Does anyone know if you can request your original reinstatement letters back from the congregation.... mine contained too many specifics & personal information that I prefer for no one to know & have access to 2 elders of that committee are no longer there, I've been reinstated 4 yrs & had been DF'd for 3 years & i had wrote 3 letters until finally was acepted by 3rd one,..... has anyone attempted to get them back? Or can you?... what happens to them?... since TTAT I don't feel comfortable for anyone to know deeply private things I wrote in those lettrrs... helpp!!
KH reinstatement letters filed
by Olivia Wilde 9 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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sir82
You can request anything you like.
You'll never get them back, of course, they are "confidential", *
* "confidential" in the JW sense, which means, that no one will no about it except every elder, every elder's wife, all their kids, the wives' hairdressers, the elders' golfing buddies, etc. No more than 40 or 60 people, tops.
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John Aquila
what happens to them?.
When I was an elder, one copy goes to the WT Headquarters, one copy is kept by the secretary and filed. All elders have access to the letter and many times if you move to another kingdom Hall, some elders will tell the other elders the specifics of what you did to get disfellowshipped. It's true what Sir82 said, elders don't keep anything confidential. Many swap stories between congregations, others tell the families and friends what the person did, especially sexual acts, and if they get removed as elders or or step down, they are not bound to keep things confidential.They can tell whoever they want.
They will not give you the letter or any copies, those are WT property.
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stuckinarut2
Olivia, check out the lengths JWFacts (Paul Grundy) went to in order to get his files back....
(on his website jwfacts.com)
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LisaRose
I would just let it go. There is no way you are getting your letters back, trying to get them will just use up your energy and attention and in the end gain you nothing. Anybody who could look at them already has. Unless you live in a small town you will probably never see those people again, so who cares what they think? As they say, living well is the best revenge, go live a fantastic life and feel sorry for those people still stuck in the cult, reading about your minor indiscretions is probably the only thrill they will ever get. -
LongHairGal
Olivia Wilde:
All the posters have told you the truth. There is no confidentiality in the Jehovahs Witness religion. I, myself, heard gossip about people that should never have been told. I was never in a judicial committee but was told about the intrusive, prurient questions asked by these uneducated men.
I hope anybody lurking here takes this to heart.
At least in the church when a person tells a priest something in confession, they have an expectation of privacy. They are behind a curtain, so they are not really seen. Also, a priest is generally a priest for life. If he gossips it is to another priest.
Now...contrast that to what goes on in the JW religion like what the poster Sir82 said. He wasn't just joking. That is pretty much what goes on there! Elders are untrained and it isn't even like an attorney or doctor where there are legal implications if they open their mouth.
What happens if they are removed or step down? What happens to all the confidential things they have been told? Everybody is at the mercy of their discretion...and this is assuming they even have any. This does not inspire confidence.
So, as Lisa Rose said, just live your life and be happy and forget about these people. Who knows? Maybe your digging will only get more people to see what you would like to stay private.
And living well IS the best revenge.
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DesirousOfChange
Actually, unless things have changed in the past few years, nothing goes to WT HQ Service Dept except a 4x8 card that says you have been reinstated. They've always tried to make the Congs look autonomous and that the local elders were making the decision. Your detailed letters should go in a "sealed" envelope with the notes from your meeting when you were DFd and it should only be in the locked Cong file cabinet. The envelope should have never been opened until you requested to be reinstated.
Once reinstated, the instructions (in the past) were that the "confidential envelope" would be kept for 5 years after your restrictions given at your reinstatement are all removed and you are a Pub in good standing again.
Do the poorly educated, "dumber than a rock" Cong Secretaries and Elders (in general) know or remember and follow all these rules? F**k no. When I became Cong Sect the files were a clusterf**k with files that should have been destroyed years before. Too much information (such as what the sin was) was written on the outside of the sealed envelope. (Confidential? Duh?) Many were not sealed, so any elder with a key to the file box (usually Service Committee elders) could have snooped at their leisure.
As stated, most elders were as gossipy as their wives. Or worse. It is such a "head trip" for many of these men who get no affirmation or recognition anywhere else in life, to be the big shot and feel empowered to know all the "dirt" on everyone in the Cong. And yes, many sit around drinking a few beers/drinks with other elders and "brag" about the Committee they were on where "this" and "that" happened. Of course, they might never share your name, but if it's the average KHall with 80 publishers, and you're the one recently DFd, it's likely no name needed to be mentioned.
As suggested by LisaRose, stirring the shit over this will probably just make the elders that do not know the details curious enough to snoop.
I would NEVER recommend that anyone share any private info with the elders. Most only serve for a few years. Most couldn't keep anything confidential if their life depended on it. It wouldn't be as titillating and fun. For certain they have no other excitement in life.
Doc
The greatest revenge is living a happy & successful life!
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karter
As the Elders are not bound by "Ecclesiastical privilege" what ever you tell them is open for them to tell whoever they like..IE their wife's,mates ect.
It depends on what country you are in,were i live anyone can ask any company,bank,church ect for any information they have on them to be turned over to them within 28 days.
Karter.
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DesirousOfChange
As the Elders are not bound by "Ecclesiastical privilege" what ever you tell them is open for them to tell whoever they like..IE their wife's,mates ect.
The WTS tells Elders that they are bound by Ecclesiastical Privilege. Elders are supposed to maintain strict confidentiality about matters in a Judicial Committee. But, a few pints of beer and they can start bragging with their buddys.
It depends on what country you are in,were i live anyone can ask any company,bank,church ect for any information they have on them to be turned over to them within 28 days.
That only pertains to the UK or perhaps European Union, but certainly NOT the USA.
Doc
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Olivia Wilde
Awww I guess after reading jwfacts my chances are slim....i feel very awkward pple haVing access to it...
Sir82...john aquila.., soo funny what u said but very true