Hi Tina: You make some excellent points. I hope some comments here helps:
"Since we had all been taught ad nauseum that the sealing of the 144,000 was completed in 1935. ... those who claimed to be of the remnant way after that(called young anointed) were not looked upon postively."
Right on. This was gradual though. I have known some who claimed to be Anointed starting the the 1940s, so as they aged, and performed well as JWs, they were still accepted in time. This could still be true into the 1950s, and a little into the 1960s. But, by the 1970s it really changed and got worse from there.
"There were actually 2 thoughts about this(at my kh anyway,that 1. They were cranks(mentally emotionally ill) or 2. they were pretty full of themselves...........so I can see why someone of his age may have not been accorded the same reverence a very elderly anointed one enjoyed. hugs,Tina
Yes and no. The YES of it is: The Society by the 1970s was publishing articles that raised serious questions about any new JWs claiming to be Anointed, and/ro anyone younger in years, especially if they were not performing up to JW expectations. This is why when a half-way reasonable JW comes to believe they are Anointed, they are often scared to death to make that openly known. That was my case for several years before I began partaking.
The No of it is: As the years go by, and you get apponted to MS and then Elder, your age advances, you Aux or Reg Pioneer, there comes a general acceptance. At first the CO will question an Anointed every visit, but over time they too accept and it recedes into the background for everyone. Only at Memorial time is everyone reminded. The key is continual "Performance" to expectations ... making the Meetings, having Parts, giving at least halfway good Talks,
Commenting regularly, being out Door-to-Door, being at Conventions and Assemblies, accepting assignments from cleaning toilets, to nailing in new roof tiles ... being there part of the program.
As I got into my late 30s and early 40s, a little gray hair, sering as Elder etc. then the acceptance became better. The population of JWs becomes younger and younger, and as the older JWS get older and die off, a person starts to come across as experienced, and seems much older to the younger crowd.
Were I to have remained a JW and continued to serve as an Elder, and then Pioneered, followed by Circuit Work, I have no doubt that the Anointed label would become more and more accepted, and any sense of being a nutcase would have all but dimished to about 0.
None of this would be because of me, but the JW System as directed by the Society. They discourage any JW from proclaiming to be Anointed as this helps fulfill their doctrine. But as the Anointed JW keeps perfoming, even the Society begins to accept them. A calssic example is that of Sam Herd. He was newly Anointed long after 1935. But he finally got into Circuit and Distr4ict work, and now he is on the GB. I have little doubt that any JW would view him as a nutcase, simply because the System finally accepted and promoted him, validating him to the highest levels.
The JW religion is very political. Once the "Game" is learned, one can achieve all sorts of benefits by way of position, prominence, power, prestiege, perks, etc. Amnesian made this case very well. The higher up one goes, whether Anointed or not, the political aspects become more and more pronounced, more obvious, and more tempting.
As for "Full of themnselves" ... I can see this more in those who keep advancing in the Organization whether Anointed or not. Not all who advance are that way ... but the numbers who keep succeeding seem to become more and more of those who are full of themselves. This is true in any organization, be it religious, business or political. Yet, even at the very top in any of these, there are those who maintain a balance, and are the ones who often do the most good. ray Franz is a good example of the few that make it to the top, and manage to not become too full of themselves.
The view that the Anointed are "too full of themselves" at the lower levels is a "myth" fostered by the Society and swallowed by the average JWs. What makes this "Myth" have some life is when a real nutcase of "Full-of-themselves" JW says their of the Anointed. This validates the Watchtower "myth" and then rank & file JWs look on with more belief in the Society for its awesome wisdom and insight. Barf!!!
But many Anointed JWs (I don't believe in the Anointing as such, but speaking from the JW perspective) many Anointed are very shy, very uncomfortable with their self-realized calling, and dred the Memorial, and are glad when the Memorial is over. These types are often not noticed as much. Unfortunately the nutcases stick out like sore thumbs ... and give a balck eye to the JW Anointed who are otherwise okay people.
That is my take from my own experience and view. I am sure that there are 100 different views and as many different experiences. But they all have one thing in common ... the Watchtower religion is far removed from anyting one might call Christian.
