Should all elders be painted with the same brush?

by Socrateswannabe 62 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  clarity

  Socrates ....... well stated and wonderfully thought out!

  What a position to be in!

  To start with ...as a male, your natural tendency is to protect

  your 'woman' & family! And maybe ..your ego...just a bit..

  >

  As a woman in da truf ...I did admire most all the elders ....a lot!

  Some even deserved it ... lol.

  >

  I am not trying to make light of the situation we find ourselves in,

  but how much does it matter in the long run.......if you stay as you are,

  if you feel your choices are what you & your family can live happily with.

  >

  If all the threats of punishment & god killing 8 billion people at

  armageddon, are a bunch of manmade BS ....is there a hurry to

  "get out of her my people"? Maybe not much!

  >

  For me ...I am single and more of a renegade...

  compelled to stand up .... but I have to take my 'lumps'

  because of it!

  >

  For the wonderful men out there...elders or not,

  know that your every step taken toward being

  a more gracious & compassionate individual is

  greatly appreciated.

  clarity
• 

  Mum

  Forgive them, for they know not what they do.
• 

  Pickler

  Hey socrateswannabe,

  it was me, I'm a she, and I made the comment that I hate all elders. Yup!! I do!

  I did clearly say that I hated the ELDER not the man. I know you couldn't find the original post, so easy to maybe not pick up on this important distinction.

  An elder is a leader in an organisation that made my childhood & young adulthood miserable. It's that simple.

  You know how you tell everyone from the platform to "hate what is bad". That is me, I am the bad that everyone hated. I am what Jehovah, and his representatives, like you, hate.

  I am bad,i knew I was bad when I was 5, and I secretly craved tinsel & presents and Xmas.

  When I had a crush on a boy at school.

  When I daydreamed about going to a friends house after school.

  When I wished I could go to uni. When I daydreamed crazy elaborate fantasies in my head where I was not a JW. When I didn't look forward to everyone on earth being massacred, I knew I was wrong.

  All those things made me bad, and hated. I was hated long before I was DF, the DF just made it official.

  Should I not hate the "nice " elder? The one who tries to be decent & kind? Who takes no pleasure in what he does? Is he different from the "bad" elder?

  You are both part of the same structure, you both do the same things.
• 

  frankiespeakin

  Socrates,

  The way I look at it is each person gotta do what they have to do to deal with their own situation. I think it is a very good thing that there are many who are elders that know the Governing Body is full of manipulative shit. I'm thinking a lot of people close to the GB right there at bethel know it's all bull shit but are stuck in it for very obvious reasons the more the merrier as for as I'm concerned.

  It's a tough business being and elder while knowing it is basically all bull shit, and your willing to do it for your own personal reason I wish you the best.

  Personally I would waste my time trying to justify to some judgemental ones about staying an elder while knowing it's all bull shit, they are entitled to their opinion, and it is your life to live as you see fit.
• 

  cofty

  Of course not all elders are bad. If you genuinely belive it is all true why would you not want to help take a lead in preaching and shepherding? If you do that with humility and real concern for others you have nothing to be ashamed of. I have no regrets about the relatively short time I was an elder. I saw my role more like a concerned brother looking out for the family than that of a father or policemen. Other elders I served with saw themselves as authority figures and I spent a lot of energy falling out with them about it.
• 

  TotallyADD

  As a former elder I remember the great pressure put on elders to perform. One of the biggest was always field service, bible studies, shepherding work, preparing talks, book studies, JC, studying with your family, personal study, CA parts or assignment, RBC, DC parts or assignments, elder school and plan old elder meetings at the hall. The tread wheel is big and very tiresome. After awhile it sucks any joy you may have had. Some elders enjoy and exploit their positions. Others do about 70% of what they are told to do and still others 50% down to 20 %. It all depends on the person. Point is the WT has it design so elders don't have time to think or take care of themselves or their family. So after awhile for many they are like robots acting like what they think a elder should do. For those who really want to help the flock my hat is off to them but the old WT tread wheel is right on your heels all the time. It's there to wear you out so it is easier to brain wash elders with WT propagnada. They get this propagnada from letters from the WT and meetings with CO during his visit. I always loved after they loaded elders with more things to do they would always conclude the letter that they don't want to burden the elders with a heavier load. But that is what it did. The funny thing is after awhile what you are told you truly believe it. It all sounds so right and makes sense. So back to the question "Should all elders be painted with the same brush?" No. But every elder handles this pressure diffrently. Some good others bad. Elders are much a captive to this cult as anyone else who are in it.

  My advice for socrateswannabe is to find a way out. I know it is hard. I was the PO when I wokeup and it took 2 years to break free from it all. Baby steps. I was lucky though my wife was on the same page. Most are not. Hopefully time is on your side. I totally hope you can find a way out of this cult with your family intact. Take care. Totally ADD
• 

  clarity

  Pickler.... wow........ P O W E R F U L post

  clarity
• 

  blondie

  My husband was an elder and left because he could not support the bad the other elders did.

  I have said once or twice on JWN, that there are really only 2 kinds of elders, the ones that deliberately do bad, and the ones who realize that and keep silent.

  It takes more than saying yes, it means saying no.
• 

  Sayswho

  Yes and No...no need for me to elaborate as the high points have already been mentioned.

  However you have already made your decision-choice...just make the best of it until you are able to get your family out and others.

  Bits of info said here and there by one of my friends took seed and helped wake me up. It took years but WORKED.

  So plant seeds of info like past teachings, like the UN involvement...well you know how many things that can be used to wake someone, somethings will work on some, other unknown info on others, just depends.

  But “something” will work...we are the proof.

  Sw
• 

  AudeSapere

  (Marking for later)