I would write a letter or call on the telephone to Brooklyn and tell them the situation. Maybe a CO will come in and make all their panties get into a bunch for their behavior. Give a nice talk about gossip....and then 20 minutes after the meeting they'll be back to gossipping again!
Well when the elders came for the second visit, I told them how hurtful it was, and how serious slandering someones good name was. My dad told me, " To try and stop gossip (true or false) is like trying to stop a ringing bell!" How true! I expressed my disgust for the lack of love displayed by my so called "brothers" who are so willing to jump on the "slander" band wagon. They said the only way to prove all the gossip wrong is to "come back to meetings." I said," Right! And now that we have a 'apostate label' who will want to associate with us??" They said, " Oh, it will be hard at first, but in time people will see by your regular meeting attendace, and feild service that the rumors must have been false." I replyed," So because we have legetimate questions regarding 607, (that NO ONE can answer by the way) we now have a label! How is that fair? We asked people in the ministry all the time to examine their religion, but when we take our own advise and do an examination, and have sincere questions, this is how we are to be treated??" They said it is usually the spiritually imature ones that are to blame! I asked, "Then why can't you give a local needs talk on gossip and slander to correct them? We are the 'Hot topic' right now, we are getting calls from 2 states away, in both directions. A talk would at least let those that are slandering our names know that it wasn't right and that you don't agree with it. And maybe, just maybe a spiritually mature one would stop a slander conversation if it was being said in their presence." Do you know what the reply was? "We don't just give local needs because somone asks us to." I said, " I realise that. But don't you think if someones good name that they worked hard to have all their lives and have been a faithful servant of Jehovah, was being deliberately ruined, and it was the 'talk of the town, shouldn't it be stopped?? They said, " Well you need to go apply Matthew 5:23". I said, "With who??? How many ones do I have to call?? A hundred? Two hundred?? And even if it was possible to follow the chain of gossip, why would they believe me?? You have the ability to do something about it!! In one talk, you can reach over a hundred at once!" The P.O. said, "It is something for us to consider." As for the C.O. well, he's been asking questions about us to my Grandmother, who knew nothing, and yet he never once came to US for the facts. Its hopeless!! I feel the ones on this forum are correct. They are building a case against us! The inevitable is coming. And another innocent lover of TRUTH gets the axe!
L.L.
