Hey Everyone, this is my first post.
I was contacted by the Witnesses in1965, baptized in that same year at age 15. I was appointed an elder in 1975 and served as an elder for 20 years.
It hasn’t been long since I learn ttatt and when I totally woke up. In fact, I’m not sure if I “have totally woken up” Maybe there’s more. Heck anything can happen at this point. Someone might open the door to the locker box and surprise everyone.
Locker C18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJLeBM6-AaM
I was one of those souls that was picked to give Assembly talks after a year of being appointed an elder. It caused a lot of anger among the older elders. Here they had been serving for years as elders and they had worked hard to make a name for themselves and here comes this young wiper- snapper with no experience who goes to the front of the line. Many were furious and complained to the Circuit overseer. But nothing happened and I became a regular in all the assemblies.
Now this led to special privileges. I could sit in the box with the District overseers, Circuit Overseers, Bethel speakers. So I was in the ‘in crowd’ (so to speak) and my wife was ecstatic. A young 20 year old plus girl whose husband was recognize by everyone in the city. Even the in-laws raised the white flag and waved it at me.
So all the prominent elders in the city starting to recognize me and wanted to be in my circle. So I got to know all the heavies in the circuit, the top speakers, city overseer, the assembly overseer, the elder-pioneers, former Gilead missionaries.
All these men were recognized by all the publishers
[That is, non-elder men, women and children]
As APPOINTED BY HOLY SPIRIT, and there was no other way.
OR WAS THERE?
I stepped down in 1995 after I caught an entire body of elders covering up adultery. After I told the Circuit Overseer about the cover-up, he told me to just leave it alone. That was it for me. I stepped down, went and got my GED, then attended a University to get a degree in engineering but switch majors when I realized I was too old to start a career in engineering and I realized I could make more money in the stock market if I got good at it and work at it till the day I croaked.
Well you know the story when you first learn about something. (TOTAL SHOCK) First it was the blood fractions, then 607/587. I started telling some of my close friends and my wife of almost 30 years. I couldn’t explain it that well and I kind of sounded like a fool. You know how it is, you read the stuff but you can’t explain it coherently. I was causing a stir. There was talk I was becoming an apostate, I started losing friends, and then I started losing family.
My wife was born in and once I started talking about blood fractions she just left. She was totally scared of me. She accused me of apostasy and wanted a divorce but the elders told her she had no grounds. So then she accused me of adultery and of course I said no-way and the elders stepped in and told her she had no grounds. So then she started blowing money like crazy. She started sending thousands to the Watchtower as a donation for the world- wide work. I saw a lawyer and he told me the only thing I could do legally is take it to court and try to prove her incompetent but no doubt she would hire her own lawyer and you are talking a long lengthy battle with a high sticker price.
I had built up a nice nest egg of about one million dollars. I won’t go into the elder’s part, you all know how worthless they are. But they basically said if I got an UN-scriptural divorce I would be dealt with judicially and possibly be disfellowshipped for loose conduct.
My wife threaten me that she was going to keep sending money to the WTS and I saw my accounts go down from close to a million to about 500 thousand. At this point my lawyer told me straight out, give her a divorce and take half of what’s left or wait it out and be broke in your 60s. It took me about 30 years of hard work in my business to save a million buck after taxes. It is not easy.
So I decided to tell her I touched a girl for about 3 seconds in her privates. She ran to the elders and I met with them and they said it was fornication. I was just reproved because the elders knew I had a clean record all this years. So my wife got her divorce and after lawyers’ fees I was left with about 70k and she was left with about 150k.
I couldn’t believe how in just a couple of months I went from someone who was admired by every jw in the circuit to someone who was now considered a foolish stupid man. One of my best friends who is in his 80s and has been a faithful jw since 13 years old with whom I served as an elder read this scripture to me.
(Ecclesiastes 10:1) Dead flies are what cause the oil of the ointment maker to stink, to bubble forth. [So] a little foolishness does to one who is precious for wisdom and glory.
You can imagine how I felt after reading this.
I was at a loss; my friends stayed away from me but out of respect did not turn me in. No one wanted to associate with me anymore. I called but no one answered their phone. I left messages, but no one returned the calls. Friends that I had helped financially when they were in dire straits would avoid me. And my best friend of almost 30 years left me for fear it would cost her the prize of everlasting life in a paradise earth just around the corner.
So after some time I stopped speaking and moved my publisher cards to the other side of the City and in another language congregation. The fade had begun.
In my mind I was having what seemed like hundreds of different thoughts racing through my head at the same time. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’ve check and double checked and triple check. Maybe that’s what it means to get old and start losing it. So I looked in the mirror and asked myself, “Am I losing it”
One evening I ran into a couple of old non-jw college buddies and got invited to their house. I went into uncharted territory. Yes, I went where no faithful JW had gone before. Associating with worldly people. And guess what, we had a nice time. Past midnight we ran out of beer and I volunteered to go to a store and restock. I picked a store where I knew no JWS would dare go. The so call “Mini Red District”
Well who do you think I run into? Do you remember that brother that was raised in the “truth?” You know the one that went to Bethel? The one that came back from Bethel after about 10 years and became the ‘faithful pioneer, Elder, single brother.’ The one that always kept to himself. The one that never got married. The one that always gave talks in conventions. The one that jw-girls fantasized about. That one brother in the entire circuit that could propel any young sister to the thrones in the sky.
That’s the one.
Of all the JWS in the whole city, I had to run into this leader-example-faithful- elder-pioneer-spiritual brother who had definitely been APPOINTED BY HOLY SPIRIT, Except for one minor anomaly .
He was wearing black Fishnet stockings with high heel stilettos, and a tight mini-skirt.
PLEASE, don’t picture a hot young sex symbol with a face of an angelic goddess and killer legs that could get you a stint in a 007 James Bond movie.
Instead picture a late 40s early 50 year old man, with a 6 hour shadow on his face, and the prickly hairs peeping through the stockings with a body that would force you into celibacy.
We bumped into each other head on. There was no escaping, no avoiding, no other way to retreat and get on with our lives. Before the next five minutes would pass, I would know if my life was going to turn into a living hell as I accused this man-god to a body of elders without a second witness. Or if some miracle would save me like the Red Sea parted for Moses.
We stood there looking at each other. We both knew what this meant for each of us. Finally he spoke. He said, “If you don’t make trouble for me, I won’t make trouble for you” I shook my head in agreement and we both went our way.
Now I know what you all are going to ask? So I am going to answer your question right now.
No I did not report him. Why? First of all, I was already a target. My close friends of over 40 years would not believe 607/587 even when I proved it from the Bible and from their own publications. They thought I was going crazy. They thought I had lost all common sense. I was told flat out that I had become an apostate with no common sense and no believability.
Second, this man is still in good standing. He is still pioneering. He is still giving talks in all the conventions and assemblies. He still officiates in judicial committees, and appeal committees to determine if individuals deserve to be forgiven or not. In other words,
he still RATES “JWS” to determine if they are spiritually qualified to be in
“God’s organization, the only channel for salvation to mankind, The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society”
This man is still an Elder.
And last of all, I still have loved ones in the organization including elderly parents whom I love and I don’t want to cause a stir and cause them hard-ache in their last few years.
That’s my story,
Look forward to posting from time to time and learning from you all.