It isn't only elders who are involved in the stakeouts. A woman who was a bridesmaid at my wedding left her husband. Several of the "brothers" who followed her around were not elders or ministerial servants, just "brothers" in "good standing".
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Is WTS Behind Stalking, Espisonage and Harrassment of Ex-JWs?
by Scott77 57 Replies latest jw friends
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steve2
My apologies if I was too over-the-top in my comments about paranoia. I accept other's accounts that they have had their actions monitored - but - please consider this:
Even within "free" societies such as the USA,Britain and New Zealand, the law allows private investigators to monitor individuals very closely. Hell, how do you think some people get actual privately-obtained evidence that their spouses have been unfaithful. The point I would make is this: If JWs snooping behavior is within a country's laws, that's between them and their conscience. If, however, you have evidence - and not suspicions - that the JW snoopers have crossed the line between lawful and criminal, go to the authorities and report it, instead of the futile belly-aching on this forum. Take action - or, upon reflection, do you realise that the so-called stalking was not exactly illegal?
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villabolo
"the law allows private investigators to monitor individuals very closely"
steve2, private investigators have to be licensed.
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sammielee24
Balance this juvenile allegation with the often-reported lack of contact from the elders
I wouldn't say it's exactly juvenile - it does happen, just like Elder revenge does happen - just like in my family, Elders who disfellowship for bad association or circumstantial fornication but who themselves, have lunch every day with a woman other than their wife. It happens and maybe more than active JW's like to believe.
On the other hand we have lack of contact from the Elders which is entirely different. Once a person is disfellowshipped, they don't exist to the society or any Elder so they don't count, a mercy call on those that stray may or may not happen once a year - why not make a big deal of that one? Because most faders don't care and don't want the visit - if they called the society and lodged a complaint, then they would get a visit. sammieswife.
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steve2
"the law allows private investigators to monitor individuals very closely"
steve2, private investigators have to be licensed.
Cool; that may be the case in your country, but not mine. Then there you have it: If you have actual evidence that you are being stalked (which should have a clear definition under your law?) by JWs report it to the authorities.
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steve2
Regarding Reniaa's comment's about reading ex-JW books: Remember folks she is just expresing her opinion; I don't agree with her opinion, but the discussion is not improved by making asides about her motives in posting her opinions on this site. I think it is refreshing that even people who qestion ex-JWs feel safe enough to express themselves here. More power to a diversity of views and opinions, I say!
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mkr32208
I've seen brothers leaving to go on stakeouts before it wasn't usually the elders in my old hall it was the MS who got assigned that job. It never bothered me. The cases I saw were always deserved.
For example we had a very nice older sister who's husband left her and wouldn't give her a divorce. He had a gf but he was intentionally sneaking around (he was df'ed and had no intention to return) but he knew that as long as she couldn't prove it she couldn't divorce him or get a new man. He was doing it to just be a dick. What was she to do? We laugh and say 'it's just stupid' but to these people their rules are very serious. So she went to the elders and the elders asked my brother (then an MS and two other MS) to go and stake out the guys GF's house. They saw him get there around 10 and then leave the next day around 7. Bottom line is that she could then get a scriptural divorce and get a few years later get remarried. Is it stupid? Yes, but wasn't him refusing to allow this woman to have closure just cruel? Who was more wrong there? The guy for being a dick or the elders for following their stupid stalking and helping this woman stay in the congregation and move on with her life?
I don't agree with them staking someone out just to Df that person but in cases like this I don't have an issue with it...
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happpyexjw
Does anyone else see the hypocrisy here? Stake out someone who is "suspected" of adultery or fornication between two consenting adults, but give a "pass" to the guy who is molesting little kids.
Things that make you go hmmmm...
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avishai
No kidding, Happyxjw. All they need to see to df an adult is a car parked overnight @ a womans house, yet they need two witnesses to df a molester.
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compound complex
IN SEARCH OF CHRISTIAN FREEDOM, pages 379 ...
In the "Cradle of Democracy"
Perhaps few cases illustrate more clearly the extremes to which the zeal to spy out and deal summarily with any disagreement or disaffection can go than the events that took place in the past decade in the land of Greece, called "the cradle of democracy."
About 1986, the branch office of the Watch Tower Society, located in the Athens area, began applying intense pressure on Witnesses who gave any indication of not being in total agreement with organizational teachings and policies. The number of those disfellowshiped evidently reached more than a hundred. Others simply ceased association quietly. In an interest to maintain spirituality, some of these began to meet with others for Bible reading and discussion in private homes. This, too, was done quietly and without fanfare. The Greek branch office, however, manifested an extreme concern to seek out and take action against any doing so. This in time introduced some remarkable measures and led to a court case described in the portions of an Athens newspaper shown above. This is what happened: