I recall vividly my teenage years when I was the eldest son of a colourful PO. Until you have spent several days residing at the home of the PO of a large congregation, you can have no idea what sagas and dramas are played out day after day by the publishers in many congregations.
Publishers, MS's, Elders, they all want the ear of the PO. In effect, many publishers become totally unable to make even the smallest decision without first of all contacting the PO. I've even known it happen that a male has asked the PO to view the ministry record card of a sister, prior to him proposing marriage.
One of the commonest causes for a publisher to contact his PO is because he feels that he has been "stumbled". We used to have one chappy in the Gosport area who would call round every week, because, as he would say, "I've been stumbled".
Now this fellow was actually a group-study conductor, but as I quickly realised, he was also an inveterate gossip and trouble-maker. In short he was a SH*T stirrer!
So, for him, the phrase "I've been stumbled" was actually a prelude to a telling of tales, a revealing of other people's faults, an opportunity to grass on anyone who had displeased him. Being "stumbled" was a golden opportunity for this gossippy chappy to bathe in the limelight!
I recall a visit to a sister who had "been stumbled" by the behaviour of several of the congregations ministerial servants. When pressed as to what it was that was holding her back, she eventually sobbed out that it was "the sight of so many brothers pouring out of the pub at closing time". It was pointed out to her that it was not possible for her to even see the pub from her lounge window, so how could she be continually stumbled by the sight of brothers entering or leaving the pub? She replied: "But I can see them if I stand on a chair!"
Again, here in WSM, I recall a very interested person having her Bible study stopped because she had not ceased to visit a boy friend at his home. This was so that the brothers would not be "stumbled".
So what is all this about "being a cause for stumbling"? Surely, most JW's use this phrase purely as an excuse to manilpulate others or to suppress natural emotions and behaviour. The real causes for stumbling amongst Jehovahs witnesses stems from their system of eldership which separates people from their loved one's, hides paedophiles behind secret documents and keeps people from having live saving medical treatment.
In short, all causes for stumbling amongst JW's are actually from their own making entirely. Remove the power of Brooklyn and it's elder system, and the cause for stumbling is removed with them too.
Englishman.