JT,
I am not, nor have I ever been an Elder, but I have been around long enough to see the facts and the facts are that for all of the talk, I have never seen one actual case or even heard of one DF'ng based on someone merely accessing or considering apostate material or what would be considered false-religious material.
if you know of any actual cases, lets see the evidence, otherwise it is you who is blowing the old steam.
The Society takes the matter seriously and strongly discourages the membership from reading or researching apostate or even worldy information, especially of a religious nature and I have never said that wasn't the case and that is clearly discernible from the public statements made in the literature and from the platform.
It is the acts of interfaith such as attending another church, acts of association with DF'd or DA'd or apostates, yes, ala Ray Franz, these things have lead to people being disfellowshipped, but not simply the acts of accessing information.
Perhaps now, when the Internet presents such a great opportunity for the free association of reformers and the exchange of ideas and plans, the Society might try to make examples out of some Witnesses, but that remains to be seen and done.
For now, whether it is visiting this website, or any other, or checking out Crisis of Conscience from the Library, a Witness found doing these activities might indeed find themselves in the backroom or even in a judicial committee - but it hasn't happened yet. Richie Rich's current experience is a good illustration of what really happens and note that his trouble doesn't stem from his simply obtaining or accessing information, or even the online activities, but with his own personal actions which "bring disrepute" upon the congregation (for example taking and posting a photograph of him making an obscene gesture in what is considered "Jehovah's house", taking property that doesn't belong to him, etc.).
The internet or the consideration of apostate material remain only tangential issues. Even in my own Judicial Committee meetings it was a side issue, but this it is not the underlying "crime" or sin and I doubt that it ever will be.
The Society will never cross that line because then it would open itself up to real charges that it tries to control the information obtained by its members, something that it has never done. To date, at most it has tried to influence and encourage the membership and couched strongly worded "you should not do it" type statements towards the membership, but thus far there are no public statements in the literature or from the platform that reading Crisis of Conscience (for example) or visiting JWD are grounds for disfellowshipping. And until and unless such public statements are made, no Witness could be held accountable for such activity.
-Eduardo