Buying a body of elders

by hoser 9 Replies latest jw friends

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  hoser

  Yes, everyone has a price. A number of years ago in a congregation I once was in there was a wealthy businessman in the congregation. He made sure that all of the elders had annual vacations overseas or to the tropics paid for by himself.

  This "brother" had questionable business practices and was investigated at one time for fraud. His son was in trouble with the law and his adult daughter was something else. She would stop going to meetings for up to a year at a time, have a boyfriend, smoke, drink and then start attending meetings again. She did this three separate times maybe more. No judicial action was ever taken.

  This whole family could get away with murder in the congregation and if anyone would complain to the elder body , the elders would jump to this families defence.
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  KateWild

  Sounds like something off the telly hoser. But I do believe elders have their favourites and people are bought off all the time. Thanks for the story. Kate xx
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  mynameislame

  I feel like if you had money to buy people off you might want to find someone more useful to use it on.

  What's a telly hoser?
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  KateWild

  What's a telly hoser?- mynameislame

  Sorry I didn't use correct punctuation. I meant to say that the story sounds like somthething from television, hoser. It's an extreme case of buying off a whole body of elders and paying for their holidays.

  Kate xx
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  ruderedhead

  Yes, most congregations most likely have their "favorites". We all probably have some ridiculous stories, just not as extreme as yours. I know I do., and have heard of some. And if you were a sister w/o a believing mate, forget it! I had a "brother" who was obviously a nut job leave a threatening message on my answering machine one time just because my son had called there and not left a message on their machine! I went to an elder ,all I wanted was for him to speak to the guy, and he brushed it off. Pissed me off, I simply don't take well to that type of thing, and let the elder know if it happened again, I'd go to the police! I never did fit well in that congo. That is the one I actually exited from.
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  piztjw

  Happened where I lived too.

  Braggart business owner employed all the eldurrs in the congregation. Embezzled from his business, dodged taxes (got caught three times), stole materials from customers, falsified records to avoid paying un-employment, cheated on two jW wives, habitual drunkard, He and his kids were chronic liars, and yet nothing done because every time the announcement was made that the congregation was short on funds he would cut a big check, from the business account and, "Have to pay for all the bills. Because those lazy sons-of-bitches won't!"

  He is now appointed! Imagine that!
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  KateWild

  Money talks doesn't it.

  Interesting experience, pitzjw. Kate xx
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  piztjw

  Interesting experience, pitzjw. Kate xx

  Interesting, yes. One time he told me that as a single person I should just hire the services of a prostitute, and then call the elders, claim weakness, make a large contribution to the congregation, and everything would be all right. Sickening! I have much more self-respect, and self-integrity than that.
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  RagingBull

  Sometimes its not about money, it's more about who you know, how close you are to them and how much brown-nosing you do.

  I've seen first-hand the double standards all because so-and-so is Brother So-and-So's friend or son, or daughter, or whatever else.

  Something that could get you in a JC for them means just a Shep.Call.

  An Elder and sister gets married, no one knew they were even dating (not even other Elders) - and that means...they've been seeing each other without supervision all alone. Who know's what goes on?

  Yet anyone else gets ridden like horse for just talking to someone of the opposite sex more than they speak to others.
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  humbled

  Raging Bull,

  The double-standard thing wore a lot of JWs down while I was still in.

  It sometmes seemed to begin when an elder's children grew up to a point that all the theories about "keeping the Congregation clean" suddenly seemed harsh when they looked at their messed up teen (redundancy there!) and realized they would lose their child if they applied the rules to them with the same rigor that was applied to others.

  Good for them and their some-times-sympathy--but it was rarely sound or honestly, fairly applied. They rationalized behavior for some and scapegoated others.

  And the secrecy! I think that it probably hurt more people than it helped. Jeez--these guys weren't even free to use common sense if they even had it.

  I pity any of you good fellows who served as elders whose basic decency had to contend with the WT Rules.

  Maeve