The Scarlet letter Part 3
It has been brought to my attention that I have neglected to finished the Scarlet Letter series regarding the disfellowshipping of Jst2laws and Joyzabel.
Since it has been nearly a year and one half since the originals you may want to read One and Two first.
The Scarlet letter part 1 http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/47278/1.ashx
The Scarlet letter part 2 http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/7/47305/1.ashx
So here is part three of four.
The Recording Fiasco
I left the KH that night feeling good. I had shared my new found truth with the judicial committee, men who were true friends who had a terrible job to do. I enjoyed the ride home from that JC meeting in December relishing in the sense of freedom I was feeling enhanced by the exhilaration of the wind in my face cruising along the Florida beach on my motorcycle. Joy was not with me as she had walked out early.
I was reflecting on all the things said, issues covered and I especially mused over that near disaster with my recorder. YES, I was recording. I went to the JC meeting prepared in three different ways:
1 My computer in my business case was prepared to record but I had to open the case,
2 My shirt pocket contained a newly procured digital recorder
3 My cell phone was dialed to my home phone where my son was ready with a tape recorder.
I was not allowed by the JC to get my computer out and the cell phone connection was not good enough to record so my son hung up. But the digital recorder in my shirt pocket was working fine. The JC asked me if I had a "tape recorder" with me (as per procedure) and I responded "NO, I had it out but left it at home" which was perfectly true.
So we proceeded for some time until the digital recorder ran out of memory and started to BEEP, repeatedly. I sat there for a moment wondering how to react to beeping sounds coming from my chest while the elders paused in silence, two cocking their heads inquisitively like a chicken looking for a cornel of corn on the ground. I stuck two fingers in the shirt pocket and frantically poked buttons hoping to fortuitously hit the "stop" button but instead I hit the "play" button. OH NO! So now the beeping sound changed to a scratchy and garbled noise coming from my pocket. I was sure I was caught and for some reason felt more guilt than a teenage boy caught by his parents watching porn with his hand in his pants. Fortunately all that was audible was the scratchy noise of me stuffing the recorder in my pocket after having pressed ?Record? in the men?s room and a nearly indistinguishable flush of the toilet in the background.
Having anticipated this problem I had placed my cell phone in the same pocket. Having finally hit the 'stop' button on the recorder I pulled the cell phone from the same pocket and gave it a censorious smack. They all seemed satisfied and relieved, going on with the meeting not knowing I was much more relieved than they had been. While it was fun trying, all I got was about 30 minutes of the traditional JC introduction and scripture reading that was supposed to set the ?spiritual? foundation for our being there. Listening to it now I can not belief I too onse participate in such tenderize of the meat before roasting the victim. It?s a mind numbing procedure that prepares the accused for abuse. So the recording escapade was a failure, but at least brings a smile to my face when I think of our fateful meeting with the judicial committee.
The Sad Future of the WT
These poor folks, the WT robots, are so paranoid they are slowly becoming dysfunctional. Obsessed with their secrecy I think they have reached the point that organizational communication is impeded. I know of meetings that were canceled because a ?brother? would not open his book back to prove he did not have a recorder. In 2001 a new KMS book was just months away from distribution but several elders participating on this board had promised to pass their copy on to the world wide web. So where is the new KMS book? To release it to their own secret society of elders was the same as releasing it to the world. I suspect they will soon be reluctant to pass on new policy even by word of mouth through the CO?s during their private meetings with the elders, as this too gets leaked out. Has it occurred to anyone else that this WT Organization is becoming a paranoid, schizophrenic institution. A cult that cannot operate in secrecy is a movement with a limited life span.
So I arrived home rather content that evening. I headed for the back deck with a smile and a glass of Wild Turkey and shared with my wife what she had missed. The next step was to wait, and wait we did.
Part 4, the conclusion will follow (and I promise not to take a year this time)