Dumb Elders

by minimus 43 Replies latest jw friends

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  BluesBrother

  Back in the day, when I was first appointed (prematurely ) to the BOE there were a bunch of elders that were indeed smart. They had intelligence, worldly experience prior to becoming dubs, and management ability to handle the cong. We had a lot of laughs among ourselves, the meetings were often fun too.

  As time went by things changed. The Borg became more controlling and the newer elders were born-ins who could simply follow rules. Often tbey lacked gbe ability to think on their feet so meetings became dull since they could only say what they had prepared. Often they lacked confidence, that is why I can well believe tbe experience given by 'Mum' earlier about her elder husband.

  So, "Dumb?".....that is a simple stereotype but to say they lack good judgement, self confidence, teaching ability and tact would certainly be true.
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  DesirousOfChange

  Back in the day, when I was first appointed (prematurely ) to the BOE there were a bunch of elders that were indeed smart. They had intelligence, worldly experience prior to becoming dubs, and management ability to handle the cong. ~ BluesBrother
  

  I think all of those elders "have left the room". I'd like to think of myself as one of them.

  We are all here. We are now all Ex-JWs.

  Only the dumbasses are left running the show. Thus the need for video meetings pre-recorded by Bethell-ites.
  
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  Jofi_Wofo

  I've known some smart elders, but like just about anybody on earth, they were smart on some things but dumb on other things. Of course, we were all dumb to accept the nonsense that the JW religion expected us to believe, and the absurd direction we blindly followed.

  Some posters above have made some great points RE: born-in elders vs. converts. I was not a born-in, but I came in as a teen. I found that the born-in elders were much more likely to think of spirituality as equating to compliance at all costs, whereas the non-born-ins were more likely to emphasize spirituality as the ability to perceive Jehovah's thinking and make decisions based on principles rather than rigid rules. Born-ins always needed to consult a publication or someone with higher status before doing ANYTHING about ANYTHING.

  In my congregation, most elders were born in and that is probably why I was never appointed as an elder myself. Sure, they liked me and had glowing things to say about me, but they were hesitant to appoint someone who thought too much outside of the box, questioned things, disagreed with things, and didn't pretend to be happy when he was having a rough time.

  Unfortunately, all that "humility" wound up rubbing off on me in certain notable ways. One particular time, I asked an elder a question about grooming, to see what his opinion was before I made a change to my hairstyle. Not because I thought anything I was doing was wrong, but because it's often times extremely difficult for someone who is not born in to figure out what the congregation around you will find offensive. It seems that born-ins all have this innate sense about what all the unwritten rules are. Those who weren't raised in the religion, even if they've been in it for a decade or more, just have to tip-toe around the minefield of perpetual offense-taking by the born-ins.
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  Phizzy

  The main trouble with many Elders was and is that they are simply not qualified to deal with things that come their way, but are given the impression by the Org that they are.

  When dealing with matters like Abuse, Mental Health , even the personal Finances of the members of their flock, they are simply not qualified and should leave it to those who are, entirely. A huge number of lives have been ruined and even lost because these guys are promoted above their ability, even the intelligent and smart ones are not professionals in the areas I mentioned, so should leave it to those who are, lives depend upon it.
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  snare&racket

  Family members calling me upset because their marriage was in a bad place and the elders came around and didn't help/ couldn't help fix it....

  I asked my sibling what the elder did for a living 'painter and decorator',

  So, I spelt it out for her... "You are confused as to why a local painter and decorator can't help you with your marriage and relationship issues, his only connection to you being that he goes to the same religious building as you do locally."

  Why JW's expect so much from elders is baffling..... they should not be providing pastoral care, teaching, child abuse investigations, judiciary meetings, marriage counselling or even theological guidance. They have ZERO training, their one qualification is consistent field ministry hours.

  The ministry school is no PGC, the annual elders teaching days are not equivalent to law degrees, social work degrees or forensic police training. They are instructional days to ensure the elders are on WT's track.

  I met intelligent elders, some with successful businesses known nationally. I really liked many of them, but having been a JW, I know they lack the courage and fortitude to doubt or question, the humility to risk being wrong or the dedication to truth so as to sacrifice it all when knowing something wasn't right. This is where intelligence can leave one lacking and left behind, cognitive dissonance,

  What makes me sad, is that they will even let their own children and family suffer the same beliefs rather than have the courage to question. Disappointing and heartbreaking beyond belief....
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  minimus

  Elders are not lawyers, doctors, CPA’s, etc. They have no expertise in anything.
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  FedUpJW

  Born-ins always needed to consult a publication or someone with higher status before doing ANYTHING about ANYTHING.

  So true. And that is what makes them "dumb". They give someone a task to do, then micro-manage it to death. As I told one of those types before getting off the hamster wheel, "If you have the time to tell me every last detail about how to do the job, YOU have the time to do it yourself!" And I walked off on him.
  
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  Davros

  Most who are appointed as Elders are not the loving shepherds they love to proclaim they are. They are merely administrators and Governors who walk around with a self entitled air of importance. Many believe that every word that comes out of their mouth is the utterance of Jehovah. What makes it worse is that there are just as many people in the congregation dumber than the elders who actually believe that.

  Most of them have accomplished very little outside of the organization other than putting in 90 hours a month in field service. 85 of those hours are spent driving around or camped out in a Starbucks. Most are in NO WAY qualified to give any advise on marriage, sex, medical, financial, and in many cases, even spiritual. Some can’t even pronounce words like Deuteronomy or Ecclesiastes correctly. All they can do is consult old publications or make a phone call to the branch to tell them what to do.
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  Rivergang

  who walk around with a self entitled air of importance.

  That reminds me of one whippersnapper who, after appointment as an elder, acted like he was the final authority on every possible subject there is. While admittedly a person of above average intelligence, his knowledge of many of the things he held forth about could have in fact been written on the back of a postage stamp.
  
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  Mum

  What happened to him, asked minimus,

  I moved far away, and he stayed behind. He sued me for divorce (on grounds of "cruel and inhuman treatment," the most gentle grounds available at that time). This was 2 years after I had gone. He tried to get me to "confess to adultery," with no regard to the truth of it, so that he could remarry. I didn't.

  I remarried about 2 years after the divorce was finalized. He didn't remarry until I had been remarried at least 6 years. I'm sorry, but he was not the kind to be attractive to women.

  I think he was asked to step down from being an elder, and he did. For about 2-3 years, he went inactive.

  He died a few years ago, at the age of 77. He was 9 years older than I was.