How frequent is this among Jehovah's Witnesses

by vienne 26 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • vienne
    vienne

    Many of my family are Jehovah's Witnesses. My grandmother, an immigrant from Austria, was. Two of my aunts, their husbands, both elders, various cousins and two of my sisters are Witnesses. So is my grand uncle. The all seem happy with their choice. I talked on the phone today with a elderly man related only through marriage. I haven't seen him since I was a child, but someone told me he was lonely and in ill health. We talked for about three hours. His story saddens me and makes me angry.

    He was a congregation servant, then an elder, becoming seriously ill in the early 1970s, but continued as an elder into the 1980s when he resigned. There's a story there that involved a circuit overseer's bad behavior. I traced down this man. He became a District Overseer, and then apparently was disfellowshipped or left. There is an anti-Witness post by him online. He is, it seems, now dead That's a bit irrelevant here, because my sorta relative rode that out. His explanation: "Humility is important. I might have not deserved what I experienced, but probably deserved other counsel. It all evens out." (This is not something I find palatable, but it is his view.)

    His health and life went down hill. While mostly house bound, he managed to attend meetings for some time, but often family would take him home early. Finally, he was not able to attend. In the past twenty-five years he has received two home visits from elders. Two came to insist on field service reports even though he was frequently bed bound and mostly house bound. The other was a Circuit Overseer who spent his time talking about some old prospector who claimed anointing. My sorta relative is a partaker and has been for decades. But how that was relevant, I do not know. That's it. No phone calls, no visits.

    Relatives visit him, and that's something. But what ever happened to 'you must positively know the appearance of the flock"? How often are the sick and infirm neglected. Is that a 'thing' among Witnesses? Frequent or not it is shameful.

  • Teddnzo
    Teddnzo

    I can explain this. There is direction in the secret elders book about prioritising those at the heart of the congregation. If they are Ill or infirm then are they still doing their very best to be at the heart of the cong?

    those on the outskirts or just hanging around the outside barely get very little attention until they come back to being properly in the cong again

  • vienne
    vienne

    I've read the Shepherding book and missed that. Can you find the page for me?

  • joe134cd
    joe134cd

    I had a very similar thing happen to a great Aunt of mine. Was left to rot in a rest home, for the last few months of her life, after a stroke.

  • Beth Sarim
    Beth Sarim

    Those on the outskirts of the congregation or Borg get little or none for attention,, because of being ill or infirm ..

    Unless,,, they are rich,,have wads of material a$$ets or both

    From the Mike and Kim channel a year or so back. Mikey eluded to an ""older"" woman in the congregation who became inactive,,not attending or whatever. She was wealthy apparently.

    The "brothers" sure didn't hesitate to keep in touch with her,,regularly. He related.

  • BluesBrother
    BluesBrother

    I can attest to this attitude. Since I stopped serving the WTS my wife has been a “spiritual widow “ . She has received damn all in terms of shepherding or interest . A while back she contacted the COBE to remind him she was still here. Apologies and promises followed…. No different though….

  • Vidqun
    Vidqun

    I experienced the sad case of a retired elder that had fallen by the wayside. His daughter was far away, however quite well off. A fellow elder offered to house him. The catch was he had to sponsor the building on of a flat, next to the elder's house. He used his savings to invest in the flat. Too cut a long story short, he fell and it took quite an effort to get him up. The elder did not want a repeat of this, so he decided to put him in a state home in a nearby town. Never paid back the money invested in the flat. My father, a non-Witness and my mother, a Witness, were some of the few that visited him. He eventually died, lying in his own faeces. I was disgusted at the actions of the so-called "brothers." By the way, the elder that housed him and stole the money was accused to be a pedophile. The girl that accused him were of questionable reputation. So they took his word rather than hers.

  • DesirousOfChange
    DesirousOfChange

    I would suspect that he has nothing maturely to leave to the organization. If he had a huge estate and provided a copy of his will designating WTS as the prime beneficiary, they would have people there 24/7 wiping his ass.

  • Gorb
    Gorb

    When my lovely JW grandmother couldn't attend the meeting anymore because of health issues, no JW visit her. At her funeral some years later, one elder did the service, but he did not know her. He told the audience that he did not know here and that the family gave him the right information. She was marginalized, and this makes me sick thinking about it.

    She was baptised in WW2, arround 1944 in Amsterdam. Will never forget her.

    G.

  • FedUpJW
    FedUpJW

    How often are the sick and infirm neglected. Is that a 'thing' among Witnesses?

    Yes, yes it is. Near the end of her life my mother who was by that time suffering from advance dementia was openly ridiculed. My father who was still at that time an elder took the "for better or worse, in sickness or health" vow very seriously so he stayed with her at home taking care of her. Not one single person from their hall would stop by because as one of them told me, "It is so embarrassing to see how her mental health has declined."

    After she died my father also developed dementia and was pretty well house bound. Again not one single person from the hall would come by to visit. One elder came to tell me that I should put him in a home, and that my dad had refused to let them take his suit to the cleaners. I told him well at least when he dies of loneliness he can be buried in a clean suit!

    My sister and I and a DF'd relative were his only company or caregivers for the last months of his life. At least we met his request to die at home not in a facility among strangers.

    I remember what he said in one of his more clear moments, "Jehovah's Witnesses have "love" on their lips, but NONE in their hearts!"

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