How Did You View The Elders?

by minimus 41 Replies latest jw friends

  • minimus
    minimus

    The thing is, some are leaders and most are followers. To be a "good elder" you need to follow Mother's dictates.

  • Morbidzbaby
    Morbidzbaby

    Growing up, I'd say there were more pompous assholes that made it to the status of "elder" than actual good men. Could be because my family was targeted by the elders incessantly. My brother and I were literally shoved around by one elder in particular when we were kids...for doing nothing more than walking around and talking to the adults...or sitting on the stage steps. Yet, other kids were allowed those luxuries. We were always pushed and told "Go stand with your mother!". So as a child, I was afraid of them, naturally.

    I've told the experience my brother had with losing his privileges because his pen blew up and he got ink on the bathroom door. Stupid asses.

    Also the experience my mom had where she was getting overlooked for commenting. This one certain elder would look STRAIGHT AT HER and call on someone else over and over again. She didn't get a part on the TMS for over a year, meanwhile Sister Elderette was getting 2 talks a month. So she'd finally had it and asked to meet with the elders. And when they met with us, they accused my mom of trying to teach the congregation the way a brother would. They made her cry. My dad was there and threatened the bastard who was talking down to my mother. We switched congregations soon after, but that asshole is still on my shit list. He and is wife are uptight, snooty, rich-bitch types who think they shit rainbows and glitter.

    So as a teen, I was more afraid of getting caught doing or saying something I shouldn't (I swore like a sailor in school and one of my schoolmates was the daughter of the sister who studied with my mother) than of the actual elders themselves.

    As an adult, it was more ducking and dodging and laying low so I didn't get pulled in for this or that. I saw them for what they were...most of them anyway. There are a few that I know of right now that I respect...they are loving and wonderful men, but they are still JW elders and have to toe the line for the most part. I do know that 3 of them in particular dealt with me mercifully during JC's because they saw the situation I had come from and understood why I did what I did.

    The rest of them can jump head first into Gehenna lol.

  • Honesty
    Honesty

    How Did You View The Elders?

    From a distance.

    10 miles away was too close sometimes.

  • insearchoftruth4
    insearchoftruth4

    Like Buggars on the wall. Some dry, some drippy. I got some dirty looks, some right on's

    insot4

  • Sofi
    Sofi

    I really liked a couple of them, since I thought they were decent people to start with. One of them was a gem: High School teacher by choice, Civil Engineer by career. None of his family "in the truth" so he was very down to earth and empathetic. He always treated me very good. The other one was a complete, total a$$hole!! He was 'sent' to us by our 'loving' C.O as our cong had a bad reputation (lots of young people being young) so he was sent to put our cong in shape. He would go after df anybody that would not seem too zealous. It was like a dictatorship after that... he was authoritarian at his home and in the cong. He was the one that would go out of his way and instead of being home with his family he'd be listening to gossip from other jw trying to get his 2 witnesses...

  • Sammy Jenkis
    Sammy Jenkis

    Depended on the elder, some were awesome really kind people and others (majority) were jerks high on the "double" honor they were owed. As a group the elders always gave me the hibbie-jeebies and were/are not to be trusted. Why? Well it turns out they're humans just like the rest of us.

  • daringhart13
    daringhart13

    I was an elder for 11 years.

    If the 'publishers' heard how these A holes spoke about people....they would never consider respecting or speaking to them about anything.

  • paladin
    paladin

    I find the elders are just control freaks. lol

  • jgnat
    jgnat

    From a distance.

  • prologos
    prologos

    as deserving of a harsher judgement James 3:1

    through a telescope like wasanelderonce, but having it reversed,

    that way they appear as small as they really are, once you deflate the bloat.

    but there are some true gems, the naturals.

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