No, Danny, No.
I am NOT using a parody when I state that MY children would want to know those things. Because I always impressed upon them that participation was a way to outwardly demonstrate one's devotion to Jehovah AND to support the elder giving the part, that actually WOULD have been their reaction. As would the questioning afterwards about why Brother Bowen was being shunned if he wasn't disfellowshipped?
They would feel badly that he was being treated badly. I raised HUMANS (not a one enslaved to the Borg, thank god!) not WT-automatons! (I used to view that as a failure, but now rejoice in it!)
The tone of your posts is VERY JUDGMENTAL, DannyBear, something that most of us here have FLED and do not miss AT ALL!
(Seeker,
Please note that the "reminders" given silentlambs here were not "friendly."
outnfree)
Perhaps people DID switch congregations "like hats, back in the late 70's", but you really can't say that Brother Bowen should have to nor should have to WANT to drive to another congregation to worship. As I said in my previous post, perhaps he WAS testing the waters. WHY do you have such a problem with that? He took the Society (local elders)'s word that he was still a member in good standing, not even reproved, and when he went to see if he would still be TREATED as a member in good standing it was the VERY sad eye-opener he related above. (Perhaps he held out a tiny spark of hope that one of his long-standing friends would demonstrate some loving-kindness?)
Brother Bowen, in the interest of his cause (please perk up your ears here, Joelbear), has not expressed himself publicly on just how he feels about Jehovah God and his worship within the organization. He is working hard to expose what he feels is a terrible injustice wreaked on the victims of pedophilia due to a policy of the Watch Tower Society. It is this that "he wholeheartedly condemns." He wants to see the policy change so that victims are not re-victimized and fertile ground for new victims will not be found within Jehovah's organization.
Now you and/or I may not feel that the WTBTS IS Jehovah's Organization, but that is not Brother Bowen's cause. His attendance at the meeting demonstrates that neither his cause nor his honest desire to effect a change for the better is anything of which to be ashamed. It reminds the local brothers that they have some "cleaning up" to do. It reminds all publishers in attendance that you can keep your integrity and you SHOULD keep your integrity. It should inspire all of them not to be hypocritical, and might inspire SOME of them to support Brother Bowen's cause.
Further, I don't think a single person here questioned the legality of the brother shadowing Brother Bowen, just the propriety (or maybe the idiocy) of such an action.
As to whether or not Brother Bowen would WANT to share "in the
worship of Jehovah with those he knows to be sexual predators" how many of us were doing just that for years without ever knowing? So who are you to decide if he could bear to do so just one more time?
His raising his hand to answer, his mirroring the attendant, his very presence at the KH were all absolutely FINE. They were NOT wrong actions, at all. (The burning rubber was a case of "temporary humanity" -- who among us is not guilty of having done something similar [or worse!] when feeling hurt and angry?)
YES, our dear silentlambs has a responsibility to ALL the silentlambs.
He has thus far fulfilled that responsibility in a wonderfully inspiring way.
Why cannot you see that though the Society and many, many of its members will seize upon the "very, very minor" things to try to besmirch Brother Bowen's reputation, the "very, very HEINOUS" things the Society has to answer for will out, and will condemn, and there will be no hiding, and no room for the "clean, Christian, moral, united, worldwide congregation" to be excused from their utter lack of love.
"God is love," they proclaim.
"By this all will know YOU are my disciples, if YOU have love among YOURSELVES," they proudly apply to themselves.
The 60 or so members of Bill Bowen's congregation (and the posters on this board) may have just "seen" a small act of frustration on his part, as Venice pointed out.
Very soon, MILLIONS will know that Jehovah's Witnesses do NOT have love among themselves, for they will not lovingly protect even the weakest, most vulnerable among them -- the silentlambs.
There is no comparison.
So let's give Brother Bowen the same thing we've each afforded ourselves here on this forum: a place to vent our hurts and frustrations and reveal the injustices visited upon us and others by members of the "Christian" Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Perhaps we should all stop arguing now and instead look into buying some local advertising space in support of silentlambs and his work.
outnfree