by wannabefree 28 Replies latest members private
I'm not an elder; never was; but I find this thread very interesting.
It makes me think about how Ray Franz must have felt joining the GB and then seeing from the inside how the rot at the heart of the organization differed from the rosy picture of Christian love and spiritual shepherding portrayed in the publications.
I guess everyone here has to face his or her own crisis of conscience.
What about field service?
How do you take the lead?
How do you encourage others to pioneer or aux pioneer or just increase activity?
Excellent thread this - and some really good insight into decent elders in the Org...hope all of you find peace.
Loz x
but it bothers me every f***ing day...
THAT WAS GOOD, MADE ME LAUGH, TA
As Elders are there certain topics that you would refuse to give an item on? Say, make an excuse, pull a sickie?
tradgically, I wan't trying to get a laugh. but if it provided you one then it was worth it.
Right now I cannot personally refuse without drawing attention to myself. i already gave up a CA part. This has prompted calls from the CO to me and the COBOE... I close my eyes and pretend .. ok seriously I just follow whatever is in print to the letter. I add nothing and I take nothing away. very dry and boring. As for the pioneering thing, no I do not encourage it. In fact I am working hard to get a bunch removed. I have also talked a couple out of starting. And I took my wife off the list. So I am doing my small little part in that way
Look at it this way... it is undercover double agent work There can be greater good done while laying the foundation of a sucessful FAMILY FADE. If not for these men... there would be no BOEs, the KS-10 would take years before it was copied, CO directives on pedophiles would still be hidden...... it is "insider" information which aids greatly in deprogramming of captives luv to the undercover men....
I wonder if there are any fading elders like you in my hall... I hope so. Some of them are just like how you describe, just following exactly what the publications say. Some of them hate it if anyone expounds on the paragraph and expresses themselves. I used to always get in trouble with that. They'd ask me to "stick to the paragraph" after the meeting.
WBF,
I've never felt like a hypocrite, I viewed THEM as the hypocrites. They originated the term "theocratic warfare" which entitles them to lie. Fine. I'm "theocratic warfaring" right back. When it comes to commenting I'm careful to remind the friends that we don't tell nonJWs this or that as printed in "our" Watchtower, that the brothers are imperfect and make mistakes, etc.
The thing that bothered me was that so much elder-work was clearly a waste of time. It isn't about serving the shepherd or the sheep. Being an elder is about serving Watchtower Corporation interests.
I love this thread. I love that there are elders on the inside, as hard as it might be for you great men, hang in there. Please do all you can to plant 'seeds' in doubters. We were taught so well that 'faith the size of a mustard seed', well "doubt the size of a mustard seed" might work as well:)
I know my mom always has, and always WILL listen to literally EVERYTHING the elders say! I remember when my dad was beating me, going to meetings with bruises, and the elders told her she HAD to stay with him because there wern't two witnesses. She cried and cried but wasn't allowed to leave him. She had to commit adultry to leave, then beg for forgiveness. How EFFED IS THAT? Dude was still allowed to run the mikes and everything!
To most in the organization, what an elder says is like Gold. They are next in the ladder to the CO who is next in the ladder to the FDS, who are next to the GB, it's a ladder that most are at the bottom of, so to look up and find answers wrong or not, they listen!
I liken it this way: My mom and many JW's are proud to have Witnesses that work for the Government. They suposedly get 'secret' information, that re-itterates the closeness of Armageddon. JW's are proud to have 'spy's' so to speak. The same way, us and I speak for most on this board, having Elders realize this religion is fake, is like a breath of fresh air!
Thank you to this site for saving my life, and for continuously providing more encouraging words then I ever heard in the organization. Granted, most are sincere individual so I don't blame them for trying to bring me back. I know that's what they are programmed to do. I think this site needs to have one big DISTRICT CONVENTION so we can all see what true brotherhood is like:)
