Publisher's Record Cards (page 3)

road to nowhere

How can I check up on a remarriage mate? ( not yet) Sure cant make a decision based on mutual attraction and filling needs for each

Faded4good

I received two handwritten letters with literature from an elder in my old hall that I do not know.

I'm not worried about elders from my old congregation in Florida contacting me because not only is it likely that they don't know me, more importantly I am certain that they don't have a current mailing address or phone number for me. There is no way that they know where I am, it's just that I was a little worried that they would pull my old cards out of the inactive file, attempt to contact me, then realize that the address and phone numbers that they have for me are old and outdated. At that point they might find my letter of introduction, see the hall that I originally came from (let's just say somewhere in the northeastern US) and send my cards back there just to get rid of an inactive file. My mom and my other active family members are still in that same congregation where I grew up, so if my file got sent back there I might have a problem with my mom and other active family. All of that said I'm less worried now after having read everyone's responses to my original post.

Harry

If you have been inactive as in not attending meetings for 17 years, I would think your mother and other family members would know that by now.

Inactive doesn't mean DFed, so if you were not officially DFed, you shouldn't have a problem.

Verbally speak up against the organization /faith and you should expect a problem.

Faded4good

If you have been inactive as in not attending meetings for 17 years, I would think your mother and other family members would know that by now.

You are correct in that I'm not d'fed, but I think that allows my mom to play dumb as to my status as a dub and I wouldn't want to disrupt that. On the other hand due to your response and others here I am less worried now.

Thank You.

under the radar

Contrary to what some seem to think, simply not being disfellowshipped or disassociated is no guarantee you won't be shunned by family and former friends.

I am neither DF nor DA, have not been a "practicer of sin" for several years, nor doing anything else that a normal person would object to. It's true that all my past sins have not been "handled" by the congregation, but that was because they themselves decided not to pursue them because I had moved far away to a place where I was not known to have ever been a JW and did not present myself as one. A cynical person might think another reason may be that I know where quite a few "skeletons" are buried and they didn't want to start something that might end badly for the congregation and its reputation.

Even though there is no real reason to do so now, some relatives have told me they must severely limit association because even a simple conversation with me "undermines [their] faith." They consider me "too smart for [my] own good." I ask questions using simple logic that they simply cannot answer and do not wish to think about. I have the dreaded "bad attitude."

Faded4good

I ask questions using simple logic that they simply cannot answer and do not wish to think about. I have the dreaded "bad attitude."

What concerns me is this: Sometimes I think my mom stays in just because leaving would destroy her social life, other times I think she is a true believer who is afraid of hearing things from me that she "does not wish to think about."

peacefulpete

I went through the files as a PO missionary and tossed a few dozen publishers cards in the can. The local branch had contests pitting congregations to see who could appoint the most new publishers. I couldn't see the point of announcements as these people had never made anything close to a conversion to the religion. Those days and those in Bethel eroded any façade of providence.

Faded4good

...tossed a few dozen publishers cards in the can

For a congregation secretary and the other elders isn't it to their advantage to get rid of some of the old cards of inactive people so when the circuit overseer comes around it appears that the congregation has a higher percentage of active witnesses?

peacefulpete

I thought so. The CO (also missionary) pretty much did his own thing, never even met with me beyond a 20 minute pep talk. This was an extraordinary case mind you. There was complete disfunction across the country. I just fudged the books for a fresh start. No one cared about stuff like that.

Faded4good

This was an extraordinary case mind you. There was complete dysfunction across the country.

It seems clear to me that you were located somewhere other than the U.S. in which case the situation would have been a little different than my old cong down in Florida. That said, I'm beginning to get a picture of how elders look at old publisher record cards of people who they don't remember and likely never met because those dubs disappeared long ago.

Maybe I'm wrong by I can imagine a scenario something like this: The secretary pulls an old card out of the box for brother John Doe. The card is from August of 2011. The secretary says to the other elders "does anyone remember brother John or anyone else in the Doe family" they look around at each other and they all say "no." Later on or maybe the next day the secretary quietly disposes of that card and a few others. A week or two later the when C.O. comes around there are fewer uncomfortable questions for the elders to answer.

Publisher's Record Cards

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