Please could you give me your opinions on this statement? . . .

by Miss Worldly 21 Replies latest jw friends

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  Miss Worldly

  . . . . 'I have prayed, and confessed my sins to my God, I'm not telling them (the Elders) anything'. .

  Could this be a significant sign that there maybe a small dent in the armour of an active JW? Or is it just a case of 'keep your nose out' ?

  Thanks in advance, any light you could shed on it would be really helpful.
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  slimboyfat

  Most JWs have stuff they "should" tell elders but don't. To be a JW means learning to be a hypocrite and compartmentalise. This doesn't necessarily indicate lack of belief or commitment. In fact the act of rationalisation along these lines probably indicates still taking the whole thing seriously.
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  stillin

  I can see the occasional need to talk with somebody about a personal issue. Just to get it all out. It's weird, though. The elders insist that they aren't "father confessors," yet they seem to want to hear everything that's going on in everybody's life.

  your relationship with whatever God you have is your own, personal matter. I would view it as a sign of strength if somebody felt that way, rather than any sort of weakness.
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  punkofnice

  I've heard this sort of thing before. It's a kind of 'don't rock the boat' scenario.
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  Divergent

  It shows that they do not trust the elders. They know that there would likely be unwanted consequences & repercussions if they confess anything to the elders, so they are not talking to them. Talking to the elders usually brings about more problems, so why bother?
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  Divergent

  I'm guessing that this individual has had bad experiences in dealing with the elders previously or knows of other people who have such experiences. It could also be that individual trying to say: Hey, it's between me & God - don't report me to the elders!
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  Miss Worldly

  Thanks everyone, I thought this may be the case. I did see it as a sign of strength. And 'not rocking the boat' could be right.

  divergent - yes, I am pretty sure there has been a bad experience in the past.

  it was more the 'My God' bit that stumped me. . .

  . Or just maybe it's my wishful thinking!
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  tim3l0rd

  If it was one of the "serious sins" that they constantly say in WTs that have to be confessed to elders, then the person probably has a "dent in their armor". It seems they have at least one article or assembly talk a year that states that "serious sins" (dfing offenses) have to be confessed to the elders in order to gain forgiveness.
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  mommyfirstandalways

  Sounds like something I've said many times and I used to be very strong spiritually by witness standards. It would be a good place to start planting seeds of doubt. Simply by stating do u think it's fair we give imperfect men such authority over us?
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  LisaRose

  I find even true hard core believers will hide things, they sort of rationalize the behavior in their mind, it doesn't mean they are having doubts. People are blind when it comes to their own issues,while still being judgemental when it comes to others.

  The society even gives tacit approval for it if you are an elder. They have said if the past misdeeds was a while back and the elder is still serving faithfully it's a sign that Jehovah has forgiven him. We have all heard of elders that had long term affairs, cheated in business for years, etc. When caught they usually take the punishment and get reinstated. And they were in on judicial committees the whole time, passing judgement while engaging in worse behaviours of the own. They are just hypocrites.