Hey CuriousConfused,
I was still an elder when I started coming here and "waking up". I didn't have any idea what I was going to do with my life or get myself out of the cult without it becoming a disaster with family and friends. With time came ideas and opportunities. Since I was single, I couldn't go with family stuff as an excuse, but being single would mean that I didn't have to worry about getting a wife and kiddies out.
As I was pondering an exit strategy, one of the nutty elders got a bee in his bonnet about something I'd done and that I was now reprehensible. I put up a partial defense when called into the official meeting to review my qualifications. Of course, the BoE interpreted my defense as "prideful". After the kangaroo court, I was invited out of the room. Some time later I was asked to return. And with an air of superiority, they informed me that they decided to remove me as an elder. On the one hand, there was a huge sense of relief as my future plans started fitting together in my mind. On the other hand, I was angry at their hypocracy, arrogance, lack of appreciation for everything I'd done for the congregation, lack of respect for all the sacrificed I'd made for that crummy organization.
Afterward, I informed them that I needed to make amends with whoever had been "stumbled" by what I'd done. I explained to them that there was no reason for the matter to be confidential and started telling everyone what had happened. Although they talked like lots of pubs were upset with me, once I started asking around to the biggest mouths in the congregation, it became clear that much of what the elders said against me in the meeting were lies. In reality, most of the pubs didn't see anything wrong with what I'd done, but were totally pissed at the BoE for removing me for such a flimsy reason.
Nobody was really surprised after that when I stopped commenting, moved away, and stopped attending meetings.
