Did The Elders Ever Try To Adjust YOUR Thinking? (page 2)

MrMonroe

The presiding overseer of my old congregation once came to my house and told me I should probably change occupations. I told him my occupation was my decision, not his. In a sense he was telling me to choose between my job and my religion. In the end I chose my job.

Pig

Haha

First Pic "nup, I told you once and i'll tell you again, unless you got three witnesses you got nothing"

Second Pic "He's right you know, it says so here in the elders manual"

Last Pic - "I'd just like to comend you Bro Lopez on how you endured trials and didnt let those false peodophilia allegations effect your spirituality"

JuanMiguel

The elders called me to a special meeting because I was "doing too much in the service of Jehovah and doing it too well" to the point of 'making the other elders and servants' in the congregation "look bad."

This might seem like a joke or the rantings of a wanna-be or something, but I promise you that it is not. The Tuesday after giving a particularly well-received public talk I was called back to the "little room" (jokingly referred to in our congregation as "the Holy of Holies") and told my thinking, attitude, and manner of service to Jehovah needed serious adjustments and immediately if I were not to lose my good standing in God's organization.

I was shocked, as I had no idea what I had done.

Then an elder read a list of my "crimes" and places in my life where adjustment needed to be carried out immediately "or else":

1. Stop giving such well-delivered talks from the platform as it was showing up the other elders and their lack of education, speaking ability, and most of all causing me to be requested to be a guest speaker by other congregations far too much.

When I tried to explain I didn't think I had been showing off (and if I had inadvertantly done so that I was willing to be corrected), I was told that this was not the case at all. Regardless of the natural gifts given me by Jehovah and if I had just been trying to do my best to serve God and the congregation with my talents, I was told to show less effort and to bring the quality of my talks down to the same level as the rest of the elders.

I was also warned that if I ever gave a public talk that was considered to be "outstanding" by the congregation again that the privilege of delivering public talks would be taken away from me.

2. I was informed that reading the Watchtower well was also to be adjusted so that I didn't sound "so educated" by comparison with the other elders .

Regardless of the fact that I explained I was merely following pronounciation and inflection found on the Watchtower on cassette, that my efforts should be abandoned because I was sure to become' too proud of myself and eventually fall due to such pride.'

3. I was informed never to go out in field service with the group of Witnesses during the week, as I was the only brother who was a regular pioneer among sisters.

Despite the fact that I was generally avoiding working with any sisters on a one-on-one basis anyway, there had been a handful of occassions where a sister wanted to hand over an interested male or use my talent for speaking several languages (including signing for the deaf) to act as interpreter on a return visit or established regular call.

This was to be stopped immediately because without a third party from the congregation present (and that was rare) such actions were giving the impression that I was playing with temptation and likely engaged in immoral activity with these women (who were all wives of elders, by the way). I was told to get my pioneer hours by working alone in the field if no brothers were present in the group regardless if I were needed by the sisters in any way.

4. Change my attitude about volunteering at the district level at conventions.

I didn't understand this one, so I asked for it to be explained. Apparently since I had been chosen by several of the district overseers over the past several years to serve on parts in the programs, dramas, and especially as a regular sound and microphone handler (or whatever it was called), this had not been appreciated by the elders. "It makes you look too visible, and the congregation always sees you. You need to stop drawing so much attention to yourself."

When I explained I never asked to serve in such capacities, neither had I even made friends with any overseer prior to be chosen by them for such duties (I was told by overseers that I had been chosen because of good reports by word of mouth and by what written records kept on me in the congregation showed), I was accused of wanting to be 'famous' in the eyes of others. I was instructed to "tone it down" when it came to serving in such circumstances, but when asked just how they suggest I do that, no further information was given and the meeting was abruptly ended with prayer.

This was the only time I found myself "in serious trouble" as a Witness. It was shortly after this incident that the congregation saw the last of "Brother Miguel," but not before seeing most of the brothers in this group removed from their positions of service (for reasons never explained) or saw them step down of their own accord (again never knew exactly why--though there was plenty of the always-present Kingdom Hall gossip), or saw two of them suddenly disfellowshipped. I waited till the dust settled and then, when all looked cheery, formally disassociated myself after giving another of my "renegade"-like public talks, given 'all fancy-like with big words and correct pronounce-see-a-chuns' and plenty of "learnin'" apparent to all...

That was also the weirdest thing I've ever experienced. I could be visited by space aliens in my sleep tonite and be kidnapped and probed, turned into a two-headed space bovine and abandoned on some moon in another galaxy...and it would still be the weirdest thing that ever happened to me.

JuanMiguel

One last thought I should have added to my comments:

I know that I'm not the only one who has had similar run ins with elder bodies. A brother from Canada that I knew ran into this problem in one congregation in NY. And I believe there was a similar story I was once told by a brother who had been a Witness from the time of WWII (the details escape me). I gave such stories a roll of the eyes then, but I wanted to say if any of those brothers were out there now reading this (well, "Older Brother" would be well into his early 100s by now, so not too sure about him), I'm sorry if I didn't believe you then. They had both given their stories to me to "warn" me not to be surprised that my "best efforts" would be shot down.

I also want to add that I disassociated myself by letter and by word of mouth in front of two elders who showed neither emotion nor a desire to "adjust" my thinking when I told them that I was formally seperating myself from the religion of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

Of all the times to offer "adjustment," one would think that would have been the moment to say something. But the two elders didn't flinch, and one of them said with a dry, almost rehearsed-sounding voice: "It would appear you have your mind made up."

wasblind

" It's an actual page scanned from a Watchtower magazine. The captions and facial expressions have been altered for the sake of absurdity.I will see if I can find the bound volume I scanned it from last year."

goodmorning PC,

JW's often accuse us of false info, because most of the older material is an embarrassment

I love when we are able to throw this bunk at the WTS but I always find that it is best to

always publish the source for credibility sake. I had to shake my head at the short sleeves

and with the accurate source to prove it's WTS material , I truly would be LMAO

wasblind

LMAO @ PERRY

finallysomepride

no, I was too difficult, in the to hard basket as they say

LongHairGal

JUAN MIGUEL:

I was struck by your point about how you were 'counseled' because you sounded 'too educated' so therefore you should dumb it down a bit so other elders wouldn't feel so uneducated by comparison.

This is pathetic but I am not surprised by this. The religion has SERIOUS issues (to the point of pathology, I think) about anybody who has an education or is naturally bright. They are hooked on trying to take people down some notches if they have anything going for them. It doesn't matter what you have going for you: It could be secular education, natural intelligence, physical attractiveness, affluence or fortunate circumstances. Their 'reasoning' is that you will fall because of 'pride'. I disagree. I feel they are jealous and covetous to an obscene degree and will go out of their way to try to 'abase' people who they think are better off in some way.

This, I know, is part of the main reason they are still against college education.

aSphereisnotaCircle

JuanMiguel,

My JW ex had similar experiences. He locked horns with the elders to much to ever be a MS or even handle the microphones.

But it was obvious that the elders saw him as an over-intellegent threat, and repeatedly tried to knock him down a peg or two.

When that happened he would verbally slice and dice the poor elder.

I think the only reason my ex got away with that sort of thing was because what he said was true, and he had no "privileges" that they could take away from him.

DesirousOfChange

If they came to readjust anyone's thinking, I suspect it would really be an investigative visit about rumored wrongdoing, as I don't think elders are even making shepherding calls anymore on the flock. Anyone (that wasn't reportedly in trouble) get one recently?

Did The Elders Ever Try To Adjust YOUR Thinking?

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