Did You Ever Secretly "Sin" & The Elders Never Knew About It?

by minimus 50 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Marvin Shilmer

  Once a sister came to my home to turn in herself for not reporting her husband for eating a piece of birthday cake his work-place associates gave him for his 60th birthday. She said she deserved to be disfellowshipped for hiding her husband's sin (until then), and that he should be disfellowshipped because he ate a piece of the cake.

  This gal was really troubled, and it troubled me greatly to know she had such deep emotion about such a trivial thing. She was one of the sweetest people I have ever known, and so was her husband. I told her the next time someone offered her husband a piece of birthday cake she could call me and I'd come right over and eat the whole thing, if it was good cake.

  Honestly, it took me the better part of an hour to convince this sister that her husband had not committed any sin for eating a gift of cake on his birthday. She asked the usual questions about birthdays and the Bible. My response was that taking people's heads off and eating a piece of cake are way different things. She was so happy to know her husband had not sinned, and it made me happy to be able to delivered the message to that sweet soul.

  This sister and her husband were very simple folks with not much education. My best guess is that neither went to school beyond the third or fourth primary grade. Her husband may not have ever attended school in his life. But they were good to the bone; both of them. It pained me greatly to see how this sister's lack of education had been manipulated into thinking eating a piece of cake was a sin. But existence is a hard and cold thing no matter our place in society or our level of education, and this couple did find much happiness in the life they chose as Witnesses. They are now deceased, but overall they had a good life compared to alternate trappings they could have fallen into with their lack of education.

  Keyboarding this brief experience in my life (regarding this sister confessing her husband's supposed sin) I am reminded that people are on various life paths for all manner of reasons. It is not so much the path as what we choose to do with our path that results in happiness or otherwise. Considering the path of this sister and her husband, I think they did all right for themselves. They made the most of what life dealt them, and they were happy.

  Marvin Shilmer, who is done musing for now
• 

  designs

  Aniron,

  Realizing that committee meeting confessions were the dinner table topics when Elders had dinner parties was a big factor in my stepping down. They would find amusement in sharing stories and naming names.

  What a betrayal to the friends.
• 

  cantleave

  Smoking a joint when I was in my late teens. Getting drunk quite a few times (throughout my 20's and 30's) and exploring all aspects of the internet when I first got access to it in the mid 90's (yes i mean apostate sites!) .
• 

  minimus

  Marvin, being raised in the cult, I always was told eating birthday cake was wrong. You gave those poor conscience stricken folks bad counsel. Bad boy!
• 

  minimus

  I was at my first elder's school and a former Bethelite confessed to EVERYONE his secret sin of jerking off for years. He had tears in his eyes. I felt bad for him. The DO was talking about secret sins' effect on the congregation. When the elder heard it he was overwhelmed and wanted to resign right then and there. All was forgiven as Brother Jerk Off was soon given a Circuit Assembly part.
• 

  blondie

  Eating birthday cake the next day is okay; so just take a piece of birthday cake and eat it tomorrow. I remember a sister who would buy birthday cakes that had not been picked up and serve them to her family.

  Then there are the jws that count out 6 months and celebrate a Special Day with cake and presents....so if it is not on the date, it doesn't count either.
• 

  minimus

  Same with day old holiday candy.
• 

  JWoods

  As you might have guessed, most of mine had to do with the internal combustion engine.
• 

  Uzzah

  WHile an elder I had one young brother about 24 years old confess that he and his kid brother had twice mutually masterbated. Neither were baptized at the time and it happend when they were like 15 and 13 years old. Both were serving at Bethel and had been appointed as MS by that point.

  I asked him if he prayed for forgiveness. Yes. Do you believe that your baptism was a fresh start/clean slate? Do you blieve god's holy spirit is running this Org including the appointments of MS and Bethelites? Ys

  So I told him the problem was not the 'exploratory act of a young child becoming a sexual being' but rather a lack of faith in Christ's forgiveness. If he trully believed in it why would he continue to carry the guilt for so many years. If he truly believed Holy SPirit was involved in appointments should not his and his brothers being appointed as Servants in the congreagation and to serve at 'god's hous' prove of such forgiveness?

  Personally I think he was trying to get his brother in trouble since the younger was being fast tracked congregationally and at Bethel. He confessed this to three other elders after me. <shrug>

  That was probably the wildest thing anyone outright confessed to in my experience. Lots of 'confessions' after being caught but very few proactive confessions.
• 

  WTWizard

  My first year in, I rigged up the sun-worship lights so they wouldn't light (by bending the contact so it would not make contact--that disables the whole set without ruining it). Next night, I had to reset the lights that I rigged--which would have amounted to an act of worship to the sun. Of course, the hounders never found out about that.