8) inform you that you will be DF'd and you have one week to appeal.
(appeal process)
9) 3 different brothers berate you again for what you have/haven't done
10) DF you anyway
11) announce to the congregation you are no longer a JW
So, to answer your question, I don't know if it takes a majority decision. I think it does. But there seems to be a standard make-up of a JC. One brother who is genuinly nice and actually wants to help, another brother who doesn't know you well at all and seems to be the swing vote and another brother, a total @$$ hole who leads the whole deal.
Am I bitter?? HE!! YES I AM!
Whew, I'm done now.
I spent 20 years "serving" on JCs (and I'm sorry), and here is what I learned about the process:
1. The procedure is outlined in the "flock" book.
2. Most elders who've been to one or more "elder schools" have notes written in the margin, referencing more current WTS directions that were given verbally at the meeting held on the first day of any Circuit Assembly.
3. Most elders do not read the instructions before showing up for the hearing.
4. Consequently (see 3), a number of JCs don't follow precisely the outline in the "flock" book.
5. When elders send you out of the room to confer, it is probably not to berate you further; chances are good it's so they can argue among themselves about what the flock book really means in such and such a paragraph, and to determine if anyone has actually done any "research" in the Society's publications on the issue at hand. Then, once the excuses have been offered for why no research was done, arguments are heard as to what the WTS really means when they say ________. Whoever makes the best argument wins and his viewpoint is adopted by the group. The guy who wins the argument is usually the guy with the most notes in his margin, or is the alpha male in the room.
6. Any decision is unanimous and determined in private while you are excused from the room. If, in that room, the decision is split they keep talking until the odd man out comes around. Or caves in because the hour is late.
And that's justice in dubdom. Scary, huh?
Willyloman said:
Any decision is unanimous and determined in private while you are excused from the room. If, in that room, the decision is split they keep talking until the odd man out comes around. Or caves in because the hour is late.
And that's justice in dubdom. Scary, huh?
Having been the subject of such a trial, it seems like there is sometimes a rush to judgment. One elder on my committee (the one who didn't know me well and seemed most favorable) was suffering a bad head cold. At one point, he asked if we could adjourn and make the decision on a later night. The answer was no, it had to be then.
It would seem that if they took some time with the decision, they could do more of their research and give the appearance of rendering a well-thought-out verdict.
But I guess they have holy spirit in the room, which always leads them to a WISE and CORRECT conclusion, right??????
It takes them all of about 5 minutes to proclaim you 'eternally dead.' Nice, huh?
From the Flock book (see fullofdoubtnow's link):
In complex cases, defer making a decision if you are not
sure of the Bible's direction and the Society's counsel.
