Favoritism within the WT

by garyneal 10 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  garyneal

  Though my wife does not really see it and I myself am only beginning to actually see it, it appears that there is a lot of 'favoritism' going on in the WTS. Now maybe I should not judge especially since, in my case, I do not have all of the facts.

  Therefore, I will just let this passage of scripture stand on its own and allow people to comment on what they see as favoritism within the society.

  James 2 1My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

  Does clothing, status, connections, or anything of that manner matter within the organization? I know, the same think could also be said of many churches and to be fair that was one of the things that gave me a distaste for some of the churches I attended. The manner of dress within many churches also made me feel out of place and I have a tendency to prefer churches that have a strong 'come as you are' mentality.
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  Heaven

  Does clothing, status, connections, or anything of that manner matter within the organization? x

  Yes they do. They are all a mark of whether you are clean enough to be a part of the cult. If you don't dress the right way, say the right things, and do the right things, you are counselled. If you don't change, you're kicked out. Just one more reason why I call them 'Jehovans' and not Christians.
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  teel

  Gary if I recall correctly you only visited the KH a couple of times for your wife's sake. If you want to observe the favoritism toward social status, a good time to go is when the CO visits. The witnesses go out of their way to please him. Everyone looks their finest, all meeting's attendance is very high, and the talks and answers are much more thought out than ever. The CO and wife is crowded after the meeting, everyone wanting to shake his hand, congratulate him on the talk, etc.

  Also, this has not happened in my remote congregation, but if a GB member visits, I can imagine the witnesses would simply faint. They're the rock idols of JWs; witnesses go hundreds or thousands of miles just to catch a glimpse of him. Funny thing is, when the pope visited my country, JWs looked down on christians, saying "what's the big deal, travelling hundreds of miles just to see him, he's just a man..."
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  cantleave

  Every congregation will have its cliques. To some extent this is to be expected since as they say "birds of a feather flock together". The sad thing is there will always be some who are ignored and do not fit into any particular group. Of course a prominent Elder will tend to look more favourably on someone in his social circle than someone who is not, the favoured one will be given high profile assignments and this in turn will qualify him for future appointments . The result is a body of "yes" men elders, who think and act in a similar way. If a new elder comes in from another congregation it is very difficult for that one to make his mark because he will always be in the minority. When you think about, this situation is the same from the GB down.
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  cantleave

  double post - slow internet connection!!!
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  nugget

  Yes there is, at our hall 2 elders dominate everything and shield their families from consequences of any wrong action. I check the board now since most meetings contain assignments from one or both of them. It is their voice at every meeting, their families doing demonstrations, prayers and privileges.

  I think if everyone walked out and left them to it they would be perfectly happy.
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  garyneal

  teel,

  Excellent comparison of the WT and the Catholics. I too find it funny how they rail against the Catholic church while yet being guilty of doing the same things.

  I did vist my wife's hall one time when a CO was giving a talk. I recall my wife wanted to really go because the CO was in. I guess I just did not pay attention so I really did not see the oggling of the CO that you described. I will have to pay more attention next time, provided there is a next time.
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  garyneal

  nugget,

  Does your hall have a small number of people in attendance? I recall going to one in a city near Atlantic Beach, NC and I think only about a dozen people were in attendance.
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  garyneal

  cantleave,

  So what types of groups will be generally viewed upon favorably? Since my wife is married to an unbelieving spouse, I wonder how she will fit into the mold?
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  dgp

  Gary, fellow non-JW, now I know enough about the WTBTS to tell you that your wife does not fit into the mold, and I'm sure she's looked unfavorably because she's married to you. However, I believe she should be smart enough to understand that they don't have to choose her husband, too.