Well, I have a few observations, Zev (great picture, btw).
First and obviously you have to believe that the bible is to be taken literally in order to use that scripture to sunder a person's life.
Secondly, and most importantly, what in that scripture is meant by "wicked?" As you are aware, "wicked" in the WTB&TS may well mean you have grown a beard, or you have worn a pants suit to the KH, or out in service, or even in our own home during a bible study being held there. Or you may have disagreed with the pet, private opinion of one of the elders, um, glorious ones, or you refuse to cut off your eighty year old mother because she just can't stop dipping that snuff, or what ever. "Wicked" is a delightfully plastic word that can be pressed into service to mean pretty much whatever the current situation calls for.
This loses sight of what Jesus said concerning what we call the Golden Rule: There is no other commandment greater than these. But the WTB&TS has made commandments of its own regarding every detail of your private life that indeed is greater than those. Jesus' message was simple and straightforward, and his example was perfectly clear: he went about doing good. From those plain rules about love, and that easily understood example, Jesus left a simple religion based on love.
The WTB&TS has formulated a religion based on myriad rules, and on fear: fear God, fear your neighbors, fear the different, fear the new, fear the world, fear anyone not toeing the line of the party propaganda. You hardly ever see the WTB&TS concerning itself about how more fully to express the love of Jesus in your daily doings. Instead we got: judge this one, mark that one, shun those others, shut out anything but lock-step thinking, fear your own thoughts and feelings, stifle your own judgement, crush your own freedom, kill your own spirit.
But hey, what's a little bastardization of intent, purpose, and meaning when you've got an important, money-making, cash cow of a cult to run? Gotta keep those sales people in line, doncha know. Can't have 'em thinking for themselves. Take advantage of their ignorance, their fear, their hoplessness. Modern-day pharisees is what they are, and on some level they know it. That's why they display their guilty rule-making at every turn. It's the JW version of the mushroom theory of religion: keep 'em in the dark, cover 'em with shit, and when they start to develop cut 'em off at the roots.
My two cents.
Francoise
