Talesin's right.
Please know that my op was not meant to tout one group over another.
I had mentioned to a JW friend that there were active elders and ministerial servants that contributed to this forum and that, by observation, many individuals, elder or otherwise, may not have had that ridiculous label of "apostate". In unbelief, I was asked to produce a post of an elder. I couldn't find an introductory post fast enough before the request was retracted.
It was then that I realized that the person who had been raped or abused as a child, the person who lost all family/friends, and even the suicide mattered to him (I shared Oompa's story). It was ALL about the words of an elder.
Sickened me too. Given my very limited experience with one JW, I am just hoping stories like this will only serve to strengthen the chance for people like him to see what's really going on.