New Castles recently posted a topic asking if there were any specific comments people made that caused us to question or leave the orgnaization. This caused me to remember one particiular incident and was wondering if anyone else experienced anything similar.
Our Service Overseer came to our bookstudy and did his routine talk on, "you're not doing enough", "what you are doing isn't quality", "DO MORE, MORE, MORE" in the field service. This talk was especially uncomfortable because our bookstudy was on Saturday morning - so if we didn't stay for the field service meeting directly after the bookstudy, it was pretty conspicuous. Anyway, he then stated that we had several people in our congregation who were irregular in service. He then made sure everyone understood what "irregular" meant. He said, this means that these people can't find at least one hour out of their busy lives to devote to Jehovah over the course of three months. Then he proceeded to read the list of names of irregular publishers. One of the sisters was there at that bookstudy while her name was read - my mouth was literally hanging open - I couldn't believe what I was hearing - what happened to confidentiality!. Then he read out another older sisters name - this second sister was something like 85 years old at the time and had faithfully devoted more than 50 years of her life - and towards the end when she was sick, bedridden and dying, he points out that she is one of these evil, selfish "inactive" ones. I was literally sick to my stomach. This is the same elder who later stated during a public talk, "When armageddon comes, all I can say is God help those of us who are not putting in at least 10 hours per month".
Has anyone ever heard of elders making public the names of inactive publishers? Isn't that information supposed to be confidential? Just curious. Remembering that issue stirred up some serious emotions in me! Thanks. CF