I had a chance last weekend to talk with an elder I used to serve with. A very kind hearted and understanding elder, always showing sympathy and concern for others, looking out for the little guy, the downtrodden and oppressed, even willing to stand up to uncaring company-men CO's
He was PO way back then and became the COBE in the new re-0rg, until, that is, the GB came out with the age limit. He's mid-80's today, but still sharp as ever mentally if but slower physically, and still a member of the local BOE.
I'd noticed some of his comments had been a bit off from the jw-mindset, and more encouraging of Christian qualities, less 0rganizational.
This chance to talk with him I decided to sound him out a bit to see to what extent he might be awakened.
We spoke for a while, he was obviously very careful and thoughtful in how he expressed things. One phrase that hit me with sudden realization is that he feels he now "doesn't have all the pieces of the puzzle". Meaning he was so sure in years before, and that everything made sense to him, but now the picture is missing a lot of pieces, pieces in the puzzle. It turns out he'd written a fourteen page letter some time ago to HQ regarding child molestation and organizational policies regarding pedophilia cases.
The HQ sicced the CO on him but not for calling into question how to handle these cases locally, but for involving the WT in the inter-congregational mess a pioneer ex-bethelite ("his own grandson"), who'd been DF'ed for sexually abusing his much younger cousin, who was then reinstated, and who now had been appointed as an MS in another congregation had brought about when the victim's father, an elder himself, had raised objections on the appointment and ended up "stepping-down".
Whatever connections this MS has at Bethel, they were strong enough to make all the guidelines and rules about not appointing offenders be overlooked, this former COBE was bowled-over, shocked that HQ would go along with this. The offending guy is now giving public talks in congregations in another circuit. He and his new wife get to travel to Panama to "help out" in the preaching work during their warm vacations from wintry New England, and even attend International Conventions.
There's a jewelry/diamond business in that family with NY connections. Does this have anything to do with the 0rganizational shenanigans that went on and that this COBE took objection with? At that, his only response was to assert that he feels he now is missing some pieces of the puzzle.