How did it turn out?
Were You Ever Involved in A Judicial Committee Either As An Elder Or A "Sinner"?
by minimus 23 Replies latest jw friends
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watson
A "sthinner"?? Ohhh Minimus!
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darthfader
I was in several as an early teenager as the "defendant"... I was always guilty -- privately reproved...
As an adult I avoided anything that would get me into trouble...
cheers
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james_woods
Quite a number as an elder. I was a liberal elder - almost always voting to say the person was repentent and letting them off with private reproof.
I was involved in one which particularly bothers me to this day - it was a personal vendetta done by the local PO against a family he did not like. Of course I got outvoted and they were DFd - which probably was not really such a bad thing in retrospect.
But it still bothers me that it was so obviously personalized and unfair.
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mrquik
Both. Good as an elder. Bad as a sinner. (Then good as a sinner cause I ended up out)
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minimus
I was in literally over a 100 JC meetings over the years as an elder. I was often called on to help out in other local congregations due to a shortage of elders and we had certain elders that were always bringing someone in the "backroom" for a meeting. Our cong. had about 175 publishers in the city. The other cong. that was sharing the Hall had about 150. Between both Halls, we were involved in too many JC meetings.
I realized how ridiculous the whole process is and that no one should judge. When you're a young brash "Elder", you think you know it all and you don't know sh*t.
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punkofnice
I got both a private and a public 'reproof' as a publisher.
As an elder, no one was ever DF'd on my watch!!
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cantleave
As an elder only (i'm so very sorry).
Never got reproved by JC, although was hauled into the back room a few times for Hair style and grooming issues when younger.
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Quendi
I was involved three times. Twice I was reproved. My third time resulted in being disfellowshipped. As the "sinner", I can say it was the most unloving and humiliating experience I have ever had. The elders in each case told me they wanted to help me, but their questioning was anything but kind, helpful, or loving. They sought all kinds of salacious details about what I did and with whom. They weren't content with the fact that I approached them asking for help. I could have kept the whole matter secret and let nobody know, but I believed the lie that these men would seek to restore my spiritual health. They did nothing of the kind.
I spent five years seeking reinstatement. The judicial committee never encouraged me. Instead, they brought up trivial and irrelevant matters that had absolutely nothing to do with the original wrong. But they used those to deny me reinstatement. Slowly I began to realize that they did not want me back, or at least not back in their congregation.
There was a time when I attended meetings in another congregation miles away from the one that disfellowshipped me. My treatment there was the exact opposite. The elders noticed I entered after the opening song and always left before the closing prayer. Individually, they approached me and told me they were glad to see me at the meetings and how much they wanted to help me get reinstated. They wanted to talk to me about the steps I needed to take, but I moved away and never spoke to them again.
I went back to my old congregation where the mistreatment began anew. I realized that if two different congregations had two different ways of treating disfellowshipped people, there was no way that the organization they were part of was divinely supported or directed. I knew that I had to get out and never go back. There were other factors that contributed to my decision to forever turn my back on the WTS and all it represents, doctrinal differences being among them, but my treatment as a disfellowshipped person seeking reinstatement made a major one.
Quendi
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QuestioningEverything
I was a 'sinner'. First time, I got DF'd. Second time, Private Reproof.