Does anyone remember a district overseer Joe Slaiman?

by stuckinarut2 72 Replies latest jw friends

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  under the radar

  Hello Joe.  I too had never heard of you before reading this thread, but I was impressed with all the compliments and warm thoughts of you and your wife that others posted.

  I was also very pleased and surprised that you and your wife were allowed to leave the Society with your honor and dignity intact.  I've never heard of that happening before.  Congratulations, Sir!  My hat's off to you.

  I would very much like to read the document you sent to the Society.  Only a person with overpowering courage and conviction could or would do such a thing, and I respect you for it.  I will email you my private email address so you can send it to me at your convenience.  Thank you so much for offering to do so.  That was very generous.

  I live in the USA, so it's unlikely that I will ever get the chance to meet you in person, but please accept my best wishes for your continued happiness in your new life in NZ.
• 

  steve2

  Just a thought that occurred to me when I read your post Joe:

  I am hoping this thread is for JWN members only because all that would be needed is for Witnesses to learn - directly or indirectly - you have posted here for them to establish a basis for disassociating you from the organization - and you would effectively be viewed the same as a disfellowshipped individual. I value this forum as a safe platform - but posters who do identify themselves by name (and location) do heighten the likelihood and/or risk that the rumor-mill will see them exposed and judged as apostates or opposers.
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  jysjw

  Hi Simon, you ask how I managed to leave without retribution from the Society? Good question but the answer is simple:The Society only takes action if you challenge the organisation or its doctrines. But if you criticise the Bible as a book, not any of the teachings, and question god's existence and don't speak against the Society as such, nothing will be done because no one has a monopoly on the Bible or any god and therefore you are not seen as a threat to the organisation, its teachings and arrangements and so they have no basis to charge you and you are let go free.

   I hope this has been helpful.
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  joe134cd

  Wow oh wow Joe I never knew that about the bible.  Seems odd how they'll treat you if you disagree with a bunch of men, and yet disagree with the bible and "hey no problem".

  i have fond memories of you joe.  I can still see you up on the stage how you used to have those reading glasses on the end of your nose and every now and again you would peer over them to look at the audience.  I also remember making samwidges along with your wife and Alice Kramer.  

  There certainly have been a lot of rumours about you over the years, and it's nice to know that the rumour of you and your wife separating is completely false.  So your living in the N of Z now. Some how I got the impression you had returned to Australia and that is where you were disfellowshiped.  Obviously another false rumor as well.  I would be guessing that you'll be getting inundated with emails at the moment from people from your past.  It was refreshing to see your postings.
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  Simon

  I'm not sure that would be everyone's experience in the same circumstances. I think it may depend a lot on how reasonable the people are you deal with and what the current mindset of the society is (possibly in the region).

  Most of the time if you say "I don't believe this" (the bible) then by definition you are also saying you don't believe their interpretation of it either and that is now grounds for being DF'd - if you fail to accept their is a god as described in the bible then you must fail to accept that they can represent him.
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  _Morpheus

  That explanation dosent add up as to why no action was taken.  If you dont believe in the bible then you dont believe what the FDS teaches, including that the concept that the FDS is gods channel of communication and are therefore subject to df'ing.  At best not longer believing in the bible is disassociation, substantially the same treatment as df'ing.
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  jysjw

  I agree with Simon that this may not be the experience of everyone in the same circumstances and the reasonableness of who you are dealing with may have a bearing, but it has been the experience of a number of individuals I came across during my travelling work and conversations I have had with some prominent individuals in the Society. I also believe that it was the way I composed and worded the document made it clear that I was not and had no intentions of being any threat to the organisation. The important thing is that we must act on the dictate of our conscience to enjoy peace of mind and happiness in life.
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  Simon

  I can see it being a mix of their reasonableness and whether you are making yourself into a threat affecting their response.

  If you are determined to "expose their lies" then they are going to be more keen to get rid of you.

  If you say "hey, I just don't buy it, I want to leave" then you are more likely to be left in peace although there are never going to be any guarantees.

  The important thing is that we must act on the dictate of our conscience to enjoy peace of mind and happiness in life.

  :thumbsup: to that
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  jysjw

  Some of you have expressed concern privately through my email that if some non-JWN members read or get to see my postings they may inform on me and cause me trouble.

   Thank you for your concerns but no need to loose sleep over it. The Society has been in possession of my thoughts and comments on the Bible since 1998. They never responded or contacted me in any way. Should they do now as a result of my postings, and knowing how Society's mind works, I don't think they will, then I welcome it.
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  under the radar

  Joe, I have to say it again.  You are one very courageous man to publicly reveal your name, personal email address, and reasons for leaving the organization.  I hope the Society leaves you be and doesn't feel it necessary to make an example of you after all these years.

  If the Society would take this approach with all who wanted to leave as a matter of conscience, and let them do so with their honor and dignity intact, it would be a much healthier and more respectable organization.  No shunning would be required, which in itself brings reproach on the organization and the god it claims to represent.  It would still be a cult, but perhaps slightly less of one.