Former Long Time Elder, part 3

by James Jackson 25 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  James Jackson

  To answer some of your questions. I phone my son on Thursday and was able to help him get his paper work in order for, get this: "College". We're good.

  The wife and I have about 10 family members that are JW's as well as over 12 close friends, 100's of friends in 5 states. You see we pioneered for many years, 40 years between us. We have been to Pioneer Service twice, and was invited for a 3rd time by our CO who really liked us (but I turned it down).

  One of the highlights of my life was to go to Patterson for the Elder's KM School that only COBE's got to attend for a week. They gave us keys to the facility and told us to go wherever we wanted. We went to the Service Dept after hours which was a real eye opener. There was multitude cubicles, about 30 of them, like something out of movie. Each cubicle represented a state(s). It was the most unkept area of the whole facility because there were boxes of stuff related to congregation matters in each cubicle stack atleast 5 high! It was crazy. We thoght we better get out before someone noticed us snooping around. On the way out, we noticed a large map of all the U.S. the Circuits highlights. I should have taken a pic, but I was with someone.

  On our final day, we got lectured to by Gerrit Losch. He went on a rant about violent sports, in particular one in "where men wear pads from head to toe with helmets, running into each other to cause harm". Then he said, " I know none of you Brothers would be watching it!". Apparently, none of the CO's got this meno, I had just watched a Football game with one. One brother in the van with us going back to the Airport said that he was "never going to watch a football game again!", ( infact someone from his hall said he got the whole Body on board on this issue, that they will counsel anyone talking about Football). The Bethelite driving us to the Airport said "We all got that speech, that's why we refer to him as N.F.L., No Football Losch". Most of us in the van laughed except for the one Elder. The Bethel brother added that Losch was the only one on the GB that felt that way.

  One final thought on Patterson, the brother I roomed with was really cool (around 70ish). Him and I drank Red Wine every night while doing our studies. Ahh, the memories!
• 

  sosoconfused

  LOL James... N.F.L. - when I was at Bethel I remember that blowhard telling us how AMERICAN and he stressed "AMERICAN" football was barbaric and like watching roman gladiators go at it....

  I sat there staring at the screening thinking... WTF IS HIS PROBLEM LOL

  Good story
• 

  jgnat

  Kinda scary if Lotsch finagled a majority on the GB.

  
• 

  AndDontCallMeShirley

  we got lectured to by Gerrit Losch. He went on a rant about violent sports

  Don't you just love it when personal opinions become Law?
• 

  flipper

  JAMES- Very interesting experiences. " No football " ? Oh brother.

  See, this is ONE of the many varied reasons why I stopped attending meetings of the Jehovah's Witnesses over 10 years ago . I was born-in in it for 44 years from birth and the thing you experienced hearing from Losch - I heard my ENTIRE life from various elders, C.O.'s, D.O.'s etc. who would be all too willing to state their personal opinions as counsel to us as rank & file publishers pretending it was God's directive from the Bible- when in reality it was just a personal opinion. Do you realize what DAMAGE that could cause and DID cause when it was about something more important than just football perhaps ? Incredible.

  For instance when I was married to my same JW wife for 19 years I remember asking an elder if oral sex was O.K. in God's eyes. One elder told me emphatically " NO ! " - while another elder told me " it's a personal thing between you and your wife, nobody's business - a conscience matter ". So I assumed elder # 2 was regularly getting BJ's from his wife. But I digress. I mean- you see my point. In the 1970's when the WT Society flip-flopped on the oral sex situation claiming god's inspiration to disfellowship some who unrepentanyly engaged in oral sex- it broke up a lot of marriages . then when they flip-flopped back stating that the " governing body didn't make rules for the bedroom " and saying there wouldn't be DFing for it but a brother couldn't be used in the congregation for privileges - the question I had was this : So WHO is responsible for all the broken marriages, divorces, broken homes with children separated from parents because rank & file JW's applied the EARLIER counsel and divorced their marriage mates over oral sex ? Would there be any apology, compensation from the WT Society concerning the nuclear fallout that happened in marriages when the GB and WT leaders decided they wanted to CHANGE the oral sex rules back to a more lenient position ? No. Who would pay the cost for the WT Society's constant changing in teachings depending on their leaders moods ? The rank & file JW's would pay the cost- not WT leaders.

  So this in part is what happened to me when I exited in 2003 - I was getting personal counsel from elders and they not only couldn't back it up in the Bible, but nothing backed them up in any WT publication. It was my tipping point, my epiphany that told me " these guys no more have holy spirit than I have 3 testacles " . Anyway ! Just a personal experience I thought I'd share back with you on this freedom of thought Sunday morning ! LOL ! You have a great day and we are really happy to have you here my friend ! Take care, Peace out, Mr. Flipper
• 

  Gayle

  The Bethel brother added that Losch was the only one on the GB that felt that way.

  The GB should get together, and counsel Losch for going beyond the scriptures, and going against the GB 2/3 majority. If he doesn't submit, they should DF him!!
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  N.F.L., No Football Losch". ..... The Bethel brother added that Losch was the only one on the GB that felt that way.

  So, God's representatives on earth are not even of one mind on an issue and one of them feels perfectly fine pressuring elders to think the same way he does. That way, those elders can belittle their brothers back home who feel the way the rest of God's representatives feel on the issue.

  Am I overthinking this?

  I know I would get into trouble if I were still an elder. I would have said, "Brother Losch, can you show me at least where the rest of the Governing Body is in agreement with you, let alone where this crosses beyond personal choice and becomes scriptural?"

  Thanks for the post.
• 

  Calebs Airplane

  I'm gonna guess that the GB is split on NFL Football as follows:

  • Sam Herd: Loves NFL football. Die-hard NY Giants fan.
  • Geoffrey Jackson: Thinks the game is silly. Prefers soccer or cricket.
  • Steven Lett: Only watches Nat-Geo or Discovery.Wife won't let him watch anything else.
  • Gerritt Losch: Prefers to watch asian porn whenever possible.
  • Anthony Morris III: Likes college football and NFL but will outwardly "condemn" violent sports.
  • David Splane: Occasionally watches gay porn and some CNN. No football.
  • Guy Pierce: Not against football but will go alng with whatever everyone else says.
  • Mark Sanderson: Loves NFL football.
• 

  cantleave

  I wonder what Losch would think of Rugby - no nancy-boy body protection for these guys.....

  
• 

  new hope and happiness

  Yea...well i must admit id get his point about football, if hed said not to play the game. But not to watch why thats crazy, watching is civalized. Its as civalised as watching Jehover ' blow up the entire world thats not baptised ...now thats something the guy would love to watch sat at home on his T.V screen. China wiped out at 6pm tonight, tomorrow the final mission for peace and thats India gone..no tolerance this ' ethnic clensing' will contine Cathelics on wednesday and muslims on friday,and if thats not graphic and appalling enough the finalie its all your friends that arnt baptised blown up and eaten by birds....