by Etude 13 Replies latest jw experiences
I would bet that, as maverick said, as soon as they knew you had read CofC that they sent your letter to the "round file" clerk: "Yeah, yeah, we can read right thru your pretended sincerity; we get these kinds a lot..."
To them, it would be a waste of time to answer a DF'd person, who shows signs of now turning apostate. Surely if they had sent a detailed explanation, it might be used to hang them later (eg., UN library card answer).
So, their reply doesn't surprise me in the least.
bebu
That was a pretty limp attempt at a reply. What it doesn't say, says more than it does say.
Thanks for posting it.
Re Images. You need to host them somewhere. I use http://www.strike9.com/ ....
....or click on 'Files' in your Welcome box, but that only supports relatively small images.
I liked your letter etude....especially the last paragraph.
I have had similar responses to issues from the Canadian Bethel.
I'm almost positive they have Inspector Gadget...not our esteemed forum member but the real one investigate all such cases.
Thanks everyone:
The more I read that response, the more I get out of it. For example, I couldn't figure out the need to state that "In fact, our records indicate that you were expelled on April 19, 1982..." It almost makes it sound as if I was hiding that fact when in reality I stated that in the first paragraph. Either the reader didn't read very well or, having a preconceived notion about such individuals, he jumped to that specific conclusion. Either case or both is possible. It is my impression that many people who have such a responsibility to answer sensitive questions (I knew few personally since I lived in Bethel) are not formally trained, basically not educated. I'm not saying that there aren't a lot of smart and sharp people there, but I'm sure that doesn't apply to the entire staff. I figure that some research was performed on me and contacts were made to my last known congregation. Then the letter was handed down to the staff person responsible for that geographic area (which would be back in NY), but the response came to the point of origin and a copy, in Spanish, was sent to the local English-speaking congregation where I live.
Here's my response to their letter. It followed the two elders visit to my residence. I plead guilty on using the infinitive tense in the letter. I wanted to say something in a way they would understand or is at least familiar to them. Guess what? I never received any acknowledgment to this last letter. I wish I had named names, I mean the people who advised me. They included my brother-in-law who is an elder and my old Bethel roommate, who I was still in contact with at the time. I thought it might present a problem for them. If I had to do it all over again, I would name them. Perhaps the repercussions would have been a catalyst for their leaving.
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January 2, 1992
Watchtower Bible and Tract So. 124 Columbia Heights Brooklyn, NY 11201 Attn: Governing body Gentlemen: I received your November 18 response to my letter dated October 24. Thank you for taking the time to respond.
Although I?m appreciative of your efforts to respond, I can?t help but feel that unfortunately your response is not an answer. It has been suggested to me that the reason for the lack of substance in your letter is the fact that I am disfellowshiped. Apparently, so I am told, the Watchtower Society does not have any obligation to me to respond to such sensitive questions; this may constitute ?association?, discussing spiritual matters with an ?outcast?; not being able to assess accurately my position, the fear may exist that I will use this information to the detriment of the Watchtower society or Jehovah?s Witnesses. All these points have been suggested to me as a possible explanation for the evident avoidance in your response of the issue, which I wrote to you about.
On Friday, December 27, two elders from the local congregation [here] came to my residence prompted by a request from the Society to offer me an opportunity to ?return to the Organization?. According to them, their offer was made in light of a Watchtower article that addresses the issue of disfellowshiped persons and what the elders can do. After some discussion, Mr. Sales, one of the elders, asked me plainly if I wanted to return. I said that I wanted to do so in good conscience and that in order to have a good conscience I needed some guidance or explanation on the issue that I wrote to you about. Mr. Sales stated that he had nothing to do with that, being that it was an issue between the Society and me. I respect his refusal to even consider the issue but I asked for someone to turn to on this matter since I regard the elders as being those who can administer information and counsel and present the biblical views as they are written in the Watchtower publications. I told him that this issue pertains to conscience and that I would not know where I stood should I simply return to the congregation without addressing this issue. I would have to suppress my feelings on the matter causing me unhappiness and doubts about the proper course of action in related matters.
As was suggested to me, is there a specific reason why the Watchtower Society or the elders in the congregation (according to Mr. Sales) can?t specifically address my dilemma? Is my condition with respect to the Organization the cause of your empty response? Do you fear that I will use a proper response against the Organization? Having a few annotations about an individual is not enough to know a person. But I can assure you that I wrote in all sincerity and earnestness. However, I would understand your reticence to respond properly if you simply state so. Is it possible for you to tell why you did not answer my questions? If you give me a reason, I will abide by it. It is your prerogative. Should you tell me that there is no one I can turn to about the matter in my letter, I will leave it at that, being satisfied that at least your response is honest. I will leave it to time and to Jehovah to find spiritual relief. Sincerely [name reserved]
I think I gave them sufficient opportunity to come clean. I would have been satisfied with a response refusing to consider the matter any further. Their lack of response answered my doubts. It told me that they had something to hide and were caught in an indefensible position. I sometimes wish that those who advised me had followed up on this. However, it's always difficult to tell if it would have made a difference to them. My sister is one of those. She's a smart person. But the deception she experiences by being in the Borg goes deeper than reason. She will maintain, in spite of the evidence, that it's not possible for elders to do some of the things that we have heard about in this forum. I guess only time will tell if reason will again triumph.
Etude
