Hi LE: At your conclusion you cited my post and one by Dungbeetle (lover these screen names).
I felt mixed about emotions them because some comments were thoughtful, and some were very 'black and white', cutting no slack to men holding reservations who stayed on as Elders.
I had reservations for many years, and the last three years of my JW life, I essentially knew it was not the 'Truth'. My last 5 months as a JW, I absolutely knew it was not the truth. But, the growth, the realization, sequence of events, planning to leave, and leaving all took time to emerge ... and I think that this is what many misunderstand, and judge wrongly.
Amnesian best espressed this angst on the part of non-Elder JWs, especially women, when she said,
"I can only imagine how much sooner I might have given in to my own terribly eroded faith had I witnessed even one man I considered to have integrity simply walk away from the madness. I simply don't see how interceding here and there on behalf of the friends by a "good" elder does anything but reinforce the myth and help others justify staying."
She clearly, like many JWs, follows men, at least men she feels that she respects. She takes her "cues" from such respected individuals. And she is angry at herself now for having trusted men. Yet, she fails to see that many good men, and likely some she at one time respected "DID" leave ... but the Society is so clever about vilifying those who leave, that she would have lost her respect for them, and thus not followed them out of the organization. She fails to see the insideous cruelty of cult mind-control.
In my follow-up post to her, the one that you did not cite, I explained to her that the average JW is just as culpable as Elders, and showed how this happens ... but, I have to go back and see if she responded.
Thanks for a good post, and I hope that many thoughtful replies will be added. - Amazing
