I called Patterson today.

Mulan

Someone please post a phone number where I can call the WTS. Will explain later. I guess I need the Service Desk. But any number will do.

Marilyn (aka Mulan)
"No one can take advantage of you, without your permission." Ann Landers

Mulan

Thanks Alan. The cong. is giving my 90 year old mother trouble because she lives with us. I am going over their heads!! I can't believe they are making an issue of this.

Marilyn (aka Mulan)
"No one can take advantage of you, without your permission." Ann Landers

Pathofthorns

I would suggest writing a letter to the congregation stating your wishes, and hopefully you can get your mother to sign it as well.
Then I would mail a copy to Bethel.

Getting these men to respect your wishes is like pulling teeth sometimes. Their arrogance is frustrating.

Path

You know that elders pulled the same sort of shit with Richard Rawe's mother? Around 1985, when the poor woman was 85 years old, Richard had been in the habit of visiting her every day around 5:00 pm, bringing supper and chatting. He only lived 1/4 mile away. The idiot elders decided that because he was DF'd, she shouldn't have any contact with him. She wanted to know if any of them would take care of her as well as her son did, and they had no answer. They DF'd her anyway.

These men are monsters.

The Society tends to be more reasonable in situations like this than the idiots they've pretended to train. Various WTS publications state that "family ties" are not broken by DF'ing. The elders manual specifically states that a person will not necessarily be DF'd for having contact with a DF'd family member. Contact for "necessary family business" is explicitly allowed. What could be more "necessary family business" than taking care of an aging, ailing mother? Don't these elders understand the Bible's simple teaching that "those who do not care of their own have disowned the faith and are worse than a person without faith"?

At the recent Kingdom Ministry School for elders, statements were made emphasizing that it was desirable and possible to have almost no contact with DF'd family members. I wonder if the elders are picking up on this.

I'm thoroughly disgusted with these assholes. You ought to demand that the Society write them a punishing letter for failing to go by its own guidelines, as well as complaining that they're telling you to "disown the faith". You could even threaten to go to the media and complain. Use the publicity from Erica's case as a stick.

AlanF

Elsewhere

You know what would be fun to do with that number? Setup your computer with a War-dialer so that it calls all of the pagers within a certain pager prefix (example: 555-0000 to 555-9999). Have the system pause for a few seconds while the pager system answers and then have the computer dial in the 1-718-560-5000 phone number.

They will start getting thousands of phone calls from people saying: "Uh, yeah, someone paged me at this number..."

(You can find a local pager prefix by looking at your or a friends pager phone number. You can also download a wardialer from just about any hacker web site.)

"As every one knows, there are mistakes in the Bible" - The Watchtower, April 15, 1928, p. 126
Believe in yourself, not mythology.
<x ><

Fredhall

What is wrong AlanF? Are you scare of monsters?

dungbeetle

I do recall Mulan, someone warning you about this. I can't find the post right now--but it mirrored my feelings as well, tho I didn't say so at the time. I was hoping it wouldn't be true.

I'm doing the Organization book right now, here's what it says:p 122-123.

At times, faithful ones in the congregation may be in need of material assistance because of advanced age, infirmity or some adversity beyond their control. Individuals in the congregation who become aware of such need may be moved to act in harmony with the words of the apostle John: "Whoever has this world's means for supporting life and beholds his brother haviing need and yet shuts the door of his tender compassions upon him, in what way does the love of God remain in him? Little children, let us love, neither in word nor with the tongue, but in deed and truth." (1 John 3:17, 18; compare 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12.) True worship involves looking after faithful and loyal ones who may be in need of material assistance-Jas. 1:27; 2:14-17.

In his first letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul explained how material assistance may be provided to deserving ones. You can read his counsel at 1 Timothy 5:3-21. The first responsibility rests upon each Christian to care for the needs of his own household. Older or infirm ones should receive assistance from their children, grandchildren or other close relatives. (At times material assistance is available through governmental or social agencies, and so relatives or others may show kindness in helping the needy one to make proper requests for such assistance.) A situation may arise where it might become necessary for the congregation as a whole to consider providing some form of assistance to certain needy brothers and sisters who have a long history of faithful service. If there are no family members or other relatives to assist such ones, the body of elders can make appropriate recommendations and suggestions to provide some help. Faithful Christians consider it a privilege to confirm their love for one another through sharing their inaterial possessions with worthy ones in time of need.

Elsewhere

What is sad is that a person has to risk being DFed by digging out the bound volumes to show the elders that they are not showing love.

"As every one knows, there are mistakes in the Bible" - The Watchtower, April 15, 1928, p. 126
Believe in yourself, not mythology.
<x ><

BluesBrother

*** w88 4/15 28 Discipline That Can Yield Peaceable Fruit ***
13 Cutting off from the Christian congregation does not involve immediate death, so family ties continue. Thus, a man who is disfellowshipped or who disassociates himself may still live at home with his Christian wife and faithful children. Respect for God’s judgments and the congregation’s action will move the wife and children to recognize that by his course, he altered the spiritual bond that existed between them. Yet, since his being disfellowshipped does not end their blood ties or marriage relationship, normal family affections and dealings can continue."

Note "Still live at Home" and "Blood ties...normal family affections and dealings can continue"

The principle always was, If they live with you then its O K , Just restrict "Spiritual association " ie, prayers and worship.

Lots of elderly d'fd parents are cared for by witness sons and daughters and vice versa. Tell these elders to go look up their own rulebooks , since they cannot reason anything unless it is in print from the hallowed "Society!"
All the best.

I called Patterson today.

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