DECEPTIVE JW ELDERS – CASE#4d
”There is no fear in love: but perfect love cast out fear, because fear has punishment; and he that fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18
This is an interesting case involving money, the law, and the Elders. It illustrates how poor education, fear and guilt can wreak havoc on the minds of otherwise braindead people. It is about 4 pages and I trust worth the read.
During my engineering career, I did not get involved in human behavior or psychology until later years as my wife suffered from clinical depression. My fuller understanding of the effects of fear and learning that it is our most powerful emotion did not fully develop until I changed careers into a field intensely involving marketing, sales, and advertisement. I mention Fear in the opening to help you see how this played out in another act of deception by the Elders.
In the two or three years following my rumored Disassociation, I was not involved in any ex-JW activity. I was rather low key and avoided anything to do with JWs or the whole topic of religion. But, I did get information fed to me from time to time by ex-JWs and some JWs still in the organization who were no longer in agreement with its claim of being God’s exclusive channel of truth.
Chief Apostate! Somehow, during this quiet period of mine, the DO and CO managed came to the conclusion that I was a danger, and in fact labeled me the Chief Apostate in the region. Whether this label went beyond the few circuits around our area, I have no way of knowing. But, I did get communication from time to time - from as far north as 400 miles, as far south as 900 miles, and as far east as 300 miles - that I was setting up my own church and attempting to lead JWs out of the organization. I suppose that my having been of the Anointed helped advance the perception that I was somehow now among the Evil Slave Class. What an honor!
Foundations of Fear! About a year after I walked away from the congregation, I wrote a letter to the Society complaining about the local congregation and the effects on my wife’s health. I alluded to ‘other serious’ concerns, but was not specific. Among these concerns was the unreported Child molester. But, I held back giving details because I wanted to be sure that the Society would positively respond – which they did not respond at all to me.
They did, according to trusted sources, the Society shortly thereafter send in two DOs to visit within a month or two of each other along with a special CO visit, and then followed by having a Boy from Bethel (or at least a direct representative of the Society) move in to keep an “eye” on things. There were many talks on the dangers of apostasy and apostates and the concern felt over the problem with apostasy in the area. I honestly did not expect this level or type of attention. But, given that Brother A also was Disassociated over allegations of Apostasy, then I can understand the fear knowing the JW mentality.
First Salvo: Brother A had a sizable financial investment in the staok market that he built up over a period of years. When the Boy from Bethel moved in to the congregation it was soon spread about that he was involved in the financial markets, buying and selling businesses, and engaged in some kind of foreign trade, including business in the Peoples Republic of China (Communist China or Red China for those of you familiar with the 1950s and 1960s view of the mainland.)
New WTS position on Apostates: Just prior to or about the time I walked away from the organization, it was orally spread about that JWs who are married to one who becomes ‘Apostate’ might consider getting control of the family finances, assets, and liquid cash prior to any divorce. Also, there was a newer provision discussed that faithful JW people married to one who is labeled ‘Apostate’ would consider Divorce based upon ground of Spiritual Endangerment. I recall that these positions were discussed among the ex-JW community as well, but in a negative reaction to continued Watch Tower Society deviation from the Bible.
Now enters Brother A: One day, Brother A calls me on the phone to tell me of his concerns with his money. Evidently, the Boy from Bethel who moved in a few months earlier had managed to convince the JW wife of Brother A to liquidate their stock holdings and invest with him. He took the money and supposedly invested it in her name in some real estate venture in another state.
I asked Brother A if he was aware of the policy to finagle assets from ex-JWs. He was aware of it, or at least heard about it, but did not treat it seriously. I asked if the Boy from Bethel held a Securities dealers license, such as a Series 6 or 7 or anything, and asked whether he was registered in our state. He did not know for sure, but didn't think so. I asked if he received a “prospectus’ prior to or at any time since making such an investment. He said no.
I asked how much money was involved. He said his life savings. I asked again how much, but he was afraid to say because he felt so very embarassed. While he never actually said the amount, the conversation led me to believe it was between $50,000 and $100,000. I also asked if Brother A was receiving any statement, financial reports, or other documentation that gave an accounting of his investment. He said no to this as well. He said his wife was told that everything was fine, but he had nothing to show for it.
I finally asked why he would invest such a large sum with anyone who left him with so few details and who for all he knows ran with the money. He said that the Boy from Bethel came highly recommended. He said his wife trusted the brother and his good reputation given his relationship to the Society. I asked him if he realized that when he released control of his money that his position as one accused of apostasy could lead to him never seeing his money again because those considered as enemies of Jehovah’s Organization are treated as filth. He agreed and felt very foolish. So, I did not continue this line of questioning because I did not want to make him feel any worse than he was already.
How to get the Money back?: Brother A was already very concerned that he may have lost his life savings forever. He wanted help to see how to get it back. So, I agreed to provide some information, but advised him to see an attorney as well. I had him contact the State office that regulates securities in our state. I also urged him to contact the local District Attorney to discuss filing charges. I provided him with the deed title information on the very expensive real property that the Boy from Bethel bought in the area. This way, he could lien his property to satisfy any judgment in case the Boy from Bethel decided to run. We also obtained the title information on the Kingdom Hall so that he could lien it too in case the Elders were found to be co-conspirators in the scheme to defraud Brother A.
How the Elders view of me begin to develop: Going back in time, one of the things I learned not long after I left the organization is that the Elders became very afraid of me. I don’t know completely why this happened, but some suggest that my level of education and experience in certain legal matters made them feel insecure for some strange reason.
The most likely contribution to their fear of me may have happened during my daughter’s wedding. My brother traveled from another state to attend the wedding. My brother knew that I was leaving the JWs and was remaining incognito about it until after the wedding and a few other matters were settled. But, my brother also holds a passionate dislike of the Watch Tower religion, and was very frustrated with the whole affair. During the wedding, he would clinch his teeth as the Elder giving the wedding talk used the opportunity to pump the organization. He wanted to fly out of his seat and choke the man.
Just after the wedding, one of the Elders approached my brother and tried to discuss the religion with him. My brother then told the Elder that he was an attorney, and could not discuss the religion because of conflict of interest. The Elder probed further, and my brother said that he often litigates against the Watch Tower Society and that any further discussion about the organization would not be appropriate. Well, the Elder took my brother seriously. The already existing Fear became intensified. The poor education of the average JW Elder does not help in these situations. The Elder could not discern that my brother was blowing smoke up his lower orifice.
My subsequent Certified Letter to the Society, wherein I did threatened legal action if they did not comply with my wishes, only served to heighten the Elders fear and suspicion of me. They even began rumors that I was threatening to file suit against them at every turn they took. The truth is, I only made one threat and that was in my letter to the Society. But, fear knows no boundaries, so they greatly embellished the situation out of proportion.
The Call from the District Attorney that rocked the Elders: Brother A asked me to call the DA on his behalf and discuss the matter. He was afraid to directly call the DA from home because he feared that his wife would overhear him. I called the DA and learned that the issue is very serious, and considered not only a felony violation of state securities laws, but because the funds left the state and were invested in another state meant this was also a federal felony. So, the DA asked to call Brother A. I gave him the window of times to call so that Brother A could answer and not alert his wife. The DA agreed and understood the sensitivity.
But, we failed to discuss that the DA should not leave any voice messages on Brother A’s answering machine. When the DA called, he merely asked for Brother A and did not state the nature of the call (that was good) but he also said that he was referred by Mr. Amazing (that was bad.)
Sister A comes home and hears the message. She immediately informs the Elders that Mr. Amazing (by this time they no longer called me brother) was helping her husband with some legal matter and that the DA called. She feared trouble was brewing for the congregation. Keep in mind that Sister A did not know the exact nature of the DA’s voice message.
What did the Elders Do?: Well, it was said that the Elders spent the better part of two days making frequent changes of their underwear due to a strange brown substance emerging from their rear orifices. The Elders got together rather quickly with the Boy from Bethel and advised him to liquidate the investment and return the money 'mui pronto' to Brother A. They conveyed to the Boy from Bethel that Mr. Amazing was involved and that I know the law and my brother is an attorney who loves to sue Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Watch Tower Society. See how that fear works!
A happy call: After my conversation with the DA, I had stepped back out of the matter, not knowing at the time what events were unfolding, and assumed that Brother A could take the ball and run with the DA and the state and federal authorities. About a week later I got a call from Brother A. He related that he was getting all his money back. He told me the details of what happened, and I was able to confirm this account through another trusted source. I laughed, and felt very pleased for Brother A.
I discussed with Brother A the point that since the DA’s call did not mention specifics that it was interesting how the Elders knew right away what must be involved and then chose to contact the Boy from Bethel. They must have guilty consciences if they could figure out that a call from the authorities must have been about Brother A’s money.
I asked Brother A if he was going to still pursue charges. He said no, because he had been under enough stress and felt that getting his money back was enough. He did not want any revenge. I later called the state out of concern for other ex-JWs or JWs who may have money invested with the Boy form Bethel. The state told me that since I was not a ‘victim’ that they could not work with me on this issue, but they did say that they would look into the matter to see if the Boy from Bethel was licensed in securities. (They reported to me that he was not licensed in our state.) I dropped the matter, and have no idea if the state ever pursued the investment company.
The Deception and Fear?: The deception here is how, in at least one case, an ex-JW had lost control of his money through the efforts of active JWs. He was not made aware of the nature of the scheme. He was not given an accounting or prospectus, nor was he aware of the potential possibility that an oral policy to finagle assets from ex-JWs was being tried on him.
The fear involved Brother A and how he may have lost tens of thousands of dollars in his life savings. But the fear driving the Elders was even more predominate in their response to a simple phone call that for a moment pricked their consciences and moved them to exhort the Boy from Bethel to refund money to Brother A. But, their fear was not of Jehovah God’s displeasure of their participating in a scheme, but in being sued and possibly tossed into prison because Mr. Amazing, the Chief Apostate and Evil Slave of the region, was aiding Brother A.
It is, as always, Simply Amazing