Former Elders Please Check IN

by jst2laws 44 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Amazing

  Hi Jst2laws: Count me in on your list.

  Hi Alan:

  Who of you remembers the Society's orally given instructions from about 1990 (give or take a year or so) to the effect that if secular authorities come around demanding confidential files, "they will not find them"? In other words, the Society said, in so many words, for elders to hide information from the authorities.

  I don't recall the instructon to "hide" ... but about 1990 I recall that we were no longer to keep the files in the home of the Secretary, but to move them to the Kingdom Hall, to a secure location, in a locked file. There was discussion that this would make it easier to "control" the files, making them easily accessible to the CO, and in the event of subpoena it will allow Elders time to contact the Society and delay the authorities. Nothing was suggested that the files would be kept from the Authorities.

  For example: If a police officer comes to the Secretary's home with a subpoena, he would be hard pressed to do anything by comply right away ... whereas as if he can say that the files are not there and he has to make some phone calls, it is easier to notify the Society, the other Elders, and they can all eventually be present at the Kingdom Hall where they can comply with the subpoena.
• 

  WildTurkey

  Elder for 10 years, wish i had those years back.
• 

  dannyboy

  Yep, I admit to being an ARSE [Another Recovering, yet Sensitive Ex-elder], so add me to the list.

  AF: I don't recall the verbal thing on destroying files but do recall some discussion about procedure when served with a search warrant, such as be sure you read the thing, etc.

  FWIW: Also: around 1990, in a situation I have first-hand knowledge of, relative to the strong interest of secular authorities in a specific judicial file and specific judicial committee knowledge (from testimony/confession) the Service Dept stated that they did not expect [elders who handled the case] to go to jail [for refusing to testify] to protect a wrongdoer. So the implication was that we were free to answer questions from "authorities" provided there was established wrongdoing involved. [The question of asserting ecclesiastical privelege in this particular situation was muddled by the fine print of the law in this state]

  ---Dan
• 

  belbab

  Before they were called elders they were known as congregation servants. I was a congregation servant for ten years or more, before 1970.

  belbab
• 

  happy man

  I was an elder from 1980 to 1999, and is still inn.

  fighting fore was i think is wright.

  Perhaps we now see and end to this hard men who start around 1980 and was on the topp 3 yeras ago, when the society come widh a harder look on dfd and coming back .

  A lot of libral elders have hard times, happy to go down.

  perhaps we in Sweden now se littel more soft handeling of things, but we have a bigg dropp, from 24,000 to 21000 inn a few years.

  When i go in to this site some pieses come inn ther place , so to say.

  thanks to hillary steep and Bill Bowen, Amazing.
• 

  Blueblades

  Been and still am in for 32 yrs.Served in many positions .Am former elder. BLUEBLADES.
• 

  jst2laws

  Belbab,

  You seem to go back further than anyone else, except perhaps Maximus if he was still posting. Just for the sake of comparing length of time served, did you continue at all as an elder after 72 when the new arrangement was instituted?

  Jst2laws
• 

  Dia

  jjrizo

  Lee Elder

  hillary_step

  footprints

  Athanasius

  kenpodragon

  proandcon

  bigred

  silentlambs (Hi!)

  minimus

  alfie

  qwerty (M.S.)

  FreePeace

  HoChiMin

  Dino

  thirdson

  Axelspeed

  JT

  jack2

  Amazing

  WildTurkey

  dannyboy

  belbab

  happy man

  BLUEBLADES (current?)

  And counting.....Did I miss anyone? I'm telling you, guys. There's a book in here.
• 

  Disengaged

  If MS counts, count me in

  14 years ..............could not keep my mouth shut long enough to get promoted, or get the secret hand shake.

  Disengaged

  Edited by - Disengaged on 6 October 2002 7:50:11
• 

  jst2laws

  Hey,

  I forgot to put myself down for 29 years.

  I know of a few more here who haven't responded. You don't have to but we are hoping to get more of an accurate picture.

  One emailed me so as to remain anonymous. He will stay that way. Excluding those who want to remain anonymous I will put up a list later (thanks Dia for your list, I have some to add to it).

  Jst2laws