Any Former Elders? (page 2)

larc

Amazing,

I hope you are out there and see this. I remember several months ago you wrote some detailed accounts of jc meetings. I can't remember the titles of the threads or I would bring them back up top.

NameWithheld

Do a seach on the title "JUSTICE" or "JUSTICE #" Amazing posted 12-15 or so pretty 'amazing' articles about some of the meetings he was part of ...

Billygoat

One resulted in a DF for adultery the other was a sister who's husband(non JW) had used a light bulb for a sex toy and it broke and she went to the hospital to remove the broken glass.

What women in her right mind would allow her husband to do this? That's just downright stupid! Can you be disfellowshipped for stupidity??? [>:(]

Andi

ItsJustMe

Thanks for the lead on the posts by Amazing. I am reviewing these.

I don't know if I still have a copy of the official letter
from the Society to all bodies of elders but basically it
says that you can't just resign - they have to allow you to
quit. The body of elders must meet and determine if they accept
your resignation. I personally went thru this and others can
verify the policy - we debated it over at the old h2o site.

They can't let go, they are almost determined to find some fault
or reason for letting you go.

metatron ( 'depression' is a good excuse for quitting anything
in this organization.)

hillary_step

Hello,

Well, I have to admit to having sat on far too many JC's, over 80 or so.

They ranged from smoking, that infant of all sins; to multiple incest child abuse, apostacy, and other litanies of personal horror.

My own feeling is that, though I fundamentally disagree with the concept of this disgraceful system, in all fairness more were helped than hurt by the system; at least on the committee's that I sat, and this is the most telling aspect of your question.

How a person is treated, and what results develop from a JC, can vary very widely, dependant on Congregation and personnel. If a person is in the company of a more progressive JC who are a little street-wise, chances are that they will treat a person with kindness and dignify them. If they are with a group of polyster-clad conservatives, then it can be a very rough, seedy, and thoroughly humiliating experience.

I sat on a committee a couple of years ago for example, when a younger elder, began to ask intimate questions, regarding orgasms had where, positions etc. I halted the meeting and sent the individual out asking the elder "What are you doing? You have no right to ask those type of questions. The person has admitted the affair, that is all we need to know". It transpired that he had been in a congregation and trained by the 'old guard', and 'these are the kind of questions that they used to ask'. I would think that most JC's have an element of the 'old guard' within them, but they are fading by degrees.

The system is flawed, and the GB know it, but feel that it is the best that can be offered at present. I know that in recent times, senior members of an overseas Branch sat at Brooklyn with the GB and presented a case for the softening of the whole process. So far little has developed from these meetings, but I have no doubt that shortly we will see a number of minor adjustments. Recently JW's have now been allowed to privately pray for DF'd persons who seem to be trying to return to the clan. Can you think of anything more ludicrous, trying to instruct individuals in what to pray for!

In the 70's I sat in a collective meeting with all the elders in an area of the UK. One elder ran past the DO a situation where he had recently sat on a JC and DF'd a women. After listening carefully, the DO said 'Brother XXXX, you should not have disfellowshipped that Sister'.

I caught him at coffee break and asked what he was going to do about it. He said the WTS could not apologise as the might be sued, an apology being construed as admitting liability. I said 'Yes, but what about this poor women?'. His reply, 'Well, if she truly loves Jah. she will not let this put her off'.

This summed up to me that the JC system, is a politically motivated weapon used entirely to control, but dressed in feathers and spice. If any good results from it, then that is an added bonus!

Putting this sort of power into the hands of generally uneducated group of people, who would amount to nothing outside the cosy confines of their spiritual camp-blocks, is a travesty of justice and a humanitarian tragedy. The GB are well aware of the suicides that have resulted from some of these JC's but do little to interfere with the system.

HS

Moxy

excellent summary as always h_s.

mox

LDH

JT I am just about peeing in my (maternity) pants, LOL.

But you are right. That is some powerful medicine, to be convinced that GOD himself appointed you.

Lisa

voltaire

itsjustme,

I was an elder for several years and sat on about a dozen committees. We had a lot of young people, so that accounts for the large number of committees. That is also probably one of the reasons I got so burned out.

You ask if the process is subjective. The answer yes, to a considerable degree. When elders have to decide if someone is repentant, that is usually very subjective. Everyone says they won't do it again. Everyone(most everyone, if they aren't sorry and say so then it isn't subjective!)feels bad. If someone sins a few times over a limited period of time, how can you know if they are "repentant"? You cant'. They can't, either.

Some have made very disparaging remarks about elders. I believe that most elders really do try to do what is right. It is very difficult, and very confusing to be an elder. I'm sure there are some very serious power trips, but I think that most of the problem is that brothers are put in to this incedible vice of "if we DF he's going to feel bad, If we leave him in and we shouldn't Jehovah will remove his blessing." What a terrible bind for a sincere but ignorant(this is my subjective value judgement, anyone that believes so strongly in a god that they can behave as witnesses do is ignorant. That included me at one time.)men with little or no qualifications.

To summarize. I don't blame the men (maybe a few, but they're exceptions) I blame the system.

JT

HS

says:

In the 70's I sat in a collective meeting with all the elders in an area of the UK. One elder ran past the DO a situation where he had recently sat on a JC and DF'd a women. After listening carefully, the DO said 'Brother XXXX, you should not have disfellowshipped that Sister'.

I caught him at coffee break and asked what he was going to do about it. He said the WTS could not apologise as the might be sued, an apology being construed as admitting liability. I said 'Yes, but what about this poor women?'. His reply, 'Well, if she truly loves Jah. she will not let this put her off'.

#################

you have summed up the problem very well- that was a question i used to ask all the time"

Should we go back an UN- DF someone if we know the case was handled wrong and the answer was ALWAYS NO

the the burden was put on the publisher"

"If they love jah they will take it as training" like david and saul

the ENTIRE SYSTEM IS THE PROBLEM

james

Any Former Elders?

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