....either from others or yourself?
Were you regularly disappointed when the elders, brothers or sisters didn't measure up to what they were preaching?
Did you actually believe "The Truth" was 100% true?
Did You Expect Perfection From Jehovah's Witnesses?
by minimus 33 Replies latest jw friends
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Irreverent
Yes I did. Afterall, that was my duty as a good JW elder (god).
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keyser soze
Did you actually believe "The Truth" was 100% true?
Yes, sadly I did at one time. And when I didn't believe it, I always felt as if there was something wrong with my own understanding, even when the elders failed to give me a satisfactory answer.
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minimus
When obvious facts prove your whole belief system is a sham, it can be mind numbing.
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undercover
I knew that all "fell short"... so I didn't expect perfection from any one person...
...but I did expect continuity from the organization. Even when "the light got brighter" I expected it to further an understanding, not change direction.
The Watchtower article that explained doctrinal changes as "tacking" really bothered me. I don't know it anymore but during that study I looked up the scripture that warned about following the teachings that go "hither and tither" with no direction...and here was the Society trying to rationalize their constant back and forth as "tacking". It was another instance that pushed me toward doing my own independant research.
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Quirky1
I couldn't handle others in da hall to preach or counsel for something I "knew" they either did or have done or still do. The worst part about that is that the young ones were all influenced by the elders and older ones in the hall and they knew what they were doing. I was only an MS and was approached many times from the younger ones about how and what the elders and older ones were doing in private that was against their counsel.
This one of the first things that broke this camels back. Two-faced double standards.
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easyreader1970
For a long time, I thought that WBTS = rank-and-file.
I used to hold the people in the congregation to a higher standard than, say, the average "worldly" person and definitely people like elders or pioneers, the stars of the congregation.
Later I realized that elders, pioneers, ministerial servants, all these people were just people. Normal people. They were really no more hypocritical than anybody else in the world. They were just doing a job. I'd expect them to be better, but I shouldn't. It's sort of the same way I used to expect that people who were police officers were somehow morally better than everyone else. But they're not. They're people collecting a paycheck just like the cashiers at Walmart or the truck drivers for Southeastern. Their job just requires a bit more than the average citizen is willing to give.
When I was able to separate the WBTS from everyone else, it became clear to me what the problem was. And it wasn't the people. The people were who I could see and touch and blame for problems which were not caused by them but by the Watchtower. The Watchtower made these people who they are. The Watchtower makes these people hypocritical. It's almost impossible to live up to the standards that they demand.
If you're a "worldly" person and your daughter is caught giving oral sex to a boy in the parking lot, you talk to her about it and go on with life. If you are a JW, your life and your daughter's life can be potentially destroyed by this one act. So, yeah, I might be tempted to lie about it or to collude with my daughter to cover things up. Who wants their life burned to the ground?
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jamiebowers
Yes, sadly I did at one time. And when I didn't believe it, I always felt as if there was something wrong with my own understanding, even when the elders failed to give me a satisfactory answer.
Me too.
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jamiebowers
Yes, sadly I did at one time. And when I didn't believe it, I always felt as if there was something wrong with my own understanding, even when the elders failed to give me a satisfactory answer.
Me too.
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parakeet
"Were you regularly disappointed when the elders, brothers or sisters didn't measure up to what they were preaching?"
I didn't expect perfection from the dubs, but I did expect at least some kindness, understanding, and love. With very few exceptions, I never saw any of these qualities in the dubs I knew.