DECEPTIVE JW ELDERS – CASE#3
“For there is nothing hid, save that it should be manifested; neither was (anything) made secret, but that it should come to light.” – Mark 4:22
The Judicial activity, including keeping records of notes made from hearings is something most JWs are somewhat aware of, but their knowledge of it is rather hazy. In and of itself, keeping confidential Judicial records is not deceptive. Rather , it is things chosen to document and the extent to which they are used that can be deceptive and at times hurt the unsuspecting JW.
The Procedure: Typically, when a Judicial Committee (JC) meets with a person, each Elder (usually 3) will make some notes. The name of the person, the nature of the sin, circumstances that led up to the sin, their attitude, and some of the counsel given, such as Bible verses or Watchtower publication references. The notes are collected by the Chairman of the JC and given to the Secretary to place in a sealed envelope. The Sec will note on the outside of the envelop the date, the name of the person met with, the names of the Elders on the JC, and what if any actions were taken.
If no DF action is taken, but merely restrictions, or maybe no restrictions, the Chairman of the JC is supposed to be responsible for scheduling follow-up meetings with the one who sinned. Many times, the individual is forgotten about until they approach one of the Elders on the JC about lifting restrictions. Then the Chairman 'might' schedule a meeting with the person to determine if restrictions can be lifted. During follow-up meetings, additional notes may be taken.
Once all restrictions are lifted, then the envelope is sealed with all notes. And the outside is marked by a conclusion date to all actions. After five years (or sooner if a state has a more limited statute of limitations) the envelop and its contents are to be burned. Anytime during that 5-year period, if the person has additional difficulties, the file kept in the envelope may continue to grow, and thus never get scheduled for burning. I personally handled files that were 300, 400, and 500 or more pages of notes AND were as old as 20 to 25 years. In most cases, however, the files are anywhere between 4 to 10 pages of notes. In my experience as much as a 1/3 of the members of the congregation may have some "file" on them, even if it is officially closed.
What actually develops: Unfortunately, as with any system or procedure there are those that do not adhere to the process, and deviate in all sorts of directions. JW Elders are no exception to this problem. But, with JW Elders there is no system to check their actions, and too often the chance are very great that files will be kept too long, become too extensive, and information will get abused. Some Elders also will keep notes on unsuspecting JWs because they have some ‘concern’ with the person. Added to this, many congregations will experience a flux in Elders as they move in and out, get appointed and deleted, and change positions. So this often means that the new Sec and/or PO will not be aware of file problems, nor have the interest to verify that things are done correctly, and often will not know what to do even if they are aware that files a messy.
Case Example: When I moved into a congregation, I got busy right away and was able to start a Bible study. I invited a very nice brother, and past Elder/PO to go along with me. He was fun to have along on Bible studies due to his knowledge and rich understandings. He had been a JW about 30 years. Prior to this he had been a Seventh Day Adventist, and had a lot of interesting historical information due to the past connections between the founders of the Adventists and C. T. Russell.
Later, at a Tuesday night meeting, the current PO pulled me into the ‘back room’ and told me he heard that I allowed Brother A to attend a Bible study with me. He then expressed ‘concern’ because Brother A was being watched. He then informed me that they had a file on Brother A dating back about 10 years! This file was NOT due to any meetings or JC sessions held with Brother A. Rather, Brother A had the habit of researching and studying a lot, and this resulted in writing to the Society from time to time for information and clarification of his questions. The Society would write back to him, but also pass this correspondence along to the Elders who started keeping notes of all of Brother A’s activities. Brother A was never made aware that this was going on.
Shortly thereafter, the CO visited and during the Elder's meeting and discussed how he knew a District Overseer who also loved to research and study and, of course, write to the Society about his findings and ask questions. The Society also maintained a large file on this DO, and eventually removed him from District work. The CO said that he was told that the reason for the removal was that the DO asked too many questions and wrote to the Society too much. I flashed back to what the Elders told me they were doing with Brother A by maintaining a file on him.
In late 1992, Brother A was finally brought before a JC on charges of apostasy. This personally affected me because I was and still am a good friend of Brother A. The decision was made to disfellowship him. He appealed. The Appeal Committee was about to hear his side of the story when the original JC asked to speak privately with the Appeal Committee. It was granted and Brother A waited outside the room in the main Hall. Whatever was said, Brother A never found out, but he was not invited to return and make his case. He was informed that the Disfellowshipping would stand.
So, Brother A appealed to the Society. He was asked to write a brief page or two about his side of the story and instructed to hand it over to the Appeal Committee who would forward it to the Society with their own letter. They read Brother A’s letter and then developed their own. He asked to see what they wrote so that he could rebut anything that he felt was untrue. He was told he would not be permitted to see their letter or any of the historical file material that would be sent to the Society.
File Material? This was the first time Brother A was made aware of any file material or historical records. He asked to see what was written about him all these years and again was denied the request. Brother A did not know that this ‘file’ was going to be used against him as a pattern of behavior to bolster the case of the JC. He was denied any real opportunity to defend himself. So, rather than be DF’d, he chose to DA himself.
The Deception: The issue here of deception is not that JC files are kept. Most JWs would not be that surprised to know this. The real deception is that a file was created based merely on suspicion and because the person chose to correspond frequently with the Society about questions and concerns. The sad result of this deception is that the Elders used this file as evidence against Brother A, and he was not afforded any opportunity to challenge evidence used against him, nor was he even aware of its existence.
My Thoughts then and now: At the time I first learned of the ‘secret file’ on Brother A, I dismissed it as a needless thing the Elders were doing, and I did not imagine it would ever come to anything. I figured that in 10 years if nothing resulted, then it was little more than a hobby for some Elder with too much time on his hands. Was I ever wrong! When the file was finally used against Brother A in the fashion it was, I was upset and shocked at the time. I could not understand the deception, the secrecy, and the shear unfairness, much less the low-life attitude held against Brother A who was and is a good and kind person.
Today, as I reflect, I wonder why I dismissed this so easily. I saw how large files were maintained on JWs, and how they were misused at times. It is now 8½ years since that event, and looking back, I am glad for Brother A and myself that it came to light – that is – underneath the sheep’s clothing of some Elders, we discovered a very deceptive wolf does exist. And, we are the better off for the turn of events. Once Brother A was out of the organization, they turned on me. I will tell that account next in Case #4. - Amazing