by Voyager 36 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
namely that in recent years elders have become deeply corrupt
The abusive nature of the cult is not new. It has been hurting anyone that got in it's way from the start. Empowering people to ruin the lives of others without a 'checks and balances' arrangement or legal recourse is a recipe for emotional abuse. We just were not the ones hurt and so believed the mistreatment of others was 'God's justice'.
Poor little old guy, maybe in his older age, he just started to get a little confused about what he was supposed to believe. It happens, senility and dementia, since when are those dis- fellowhsipping offenses. Why didnt they just leave him alone. How awful!
It seems that the website with Mr. Zweigart's story has been up (and not changed much) since 1997.
I have an address and telephone number for Herman Zweigart if anyone wants to try contacting him. Send me a message through this board and I'll provide details.
He was living in Northern California within an hour's drive of Eureka along Hwy 101.
I have no idea about his current state of health.
The thing is he was clearly an apostate but too senile to understand that. I am sure the brothers tried to reason with him but he mostlikely was too fargone to understand. In many halls there are mentally ill or senile people the brothers ignore them unless they get disruptive.
I am not accussing him of anything, but maybe he did this kind of thing during talks, or the meetings and they DFed him because they got tired of escorting him to the parking lot. I am not saying it is right. I am just saying I have heard of people getting DFed because the elders can't control them, and they just want the person out of the hall.
XQTP -
Do you think the WATCHTOWER will soon get new light that Alzheimer is the name of a demon?
You are correct in saying that this cult has always abused people. However, in times past,
they at least maintained a sense of internal legalism over disfellowshipping. As far as I
can tell, that's gone. I know about C.O.'s who got in big trouble by df'ing innocent people
and elders who went to great lengths in following Society guidelines.
I don't know why the Society even bothers with Kingdom/Elder's school on these matters.
They can do whatever they feel like, as in any totalitarian state.
metatron
My dear old Uncle Paul, who became a Witness in the 1940's, always marched to the beat of a different drum. He did not hesitate to question EVERYTHING handed down by Brooklyn and he was particularly good at arguing with elders. (He could make a certain vein on my father's forehead start throbbing violently within two minutes. I timed it.) He regular pioneered for 30+ years and during that time was made an elder twice -- and removed twice. He just wouldn't go along with the party line. For that I admire him. He was disappointed at being removed, but not terribly -- I think he enjoyed pioneering and kind of doing his own thing more than elders' meetings. He never did get disfellowshipped, though some of the things he would say, at least according to my dad, bordered on apostasy.
Nina
Or he'd give a talk or make a comment and mention a certain elder by name and tell the congregation why he sucked.
Give me that ole time religion.
XQ2P
don't u think that if a perosn is mentally ill or has dementia or whatever, the elders or a MS could be assigned to escort them out the door or in some way engage them ? on what basis are they df him? mentall illness, dementia?
can't u just feel the love, it just makes u all warm and fuzzzy.
I don't mean to be heartless about this old fellow -- well, strike that -- yes I do!
Forgive me, but how many families has this old geezer helped destroy over ther last 50 years by preaching JW dogma? How many child molesters has he set in motion by supporting a corrupt organization? How many people have had to face mental illness because of his "bringing them into the "truth"? How many shunnings have been iniated because of his blind faith in a man-made book publishing cult?
My grandmother brought the LIE into my family. It literally tore my family apart at the seams. I left the LIE at age 15 and have faced shunning from my family ever since. It's not a stretch for me to say that, as a result, I HATE everything JW and loath everything Watchtower.
Perhaps the old boy got what was coming to him...
