Elder's comment (page 2)

CaptK

Yes it was rather funny as the subject from the Lesson was on Honesty. He was telling how the JW's do not have these issues because they are honest

freein89

Not so fast, that elder was right. They Witnesses molest little girls instead.

Deb

Amazing

Hi Captk,

Are they not aware of what is going on in the WT organization or is this a coverup so the rest of the flock does not go astray?

In many cases the Elders are not aware. Unless they are paying attention to news sources, or there is not a JW pedophile case in their area, they just don't get it. Those that are aware are likely not commenting at meetings about it because they don't want to give the JW religion a black eye to any non-JWs who may be attending, and they don't want to deal with questions from concerned JWs. Cover-up is the net result, whether conspired with others or not.

Panda

I think remarks like this elder made are purposfully cruel. I say this because I've seen elders use answers at WTstudies to alert the r/f that no matter what you hear this is elder B***S*** telling you it isn't true. Also it says , anyone who has said differntly will be questioned on who else they've told.

My husband just could not believe some stuff I told him UNTIL he took a good look around and did some of his own research.

willyloman

Here's a long-time elder's take on this:

1. Some elders like to "teach from their seat" by using the comment portion of WT study to educate the flock, straighten out some problem in the congregation or someone's "wrong" understanding of a doctrine, or put the official party line into mass circulation. In the "world," this process is called "disinformation." The WT has this process down cold and elders learn from example.

2. It can be shocking how little information gets through to the congregation from the outside world. Many witnesses live inside a shell and will to venture out, no matter what. For all the drumbeating about how well educated JWs are by their reading and study program, and the emphasis placed on being up on current events and using these as talking points in the field, the average dub is ignorant of the news of the day. Remarkably, this includes many elders. Older ones, especially, retreat into a dark corner where light cannot reach. It protects them from having to confront the reality that their dreams aren't going to come true in their lifetime.

3. Finally, many elders and dubs in general, have fine tuned their cognitive dissonance. They hear but they don't understand, see but they don't get it (to paraphrase Jesus and Isaiah). In an elder's meeting once, the CO asked the boys why they thought meeting attendance was down dramatically. Most knew the meetings were boring, that the friends were too buy making a living and keeping up with day to day problems of life and were finding the meetings irrelevant and that there were too many demands being made on people. But at this meeting, the responses all fell into platitude territory: lack of appreciation, not studying/going out in service/associating enough, and all that crap. In other words, the elders gave the CO what they felt were "safe" responses. Those who knew the answer also knew better than to be forthright. This describes perfectly how this organization is run and explains why nothing will ever change. There is no freedom of expression, no room for dissent. And the suggestion box is closed.

Makena1

Could be that he is really unaware, or is a blockhead.

After our daughter's suicide, we went to one special assembly day where the visiting Bethel speaker said that JW's do not commit suicide. (he was referring to how some view the JW blood policy = suicide). Then at a WT study where an elder very close to our family (at the time) said the same thing that JW's do not commit suicide. We were sitting right behind him, and our daughter had died just 6 months before. Go figure?????

We stopped attending soon after.

Mak

Victorian sky

Mak & Bliss, I am so sorry for the pain that you've been through. It's just awful. I don't know if dubs say stupid/insensitive things out of ignorance or what. I think part of it is the smug arrogance of belonging to what they think is the true religion. There is a sense of spiritual superiority that always made me cringe. All the bashing of the Catholic Church can't make up for the cold hard fact that child molestation is a real problem in the borg whether they choose to acknowledge it or not. These are not isolated cases or media attacks urged by Satan. It's so sad that such good people can be so misled and warped in their thinking, if they are thinking at all. - V Sky

HadEnuf

Me thinks, my dear CaptK, it is a case of the proverbial blinders on the horse, errrrrr, I mean ass (you know, as in a donkey). The organization is full of ignorant elders...and that's the way the Boy's Club in New York likes it. Amen.

integ

Rick Aust:

As the Elders Book says.."an Apostate is any one who disagrees with the Watchtower."

Does the elders' book REALLY say that? In those words, or are you paraphrasing? Just curious.

Integ.

Elder's comment

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