by minimus 55 Replies latest jw friends
I never got the impression that the elders in my cong were dumb, although they weren't well educated. My biggest impression of them was that they were mostly sincere, very stressed, and under a lot of pressure "from on high" (and I don't mean God).
~Merry
I dont think I ever knew a dumb elder. Not any dumber than the rest of us.
Interesting post. I have known many elders in the 38year I was a witness. I can tell you that there are so really intelligent elders, they were extremely devoted men. One elder I knew personally had been imprisioned and persecuted during the 40s and 50 and 60s in the province of Quebec, He was an extremely well spoken man in English and his mother tonuge French. I was so taken back when I learned that he had been disfellowshipped. I mean he had been in prison something like 100 times or more for preaching. and then in the 80's was df. I was in shock. Frankly I was taken aback by it. HIs name was Laurier Summuar. Does anyone remember him. Another intelligent elder was David Splane, who know is part of the governing body I believe , I was one of the first witnesses to work with him in the service when he started out as a Circuit Overseer.
John Deddur was also a friend who was very smart.
My father was an elder , but not well educated, he would work very hard to be a good speaker and teacher, but he was smart as a whip when it came to reading people and sometimes he would act dumb, just to trip up someone in the congregation. Men who level themselves to that is dispicable. Or he would spy on members in the cong. He use to make me sick. I can tell you this though he got an excellent education in the organization.
I knew many elders who were similiar. I can't say I ever met a dumb elder. In one cong. I was in the elders had cliques. and not just in the cong. I was in other cong. had similiar circumstances. I found that over all the years of being a witness I have seen more favouritism in the body of elders. They seem to go to bat for one another. Its like a secret society in my opinion.
It is too bad that with all that intelligence that there would be fewer witnesses. But as i read today that many people feel the need for structure of an organization to keep them in order. Rather then realizing that we recieve salvation by the grace of God.
They are kept in place by a lots of rules and regulations that a man made.
Well I am not one of them, thank God.
Orangefatcat
the only dumb elder experience I can think of is when one got caught cheating with another elder's wife
I don't think most elders are dumb. I think they are blind to things outside the WTBTS. They follow the plan as put forth. This is not dumb that is just blind faith.
Many - maybe most - of the elders that I knew suffered from a lack of education.
Given the WTS's downer on education, this is hardly surprising.
Some others had been appointed as elders while they were still very young, and as a consequence, suffred from a lack of experience in life and living.
The majority , though, did seem to be of average intelligence, or slightly above.
One I know of is of extremely high intelligence ( an IQ shared by just 5% of the population):
- How any such highly intelligent person can have allowed themselves to be deluded by the WTS is, of course, another story altogether!
I think that is the crux of matter when considering whether all elders are "dumb" or not:
- Whatever their individual levels of intelligence, ALL are deluded - and this is going to show in their beliefs / actions / attitudes.
What I do have to question is - these men see more than the average JW, know what goes on behind the scenes etc. Why can't they see the inconsistencies in the JW teachings? Especially the brothers conducting the WT studies where most of the "new light" comes out.
Some do see the inconsistencies, there are plenty of Ex JW elders on this site and others.
Everybody comes to things in there own time.
I think elders are just a cross section of the populace. Some bright, some average and some stupid.
OC
In my experience, although there are a few elders that were really morons, most of them are of average intelligence and some are very smart. It has to be that way for things to function "properly" in the BOE.
According to intelligence, the elder in question assumes a "role" in the congo. The dumbasses become puppets, and they develop this need to always prove how "mature" and how much they know about the "Bible", which of course, means the WT, in the meantime, doing whatever Honcho wants (see below).
The very smart ones tend to go in one of two directions: 1) many become "the big honcho" - they assume control and become the ultimate authority in the congo- submitting the other elders to his will and authority and manipulating the ones belonging to the group above into doing whatever the hell he wants. They are authoritarian, arrogant, very inflexible and, usually, extremely hypocritical (sp?). Or they may go in the other direction and become the "cool" elder that everyone loves and goes to, and who tries, however misguided, to lovingly guide everyone into submitting to the WT. He usually stands up to "Big Honcho" and becomes a thorn in Honcho's ass, so eventually Honcho will manipulate things and other elders into removing him from the position of elder in the congo. Once this happens, he losses all credibility and is no longer able to help people under Honcho's iron fist.
Most of the average ones are just that. They submit to Honcho. Sometimes they disagree with Honcho, but will never stand up to him because "he is so much more mature and Jehovah put him there for a reason".
Hell YEA
I wouldn't say "dumb" just ignorant on the realties of the real world.
