I believe the reversal on alternative service was the eye opener for me as well. I was a ministerial servant in my 20's at the time. I vividly remember the whispering about this at the Circuit Assembly.
Letter to my JW elder brother
by Roger Kirkpatrick 32 Replies latest jw experiences
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slimboyfat
;-)
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steve2
I remember my maternal JW grandparents roundly criticising Seventh-Day Adventist males for accepting alternative service when they were conscripted. The mantra was about 'standing apart from the world no matter what and not compromising just to avoid imprisonment'.
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Wasanelder Once
Disassociated or disfellowshiped you're outta there. In fact, disassociation can bring greater scrutiny because it is often viewed as apostasy.
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Roger Kirkpatrick
It is not my intent to argue with ex-Jws–especially former elders–about what is and is not Watchtower policy because, as we all know, official Watchtower policy is one thing and common JW practice is another. Having said that, anyone who watched Australian Branch Overseer Terrence O’Brien’s testimony before the Royal Commission knows that he stated–under oath and on the record–that those who disassociated are not subject to any restrictions if they renounce their disassociation, as opposed to those disfellowshipped for wrongdoing. It is a complete waste of time to argue about Watchtower policy because each elder body has complete freedom to do whatever it wishes to do and the Branch will back them up. I was a member of seven different congregations during my time as a JW. Every congregation did things differently from the others and, without exception, each congregation felt it was the only one doing things correctly. I did not post my letter to my brother to stir up a pissing contest with anyone who considers himself an expert on Watchtower policy because there is no such thing. If any former elder thinks he has more credibility than anyone else, he is mistaken. As Ray Franz correctly noted, each congregation was under the control of those having the weakest consciences, meaning the biggest dipsticks, and those were the elders. (Screen shot that!)
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Pete Zahut
A very good letter but I'm wondering if it was a good idea to have used your names and your locations when posting it here. In less than a minute, I was able to do a search and locate both names.
Maybe I'm being paranoid but you might be able to ask the forums moderator Simon to remove your names from the letter if you're concerned about it.
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Chook
Hi Roger. All your arguments are valid except on the return to cult procedure. The main challenge most face on here is not what others do to them but how they mentally process and accept that others don't see and respond according to what we consider normal. A religion that can get the adherents to die for the cause has no problem having cult members disown family members in the name of God. The Warwick legacy is broken families, I wish you contentment, good luck Roger
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Roger Kirkpatrick
@Pete Zahut, that's the nice thing about having disassociated from the Watchtower for conscientious reasons; I no longer have to post under an alias. I realize that the Watchtower is closely watching the posts on this site. It just illustrates how much they fear those who willingly leave their corrupt organization. (I have no idea who Simon is, nor do I care, to be honest.)
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TTWSYF
Nice letter Roger,
If it were sent to my uber elder JW brother, he would have stopped reading by the 2nd sentence.
Such is the reality of cultish teachings.
All is allowed [and considered fair] when you're in a cult that teaches Theocratic Warfare
TTWSYF
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Roger Kirkpatrick
@TTWSYF, here's a little something I learned long ago: When one writes a letter and mails it, that letter virtually takes on a life of its own. When two people have a face to face conversation, they can walk away with two different perceptions of what was said. Same thing with a phone conversation. An email or a text message may never be received, read and replied to. A written letter is different, but there is a greater responsibility attached to writing letters. Thus, writing letters keeps the letter writer honest. I couldn't care less whether my brother read my letter or just tossed it in the trash unopened. That letter lives and carries with it a certain amount of energy, as is evident from the replies from those who read it on this site. It will continue to be read by many others besides my brother, because it has been shared on a number of blogs.