BE AFRAID OF THE ELDERS!!! (page 5)

minimus

Right, JH, and most Witnesses aren't quite ready to get thrown off the ship just yet.

Finally-Free

IF you want to be considered rebellious, sure, an active JW can do whatever they want and no one could tell them differently. The majority of "good" Witnesses will adhere to the "requests" of the elders. if an announcement was made to have all those in your bookstudy of maybe 15 see the Book Study Overseer right after the meeting to get your blood cards and SIGN them in front of witnesses-----all "loyal" JWs would sign----even if they were not 1000% sold on the blood directive. After all, how would you LOOK in front of all the others. You'd raise suspicions. So you go along with the flow. I know----I felt this way at the very end. Peer pressure and acceptance is what it's all about. The elders will take you "in the backroom" if they feel you're not following the "Slave's direction". And that's no "bullshit".

Yes, peer pressure and acceptance is what it's all about. With JWs appearances are everything, and that's all their "authority" is - an illusion - which dissipates once it is challenged. It is not true authority. Unfortunately the illusion is not challenged nearly often enough. Yes, I was considered "rebellious" by elders because I didn't unquestioningly accept all their "counsel". As far as I was concerned, if their counsel could not be backed up with the bible than their words weren't worth a thimblefull of pig shit. And I had no hesitation about telling them so. Maybe not being raised as a JW gave me a different perspective about their so called "authority", and I had no fear of being told I couldn't play in their sandbox any more. W

Finally-Free

JH, I think your course of action would be the one most often used by JWs who had privacy concerns. I tended to be a bit more confrontational with elders after several breeches of confidentiality.

I think most JWs would comply with elders requesting information, not because they're intimidated by the illusion of authority, but because they don't see any danger in it. It wasn't until after I'd been burned a couple of times that I started to view elders in a different light.

W

willyloman

Basically, the elders give themselves the power to go beyond privacy.

Right. These are the same guys who, in a judicial committee, have no qualms about asking how far up your vagina his penis was.

Finally-Free

Right. These are the same guys who, in a judicial committee, have no qualms about asking how far up your vagina his penis was.

True, but it's still up to the individual as to whether or not they would answer such a question, or even submit to a JC in the first place. I've never been in a JC, but from what I've read, I suspect most who've been in one wouldn't do it again.

W

willyloman

True, but it's still up to the individual as to whether or not they would answer such a question, or even submit to a JC in the first place.

It would be up to the individual, if the "individual" thought in those terms. But a 17-year-old girl raised "in the truth" with staunch dub parents doesn't have those choices... or doesn't know she does.

minimus

I'm starting to laugh here. Everything we do is up to us, in a manner of speaking. Let's say we join a club and agree to abide by its rules. It's up to us, ultimately, to tell the club, "I'm not following this set of rules and requests." Of COURSE, no one can force you......so they kick you out of the club.......But why be in the club if you didn't expect to go along with its rules? It's like telling Simon, "I'm independent and I don't need to follow your rules here. You are no better than me!" Even if you're right, you won't be around to tell anyone else of your feelings.

Finally-Free

I'm starting to laugh here. Everything we do is up to us, in a manner of speaking. Let's say we join a club and agree to abide by its rules. It's up to us, ultimately, to tell the club, "I'm not following this set of rules and requests." Of COURSE, no one can force you......so they kick you out of the club.......But why be in the club if you didn't expect to go along with its rules? It's like telling Simon, "I'm independent and I don't need to follow your rules here. You are no better than me!" Even if you're right, you won't be around to tell anyone else of your feelings.

Yeah, that's about the size of it. From childhood on we were faced with dealing with kids who would kick us out of their sandbox, or take their ball and go home if we didn't play according to their rules. Adults are not much different. We join clubs, religions, or accept employment and recognize there are rules. Sometimes, over the course of time, we see the implications of such rules from a different perspective, especially once they're applied to us personally. Sometimes the rules change without our consent, or sometimes we change. Then we're faced with the choice of putting up with it or moving on. Either way we are faced with consequenses. That's life.

As someone who has, in the distant past, lost his freedom in an almost absolute sense, I value it very highly. I'm very cautious about giving any "authority" over me to anyone, whether religion, employer, club, etc. If someone tries to assert authority over me I question it. If someone wants personal information I withhold it unless it's crucial to a business relationship I'm involved in. If someone phones my home and asks, "Is W there?" I respond with, "Who wants to know?" I realize most people view me as an unpleasant fellow because of this, and even that is by design. It discourages further questions.

W

Scully

These are the same guys who, in a judicial committee, have no qualms about asking how far up your vagina his penis was.

What difference does it make whether it's one inch or 12 inches? If it was there when it wasn't supposed to be there... that's the point.

Mind you, I'd kinda like to tell a committee something along the lines of "as far as it could go, even though it was only an inch" or "I really don't know, I couldn't feel a thing" especially if it was an elder who was the other party to the "sin".

Finally-Free

What difference does it make whether it's one inch or 12 inches?

If it was really short it might add a little levity to the proceedings.

W

BE AFRAID OF THE ELDERS!!!

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