Steve Gordon – A Dark Tale
Newly baptized JW Steve Gordon has just dried off and changed back into his cheap Watchtower suit. He sits down in the hot stadium heat and rubs his smooth, shaven face and closely cropped hair. He has twinges of nostalgia of the time before he had to shave his neatly trimmed moustache and short ponytail he sported for nearly 20 years. His Presiding Overseer told him as his baptism neared, “You don’t want to ‘stand out in the world.’”
His mind reflected back on when he started to study and attend meetings. His wife was furious and begged him to “stop getting involved with that crazy religion.” She said she did not want to have their children give up cherished holidays and celebrations and be teased and bullied at school during their precious formative years because of “that stupid religion.”.
He loved his wife and children, but his Presiding Overseer told him he must love Jehovah even more. He was told Jehovah would slaughter his wife and children if they did not also become Jehovah’s Witnesses. Steve told his wife this. She gathered up their children and left him. He prayed to Jehovah for her to come back every day for weeks. She divorced him.
When he was studying the 100 plus questions on the exam he needed to pass to become baptized, the elder body called him into their private courtroom at the Kingdom Hall and told him he had to quit his job at the factory where he worked. The factory had a military contract with the Government. Steve had worked at the factory since High School and had been promoted to management. “We must be no part of the world’s war-making industry”, the elder stated, “and be spotless in our conduct as true Christians.” Steve’s Company made communication devices used by the military, but they were also sold to and used by private industry, too. Even so, Jehovah was watching Steve. Jehovah was judging Steve. Always and in all places, Jehovah was watching.
Steve had a difficult time finding a new job. A Brother in his Congregation gave him a job cleaning toilets for minimum wage. Two months later, Steve hadn’t been paid a thing for his work, although the Brother promised he would pay him “something soon.”
His wife had a restraining order issued against him and the Court had ordered only two half-day supervised visits a month for his children. The Court agreed with Mrs. Gordon: the Jehovah’s Witness religion was unhealthy for kids.
During one of Steve’s home Bible studies, an elder went over to his large music collection and started removing albums from it: Rolling Stones, Beatles, Classic Rock, and Michael Jackson, among others. Steve was told such music was unacceptable for true Christians and he had to destroy those albums.
Without permission, another elder walked over to Steve’s computer and read through the Browser’s History folder. “I’m just making sure you are not looking at pornography or apostate literature”, the elder casually and unapologetically remarked.
Steve’s mind snapped back to the present as the summer Assembly convened and the 20 thousand or so attendees quieted down. The speaker welcomed the 6 newly-baptized Witnesses: Besides Steve, there was a woman of about his age who had spent years being treated for depression. The other 4 newly baptized members appeared to be from 8 to 12 years old.
“Welcome new Brothers and Sisters!” the speaker boomed. “Today is the most important day of your life. You have shed the world from your life and dedicated yourselves to Jehovah God in association with his spirit-directed Organization. You have surrendered your will and your life to the serving of God as revealed through the Faithful and Discrete Slave which is represented by the Organization’s Governing Body.
“If the Organization says ‘Jump’, you ask ‘How high’? If you have problems, you pray. If your prayers are not answered, you are not doing enough. Remember, you can never do enough to please Jehovah.
“You must always listen to the admonitions from your elders who are appointed by the holy spirit and are responsible for keeping the organization clean. If you suspect someone of wrongdoing, even a close relative, tell the elders. The elders are there to “help” the offenders.
“When you have questions turn to our publications. If you don’t like the answer, then turn to other of our publications for a different answer. If you don’t like any of the answers, don’t grumble. We don’t like grumblers and if we don’t like grumblers, Jehovah doesn’t like grumblers.
“You may find an “adjustment” in our doctrines in the future that you won’t like. You may not like it when the Organization tells you what to think, what not to think, what to wear, what not to wear, what to read, what not to read, what entertainment is acceptable, what to say, what not to say, what kinds of jobs you should have, what kinds of jobs you can't have, what friends you can and cannot have, who you can marry, where you can marry, when you can marry, whether or not you should have children, what to teach your children, how to raise your children, where you can have your own funeral, who you may speak with and may not speak with, and what kinds of sex you may and may not have with your spouse.
“We do not tell you these things. Jehovah tells you these things through our publications and from the podium. Do not let Jehovah down, newly baptized Brothers and Sisters. If you do you will surely regret it for all of eternity.
“Once again, congratulations, new Brothers and Sisters! You are now in safe association with the happiest people on earth, always feasting on rich spiritual food and truly living in a spiritual paradise here on earth!”
Steve Gordon wondered why he felt so sad. “There must be something I am doing wrong,” he thought.
Farkel