I was 22 when I became a JW and I was 25 when I was appointed an elder. It took lots of "work" and my wife and I moved to a small cong that needed brothers in the worst way ( I am certain that nothing has changed in that cong). Less than 3 years later I stepped down. I guess I saw what was behind the curtain. I still have a negative attitude about serving in a position in any organization. I do volunteer work, but just don't ask me to run the show. It has to be my idea and on my schedule. I remember so many nights spent preparing for talks and meetings, then the actual meeting, then elder's meetings, etc. The work at the KH just never stopped and I never had the feeling it was OK to carve out some free time for me or my wife.
Did You Reach Out For "Privileges"?
by minimus 27 Replies latest jw friends
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parakeet
I reached out for the privilege of being an ex-braindead dub.
Sisters as well as brothers have equal opportunity to reach out for this privilege.
It's available without having to kiss ass, and it leads to even greater privileges -- freedom, education, career, family stability, peace of mind.
I highly recommend it to all lurkers and the few dubs that post here.
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SirNose586
I did, because my friends didn't. My hours weren't stellar but they were good enough. When they wanted to make me an MS, I hemmed and hawed during the discussion but they still gave me the job. Of course when I stopped toeing the company line, they summarily dismissed me.
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blondie
What privileges! Being a regular pioneer is the only privilege that doesn't require being married to someone of the maile gender. There is always mention of the army of large women, woops old joke, large army of women doing the preaching work, but then that isn't a privilege, all jws are required to do it, it is of little consequence.
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Finally-Free
I reached out and often got smacked back down. I don't have a penis, so I wasn't elligible for most privileges.
Don't feel bad. I always got smacked down too, and I am male. I'm just not accustomed to asskissing.
W
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dissed
But Blondie, that's because Adam was first and Eve was second. Its the natural order of things.
Can you imagine if Eve was first how different things might be?
My brain is spinning, just thinking of the possibilities.
I hope you are feeling better.
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SnakesInTheTower
OTWO:
Once I got there, I was disappointed.
Like the Land of Oz, once a brother gets past the curtain, all of the shine leaves. As one elder (now long inactive) told me before I was ever an elder: "{Snakes}, once you become an elder, it is never the same for you. You know everyone's business. You know who hates who, who likes whom, everyone's quirks... dark secrets... you can never enter the kingdom hall again and look at people the same."
Man was he ever right. And the higher I climbed, the more it became evident that it was all BS...either play the game or get out.
I got out.
Snakes (Rich )
ps...oh yeah....I was a former elder, pioneer, and MTS grad....so yeah, I "reached out" for "Greater Privleges™"....jeez, what a waste.
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WTWizard
I did not even want "privileges" that I would find beyond my reasonable ability to handle. I was not going to spend every f***ing second of my life doing nothing but boasting sessions, study, field circus, helping people that "needed" my guidance because they were not trained to think for themselves, and hold accountability for everything that happened in the congregation. If they gave me an assignment and it was not excessively a burden (and I was getting real blessings, as opposed to those "blessings" of helping others at my expense, that exceeded the cost to me), then I would move up.
Needless to say, all I got was assignments designed to prevent me from mixing with the opposite sex (after they promised me that, if I joined, they would help me with that issue). They wanted me in the magazine room (nothing but other men there), guarding the Worldwide Pedophile Defense Fund box at a Grand Boasting Session (the "sisters" always used the other boxes while the men used the one I was guarding), washing fruits (with other men), cleaning the a$$embly hell after the a$$emblies (again, all men around me), and doing the slips (anything was very superficial and the "sisters" resented getting their slips, even though they are supposed to rely on the bulletin board posting instead). Nothing where I would get actual blessings that exceeded the personal cost.
Now, the only "privilege" I need from that cancer is to help ruin them. I will not donate even a penny toward the Worldwide Pedophile Defense Fund (give me another assignment like that, and I will dog it and let anyone put trash in the box). And, supposing stickers are placed on all the rags to direct everyone to an apostate web site or warning them that it is a scam--I wonder how long I would be stuck behind that desk. If they ever give me the assignment slips, I will shred every single one of them and write up fake ones, putting everyone right back to the beginning, on purpose.