LITTLE BITS OF EVIDENCE MAKES A CASE
Brother R had become a JW in the mid-1960s when a JW could still smoke and be accepted in the congregation. The only caveat is that he could not be used for any congregational privileges, as his smoking set a poor example. He struggled with this habit for some time. Eventually he gained the victory and stopped smoking. In the late 1960s he was appointed as a Servant (as they were called prior to the Elder / Ministerial Servant arrangement).
Brother R had earlier married a very nice JW woman who already had many children from her previous marriage to a non-JW. They seemed like a happy family, and Brother R continued in his progress both as a good family man, husband, and example in the congregation.
In the 1971 District Conventions we were told of the new Elder arrangement. And the following year as appointments were being considered, it became very difficult for the congregation to see brothers meeting the even ‘higher’ standards now expected of Elders. But, because of his diligence, hard work, and fine example, Brother R was among the early appointees as an Elder.
A couple of years later, Brother R rotated into the position of Presiding Overseer. [During the early years of the Elder arrangement, all of the five (5) main positions rotated (PO, FSO, WTSO, TMSO, SEC). The concept was to give broad experience to Elders in various capacities, as well as deflect attention from a single ‘dominant’ Overseer that we had under the old, single Elder, Congregation Servant arrangement.] Brother R had grown much in Christian maturity and progressed into a ‘fine’ example. He was not necessarily a proficient or good public speaker, but he was a capable teacher and did his best to serve. He managed to support a large family and his children were also ‘good’ examples. His wife was highly active in service while maintaining a beautiful home.
A few years later, after I moved away, I heard the Brother R was disfellowshipped. I did not know the reason for this action. When I moved back to my old congregation, which was by now a totally new congregation, I learned that Brother R was attending elsewhere and seeking reinstatement. He had been out for a little over three years by this time. The other congregation made a strong case with our Elders that Brother R was truly repentant, and so Brother R was reinstated. A short time later he returned to our congregation. [Brother R had done what many DF'd JWs did and moved so that a new JC could hear his case. But by then the WTS changed policy so that the previous JC had to approve reinstatement. He was not able to benefit from the old loophole.]
{b]Upon his reinstatement, life got better for Brother R. He was now commenting at meetings, going out in Service and once in a while had a minor part on the Service Meeting. He seemed so happy. His charming, talented and attractive wife seemed so supportive of him and they seemed so close and bonded.
{b]Sister R approached us one day and said she was ‘concerned’ about Brother R. She had from time to time smelled tobacco smoke on his clothing, but discounted it because Brother R worked in an office with several smokers. (This was prior to most cities banning smoking in the workplace.) We asked what evidence she had that he smoked, and she could not provide any. His breath was always nice, and no one ever saw him smoking, either at work or anywhere else. We recommended that she keep a close ‘eye’ on this and let us know if anything ’turns up.’ [Somehow, it always seems to.]
Little bits of evidence. Sometime later Sister R calls and says that she has something that we may be interested in. What was that? Little bits of evidence that should make our case! She then supplied a little baggy with these little bits of evidence. What were these ‘little bits’? It seems she decided to start inverting Brother R’s pants and coat pockets before sending them to the dry cleaners. When she would invert the pockets, little bits of tiny evidence would fall out. She would carefully collect these bits of evidence and save them in the little baggy. After many weeks or a couple of months, the little baggy had a small handful of many little bits of evidence. Yes, they were little un-smoked bits of tobacco from cigarettes.
She confronted Brother R with her knowledge of the little bits of evidence. She turned the little baggy over to the Elders. She then advised Brother R to call the Elders and face the music and fess up as to why little bits of evidence were routinely found in his pants pockets.
Brother R called us and asked to meet regarding the little bits of evidence. When we met with him, he openly admitted that after he was disfellowshipped he occasionally smoked, and this had continued after he was reinstated. He felt bad, and said that he tried very hard to give it up, but still caved in periodically at work. He said that he would carry a cigarette in his pocket from his desk into the restroom where he lit up a smoke.
One Elder wanted to immediately disfellowship Brother R. The other Elder was undecided. I felt that we should wait for a while and allow Brother R some time to kick the habit. The other Elders went along with me and decided to wait until after the District Convention to resume the Judicial meeting. We advised Brother R to read some selected material from the fine WTS publications on smoking. Shortly after the District Convention I stepped off of that Judicial Committee because I could not in good conscience judge Brother R. Why?
Years earlier, Brother R was the chairman of the JC that met with me when I had smoked one cigarette, while I was a Servant (before the Elder arrangement). He openly recommended that I only be mildly counseled, and allowed to remain as a Servant. The other Elders agreed, and I stayed on as a Servant.
Now, oddly enough, Brother R was sitting in front of me for the same offense, but with more cigarettes involved ... but he was a very mild smoker ... not having more than three to five cigarettes a week, and only at work. I still felt that he needed time and patience. But, I also felt that because he so kindly worked with me over 15 years earlier, that maybe my judgment was too biased in his favor, so I stepped off of the JC.
Eventually, Brother R was disfellowshipped for other reasons, which I agreed. To this day, as far as I know, he is still disfellowshipped and also now divorced from Sister R. I called him about 1992 or 1993 to talk with him about the JC. I also hoped to refer him to Crisis of Conscience or other former JW literature. My hope was to help him ease his heart and fine peace outside the Watch Tower organization. He still lived in his dusty little apartment alone ... and as loyal to the WTS as he was 30 years earlier.
While this is not a sensational case, it has always made me wonder about those little bits of evidence. Yes, a JW could reasonably argue that Jehovah’s spirit used these little bits evidence to ‘smoke out’ Brother R. But when that little baggy containing those little bits of tobacco evidence was presented, I felt so cheap, petty, and foolish.
Why were we reviewing this kind of thing?[/b] What would motivate Sister R to dig into her husband’s pockets and collect those little bits of evidence? Why did this seem so important to us? Why could we have not just left this issue alone? Why does the WTS have to regulate people’s personal habits like this?
I have wondered at times[/b] if Brother R could have been left to deal with this issue, and ‘IF’ the Society would not make smoking a disfellowshipping offense, that maybe Brother R could have devoted more energy to other things in life besides living alone, rejected, despised, and frustrated.
When I first posted this on H20, some response were less sympathetic of Brother R, and I guess I can understand their feelings, since smoking is no longer socially acceptable - or at least not as it once was. But, still, I feel that in many ways as JWs we truly led small lives at times, so small, that we dig around to find little bits of evidence with which to damn a man to DFing. – Amazing