There was a time, when I was a new elder, that the elder body judicially met with over 100 people! I realize that number sounds unrealistic but we were in a large city and at that time, there were families that had numbers of children. Many were literally brought to the elders by the parents dozens of times. Smoking was a big one! Immorality was another. We had kids that were encouraged to be baptized and did in fact get baptized, who repeatedly would smoke cigarettes and pot. Some were as young as 8! The parents' consciences were extremely strict. The elder's conscience were the same. For a couple of years, we literally had a JC meeting almost every week......BTW, I was on every JC because there were only 3 elders. The city had 3 congregations who were often shorthanded. I was often asked to sit on those JCs too.
Judicial Committee Preparation
by Marvin Shilmer 157 Replies latest jw friends
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Marvin Shilmer
Rebel8
To clarify, by “successful” I mean the WTS settled lawsuits by paying cash prior to a court actually hearing cases where individual’s had indeed suffered character assassination as a result of actions by judicial committees. Most of the time this involved badly handled announcements of a disfellowshipping, such as informing the congregation of the actual “sin” leading to the disfellowshipping action.
The only reason I know the WTS has been successfully sued for character assassination is because of my personal exchanges over the years with two Bethel attorneys, one of which left Bethel years ago. Off hand I do not know any online resources disclosing specific cases and accompanying facts. However, the WTS has been quite open at Kingdom Ministry Schools for elders in reminding elders that if they mishandle judicial cases by not following WTS policy that it could easily form vulnerability for successful lawsuits.
Furthermore, the WTS has all but admitted this fact in letters to bodies of elders in the United States. (See BOE letter dated July 1, 1989)
Marvin Shilmer
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Old Goat
The only reason I know the WTS has been successfully sued for character assassination is because of my personal exchanges over the years with two Bethel attorneys, one of which left Bethel years ago.
The only successful suit against the Watchtower Society of which I am aware was that by Olin Moyle. Russell adopted the public "church session" approach to sins. When sins became a congregational issue, the resultant meetings were very public and sometimes very divisive. Russell wrung his hands over the result, but the procedure wasn't changed. The entire congregation was involved.
When Moyle left, because he was so prominent, the matter was made very public. He was scolded in The Watchtower and publicly disfellowshipped at a National Convention. The resolution disfellowshipping him was printed and circulated to congregations. He sued. Those involved in publicly humiliating him lost. There are other examples of public disfellowshippings and public trials. Key would be the 1937 trial of the Canadian Branch Servant and the1894 disfellowshipping of prominent brothers who had personal and financial grievances against Russell. [Before you run of with that as if it were a scandal, their complaints seem to have been without merrit and they made the issue public first. It was a power grab.] There were also mass disfellowshippings in West Africa, done at a convention in, as I recall, 1949.
The Moyle libel suit was one of the events that moved the Watchtower Society into a less public approach. By the early 1950's a private trial before the Service Committee was established, and this process was additionally refined in 1957. There was mass confusion, but the process stayed in place.
I understand, but have never seen documentation, that there was an out of court settlement sometime in the early 1980's. This resulted in dropping the phrase, "for conduct unbecoming a Christian." Settlement or not, the Society saw the continued use of the phrase as a liability.
Changes to the procedure haven't been driven by concern for meeting a Biblical standard, though the Society did not totally lack that motive. Changes were driven by legal realities. Those who want a public hearing will never get it within the congregation. Don't expect it. The issue isn't Biblical, but legal. That's why I said earlier that a Committee Meeting is not the best forum in which to present your grievances.
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Old Goat
I should edit before I post. I'm sorry for the misspellings! I repent!
I see I have a theological question in my forum in-box. I don't want to discuss Theology at this time, but thanks for your concern and question.
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toreador
Hey Old Goat,
You can edit your post for a while after you post. I dont know exactly how long but at least an hr I think.
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hillary_step
Old Goat,
If one wishes to leave, why make an issue out of the Judicial process.
Perhaps the reason why one would want to endure a JC and live to tell the tale is to be able to avoid the procedure of disfellowshipping, which would have obvious dramatic and traumatic effects on ones family, working, and philial life.
When presented with the threat that a person might publicize, either through legal channels or by other means what might take place during their JC the WTS has been know to instruct its elders to back off and leave well alone. As I have noted, this has happened twice to me when I was serving as an elder, and has happened to many people that I personally know.
Marvin is correct in stating that the WTS has been known, at least where child abuse cases are concerned, to settle out of court, thus avoiding bad publicity. Bad publicity is the WTS achilles heel. They will bend many of their own principles to avoid it - it has become a much slicker beast since the Moyle days.
Best regards - HS
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hillary_step
Minimus,
How long were you an elder? Do you realize just how unlikely your claims are? Work it out!
HS
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JWFreak
Minimus 100 JC's
That is the biggest load of crap I have seen on this board. -
minimus
I was recommended as an elder in the late 70's when I was 22. At 24, I became an elder. Before that, I actually was on 2 JCs, as a MS. At that time, if a congregation was shorthanded with elders, "qualified" MS's could be used on JCs. From Jan 1980 to 2002?-, I was an elder, with a little hiatus of elder service when I left my original congregation and moved elsewhere outside of the territory. At this time I was PO, the congregation was being dissolved and instead of 2 English speaking congrgations and 1 Spanish, there were now only 2 congregations. Regarding the number of JC cases---NOT just meetings---I sat in over 100. And in most, I was the chairman. In my last few years as an elder, I started to come to terms with how horrible the entire system is, how much I realized that I was no better than any other "sinner" and the need to get out. Now, whether or not you believe me or not, I really don't care but the truth is I'm ashamed of my past as an elder and that is why when I went to my new Hall, I tried to be the most approachable elder in the Hall. When JWs needed encouragment or felt the need to "confess" something, I generally got the call. At the end, I HATED being an elder, a Witness. And now I'm here----for your pleasure as part of proof that I'm still trying to show "fruits befitting repentance".
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lawrence
Minimus-
Why answer to these jerks? You did the time. You did the activities. You feel crummy about it all. And moreso, these bastards are questioning your word, integrity, activities. You fools, go back to the borg, you left your comfort zone with the other mean Pharisees.