IF THE ELDERS WENT AFTER YOU ,WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Vivamus

I'd turn around, look them in the eye and say to one elder in particular: "You are so wrong by the way, sex is great and it's worth it all".

Undecided

In my case it would just be words with no effect on my life so I might say a few things that would probably go right over their heads and life would go on.

Ken P.

NeonMadman

I'd sue their behinds - personally. Then I'd go after their congregation and the Society.

funkyderek

Ask for everything in writing. Threaten legal action and media exposure. You should find they'll crawl back under their rock and leave you alone.

Disengaged

NeonMadman said it all. Swut I would do. In exactly that order

Elders did come after me a few years ago. I ended up kicking them out of my house. When I received a certified letter iforming me of a Judicial Hearing being thrown in my honor, I sent them back a letter telling them where they were wrong and efusing to attend the hearing. I threatened legal action and never heard another word from them.

H****** D. G*******

*** NW 90th Street

My Town

September 25, 1999

Lewis A. W*****

**** NE l9th ct.

My Town

Mr. G*******:

I am today in receipt of your correspondence of September 24, 1999, concerning your forming a judicial committee pertaining to some unnamed allegations against me. This letter is to be considered an answer to that correspondence and will hereinafter be considered a legal document that may be used in any future proceedings pertaining to this matter, regardless of who initiates or where such proceedings may be filed. With that in mind, may I urge you to read this letter completely and carefully.

1. Your rapid and automatic forming of this judicial committee puzzles me, as various Watchtower Bible and Tract Society publications speak against forming such a committee in the manner that you have chosen to follow. There has apparently been no initial investigation of any alleged wrongdoing on my part, as alluded to by your scriptural cites, as no one has approached either me or any member of my family to discuss said allegations. I have not been approached personally by anyone claiming to be a witness to any such alleged wrongdoing on my part, as outlined within the Bible at Matt. 18:15 -17.

2. On page 145 of the publication, Organized to Accomplish Our Ministry, under the subheading of "HANDLING OTHER JUDICIAL MATTERS," appear the following words: "... regardless of the exact manner in which the elders first hear reports of serious wrongdoing on the part of a baptized member of the congregation, an initial investigation will be made. If it is established that there is substance to the report and evidence is produced showing that a serious sin actually may have been committed, the congregation body of elders will assign a judicial committee of at least three brothers to handle the matter." This has not been followed, as no investigation by any unbiased elders could have been made, concerning the scriptures you cited, Col. 3:8 and 1 Cor. 6:10, within your correspondence to me. As stated above, neither I nor any member of my family have been contacted by anyone concerning any allegations into wrongdoing on my part as outlined in the scriptures cited above.

3. In the Organized to Accomplish Our Ministry publication, on page 150, under the subheading of "DISASSOCIATION," we read the following: "... an inactive person may have failed to study God's Word regularly, or his zeal for serving Jehovah may have cooled off due to his experiencing personal problems or persecution. (1 Cor. 1 1:30; Rom. 14:1) The elders, as well as other concerned members of the congregations will continue rendering appropriate spiritual assistance to the inactive brother.

(1 Thess. 5 14; Rom. 15:1; Heb. 12:12). In the excess of five years since I first requested assistance from the elder body of Salmon Creek Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses and even other local congregations, this has not happened. In fact, the exact opposite has been repeatedly happening, culminating in your and Mr. M****** B***** visit to my home on Saturday, September 11, 1999.

4. Admonitions as outlined on pages 96 through 100 of the Pay Attention to Yourselves and to the Flock publication, apparently have not been followed and seem to have been completely bypassed in some cases concerning this matter.

5. You have failed to follow proper procedures of notification to me concerning these allegations of wrongdoing on my part or who is accusing me, as outlined on page 110 of the publication, Pay Attention to Yourselves and to the Flock. Therein, it states that the preferred method of notification is by two elders clearly stating what the charges against the accused are. To date, no one has attempted to notify me either in person or by phone, but you have chosen to send me a certified letter and not state what specific charges are against me, denying me the opportunity of formulating a proper defense.

6. Since you have chosen to not inform me of specific charges against me, I am left to surmise that these allegations are being brought by you personally, based on the outcome of our meeting in my home on September 11, l999. This fact alone should disqualify you from chairing or serving on said judicial committee. Since you wrote and signed and gave your personal phone number in the correspondence notifying me of this judicial committee, as the one to contact in case the chosen time is inconvenient, I am left believing you have chosen to chair this judicial committee against me, yourself.

7. On friday evening, September 10, 1999, Mr. M****** B**** phoned my home requesting a meeting of you and him with me on Saturday, September 11, 1999. At that time, he was informed by my wife that I was in an agitated state and under extreme emotional duress. You were both reminded of this personally by me at the outset of the meeting in my home on September 11, 1999. In spite of this fact, you set out to deliberately provoke an angry response from me, as outlined in my letter to the Governing Body of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, dated and mailed on September 11, 1999. Then, once you elicit the angry response, you apparently set out to provoke, you form a judicial committee?

As one who is supposed to be a spiritually qualified brother and a fine shepherd of the Christian Congregation, you failed to take the lead and cool things off as they became heated. In fact, your conduct directed at me personally, exacerbated the situation. Instead of issuing me the apology you owe me for your conduct against me and my headship in my home, you form a judicial committee and apparently have chosen to chair this committee yourself, without allowing an unbiased investigation into any alleged wrongdoing. I submit that you personally failed to follow scriptural admonitions found at Rom. 2:21-23; Isa. 32:2; James 1:19, and 1 Peter 2:17.

8. In light of the above, your forming a judicial committee in the manner you have and not following proper procedures on allowing the matter to be properly investigated by unbiased parties, has all the earmarks of your seeking personal vengeance against me, in conflict with the principle mentioned at Rom. 12:19. May I also take this opportunity to refer you to scriptural admonitions given at Luke 17:1,2, Mark 9:42; and Matt. 18:6, as well as Prov. 18:19.

9.Watchtower articles of February 15, 1995, A LESSON ON HOW TO HANDLE PROBLEMS, October I5, 1995, WATCH OUT FOR SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and March 15, 1996; HOW CHRISTIAN SHEPHERDS SERVE YOU , also apply and have not been followed in the excess of five years since I initially requested support and assistance from the elder body of Salmon Creek Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses.

10. As explained to both you and Mr. B**** in my home on Saturday, September 11, 1999, I will no longer tolerate any outside interference whatsoever in the managing of my home, but my wife and I will continue managing our home according to scriptural admonitions found within the Bible arid various publications printed by and distributed by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. If outside interference continues from individuals from within the Salmon Creek Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, I may be forced to seek relief in a court of law.

11. Given the above items 1 through 10, your forming a judicial committee automatically appears to be in violation of both scriptures and various publications of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. Therefore, I will not be present at this judicial hearing you have called for at 1 PM, Saturday, October 2, 1999. If you or the Presiding Overseer of Salmon Creek Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses wish to handle this matter properly and allow an unbiased investigation into these allegations, by elders without a personal ax to grind, I will gladly meet with these elders at a time convenient to them in my home. I will attend no other meetings.

Lewis A. W*****

cc. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society

Attn: Governing Body

25 Columbia Heights

Brooklyn, New York 11201-2483

Salmon Creek Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses

Attn: F**** H********, Presiding Overseer

**** NE 109th Street

My Town

.

After this, the wife chose to continue submitting to the dubs and we finally separated this past March. Now, I eagerly look forward to mid NOvember, when the divorce is scheduled to be final.

Lew W

out4good3

I could care less. Those underpaid janitors have no control over my life and the decisions I make.

I would draw it out though to show my dub relatives how corrupt thier whole organization is though. And so what if some of them never speak to me and shun me. Except for my mother-in-law, I can't really stand the rest of them anyway.

Dismembered

DakotaRed, Thanks for that letter. I'll make a file of it.

IF THE ELDERS WENT AFTER YOU ,WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

minimus

Dismembered

Vivamus

Undecided

NeonMadman

funkyderek

Disengaged

DakotaRed

out4good3

Dismembered

Share this