What was your most DISTURBING event as an elder ? (Per T.O.S. no full names please). (page 2)

designs

A three year long child molestation case I dealt with as an Elder.

ScenicViewer

@000DAD, Thank you for the explanations.

@ Anony Mous, Can you explain how the ectopian pregnancy got to be a Judicial matter? Or link me to where you've already explained it?

Also, cheers to you regarding the stand you took with your daughter's need for blood. At the peak of my convictions that this religion was the truth, I had already decided that if it came to sacrificing a child I could never do it.

ScenicViewer

@Balaamsass, Thanks for the 3 bears explanation.

And I have to agree with your observations that anyone who doesn't agree with the WTS is disfellowshipped and shunned on the lame charges of 'attempting to cause a division', or 'rebelling'. I see this as a cult-like trait that proves the WTS doesn't have the *truth* at all. It's insistence on absolute conformity is perverted.

cedars

Reading the above experiences, I'm grateful that I never had to deal with any judicial matters (not to mention child abuse cases) during my brief spell as an elder. I will say this however - my stint as an elder left me totally convinced that there is absolutely no way the holy spirit could be playing any role whatsoever in the appointment of elders or the decisions they make. The above experiences, and others I have heard, reaffirm this conviction.

Cedars

glueman

My first post. Thanks for being here.

My worst memories as an elder were definitely judicial committees. I was strong armed more than once for being a dissident. I believe I was called a maverick, if memory serves.

One disgusting case was dealing with a drug addict who relapsed a few times. Being an addict myself, it killed me inside to see the insidiousness of the committee and outcome. The poor guy was disfellowshipped when he needed love, forgiveness and help at a most difficult time. The idea of hiding sins being equal to non-repentance is a farce. David hid his "gross" sin with Bathsheba for at least nine months and there are more scriptural examples of such.

Another case was from a neighboring hall that a close elder friend confided in me on, since his conscience was justifiably stricken. There was a baptized boy 16 years old who confessed to "immorality" with an unbaptized, "interested" person who was active at the meetings. She was 22! A judicial committee being formed on what is legally statuatory rape is unthinkable, but he was disfellowshipped. Not a thing happened with the woman. Being raped as a child myself, this was one of the straws that broke my back.

I served on a committee for reinstatement once where it was found out that the brother was never even officially disfellowshipped. He lived a life without family and friends for decades believing he was disfellowshipped where we couldn't even get it clear if an announcement was made and there was no paperwork at headquarters.

Finally, my worst judicial committee experience was when I was on the other side of the table. While serving as an elder I had recently had a serious relapse, attempted suicide and was in a psychiatric ward at the hospital. I had been hiding some other "illicit" activities and confessed these to my wife when she asked. Of course, at that time I was supposed to confess these to the elders. In a psyche ward office, I kid you not, two brothers drilled me on my life. I get out of the hospital and within a week I'm in a committee. They take two weeks to finally agree to disfellowship me. I asked them, pleaded actually, to announce it immediately since my family (I had two teenage girls) had been undergoing tremendous anxiety about it and wanted them to start to move on. Of course my request was denied, even when I told them I wasn't going to appeal, and we had to wait another a week for the announcement.

Oh I'm sure we could go on and on about these things. What can a loving, merciful God think of these things?

I do have one question for you all though...I cannot find a direct reference to an actual judicial committee in the Greek scriptures. Is there?

Sorry about the long post, guess I'm just excited to be here.

Thanks for reading.

cedars

Hi glueman - wow, really your first post? It's great to have you with us. Allow me to be among the first to welcome you. It's great to have your knowledge and experience joined to this forum. I look forward to reading more of your contributions, and thank you for sharing that shocking experience with us.

Cedars

What was your most DISTURBING event as an elder ? (Per T.O.S. no full names please).

designs

ScenicViewer

ScenicViewer

cedars

glueman

cedars

glueman

bigmac

glueman

Bella15

Share this