Update on my JC situation

by drew sagan 62 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  drew sagan

  Yeah zack, that's a classic!
• 

  stevenyc

  drew, this meeting is a done deal. It doesn't matter what material you take with you, as soon as you put them on the defensive regarding mommy, the chairman will ask you if you accept that the FDS is Gods directed org, and then your out of you ass.
  
  I have a question, Do you care if you're DF'd?
  
  steve
• 

  bluesbreaker59

  Just take the DF'ing like a man or DA if you're proud of it, then kindly tell them IN WRITING to leave you alone that you want no contact, no phone calls, etc.

  Sorry, but otherwise, you'll be bugged like this periodically for a long time, maybe even the rest of your life, and you'll constantly be looking over your shoulder.
• 

  Marvin Shilmer

  Drew,

  When and if you attend this event, and if you want to push back according to Watchtower rules, then I have a few suggestions.

  1. Insist on taking extremely meticulous notes, on pen and paper of course since Watchtower rules disallows recording devices. Write down every question asked, word for word, including who asked. Write down every response, word for word. Read your notes out loud and ask if your note is correct. If witnesses are called, again write down everything said, word for word if possible. Ask questions of these witnesses, after writing down your question first. Write down their response. Read it back to them and ask if your note is correct.

  If you are troubled by the elders at the tediousness of your written record simply ask if the rules bar this. If they state that YOU taking notes is disallowed under Watchtower rules than ask for the source of this information, and that it is clarified before continuing. (Officially the Watchtower bans recording devices, and it bans WITNESSES from taking notes, but it does not ban judicial committee members from taking notes and neither does it ban the defendant from taking notes, regardless of how meticulous) If the elders refuse to go forward with the hearing in your presence because of you taking notes, then make this part of your notes before you are forced to leave the room. Again, you should begin taking notes as soon as you step into the room, of each word. Take your time. Make a job of it. If anyone gives you grief over it, put it in the notes.

  2. Any question you are uncomfortable answering on the spot, after taking the time to write the question down in your notes (along with everything else), respond by informing the elders you will provide an answer to that particular question in writing within a few days. If they inquire why not just answer then and there then, again after writing down this question verbatim, respond by stating you would rather respond in writing to make sure your answer is documented and, hence, less apt to be misunderstood and/or misrepresented later on. Also volunteer that should your written response need clarification you will offer it at that time.

  3. If the elders request that you share you notes with them, volunteer that you will share your notes with them when and if they share all their notes and documents with you.

  This is my short list of recommendations for anyone choosing to submit to a Watchtower tribunal. If you can afford it, I also recommend retaining an attorney or paralegal to sit outside the judicial hearing room that you can immediately turn over copies of your notes to after the meeting. This will help add value to the document, should it become necessary later on. It will also make the elders crap in their britches.

  Marvin Shilmer
• 

  AlanF

  : It will also make the elders crap in their britches.

  Marvin, you are an evil woman.

  AlanF
• 

  Marvin Shilmer

  Alanf,

  Well, one lady to another, I'll take that as a compliment.

  Marvin Shilmer
• 

  drew sagan

  Excellent points Marvin!
  
  I agree with Alan F, this will really intimidate them.
  
  -Drew
• 

  minimus

  All you guys (or gals) are doing is delaying the process a bit. It sounds clever and totally irritatingly distracting but they could easily reason that you are not going to respond to their questions, right then and there so you are being uncooperative (in their opinion). Let's say they let you write Q&As all night long, then what?? I'll tellya what.

  Then they're going to sink their teeth in you. You can't win when the deck is stacked against you. The ONLY way these elder's tactics could stop is by there being a legal precedent showing they CANNOT do what they do. We know there's nothing that legally prevents them from practicing their religion in the way they do.Otherwise, a new policy would occur. (Although their saying that YOU disassociate yourself by YOUR actions is clever bullshit).
• 

  drew sagan

  Then they're going to sink their teeth in you

  I'm dead meat minimus, we all know that! Even if I make concessions that I will take back my YMCA membership they still are going to tear me up. All that is left is to keep it cool, composed, not giving in to them one bit and letting them attack. It all will be on the record for the in laws to consider.
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  You can promise not to share your notes with JW's but violate that promise if you are DF'ed.
  You made the promise as a JW, assuming this was a fair judicial procedure.
  Since it was an invalid procedure, any promise you made was invalid.

  Minimus doesn't get the point. You clearly stated why you are going and how you want to
  use the information from your JC. I like Marvin's note-taking strategy. I have never had
  victims of these meetings ask to TAKE notes. They never asked to see our notes, but we
  would never show them to the person, anyway. Ask if you can bring a laptop and the
  WT-Library CD-ROM. They will never allow it, so use that as a reason you can't provide
  an answer to some question until later. Give them some hard quotes or questions that
  they can't answer on the spot either.