DID YOU EVER HEAR ELDERS/COS/MSS OR POS EXPRESS DOUBTS?

R.F.

I know one former elder that use to express his doubts during talks.

I only heard him say this once but others have told me that he's done this more than once.....but during a talk he would say.."ok I don't agree with this, but this is what they told me to say."

I've only heard him say this maybe one or two times but it was hilarious! He isn't an elder now. He just stopped going to meetings all of a sudden and is off the radar now. I wouldn't be too surprised if he posted on JWD.

JWdaughter

An elder told a youth group once about some of the nonsense that happened around 1975. That was right before they ended our Sat. night WT studies/gatherings. I mean-it was maybe two weeks before they ended. The elder then relocated northwards. I don't know if he is still an elder-of course, it was 25 years ago! He didn't exactly express doubts, but he was honest about the climate pre-1975 among the JWs, his own attitudes about it etc. Maybe he left so he could fade . We can hope.

Madame Quixote

never. but I do know of a couple of so-called scandals involving a couple of elders, here & there. After all, every other normal thing is a scandal in such a mind-control group.

Casper

I don't know if I would call it doubts, frustration maybe...

During a Shepherding visit, I mentioned how hard it was to get everything done with the constant cry to "DO MORE" and the Elder said" I know xxxx, I know...it never seems to end or be enough". He had his head down when he said this and seemed beaten.

Another time my Husband and I were talking with an Elder about FS and he mentioned that he hated going to the doors, he knew the people didn't want us there, but he did it anyway.

I felt they were both being very honest about their feelings and I appreciated that more than anything else they could have said.

Cas

nvrgnbk

Many elders I spoke with before leaving told me there was much taught by the organization that they did not believe.

I was told more than once that I needed to filter out much of what was said from the platform and in the literature.

One even said jokingly, "Know what your problem is Nate? Your filter's clogged. Hahahahaha."

But it all came down to this...'where else will we go?'.

Honesty

Yes, on several ocassions...

until their cognitive dissonance OVERRIDE BUTTON kicked in at Full Throttle.

Burger Time

Looking back there was an elder that took a shining to me, and he often overtly showed doubts. He would never use WT or Awake! mags and would only use his bible or the live on earth tract. He would also encourage me to go out and live, not to be overly concerned with the Truth. He had all these crazy stories about what he did in the 20's and 30's. I think thats just an old school J-dub for you. Of course he is dead now, but he was a major influence in my thinking growing up. One funny thing is he wouldn't curse he would say something really old like, "a wham blammy that one!".

willyloman

It was my experience over almost 30 years of dubdom that the "truth" was a parallel universe (sort of a twilight zone) where many dubs lived part-time. The rest of the time they lived at school, at work, at home, or in the world of sports, golf or other interests. Many of them also escaped to an alcohol-glazed, serene world as often as possible. The "truth," or more accurately the organization, was where they hung their hats for 5-10 hours hours a week, depending on how involved they were.

Elders were not immune from this double life syndrome, but most of them were quite good at masking it.

This is one reason so few dubs walk away: they don't have to. They can escape the humdrum existence in so many other ways and still keep their families and social ties intact, just by distancing themselves from the insanity that is Kingdom-Hall-related.

It isn't necessary to express doubts in front of others, nor does one have to use words. When you see a dub who loves his job, loves his team, loves his money, he is expressing many, many doubts, loud and clear.

Doubting Bro

This is one reason so few dubs walk away: they don't have to. They can escape the humdrum existence in so many other ways and still keep their families and social ties intact, just by distancing themselves from the insanity that is Kingdom-Hall-related.
It isn't necessary to express doubts in front of others, nor does one have to use words. When you see a dub who loves his job, loves his team, loves his money, he is expressing many, many doubts, loud and clear.

So true. And for many, when they are talking about KH related things, its generally gossip not anything to do with what they are learning. I refuse to talk about anything KH related with other dubs. I try to change the subject as quickly as possible because I'm afraid I'll shake them and tell them to wake up. But, I was thinking about this over the last couple of weeks and noticed that every conversation my wife has with other dubs about "the truth" is generally some crazy story about things other JWs have done that are just too crazy to make up.

If the WTS represents Gods chosen people on earth today, then all associated with it have to follow its every word. My experience is that the majority do not. They pick & choose just like the "worldly" religious folks.