by bavman 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
HEY BAVMAN!! You fellow cheesehead! Didn't realize this was your Topic. I thought you were an old-timer too?? Have a good one! ~~
Naw...I was around quite awhile especially since I was a born-in but I would consider myself as more of a middle-timer I guess....I was born about the time this arrangement came into place. I heard all the stories and what the society wrote about it but I don't have any actual experience myself about the time before the "arrangement".
Thanks for all the comments!
bravman
I began to associate with JWs in 1952. The only time I remember disfellowshipping being used was in extreme circumstances. It usually involved adultery or fornication. I remember one instance where a person was disfellowshipped for denying the Watchtower. This person began to associate with one of the Bible Student groups that was considered "evil servants." As I recall the policy toward df'd individuals was about the same as today.
There was a brief time when the Society allowed association with df'd members "provided one did not talk about spiritual matters." All this changed with the disfellowshipping of the Bethelites and the "witch hunt" that followed in the early 1980s. And the cruel and unchristian policy remains to this day.
Juni
How do I trust an answer from a cat w/sunglasses???? Anyways. Was the Bible Study servant the precursor to the Field Service servant? I came in in 1970.
Juni
Yes, the Bible Study Servant was changed to Field Service Overseer in 1972 when the elder arrangement came.
Before the elder arrangement, all of the "servants" were considered Ministerial Servants. The only Overseer was the Congregation Servant.
cat with glasses--u
In those days, if you got along with the Congregation Servant, a lot of stuff was up to his discretion. Once the elders arrangement came in, RULES took over and compassion went out the window.
Oh com'on
Bavman, ... you knew that
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