Last year I went back to the local KH with a friend of mine who had just recently been reinstated. We often had meals together (in direct violation of WTS doctrine). He was an elder before he was Dfed for adultery (his wife divorced him over it). Anyway, when I went back for the Memorial, I sat in the back row. When JW's asked me to move so their families could sit together, I informed them that I was DFed and that I was sitting where I was supposed to be and that the back rows where for my ilk and latecomers. /shoo JW's /Shoo...
Before the meeting began I saw an old friend who was DFed at the time and walked up to him and greeted him. He informed me he was DFed and I replied. "So am I". I then gave him a big hug and told him to hang in there and that all would be well in time. I remember tears welling up in his eyes. I guess it's because no one showed him any compassion and even though he was wheelchair bound, he was pushed into a far corner at the back of the hall and ignored. An elder came up to me and said I wasn't supposed to be talking to the DFed brother and I asked why. He said DFed persons weren't allowed to socialize. I asked him what he meant and he quoted the scripture in Corinithians about how DFed person are to be treated. I pointed out to him how that scripture is speaking to approved Christians and their dealings with unrepentent ones. Since the Brother and myself were DFed already, the scripture had no application on us, since also by WTS standards we were no longer brothers in the Organization. The elder had nothing to say.
So I stayed for the Memorial, partook (which got a few elders attention, especially the one who tried to reprove me) and when the meeting was over and I was waiting for my friend to finish socializing, I went back to the DFed brother and spoke with him again. Of course the same elder came back, said something to me about my partaking, that I was too young and was obviously wrong. I mentioned the May 2007 WT which stated no one had the right to questions someone's decision on this matter and that he needed to go look it up. I also reminded him that it wasn't his place to "correct" me for showing love and compassion to another human being. I couldn't resist pointing out to him how Jesus said that anyone who mistreated his "Brothers" were also mistreating Him and that the elder might consider this the next time he decided to behave presumptously by trying to correct someone and not even having his information straight.
I'm usually not this way and I don't talk about the 144k thing, but this guy needed to be put in his place and it felt like the right thing to do.
So afterwards I left the hall and felt really good about how well the meeting went.
Peace,
Awen
