Arthur- If an elder such as Zarco does discover untruths within the course of his research; this does not obligate him to take such a huge step in such a short period of time. Sometimes, the help that he must give to others can be most effectively given slowly, and steadily over a period of time, instead of using a "shoot from the hip" approach.
I agree wholeheartedly.
There is a saying that "there is nothing worse than an ex-smoker". In reference to the anti smoking rhetoric and judgment of everyone who does not come to the same epiphany at the same time as they did. It is human nature to condescend to those around us. When it comes to belittling someone else's impulses or addictions after we have quit them, results in 99 times out of 100 rather producing an opposite effect.
The same situation is true if not more so for witnesses or people coming out of any highly addictive cult based setting (See book "When God becomes a drug" Leo Booth). If there is one thing that we had drummed into us as JW's it was pride of the belief that we had the whole thing worked out when it came to the bible and "truth". So we had an aversion to accepting literature or argumentation from other persons of faith. Add to this the massive amounts of energy and resources devoted by the hierarchy to vilify dissidents, recognize them early, cut them out and avoid them.
Like the old original Star Trek episode where everyone on the planet was "Of Landrew", (Very well done I might add). Anyone who didn't speak in the prescribed manner was challenged as not being "of Landrew" and exposed. The WT has spent good money creating the same atmosphere.
I was liberally minded too as Dub and not only was it being whispered behind the scenes that I was an apostate, but people I knew and loved even called me a "small "a" apostate". It was not long before I was being excluded from meetings, given less responsibility, removed on frivolous grounds and effectively being distanced by the fear mongering service committee in my congregation.
Zarco has his work cut out for him. Believe me, if he has been counseling people to "pursue higher education" or some of the other liberal viewpoints he has expressed here, there is no way it has not been whispered into the ears of zealot fellow elders who are shoot first ask questions later conservatives. Even the CO knows about him and has his eye on him. If he think he has a special "in" with the CO or DO, then wait and see who the next one is in the CO rotation. 3 years is not a long time, and sooner or later he will be exposed in the eventual witch hunt manner that has befallen many of us.
Zarco will and should move at his own pace. Encouraging him to speak out now, openly and prematurely, only goes to perpetuate the lunatic apostate stereotype that the WT has worked so hard to personify in their literature.
That is not meant to belittle anyone who has chosen to speak out openly, as everyone's circumstances are different. If you have never been an elder or ministerial servant who cared about people then you have no idea of the difficult situation that you are in. Jesus was even affected by the dynamic that he knew would be caused by his final confrontation. It is not easy to understand if you are not in Zarco's shoes IMHO.
Arthur-Another very important point to remember is that every single adult publisher is partly responsible for their lack of knowledge. It is they who chose not to do their own research and investigation. It is they themselves who have refused to walk into a public library and do some simple research. It is they themselves who have chosen not to do any research on the internet. It is they themselves who have "written off" ex-members as "apostates". Ultimately, they must bear the responsibility of their own stubborness and close-mindedness. We all must be responsible for our own actions. I myself, must own up to the close-mindesness, denial, and false pride that kept me from addressing many of my doubts for so many years.
Here-Here! So well put. The other dynamic that was hard for me to admit when i was in the JW's and coming out was that we were all responsible for the dynamic of control that existed. Yes the teaching is what put the dynamic there, but we are individuals and we did not have to accept it. It is us who ask the questions of others instead of looking into it on our own, it was often us who invited the elders into our private lives and were perturbed when they wouldn't leave, and it was us who accepted without proof what was taught in the literature.
It is often the publishers who have put the elders and others on the pedestal they are on. Just as when the Jews opted for a king and given the warning of how bad that would be for them, they still chose to go that route. Many who stay JW's even though they don't believe the religion do so because of what they get out of it. That could be the power and prominence of the elite down to a simple need for structure and a visible works and reward based belief system.
Zarco, you take your time and be sure of what you are doing. In the meantime do not do anything that will turn people off from embarking on the journey that you are on. Lead by example and help as many as possible to open their eyes. Avoid the mistakes that many of us made who got out with only the shirt on our backs or the skin on our teeth.
In this game you can only leave once, there are no do-overs!
Frank75
