ISP
When we first started to have doubts an elder stopped me in the street and told me he would like to pop around and have a friendly chat. I foolishly agreed ,thinking he was being sincere, and sure enough two of them arrived one evening soon after. Their friendly chat turned into an ugly inquisition with accusations flung at us with one elder shouting at us and threatening a judicial committee or worse. The other elder was trying to restrain him as his anger was getting to him.The angry elder had, and still has, a reputation for liking power. I responded to his wagging finger by saying that since he was in my home he had no right to threaten me. He replied that as an elder he had every right and since we were baptised this gave him the authority over us. My wife and I both soon ended up before a judicial comitee.
They did not anwser any of our doubts. All they wanted was for us to agree to submit completly to their authority. The elders angry outbursts were a symptom of the lack of love in the congregation and showed that the elders motives were based more on his love of power than anything else. He actually told my wife that if she cried it would show a heart of repentance. We did not stay in the truth very long after this friendly chat. This lack of love was one of the reasons that led to my wife handing in her letter of disassociation.
So beware of friendly chats with elders.
