SOCIAL CLASS IN YOUR KINGDOM HALL (page 2)

Dragonlady76

#2

But some how I felt it was a mixture of #2 and #5

Mary

I pretty much agree with the previous posts, except that there is also a scale based on money - the more you have the more important you are and the more obsequious everyone else in the congregation is - so money trumps power

Hmmm.......interesting and you're probably right. However, things were a bit different in my congregation. There was one brother would was very well off financially, pioneered, kissed ass, yet he was not liked by the PO, the elders or the other MS's and as far as I know, he was never made an MS, despite his wealth...........

ferret

That is funny Mary...I guess 27 years ago I would have been somewhere near the top of your list. I think you are right on with the order of your list.

sosad

There is also the very specific "kids in the cong" - and there are two opposing scales. who you are in the eyes of the jw adults and who you are in the social sphere of the other kids.

non publisher child of an elder - Untouchable

non publisher child of a poor family - Always To Be Blamed

If you are interested in Spiritual Things as a kid - the Adults either love you or don't trust your motives

- the kids can't stand you and ignore you or worse

The harder you try, the more likely you will be mocked. The less connected you are, the smarter, the younger you get dunked, the longer you wait - it is endless. A jw kid is going to be a wreck, suicidal, or very lonely.

the better they would do living a regualr life, the worse they will do in the Hall.

and the stronger their parents are, the more isolated from reality they will be.

It is so sad.

snowbird

No one likes a smartass, and this is never more true than when a sister in the congregation knows more about a subject that the Presiding Overseer.

True that, Mary. That's when she would be given pointed counsel using 1 Cor 8:1 as a battering ram to keep her in her place. I grew so tired of biting my tongue in order to avoid making a brother look foolish.

Snowbird

samiam2b

Mary you nailed it!

There are a couple of other groups though. The 18 year old married ones who aren't accepted to be missionaries yet so they use their trust fund to go where the need is greater and pioneer. They always have enough money although there are others so poor they miss out on most meals because the local economy is so bad. The wannabee couple shows pictures of some african country that they wan't to go to but too bad the political situation is so unstable at the moment so they are stuck in your little town.

Speaking of those, they are poor as church mice. They don't have much else to live for, lving in clapboard houses with wintertime breezes blowing through. Their car is always broke down but they always have a smile. After a few years the PO takes pity and must promote their dedication as an example but since they are so low the social invitations are far between.

A third group are the outcasts... that move from hall to hall. Sometimes single men... no reason is ever given for their mysterious relocations and they don't socialize. They aren't given any priveleges so you know something is up.

A fourth group, are the super strong minded sisters who are married to non-dubbers. They try like hell to get their kids to go to meetings and they do cause mom says. They still do school sports and plays and all that and never become baptized but are like spiritual infants, even after 18 years. Rarely answer at the watchtower and never give talks... oh wait, back to mom, she answers every other paragraph and makes sure that she sings louder than anyone else in the hall so you can all hear how dedicated she is.

samiam2b

Mary

I grew so tired of biting my tongue in order to avoid making a brother look foolish.

I never bit my tongue.......that's why the elders didn't much care for my "attitude." To them, nothing's more embarassing then when a blonde female can properly identify a picture of the Capitol Building in Washington or the Red Square in Moscow, when none of the elders can.

LisaRose

This is too true. I started out as a 6 - my husband was DF early on in the marriage. Slid to a 7 as heath problems and issues with kids (one child suicidal, other wouldn't go to meetings) left me missing many meetings. I never went to college, but did work my way up into a professional job - systems analyst. That seemed to push me down to 8 status, although I didn't talk about it. I was a complete non-entity at the KH, I might as well as been invisible.

SirNose586

Well, like any other hall, the PO and his elder cronies are on top, but then something curious happens: the family of one of his cronies (Service Overseer, 2nd in command) is not well liked. They are respected for being superdubs, but not invited anywhere important. Some elders don't fit in all that well, and people are reluctant to invite them to parties. Some do well, as the second class begins... Then you have the dubs who know how to socialize. They enjoy wine, dining out after the meetings, and like cruises. They are popular without having to work out in the field all that often. They would be at the top of the chain, but they are usually divorced women, or hip couples. If there are gatherings, these ones throw them. After them you have the general mass of people. Not particularly popular, but not disliked, they form the group of "Gee, I think we should invite the so-and-so's out to dinner." Within that group are the older ones, fractured families, and so forth. At the bottom are the starving pioneers, and at last count there are at least three of these poor souls still in the hall. They are socially embarrassing, and usually have multiple food allergies. No one can invite them if it's a small group. Larger groups are okay for them. But one one of them throws a party, it usually ends up being an unenjoyable experience (think "Bible Charades.")

changeling

Good summary Mary.

At different times in my life as a witness I fell in #1, #2 or #5.

changeling

SOCIAL CLASS IN YOUR KINGDOM HALL

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