How is a Jehovah'sWitness suppossed to know they are annointed?

by brainwashed-from-birth 34 Replies latest jw friends

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  Scott77

  I found out her "problem" one day when we were talking, she'd had a ruptured spleen and almost died from the "no blood" dictate and her nonWitness husband went ahead and authorized the transfusion that saved her. She got treated like a leper after that, even though she was unconscious, nearly dead during the whole thing. Reminds me of how people used to blame the victim of a rape. She was made to feel guilty about surviving, and even told that she could have attained her heaveny reward if not for her evil worldy husband who was just trying to save his wife.

  mindmelda

  Notice the statement: 'She was made to feel guilty about surviving' Life is a gift from God. We need to preserve it. I am surprised, they wanted her to die. I think that would have been painful to her husband, but something of a cerebration to those in the borg.
• 

  peaches

  shudder
• 

  Black Sheep

  

  Have a read of Steve's online book. He describes his own 'annointment'.
• 

  GromitSK

  They just do - ok? :) (apparently)
• 

  sacolton

  You know when you're wanting more attention at the Kingdom Hall.
• 

  MidwichCuckoo

  There is probably some correlation between 'Annointed' and 'mental issues', eg attention seeking.
• 

  Kum Vulcan

  I've been given the explanation: "You just know, just like you know if you are a man or a woman". I was itching to ask: "what if one was transgender?" but I didn't. Now regret it. Would have been fun to watch the elder's reaction...
• 

  THE GLADIATOR

  This is a wonderful opportunity for 'sisters' to grab a little status. It is the ONLY appointment they can have. The WTower has nothing to loose by indulging their fantasy as they still do no have any authority. They only get to rule over men from the heavens when they are dead.

  We had two in my first congregation; a mother and a daughter. The duo sat, at the back in silence, trance like trying to look as though they tuned into some unknown dimension. Like the two women in the film, 'Don't Look Now.' With Julie Christie & Donald Sutherland. They met pair of elderly sisters, one of whom claims to be psychic...Scary stuff.Tremble and kneel earthlings...
• 

  Terry

  When I first began associating with Jehovah's Witnesses through my best friend, Johnny, I encountered this particular

  "anointed" question early on and asked about it.

  Johnny explained the difference between a non-anointed in terms of "where the spend eternity" (i.e. on Earth) as differentiated from

  the "anointed" who go to heaven to rule as kings and priests.

  It seemed to me then and still does today that this is like the separation in the Catholic church between clergy and laity.

  Anointed are an ELITE.

  The mystical nature of the JW description of them is at odds with the otherwise "plain text" explanations of other doctrines.

  It is a shaggy dog story without rational underpinning.

  The few anointed I met and spoke with played their cards close to the vest. You never got a decent answer from them about anything.

  They enjoyed their special status among other JW's but contributed very little to discussions.

  I noticed a hesitancy about giving answers in any detail. They were afraid they'd overstep their authority. Clearly the brothers and sisters wanted to treat them as though they were resident oracles!

  My suspicion is that they live in constant fear of being exposed as JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE (i.e. "clueless").

  The odd thing about this "anointed" doctrine is that it has faded and morphed over time into a thorn in the side for the big boys at Headquarters.

  The numbers were supposed to dwindle. They are a "remnant" after all! But, the number fluxes wildly.

  They've tried putting a cork in the bottle and cutting off "membership" to this class. It did NOT work and they were left embarassed, once again.

  They've got themselves stuck with it like 1914 and the 6,000 years of human history having ended (for them) twice already!

  Fortunately, few JW's are real scholarly and conscientious about learning Watchtower history.

  Otherwise, the questions would be extremely difficult to answer.

  What don't all the anointed have special insights the way the Governing Body does?

  Why is the Governing Body an elite within an elite?

  What other celebration in Judeo-Christian history has non-participants OUTNUMBERING the participants? (The Memorial).

  And so on....
• 

  designs

  Terry, you captured the aha moment well. When I studied Systematic Theology some years ago the Rutherfordian theology jumped right out- Catholic heirarchy and Calvin's elite doctrine, Bingo.

  Religion is a recipe of ideas and cult leadership dynamics prying on the vulnerable.