Elders are the worst. Don't get me wrong, I have known some wonderful, sincere elders, who really cared, but there were others who were deviants, that only cared about power and status. My Presiding Overseer hated me with a passion. Towards my last year or so he tried everything in his power to get me DF'd, but there was nothing .... he had no evidence for anything. I went to all the meetings ... I worked FULL time, and still regular pioneered, that was 90 hours a month back then. I had 5 Bible studies. He would appoint appoint Servants and Elders those brothers he knew he could manipulate and mold into his way of thinking, or those he could mold and shape to do what he wanted. The whole body of Servants and Elders were fearful of him. I didn't care, he was just a man and if you wanted my respect, you had to earn it. I remember I had a part on the Service Meeting, about the latest magazines. The Awake was about marriage and in-laws, and I made a joke that "I found the articles helpful because as you know I'll be getting an in-law soon". I was engaged and getting married in a few months. He jumped down my throat and said "the podium was not for making jokes and need to be serious." That Sunday he gave the public talk, and you'd think he was a stand-up comic, making joes and laughing. At the end of the meeting, I went up to him and to his face called him a hypocrite. During the last 6 months on the body, I had my resignation letter in my suit pocket, just waiting for that last straw and hand it in.
During those last 6 months, I would get a call and all hours of day or night, "Brother, we need to speak with you know, come to the hall." I would get up and go to the hall at 9 or 10 pm and it was just a fishing expedition. During the School/Service meeting and Talks and Study, "apostasy" would come up, even if the subject matter had nothing to do with apostasy, it was somehow wiggled into the outline. I asked around and apparently letters and apostate books were being circulated, like CRISIS. I remember commenting that I wouldn't waste my time and money mailing books to people I knew wouldn't appreciate them.
I recall after the School and Service meeting, I was taken to the back room, another fishing expedition. I sat down, the Presiding Overseer sat in front of me, while 4 other elders stood around, one was blocking the door. I felt like the new guy in prison about to take a shower. P.O. kept harassing me, asking me the same questions, at this point, I don't even remember what it was he was asking it was so long. Each time his voice would get higher and his face would get flushed. He would scream at me and I would reply in a soft voice, which seemed to aggravate him, because he was trying to get me riled up and lose my cool, he certainly was losing his cool. He finally had enough. He got up screaming and charged at me, it took the whole body to grab him and hold him back. I never flinched, I just looked at him and smirked. Never threaten a man who no longer cares. I left the room, picked up my bag, returned to the room and handed in my resignation from the Body. In the letter I stated, that I wanted the book study out of my home, and the only support I will give is going out in Service and not to expect anything. They announced it to the congregation but made it seemed as if I was deleted, as oppose to having resigned. NO one treated me any different, they all knew.
I remember at the Sunday meetings, when the Watchtower study was about to begin, one of the elders tapped me on the shoulder and motioned me to the back, I followed and he extended the microphone to me, I put my hands up and said "no, I don't do that anymore", he smirked as I returned to my seat.
It was funny, because my wife and I would sit up front, and listen to the talks and studies, and we would share contradicting scriptures with each other, pointing to the paragraphs. Honestly, I enjoyed messing with them, because I was in a state that I didn't care anymore. So they couldn't put the fear in me.
RR