cjw,
I'll try to sum it up again (already told parts of the story on various threads, but it is difficult to find and put it together).
It was in 1986.
I had previously been working for 5 years as a translator in the French Branch Bethel. Over the last few months there I began reading the Bible (and especially the NT) again, as if I read it for the first time. I was fascinated by Jesus' character and christology in general. I had some close friends there with whom I could discuss it pretty freely (strange as it may seem).
I resigned from Bethel and asked to resume my previous special pioneer assignment. I was finally sent in this Portuguese cong. in Paris, together with this friend I had met in Bethel. Another coincidence: we both had separately concluded, from independent experiences, that we should partake in the next Memorial (we just happened to discuss this together the very day I left Bethel). So we did, and this triggered the whole thing I guess.
In the meantime we served as "very special pioneers" in this cong., using the WT literature less and less and the Bible more and more. We had a number of "Bible studies", within and without the congregation, which were really "Bible studies": reading the Gospels or Epistles with people, and letting them express what they felt. This was very interesting, and unusual, but it was not formally forbidden and we really didn't say anything against the organization as far as I remember. There was a third special pioneer in this congregation, and she was very interested in our approach. She probably was unwittingly instrumental in the judicial process because she spoke a lot about it. Anyway that was due to happen sometime.
I guess our stand in Memorial was really what determined the Bethel to have us df'd. As this was not sufficient grounds, they organized it as I told on the other post (first the two CO's and elders summoning us, then JC and appeal). The only thing they could blame us first was to "speak too much about Jesus"; then they made up a JC and had us answer to the preset list of questions (1914, the FDS, the "two hopes"...) by yes or no. We were done.
