When as elders we DF's people for any sin, we are acting a judge with out training, we are involved in a process that is not sanctioned in scripture (judicial committe), we are forcing a set of consequences on the DF'd person that are for the most part man made.
I think this is somelthing most if not all, recognize once outside. While inside though, all JW's follow the rules and those rules are made at the top by the Governing Body as Gods channel of communication. Elders are simply the middle men responsible for carrying out the rules - some do it by the book, others are more liberal and there are some that run from making any decision on their own, instead just going along for the ride. Many elders have been on so many judicial committee's over the years, that it's doubtful they could remember all the names or know where those members are now. Let's also be realistic . Most JW's, including many family members, cut off the df'd persons so completely, that they lose touch with them pretty fast - why waste time on the unworthy is the thinking? If all JW"s were really that intent on helping those df'd people or looked at them as real people...friends..family..loved ones...then they would not be able to toss them on the trash heap. They don't act differently, therefore to me, it might be an Elder body making the decision, but if the punishment were not being carried out by the rank and file, then the discipline would mean nothing. If we expect an Elder to apologize, then every single one of us who was at one time a JW would probably have to go out and start apologizing to the masses. Every door we knocked on we pushed a message that we believed in - and a doctrine that was false - because we had to. We should apologize to all of those people.
We should apologize to every single person that we set out to save and drew into the 'truth'. By bringing them in, we quite possibly set them up for destruction in their lives..because as believers, we didn't explain the punishment and tragedy of shunning that they might be forced to endure if they even dared question what we taught them. We should apologize to every single 'worldly' person for our distrust and judgement toward them and the lack of respect we felt we did not owe them because our religion gave us superiority. The list could go on forever - we all had a job to do in the society - and we all did it.
If we scream at them for making a decision based on a JC that shouldn't exist scripturally, then we may as well scream at them for promoting doctrine and lifestyle that also doesn't exist in every single talk they gave, we may as well persecute them for all the misplaced encouragment they gave to those who pioneered, all the glory and loyalty they handed over to the society without question. I'm not an Elder of course, and to me the JC is wrong, but I don't expect nor would I desire an apology from them. It's the men at the top who continue to brainwash all those underneath - who use them to do what they refuse to do and who in the end would save their own skin and no doubt put every elder on the sacrificial block to do so. I see the elder as just doing his job - its the organization as a whole and those at the top who have benefitted the most from the work everyone else has done. For me, the apology should come from them. sammieswife.
