"...Jesus loves you more than you will know...whoa, whoa, whoa..."
Mrs. Barbara Anderson, that is.
While I wholeheartedly join in with the backslapping and thundering applause being accorded the relentless and selfless efforts of Bill Bowen and his Silentlambs lobby and other men of integrity and conscience---some still, some no longer, associated with the "Christian" Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses--- in exposing the vileness and hypocrisy of certain of the WTS's policies, I am moved to hoist a separate and personal tribute to a woman who has turned out to have more integrity and character and courage and conviction than most people with whom I've ever been acquainted and, more on point, than virtually any of the generally good and decent JWs I ever knew in my 30 year association---male or female, regardless his "rank" or his/her JW "pedigree."
Unless you've ever been "Sister" Somebody-Anybody-Nobody with a fully-engaged intellect and robust self-image among JWs, you can have little approximating a sympathetic comprehension---no matter how substantial your attempt or sincere your motivation--- of the stifling, enervating misery that is/was her existence in her futile efforts to accept and measure up to Jehovah's seemingly inexplicable standards for women in the congregation which, first and most critical, is to "stay in your place" and to "display the quiet and mild spirit" of the godly woman in humble and respectful submission to "those taking the lead."
Read: Stfu.
If the bright, self-confident JW woman finds that she has succumbed to the sin of allowing place in her mind for one of those irrepressible independent thoughts, her only option---should she fail in prayerful attempt to cleanse her mind of the offending notion (even if said notion is little more than alerting Brother Shrubbery-for-Brains directing the field service group that he's reading the territory map upside down or Brother GED Graduate cum Book Study reader, after the 50th mispronunciation in a 25 word paragraph, that Jehovah is likely not the "Solvent of the Universe" - ) ---is to fashion the meekest and most non-threatening question to one of "those raking the leaves taking the lead." His response would almost invariably come in some flavor of the "never-mind-your-pretty-little-head-just-leave-important-matters-requiring-heavy-lifting (read: thinking)-to-those-appointed-by-holy-spirit."
Read: Kinder, gentler stfu.
Imagine, then, what eye-popping, jaw-dropping, teeth-rattling, bone-chilling lack of submission Barbara Anderson displays in the eyes of the average JW man or woman when she swells her physical little bit to her imposing moral stature and dares to let out a roar and shake her fist at the all-powerful, rigidly-hierarchical, dominating and abusive caste system that is the WT patriarchy.
"Please Jehovah, safeguard your loyal ones throughout your holy mountain in the day of your burning anger!"
Not only did she not mistakenly (or self-servingly) believe this to be a matter about which she must "wait on Jehovah" to right things, astonishingly, she gave herself over to the empowering epiphany to which very few JWs ever dare: that it was Jehovah who was waiting on her.
Imagine that.
"...if one knows how to do what is right and yet does not do it, it is a sin for him,"
---James 4:17, NWT
After spending years personally and confidentially appealing to individual GB members to recognize and change the WTS's grossly immoral and criminal pedophile protection policy (tm), she would not allow their refusal to do so to let her conscience off the hook. Eschewing her near-lifetime of WT domination and subjugation and indoctrination regarding the woman's "proper" role within the Christian congregation, she would not relinquish her moral responsibility with "You've done all Jehovah expects you to do, good and faithful slave; you must now wait on him." As none of the many, many men---Bethel and congregation elders--- who had long known of the wicked, self-serving molestation [accusation] policy(ies) being dictated from atop "Mount Zion" itself had apparently answered when Jehovah "called" to them (for you with faith in such, of course), Barb concluded: If not her, who? If not now, when?
["Lord], here I am! Send me, [a woman]." ---Isaiah 6:8
Arguably Jehovah has one helluvan ironic sense of humor.
At which point she took a deep breath and set her mind to her "assignment." And, as a result of her faithfulness, among her other rewards was the discovery that there are, lo and behold, others like her, willing to speak truth to power---whatever its cost.
So, this tribute is to take absolutely nothing from you, Bill, or any of you precious few other courageous and good men, but, for Barb to do what she has done, well, only Sister Somebody-Anybody-Nobody can truly appreciate the sentiment:
"God bless you, please, Mrs. Anderson...heaven holds a place for those who pray...,
hey hey, hey..."
AMNESIAN
(@#$%$#@-*&^% formatting!)
Edited by - AMNESIAN on 30 July 2002 17:57:33