Question for those that have been Disfellowshiped for apostasy VS succesfully fading (page 4)

ssn587

I have no idea of what status I'm in with the local congregation. Haven't been to a meeting since 2011, do see some from that congregation time to time, some smile, others ignore and a few want to shake my hand and ask how I'm doing. I just ignore them, met one elder at McDonald once we grabbed a bit and I asked him if you can be appointed an elder while being an active pedophile and he responded yes. I then told him that's why I don't attend at least one of the reason, and that I wanted nothing to do with a group that would accept a pedophile in any capacity. Am just glad to being able to get on with my own business and could care less about any of them.

NikL

I asked him if you can be appointed an elder while being an active pedophile and he responded yes.

Could you elaborate on that a bit?

Anony Mous

The result you're going to get largely depends on your circumstances and local elders as well as responses from the mothership.

In my case, I tried fading but because my in-laws were prominent elders that wasn't so successful so I just stopped going resulting in instant divorce.

However, I had been appointed as and the meeting in which I was announced as ministerial servant (which at that point still was considered a 'decision coming down from Bethel via the Circuit Overseer') was the first meeting I didn't attend (and never attended any other ones) even though I discussed my decision a few days after with a pair of elders, they couldn't just immediately disfellowship me without losing a lot of face.

They tried a few months later to DF me anyway, I addressed their request for a meeting to my lawyer and after they contacted Bethel they were told not to follow through.

A few months later I heard that others in my congregation had left as a result and Bethel stopped the practice of "request Jehovah's guidance through Bethel" for appointing Ministerial Servants and Elders making it now a local 'mistake' if something goes wrong. I'm sure I wasn't the only instance that triggered those decisions.

So technically I was never disfellowshipped publicly although I'm sure I have a thick, red filing folder somewhere (in many congregations, red filing folders were used to mark very problematic cases).

Phizzy

Ooohhh ! I do hope I merited a thick red folder, doubt it somehow.

Vidiot

ssn587 - "...I asked him if you can be appointed an elder while being an active pedophile and he responded yes..."

We all know it's true, but to have one of 'em just come out and admit it...?

What the f**k could this guy have possibly hoped to accomplish???

btlc