What I want to know is what you - the the non-Jehovah's Witness - feels like when you hear things like this being said.

It is the 'whistling past a graveyard' response that often comes out after dreadful events. "Well, me and mine are safe" people like to say. In actually of course no-one is safe, the universe is a random place and shows no fear or favour.

This is not restricted to JW's either. For example with Catholics you get the argument that no-one would contract HIV if every one only had one sexual partner. Well, technically, yes (baring other methods of transmission), but then those who do not eat will not contract salmonella either. Life involves risk, and a life well lived - aka a life open to friendship, experience and artistic shock is at increased susceptibility of risk.

In fact, this is not even restricted to religion, we see this type of thinking with anti-vaccine types, extreme 'helicopter' parents and those terrified of their own shadows.

This 'Elder' is a frightened man. Not an appropriate role for a grown-up.