Welcome Oracle.
I posted a new topic so I could expand on some comments without hijacking the hugging 5thgeneration thread.
My take on point 1: blood transfusions. Personally, I still would not accept blood transfusions, but not because of some Borg Mind Control. One thing the Dubs have done for medical science is force the doctors to think outside of the box and find alternatives for the transfusions. BUT...I believe it should be each individuals personal choice to take or not take any medical treatment, not a bunch of fools in the Ivory WTower.
Points 2 and 4 together: You likely have, as have I, served on multiple JCs. I have to think a little harder to remember all of them now, but in 5 years I am certain I served on a dozen, maybe a couple of dozen. By Borg standards, most of them deserved it. By standards of human decency, maybe only 1 or 2. I feel awful about some that I had to D/F. How judgemental. Yet, as elders and fellow elders, we cannot beat ourselves up because we did what we believed to be right at the time....too bad it was based on faulty Borg reasoning. One of my last classes in college recently was psychology. I did a paper/presentation on depression and suicide. I often wonder how many JWs committed suicide after being D/F or involuntarily D/A'd because we as elders essentially yanked the rug out from their entire social support structure? If I found out that happened to someone I was responsible for on my watch, I dont know if I could handle that emotionally.
Point 3: This point pi88es me off! Child molesters! I would like to post what I want done to these &&$*KERS, but I am sure that post would be deleted. unless I posted on the private board. ...I know of one brother (not an elder/ms) who constantly has a certain little 5 year old girl sit on his lap or gives her candy or takes her into the lobby during the meeting...not all the other kids,,,,mostly her. I know that he has been involved in someone not his wife....getting her drunk (she is an alcoholic and he knows it), then touching her breasts, kissing her, etc...yet denies it...never getting caught, protected by his buddy on the BOE. This brother got fired from work for downloading porn...no "proof" of course. Don't ya ever get that gut feeling about someone? But I would never make a horrid accusation and ruin him unless I was absolutely certain. But I certainly was not going to ignore the unhealthy fascination he has with little girls and big girls alike. Before I left that congo, I spoke to the young father of the little 5 yr old girl (the father is a MS) and told him to have his daughter sit with him. Since I had no proof of anything officially, I had to couch it in terms of "setting a good example" as a parent having her next to he and his wife. This happened...thank goodness Then the brother moved on to another little 6 year old girl who only has her mother there. I spoke to that mother as well, telling her in no uncertain terms that since she already has experience with molesters in her family, she can understand why it would be wise to have her daughter sit with her and not a strange brother. She readily agreed and I was relieved to see her daugher safely ensconced next to her mom.
Point 5: LOYALTY. I am loyal to my friends and family over the Borg any day of the week. I will not turn my back on them. As some have reminded me, they may turn their back on me if I am D/F. Those I have D/F'd as an elder, I have contacted one or two and apologized. I have emotionally supported one sister who is a recovering alcoholic, taken her calls at 3 am even though associating with her while D/F could get me D/F since I am no longer an elder. She has since been reinstated. I could not live with myself if she killed herself during an alcoholic binge because no one would take her calls. You are right that the Borg (organization if you had not figured that nickname out) is only about being loyal to itself.
As for your plan for eating away at the Tower from the inside: I admire your ambition, but the reality is that the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Jehovah's Witnesses, International Bible Students Association, Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses and all of its legal agencies are all nothing but a cult masqueading as a religion but is really nothing but a book and electronic media publishing corporation after every last dime they can squeeze out of the rank and file dubs before they themselves are forced into bankruptcy over child molestation settlements. I am sure that the GB and other higher ups are squirreling away millions offshore pending the day that the whole house of cards comes tumbling down....
.....breathe Snake....breathe........
Now...
Let's spread the good word - no one deserves to be trapped in a mind control group - there is so much that life has to offer outside the prison of "the truth".
Lets face it, as jaguarbass pointed out to me in a previous post...if we are still in..for any reason, but looking out, then we are fence straddlers. As such, we are still ourselves trapped in the prison of the "truth" as those we wish to liberate. Really the blind leading the blind. I stay in for the wrong reasons, as keith correctly also mentioned to me previously. But family and social ties are strong among the JW. It takes awhile to establish new ties while untangling and cutting the previous ties.
As for remaining an elder..if you really are, and I take at face value that you are....please dont. I was an elder and the hypocrisy ate away at me to the point that I gave the BOE a reason to pull the trigger and delete me. Nothing serious, nothing JC, just enough. If you remain an elder with your feelings about the Borg, then you are as much a hypocrite as those hypocrites you dont like. Fade out and come off as an elder, then try to assist others the best you can. You dont say if you have family in this post, and you dont say why you stay in other than your admirable but delusional wish to help others.
I wish you the best, look forward to future posts, and welcome to the board.
SnakesInTheTower (of the Fading Sheep Class)