by Atlantis 22 Replies latest jw friends
That horrible elder mindset above was so common everywhere I attended too.
Gone are the days (in the 1980's) when one seriously balding, older looking brother was appointed as an elder - I heard later that when the c.o. learnt after his appointment he was only 23, he was seriously shocked - but the appointment stood..
Now 23 would be old for an older man!!
ukpimo
There is an entire lost generation of Jehovah’s Witness males that were shut out of the program.
I’m one of them. I was actually appointed as ministerial servant in one congregation but they put so much work load on me and I didn’t know how to say NO that I quickly burnt out.
We moved to a new congregation and I was passed over because the circuit overseer felt my wife wasn’t spiritual enough. I guess being a new mom wasn’t a good enough excuse.
The problem with my wife is she is way too honest. She wouldn’t lie on her field service report and was always a low hour publisher.
They did appoint me again in a third congregation. My wife’s field service time was still very low but I guess rules change when they are desperate. I didn’t last very long in that appointment as the elders kept moving the goalposts in what they expected of me.
Now neither my wife nor me care and I was tired of jumping though hoops for manipulative elder bodies just to have another hoop put in front of me.
Good riddance
Your post (and similar from others in the past) has 1000% confirmed to me just what for twat-waffles are on Elduh Bodies. Absolutely ZERO "Holy Spirit" involved in the selection process. Hell, "prayerful consideration" is right out the window even. It's all about time slips, appearances, and licking the current Elduh Bodies assholes clean.
They can't see a guy's wife's curves enough? But if "too much", than she's some Jezebel, right? They don't like that a guy has (1) hobby outside of door-knocking, and REALLY don't like when he focuses on himself to keep healthy (gym) and not look like your typical Elduh fat balding slob? The horror!
Man, fuck ALL these fake ass bullies and hateful mutherfuggers!
But ya know what, I'm not shocked. Not at all. Want to hear my experience with the JW's flavour of "Christian Love?"
When my late JW mother (of 20+ years of JW service) was lying in a hospital dying, I called up our Presiding Overseer at the time. I was sitting alone in my car in the University hospital parking garage. My mother's death was inevitable, and I was calling to ask if he could travel to see her to offer spiritual support, kindness, etc. Up until this point, I had no problems with this Elder. Nice guy. Family man. Fairly popular. You want to know what this heartless bastard said to me in my time of need, one of the saddest and lowest points of my life? He told me that I was interrupting his dinner, and that since I was outside of the territory that I should call the local Congregation and seek their assistance. He then promptly hung up on me before I could even pick my jaw up off the floor to respond. DIAL TONE. No words of sympathy, compassion, or scriptures cited. Just, "What do you want, don't you know you're interrupting my dinner?"
This was in stark contrast to my mother's so-called "worldly" co-workers (RN's in the medical field) who upon speaking to me earlier that same day, notified me that they'd be down the next day, which happened to be my mother's last full day on earth. The took off work, rented a van, and drove down to visit her for a good part of the day. They brightened her up immensely, and even bought me lunch and helped to console me. They later came to her funeral. Then, they organized a small memorial at the hospital in her honour, and planted a tree with a bench and plaque in her honour for her 35 years of nursing service.
So who really are the "true Christians" in the above experience? Sure as shit not the JW's! These assholes kicked me while I was down and couldn't have cared less. This was truly, truly, the last straw for me. I'd been physically out for a good 10+ years at this point, but this experience really put me over, showed me they really didn't give 1 flying fugg about anyone but themselves and their cliques with money. (all the Elduh's owned businesses and employed mostly pauper JW's)
PLOT TWIST: 1 year later this same heartless Elduh died in a freak construction site accident. (Where was God's divine protection?) I attended his funeral. (he didn't attend either of my parents) It was another nail in the coffin. How so? Huge attendance. There was a family greeting line. (I've never seen this at a JW funeral) Huge wake afterward. (I didn't attend that) The real kicker: This Elduh didn't get the 5 minutes about himself treatment, plus 45 minute WT infomercial. Nah. He got a good 30 minutes where I was told all of the things that made him appear basically "normal" AKA "worldly" to appease the large audience in attendance. That he played basketball in high school, organized Congregation basketball and baseball games, etc. etc. Ya know, outtings my family were NEVER invited to. Never mind the hypocrisy that I and other youth were denied playing sports in school......but this clown got to do it all and THEN be appointed an Elduh and PO? I've never left a funeral MAD before......but there it is! Fuck these hypocritical douchebags, and fuck the cult known as JW's!
ukpimo
Now they are gradually being forced to comply. I wonder how many elder bodies will initially resist this change until the Governing Body takes the appointment process power completely away from them and place it solely on the circuit overseer?
I don’t think this will happen. They want the elders to appoint locally as it doesn’t connect criminal behaviour of some appointees back to the organization. The liability falls on the local elders
hoser
I'm really sorry to read your experience. None of what you say surprises me at all. I fully agree with your opening statement that there is an entire lost generation of jw males shut out of the program. In the early days, and even now, there have been many elders who have viewed being an elder as a form of honour and coming of age in the org. I've seen too many elders take themselves too seriously, to the point that they willingly went against what the Society (WT Headquarters) said to them in favour of their own man made direction when they didn't agree and then when the circuit overseer visited they changed some rules back to how it should have been and they always pretended to be overly encouraging, overly enthusiastic about the ministry, which was their form of ass kissing to avoid scrutiny. Then once the circuit overseer left, it was back to square one. Sometimes congregation publishers complained to the co, who always told them to have a "more positive mindset" or "wait one Jehovah". Then he would mention at our meeting with him during the visit about all the complaints to confirm if they were true. Of course, the body always denied the accusations and claimed some publishers had "mental issues". In time, we did have a brute of a circuit overseer who saw through everything and cracked the whip, humiliating all the pompous elders I worked with. Once he left, it only made them quieter, more cynical and sinister, and one of them came off as an elder due to "illness". Some of the older elders I knew still serve, and are hanging on for dear life, still believing the end will come soon and faking all the smiles and laughter to blend in with the new JW Broadcast generation when I remember quite clearly the self righteous bigots I had to work with. Their entire personality is fake and self serving, with no love of God in them. Their existence in the org is simply to keep the show running, because they have nothing else better to do so late on in their life. Leaving would not only destroy their decades long family ties, it would also probably kill them off prematurely due to the fact the idea of having "the truth" seems to keep them alive for a little longer.
I'm so glad I don't have to deal with the stupid elder politics anymore. I'm equally glad I don't have to kiss the filthy asses of those ugly circuit overseers who just caused factions for the elders. The unity thing is just a facade. The GB are splitting at the seams frantically to keep everyone in line, but they know it's impossible to completely achieve this.
I'm trying to imagine a judicial committee made up of 20-somethings...
wingcommander
I am so sorry. That is a horrible experience, you and your mother didn't deserve that treatment. Considering elders back in my day used to drop anything to see a sheep in need at any time of the day, that is very weird. What a jerk he was. I wasn't surprised at all to read what you wrote concerning his funeral. Isn't it strange how hypocritical jw families where elders are all involved always receive more glory and social activity? There should never be any faction within the org regarding this, yet time and again I've always seen elders get better treatment than anyone else, even more so than pioneers and ministerial servants. I was shocked at how much brothers used to come to me, stressed about the silliest of things. They looked up to me as if I knew how to solve all their problems. I viewed it as my Christian duty to help them with anything. Now I learned the truth about "the truth", I came to realise that an unhealthy phycology was developing in the organization. This unhealthy behaviour manifested itself in seeing brothers and sisters being too open with elders about their private lives, getting themselves into all sorts of trouble. As we had a particularly evil elder body, I saw so many cruel things happen where elders raised things they should have kept to themselves. Many restrictions and reprovals occurred because 1) the publishers were too open with the elders, and 2) the elders were too open about the publishers with the entire body. Unfortunately I played my part as well, and I regretted every moment.
hoser
I believe it would only happen if they were absolutely desperate. If it did, they would have to separate circuit overseers from their legal entities and ensure they were local elders within a circuit, perhaps making sub Cos the new circuit overseers, taking away the financial responsibility as well and focusing mainly on their real estate and missionary activities.
What a religious organization 😂🤣😂🤣
I remember back in my JW days we used make fun of Morons because they had these young guys with no life experience going around with badges that said elder so and so. Out of desperation it looks like Watcher is heading down the same path.
What I came to see in the elders in different congregations was there were some that were good people and some that were pretty horrible people but the main requirement seemed to be their loyalty to the organization and their willingness accept and carry out whatever Watchtower told them to do.
