Hi Thirdson,
Thank you for bringing up this issue and providing me with a context to write out something that will always and forever WEIRD ME OUT.
There are many cummulative reasons why I bolted from the "trooth", but the thing that made the scales fall from my eyes is the following: I'll try to be brief!
A. Power Pioneer sister (credentials exemplary in every way) has a very special "gift" for me. It turns out to be a WT/Awake renewal slip; the kind that used to require a personal visit to the recipient to see if they were still "potentially suseptible." It is for a young woman who has shown much interest in the past, but who struggles dearly with serious mental illnesses (bipolar disorder, OCD, sexual abuse recovery issues, etc). The "understanding" was that she was handing this "call" off to me. I was supposed to feel "honored" or something.
B. I begin to call and visit this young woman, and her interest in spiritual things increases. I understand her struggles and we become friends. I DO NOT make our friendship contingent upon the eventuality of her studying or conditional in any way. If she wanted to discuss the bible or WT materials, we would discuss it to HER heart's content, but I didn't use my sincere concern and friendship for her as a manipulative device (STUDY NOW OR I'm outta here...)
C. She decides she wants to start a formal study with the Knowledge book.
D. Power Pioneer sister (PPS) yanks study from me and flies with it. (I didn't care; those field service numbers always made me want to cringe anyway... still, the absurdity and blatant power plays registered in my mind.)
E. Study is in a "manic" phase and speeds through her study. Meetings were difficult and triggering for her; I would sit next to her and soothe her with a short explanation or just a reassuring gesture. I kept up my friendship with her, answering any "study" questions that came up if I thought it would help her. CO visits and does not like that we sit in the back and "goof off." No more sitting next to her; she was suddenly only allowed to sit next to PPS. It was also made clear to me that my "intrusions" into the study (huh?) were no longer going to be tolerated.
F. She gets baptized in a record-breaking few weeks. She was obviously not ready and getting baptized had become an issue relative to her OCD; she had intense anxiety and believed it would be relieved after her baptism. Since the overlords know freakin ZIP about mental illness or human nature or anything else other than raking another one in, they allow this to happen.
G. She finds herself unable to continue to stay at the assembly after her immersion; her state of mind is too unstable. I wholeheartedly encourage her to have her mom pick her up. She was obviously working herself up into a state which could escalate very quickly - she was going to get worse if she stayed.
H. She is vilified and criticized for leaving, and I was told something to the effect that I was a bad influence on her spiritually. My own "spirituality" is now in question.
I. She ends up in the hospital. Being a minor, she needs her mother's signature on a "blood card". Mom won't sign. New sister won't commit to doing whatever it takes to refuse blood on the hospital forms. New sister is NOT in a position to make an informed decision about what to have for lunch, much less an inflammatory conflict-laden issue such as requiring the hospital staff to allow her to die in the event of... whatever.
J. PPS is so aghast at the flagrant disobedience of Jehovah's LAW here that she proceeds to denegrate this person to anyone who will listen. The fact was that she didn't want any collateral messiness of this whole mishandled fiasco to reflect upon HERSELF. She implies (in the way that only PPS's can get away with) that there is some trouble with "demons" here.
K. No one, NO ONE, visits this new sister in the hospital (well, except me). She is really floundering now, and is heavily medicated. Her doctors have to chemically intervene with her ability to think because her efforts to articulate the bizarre events that had just transpired in the past couple of weeks are twisting her brain into a KNOT. She wants to kill herself, but cannot figure out if she's condemned by God or not.
L. She stops going to meetings. People visit her, call her at all times of morning and night, even when asked not to, and it's clear that they are not interested in discussing anything relative to HER needs; personally, I'm jaded enough at this point to conclude they are simply racking up "return visit" numbers on their... whatevers.......
M. I still keep in touch with her. She's researched the organization and is glad to be out. They still call her....... after more than l8 months......... They don't call me, though. Maybe I'm demonized?
Moral of story: Power Pioneer Sister is the mother of all things loving and wonderful, until study subject actually reveals limits and needs AFTER SHE IS BAPTISED. New sister is suddenly toast. Demonized toast, at that.
Thanks for bringing up the subject, and letting me rant.
lauralisa
