Class Distinction Within The JW Community?

by Latin assassin from Manhattan 40 Replies latest jw friends

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  sndy420

  After I had gotten past the horrible anger I felt toward JW's behaviour toward other humans who were not JW - I looked at their behaviour toward their supposed " brothers in the faith " and saw that there was basically no difference between the two. It seems very important for them to feel superior toward anybody and everybody. I was a JW for 20 or so years and am ashamed if I ever treated anybody as a lesser person. I think I always tried to be sensitive to others feelings but when you are constantly brainwashed with the " crap " all the time I am sure I have been guilty of this. I apologize!!!!!!! There was always social , economic , popularity , issues involved in everything JW's do. Always!

  To be rid of all that mental garbage has been the most freeing experience....It certainly is a heavy burden to actually think you are better than everybody else in the whole world....how presumptuous!!!!!

  Sandy
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  Mary

  One of the main problems is that they love to use the scripture in Romans 9:21 that says:

  Does not the potter have authority over the clay to make from the same lump one vessel for an honorable use, another fo a dishonorable use?"

  To those prominent in the social circles at the Hall, this scripture basically justifies their clickiness and their shunning those that they judge as being part of the "dishonorable" use. To their way of thinking, those who are elders, pioneers and MS's, they are obviously the ones being used for an honorable purpose, whereas the poor, fringe ones in the congregation, those with NO responsibilities or positions, are obviously the ones described as being used for a dishonorable purpose.

  I heard it time and time again from the platform and while they don't come right out and say this, everybody knows exactly what's being insinuated.

  They make me wanna puke.
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  maxwell

  Yes I noticed. I was thinking of this when I read the thread about racism in the JW a few days ago. Class distinction along socio-economic lines seems to be much more common than racism today in the general population and among JW. I am probably guilty of it myself. I couldn't help but feel as if I had taken a step down in the congregation when my father stepped down from being an elder, despite the fact that it was my father who had lost his position.
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  Maverick

  Mary brought out a good point. The J-duds tell people from door to door that their state of living is not their fault. They blame Adam or Satan or the government etc. But once you are "in" then everything that happens is somehow of your own making! And the "servants/masters" are laying all manner of guilt on the lowly publishers for their lot in life! Maverick
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  arancia

  I remember very well the time when I met the J.W's.I got interested in what simply tough the truth was simple to understand,but then I could see how too many contradicted,their policy by doing all the opposit.I like to describe them as the people that God suggested to get first clean,then come and make every thing better. they talk about love,compassion ,unity,etc.etc.but they are so far away that you can not only see but benn touched by exsperiences.We have gone trugh very rough time.We are not poor but we are not that sort of people.As we joined the organisation,with not regretes we disassociate ourselves from such a bunch of hypocritis.
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  wednesday

  Mary, Mary Mary,
  

  u are too funny for words. U did hit the nail right on the head.. Also i liked what pettygruder said about the elders children that let her tag along. I have been one of the "pity friendships" where people will associate with u if they study with u.

  We had an elder and his wife study with a poor spanish couple. They were very sincere. But they were not welcomed by the cong. and could not find a niche. finally they left. the elder and his wife did nothing to help them, ie include them at their gatherings. It was sink or swim.

  Gawd help u if u have any kind of depression or such. If u are an elders wife, or as u mentioned pioner, it is ok, but anyone else, well u are just not liivng right and have no joy ; u do not have jahs' spirit.

  a prime example i remember is my hubby and i were invited to a swim party.. Mostly elders and such. They mostly had great jobs, vice presidents and such. My hubby had a piddly regular job b/c his parents never would let him go to college and he was trying to follow the WTS advice. This elder actually said to us"well, let see, i'm a vice president and u are.xxxx, what could we possibly have in common?" Never will forget that.
• 

  Austrian

  Class distinction is so prevelent in the borg. I can remember breaking friendships so as to "move up" in rank amongst my peers. I can remember going to get togethers at prominant elders houses and there would be no black and or hispanics there (even though the cong was very well mixed). I can remember elders daughters who pioneer during the summer months work only with the ones who had nice cars. I can remember making fun of ones who had to stay at the cheapest hotel during the DC. I can remember the hateful gossip and slander about people who were maybe a little different or didn't have as much as others. I feel so bad now that I have been set free from the borg. Like sndy420 I feel deep regret for all the disgusting things I have said and done to people who didn't deserve it. Being apart of the troof and being an outcast at the same time must be a horrible feeling.
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  wednesday

  Being apart of the troof and being an outcast at the same time must be a horrible feelin

  It is horrible b/c u don't see it as a bunch of hatelful people that are just acting superior to u, u think that if u had jahs' spirit they would associate with u. they are vomit.
• 

  freedom96

  I think it is important too, to realize that this is how it is in many different areas of life. Those who have a achieved a certain level of financial success many times succeed in other areas. It is human nature.

  I have seen many times people who have not made much money, not make it far in other areas in life because they simply don't try.

  It is all a mindset. Many people who are broke (not all) simply have a broke mentality about life. They will not succeed at work, or at the hall until they change their attitude, let alone succeed at anything else. Simple as that.
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  Mary

  Those who have a achieved a certain level of financial success many times succeed in other areas. It is human nature.

  True enough, but what I've seen (at least in my congregation) are those that have only achieved financial sucess because they inherited it, not because they personally worked for it. I'll give you an example. Our PO has never had a "career" in his life; he's worked p/t at a ton of useless jobs but he's got a ton of money. How'd he get that? Well, when his worldly step-father died, he left our PO's mother a fortune in real estate that he had made over the years. And when she died, our PO inherited it all (there were no other siblings). So now he has a net worth of just under $1,000,000. So he's financially secure, but not through any merit of his own. But he walks around as though he personally earned all his money by the sweat of his brow.

  In fact, not one of our elders works hard at a regular job. They all work part time and try to scam everyone and their brother. I'm not saying all JWs are like this, but there certainly are alot that fall into this category.

  I have seen many times people who have not made much money, not make it far in other areas in life because they simply don't try.

  Maybe they don't have much money, but that's no reason not to befriend them and to exclude them in all congregation functions. What did Jesus teach us by the example of the poor widow who dropped the two coins of very little value into the box at the Temple? Or the Rich Man and Lazarus? Jesus himself was not "financially secure" yet an extire religion is based on Him. It's not so much the 'not-having-material-possessions' that should count, but your attitute on life. Yes many people who are poor may not have the greatest outlook on life, but is it helped when they're shunned repeatedly by supposed "Chrisitans"?