DECEPTIVE JW ELDERS – CASE#6
JW Elders can be, and often are, deceptive in how they smear the names and events concerning former JWs, especially where alleged Apostasy is involved.
When I moved to a particular congregation, I was at first very impressed with the good camaraderie and the help we were given in getting settled. The congregation was far more outgoing and often held events at a public park where they gathered to enjoy barbecue, swimming, sports, etc. This was before the Society cracked down on large congregational fun events that were not ‘official’ meetings and things like that.
Shortly after settling in, I was intrigued by a discussion where some JW Elders were relating a fairly recent event (just a few months prior) where 29 people were disfellowshipped from 7 different congregations spanning eastern Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and into western Montana. Unknown to me, Jim Penton later made mention of this major defection in his book Apocalypse Delayed. He cited this as being one of the first major defections from the Society in modern times.
Apostate Seed: The story as told to me at the time by JW Elders was that there was a long time Elder of the Anointed (Brother X) who had apostate ideas and started to recruit immature and unsuspecting ones into his new organization. He was said by the Elders to not only teach against the “Truth” but educated these immature ones into believing that they were all of the Anointed. Worse yet, he even trained his new followers in how to deceive and recruit yet other JWs into his new religion. He was said to hold secret meetings, and operated this so-called underground movement for years.
How Jehovah revealed the Evil Slave?: The Elders continued to recount how when many new ones started partaking at the Memorial, they just knew there was something wrong! (Duh-uh! – No Kidding Sherlock!) Eventually, a young new brother started to get involved with Brother X, and saw right through his Apostate ways, and reported him to the Elders. The Elders then noted how they sadly had to take most serious and drastic steps to deal with this satanic infection attacking the congregation. As they looked into it, they discovered all sorts of people involved, and before long had traced this to many congregations. Just in our congregation alone 7 have to be disfellowshipped, including Brother X.
My Concern at the Time: I was frankly very concerned, not because I had any so-called Apostate leanings, but just the opposite, I was very supportive of the congregation and glad they clean out this problem. But, I was also of the Anointed and still relatively young at that time. So, I feared that when I partook at the Memorial, they would think I was “One of THEM!” Also, I did not think at all about the accuracy or truthfulness of what was told, only that I trusted the Elders and wanted to be sure that I fit in as a good JW should.
I lived there for about 4 years, and for much of the first 2 years, Brother X would be mentioned in some context. He was accused of being perverted, and warped, and other unkind things. If some event came up, if was not uncommon to hear it related in the context of how it was similar to Brother X’s situation. Brother X was accused of moving to a nearby town, and renting a church and starting his own religion. The Elders said that they had to keep a watch on him because they never knew when this Evil Slave might try something sneaky. By the time I moved away, the recounting of this story did fade some.
Now the rest of the Story: Fast forward several years to about a year after I left the JWs. I moved back to the same area. But this time, I did not, of course, move into the JW congregation. I made every effort at the time to not be known among them or that I was there.
While I was there, I met some Baptist people involved in counter-cult ministry, but they mostly focused on Mormon issues. We discussed JWs and as we did they mentioned Brother X. They also knew well about the large disfellowshipping and the allegations of apostasy. WOW! I asked how they knew about that? They said that they talk to JW from time to time and the subject still comes up. [Also, the issue was in the newspapers at the time it happened.] But, 16 years later these Baptists could tell me enough details that I know the JWs still had to be recounting this story. Sooo .... what next?
I look up Evil Brother X: He was hard to find because he had moved from the area he was last reported in. I found the place where he last worked before retiring, and they told me how to find him. I called him on the phone, explained my situation, and told him what I knew of him from the JW days, and asked what his thoughts were. He invited me to dinner.
I drove about 40 miles or so to his house, and all the while, wondered what in the hell I was doing looking up old Evil Apostates! After all, I was only out of the organization a year, and still held some of the beliefs, and was not very certain about much. But, I figured that Brother X cannot get me into much more trouble than I was already in (although, I was not yet Disassociated, as that was about 2 years away.)
I get to Brother X’s house, and he seems like a very hospitable and good man. Both he and his wife. We have a beer before dinner, and start discussing his history. WOW! What a different tale from what the Elders told me 16 years earlier. Brother X never started any group. He was of the Anointed and had been a Congregation Servant and then PO for many years, and all this time of the Anointed. He did not discover this calling and then go apostate, but rather, he did not do what the Elders said he did.
Here is what happened: Brother X became concerned before 1975 that the Society was in error and was very much against all the 1975 hoopla that was being bandied about. But he kept his feelings to himself and a couple of family members. Then, for some reason, he said that he started digging into the Society’s history and past teachings and what they taught at the time. He became disillusioned and began to feel that he could not longer continue to remain an Elder and teach what he felt was in error. So, he planned to resign as an Elder and fade away from meetings, etc. Pretty typical of ex-JWs attempts to leave.
He was not leading any organization, did not want to lead or start an organization, and was not influencing anyone to be of the Anointed or teaching anyone how to deceive JWs. He and his wife both laughed at how the story was so twisted from the truth of what really happened.
Brother X said that the Elders got wind of the fact that he had some misgivings about the Society’s teachings, and forced a meeting on him by coming to his house. The only time Brother X ever met with any JWs was to say good-bye to a few people in another town. They heard he was resigning and possibly being given the boot, so several showed up to wish him well. And this meeting was used against him as evidence that he was leading a group.
I asked him about people who were professing to be Anointed, and all the people involved in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and other eastern Washington congregations that were DF’d because they supposedly were involved with his group.
He said that he did not know most of them, nor ever induced any to claim they were Anointed. He said that during that time frame many JWs were doing all sorts of things, but he was not part of it. He had no real answer for them or why they were taking this stand. He did say that some friends and family chose to leave the JWs when they saw the injustice and lies told about him, but that others shun him to this day. He said that it is possible that some few comments he made over the years were spread around, and some cited him as the source, but that he did not know the extent the information was twisted by the time the Elders heard it.
He said his own disfellowshipping was very brief, and it was obvious that the Elders had already made up their minds based on rumors and conjecture. (Oddly enough, one young brother who was one of the Elders who met in the JC hearing with Brother X was also professing to be of the Anointed. I personally knew that brother, and had had him over to dinner when I was still a JW.) But Brother X did not want to fight these Elders and try to stay in the organization, so he gave it up.
What about his so-called church and building he supposedly rented? he did say that after he was DF’d, he got together with some ex-JWs and others who wanted to share in personal Bible study without organizational controls. They did meet in his store he owned and a few other places. But this group was never intended to be a church or organization, and when he retired and moved, the study group made other arrangements.
What kind of person did I find him to be? He was one of the most kind and generous person I have met. He gave me a number of books from his library to read so that I could develop a better appreciation of the history of Christianity, and the history of various groups that formed in this country and in Europe. He does attend a Church, but does not hold any membership because he does not want to commit to any doctrine. He says that he finds most people in most churches to be good, kind and decent people and good Christians, but he was clear to me that JWs are not alone in being dogmatic and teaching false prophecy. He holds a rather moderate attitude toward the Watchtower Society.
The Deception?: Whether the Elders stated some facts that Brother X left out, or whether he told some details that were not totally accurate, I cannot say for sure. But, the real deception here is how a good and kind and most of all, an honest man, was labeled a terrible name for something he had little to do with. If you listen to the Elders you would think that Brother X was the equivalent to a Communist or Nazi Spy. He was made out to be a serious threat, and fear was struck into the hearts of JWs who are not permitted to hear both sides and evaluate all the facts for themselves. This type of thing is all too common among JW Elders, and is among the saddest feature of their deceptive tactics.
Amazing