The following is a true story - with proper names removed.
I offer it as instructive of why the organization is
in its present state of decay.
Once upon a time, there was a Bethelite named Brother K.
He quickly established a reputation for being judgemental
and extreme - no small feat among JW's and Bethel at that!
In his mind, no one was ever good enough and even many
of the brothers at headquarters were clearly damned to
perdition.
After some years there, being a pain in the a$$, he
'reached out' and got appointed as a circuit overseer.
- And then the fun really began!
You see, Brother K. just emanated extreme ideas.
In every talk to the congregation, he had the goal
of making at least one sister burst into tears with his
morbidly negative examples of Witnesses who were dying
of cancer dragging themselves to one last door in field
service, paralyzed victims of persecution, and other
heartrending stories of agony in pursuit of martyrdom.
He delivered tirades against football, hunting, and
fishing - if you had to kill an animal, it must be without
any happiness in doing so. He criticized auxiliary
pioneering - because it allowed people to avoid regular
pioneering!
And he removed elders - lots of them. He seemed to
favor old timers - in giving them the boot. Somebody
said 80 in one circuit were removed. Congregations were
left decimated and often, leaderless. Pioneers and
publishers were depressed by every visit - in which
they were told they were never 'good enough'. A very
few actually LIKED Brother K's negative tirades -
new publishers who had a background with hell-fire
sermons in the churches!
This went on for years as he left a trail of wreckage
behind in a New England circuit. He, even criticized
the D.O. (his superior?) as not zealous enough - and
seemed to taunt a congregation audience with the
thought that they were GLAD to see him leave!
He finally started disfellowshipping people on
exaggerated charges - including some old timers who,
otherwise kept their mouths shut. It got so bad ,
FINALLY AFTER YEARS OF SUFFERING, the Society appointed
a special committee that reversed just about everything he
did - and later removed him. In announcements to
congregations, the committee actually told publishers
that they were NOT TO QUESTION WHAT HAPPENED - as df'd
people and elders were returned to previous standings.
Why did this go on for years?
Why didn't anybody say anything? Why was he ever
appointed? Why didn't brothers in pioneer school
(he taught) take him aside and correct him? Why did the
D.O. do nothing - even after a kind of insubordination?
Where were the elders who were supposed to protect
the flock? The whole thing amazed me as an outsider.
It was all too typical of what's eating away at the
heart of this 'Theocracy' - they love to obey rules
- but have no conscience outside of what the organization
demands. You do what the leaders say and keep your mouth
shut. Eventually, even a gangrenous limb may slough off,
without treatment - I guess that's their model of
spiritual efficiency.
So, in the present crisis, as the Watchtower continues
in its blood policy, killing innocent people for
a fraudulent doctrine - I can only say, I'm not
surprized. Been there, seen that. The guys in charge
just cooperate without question or conscience.
Maybe, just maybe a few brave men still breathe air
at Bethel.......
metatron