These sad experiences remind me of a situation which involved me in my Boulder, Colorado congregation. One of the men (who also professed to be of the anointed) suffered from multiple sclerosis. When I first met him, the disease had a firm grip on him, but he could still walk without assistance and drive a motor vehicle. However, as the years passed, his illness progressively grew worse. All of us felt bad for him and assisted him and his family as much as we could.
Problems began when this man failed to recognize that MS meant accepting limitations on his abilities. So he insisted on auxiliary pioneering and Yours Truly had to work with him most of the time he went in the service. The elders, ministerial servants, and other men in the congregation couldn't be bothered. Since his mobility was impaired by then, this often meant he had to use a cane, and later a wheelchair when going out. Auxiliary pioneering in April created special problems due to the weather. April is the third-snowiest month of the year in Colorado, making the door-to-door work hard even for the able-bodied. So you can imagine what it was like working with someone who was physically disabled.
I was pioneering back then and working with this man meant that I was hard pressed to get my required 90 hours a month. I begged him to limit his hours and schedule his activities since I was the only one who worked with him. He refused, saying that he was going to give his very best to Jehovah. In the end I had to tell him I would no longer work with him in field service. That upset him, and he went to the elders. However, I made it clear to the elders and others that my decision was firm and would not be reversed.
Experiences like that and the ones baltar447 have shared illustrate not devotion but fanaticism. Fanaticism is one of the earmarks of a cult, and here, in the pages of The Watchtower, we see one more evidence of that. I'm glad I'm both out and free.
Quendi
