ELDERS AT MY DOOR

Elders At My Door.

Well, well, well now! It seems as if news about my book (Losing the Faith, Truth under Scrutiny) is spreading like wildfire amongst the JW community here in South Africa. After spending 3 weeks away from home on a business trip to Johannesburg, two Witness elders knocked on my door early one Saturday morning. Bear in mind that I have moved house about 6 months ago and only one Witness in my former congregation knows my place of residence. Elder A asked if I was the Robin Jackson who authored the book about the JWs that is available on the internet. I answered in the affirmative. “What’s this about?” I asked. “Are you a baptised Jehovah’s Witness?” asked Elder A, very forcefully I might add. “I used to be but don’t regard myself as a Jehovah’s Witness any longer,” I replied. Next came the statement from Elder A that got my blood boiling. “In that case, we will have to make an announcement at the Kingdom Hall.”, said Elder A. I then clearly explained to him that if he, or any elder makes an announcement of any sought about me at the Kingdom Hall, I will have no choice but to sue them for libel and defamation of character. “I am not talking about suing the Watch Tower Society, but you elders in your personal capacity!” I said. “And believe me”, I continued, “The Watchtower will not back you up in a case like this.” Elder A then replied in a very subdued tone of voice, “Oh no, I would not want to do anything where the organization will not back me up.”

After that, Elder B now chipped in and said they just wanted to know if I was a baptised Witness. What Elder B said thereafter really shocked me. “We don’t have any records of you on file at the congregation,” he said. “What!?” I thought. “No records of me at the hall!? After giving talks and being hounded for field service reports all those years, suddenly we turned out to be phantoms? And yet you still choose to pursue my whereabouts?” was my reasoning. Sounds like harassment to me. They promptly left after that.

This gave me more than enough ammunition to write a letter to the body of elders explaining how they did not follow “theocratic procedure” in a case like mine, and how that could be very detrimental to them if this case goes to court.
I will post the letter next time.