Newly baptized JWs = strict, "old" JWs = not so much?

by Awakened07 7 Replies latest jw friends

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  Awakened07

  Yes - it's one of my flashes of memories again:

  I remember how when someone new and really eager and zealous came along, at some point in the conversation (or later) it would be brought up how these new JWs (newly baptized) were so "square" (in my language), meaning they were so strict, by-the-book, rigid. Whereas those who had been in longer were more "round", as in more relaxed, not so bothered by the "details"... I remember joking about how newly baptized people should have a year or two of "quarantine" from the field ministry, because they were being too assertive.

  Now that I remember it so many years later, it's actually rather interesting. Because what was it that actually happened there?

  Well - what happened of course was that these new JWs actually read the WBTS literature and lived strictly by it! While those who had been in for a long time were more 'relaxed' about it. -Figured some of the teachings were just too strict, and some were baseless and... well - people were basically "waiting on Jehovah" to sort out the details later. Few "oldies" were really strict, about a number of things.

  Was this the case in your congregation(s)?

  I'm guessing it may vary.
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  Poztate

  Strict...That was me when I first "signed up" I couldn't understand the laid back attitudes of some who were born and raised in the "Truth"™

  To me you were either in or out and if you were in you gave 110% It took me a few years to smarten up and slack off.

  I really smartened up 25 years ago when I walked out of the KH permanently..
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  freeme

  i was raised "in da tooooooof" but in the time short after my baptism i was very very strict too. i thought if you dont follow everything you propably will die on gods day. 110% or death. period.
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  B_Deserter

  I've seen it happen. I know a guy who was extremely strict when he first came in. He was so intent on going to Bethel, too, except he had a minor, non-fatal, non-contagious medical problem. He ended up not getting in because of it (I won't divulge what it was, but believe me, it's a very minor problem that only affects him cosmetically). Bethel has to have their perfect specimens of course. There's a reason why only skinny, good-looking brothers get in (to feed the secret desires of the old men waiting for them, no doubt!). Anyway, after realizing he wasn't going to Bethel, he slacked off a bit and is now with the r-n-f in terms of strictness. He even has a sense of humor now.
  
  I think the reason for this behaviour among the new recruits is that they're fresh out of the big, bad world and have been injected with a HUGE self-esteem boost. So much so they don't know how to handle it. If you think about the kinds of people the religion chiefly attracts--the clinically depressed, manic depressives, poor, uneducated, or otherwise downtrodden in some way--they've never felt better about themselves. They go from being kicked around to being love-bombed and put on a pedestal. They instantly get a superiority complex. It usually wears off after a few years, though.
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  mentalclearness

  I've observed this as well. And I also can add that newly named elders are the absolute worse! I hated when they appointed a new elder because they were soooooooo by the book in the beginning.....
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  My Struggle

  This is right in line with what I saw. My dad, and former PO, would be very very much like the more relaxed type...just waiting on Jehovah to sort things out.
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  steve2

  Strict ain't half of it!

  We local JWs used to joke among ourselves that newly-baptized individuals should be locked-up for a few months until they cooled down a bit. The younger the baptismal candidates the worse. teenage JWs were seen as way over the top, prone to self-righteous declarations and had expectations that everything should be by the book. Insufferable little religious snobs dressed to the nines.

  It can take months, possibly years, for commonsense to return and reality to sink in. Given the huge drop-out rate, a significant proportion of these self-righteous little religious snobs in fact do cool down and drop out of sight. In the meantime,it's a bumpy trip along the way
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  jaguarbass

  I remember when I was a witness, I read the Awake and Wactower regularly.

  That really messed up my head.