http://www.strike9.com/file.aspx?path=/joy2bfree/fullsize/newsherald-15k.jpg
The article above is from the Panama City NewsHerald September 6.
WHAT TO DO?
No one contacted us personally after the media interviews. Our daughter-in-law refused to talk to us. My folks heard one thousand miles away and were very upset. They should have heard from us first but that was another of my mistakes. Another relative half way across the country was warned by her Circuit Overseer that we were dangerous. Just recently we were supporting Joy’s family while her father was in Intensive Care when a little nerd elder took my mother-in-law out of the room just to warn her I was DF’d (not true at the time) and dangerous. All these events took place over the last 4 months while the brothers seemed to be unsure as to what to do with us.
In November while talking with the one of the members of the investigative committee I was told that as far as he was concerned nothing further would be done judicially. A few weeks later the same brother called and said a judicial committee had been formed and wanted to meet with Joy and me. The charge was apostasy. When I asked if they were sure they wanted to pursue this and if they had consulted with the society he told me this is ‘basically what we have been instructed to do’. I guess I sort of tricked him into admitting that. I suspected it already since something had completely changed their perspective on the situation in a short time.
THE JUDICIAL HEARING
So we met in December. Joy had warned me she was not going to stay. She lasted about 30 minutes debating the convoluted, indefensible blood policy and then started into her planned exit speech ending it with a label often associated with high control groups, and walked out. Again smarter than me, I stayed another three and a half hours. We covered child molestation, UN and the harsh disfellowshipping policy to mention a few. I only regret that I did not bring more proof and speak more freely about the issues because I was still trying to play a game of not disclosing how far we had already come.
At one point a brother quoted a comment by Jst2laws from JWD. While it was a comment they thought to be awful it was actually better stated than I had remembered it to be so I said to the three men “I like this Jst2laws”. With this another elder asked “don’t you think we are just playing a childish game here, Steve?” To this I agreed and added “but it is your game played by WT rules and if I loose, you execute me”.
The allegations and discussions finally came to a conclusion with all of us exhausted. I had to sympathize with the three men. I really think the process was more difficult for them than it was for me. They dismissed me for a moment to make their decision. I went out the front door where I had parked my 1100 Shadow to get ready to go home. Yeah, isn’t Florida wonderful, riding your motorcycle to the KH in December. It couldn’t have been two minutes and I was called back in to be told they could not make a decision and they would notify me of a time to meet again later.
To be continued
Jst2laws
Ps. I hope I have not double posted this. Having trouble with new and different error messages.