by truthseeker 9 Replies latest jw friends
A few months ago someone posted that the position of Bether Elder was to be removed.
I don't know how many Bethel elders there were, but there must have been quite a few?
What happens to them now? Are they just regular Bethelites? How would those under them feel, now that they're "one of us"?
Any suggestions as to why the Society would do this?
Whenever you witness a sudden unexplained, major change by the Watchtower Society, think about legal issues!
I think the Bethel elder arrangement is part of their liability problem, since they are trying to uphold the opinion that their
workers are "volunteers" and not "employees". There have been some powerful legal reverses on this front recently and they
are compelled to respond. The sad aspect of this Watchtower subculture is that they don't bother to make such powerful changes
to help the friends, but merely to hold on to their money and power.
metatron
Well, maybe some legal eagle can explain this to me, but I still don't get it at all...
How would the government look at a bethel "elder" any different than an ordinary housekeeper for work-comp, FICA, or minimum wage? They don't care what religious title the person has.
Further, what exactly was the reason for getting rid of the whole arrangement? Was it non-scriptural? Were these people not bible-qualified elders individually? Every single last one of them? If not, why not just let them keep what little shreds of dignity they had until they got sent home to pioneer?
Just doesn't make sense to me.
I am wondering if the government is not stepping into this as they are a corporation and making them possibly pay minimum wages in the future. Elders would then be viewed as managers in the corporation and be eligible for more money than the rank and file.
I realize that they are a religion but little by little they are facing exposure on their financial dealings.
I think that they should pay back wages to everyone and/or their family who ever worked there including those who either left or were expelled. Lets not forget overtime for the longer days where they have to work over eight hours.
It is always about money with those guys.
cab
The sad aspect of this Watchtower subculture is that they don't bother to make such powerful changesto help the friends, but merely to hold on to their money and power.
Bingo! Well put and accurate Metatron! The answer in a nutshell
What are they doing now?
I'd wager a great many of them are lamenting their loss of prestige.
I'd further wager that a great many Bethel elders' wives are similarly lamenting their rapidly approaching demotion to the ranks of "just another female Bethelite", rather than "wife of a Bethel elder".
What are they doing now?
Picking their bums. What else is a former Bethel Elder supposed to do? Leave the WTS?
We can only hope.
it's not they did a whole lot more anyway - the society can assign them to do what was considered bethel elder stuff but as regular elders.
I would guess that being a Bethel elder only serves to more deeply identify them as a Watchtower employee, rather than the
"volunteer" status that the Society has been working to protect. Suppose they run over somebody with their car while driving
to give a special talk or serve a congregation? I don't think the arrangement benefits them that much, anyway. They can just
use 'ordinary' elders to do whatever they need.
metatron
you don't need as many managers after you have sent a large number of the managed out into limbo land. what are they doing now? trying to convince themseleves it is god's will and somehow is in their best interests. and i imagine there is a lot of self medicating going on.lol
