by Drwho 37 Replies latest jw experiences
It's a position that requires you have the same moral compass as a ss officer in the third Reich.
Telling parents not ignore children
Telling children to shun parents
Meeting with pregnant women telling them to die if medical compilations arise giving birth.
DRWHO:
I agree with others who have said to never put trust in an elder. My experience with elders in the JW religion was not so great.
For one thing, they WAY overstep their boundaries and I learned to keep them at arm's length because of this. This is a serious issue in this religion.
As far as wisdom goes, they probably have less than your next door neighbor. Maybe here and there some elders are smarter than others and may have more practical knowledge about certain things, but that's about it. The more educated among them will at least know when they are out of their depth (when dealing with people with emotional issues).
As others may have said, elders are there to judge and to enforce the religion's rules and regulations. A lot of these rules go beyond what is written in the Bible and just reflect the religion's bias and desire to control.
"Hi . I was never a JW , so have millions of questions .
Please, how does an elder become an elder and how much trust does or should a JW put in an elder .?"
I can't speak for others but my father was a builder at a time when new kingdom halls were needed (before all that self-build stuff). I imagine that earned him a few brownie points. Let's say that it couldn't have had anything to do with spirituality.
My aunt's husband was just a study in 2009. Not sure when he was baptised, but it was a point of pride that he was immediately appointed MS upon being baptised and is an elder now for over 3 years. He is a nice guy, but clueless. He seem to just be in to support my aunt who has had a totally dysfunctional life since childhood, and lifelong association and several DFings with the JWs. Her kids all rejected her and I am convinced that this particular dance with the org will soon be over. She's a pioneer after all her experiences, obviously needs some validation when the one kid in jail for sex abuse, the other a drug addict who refused to see her after a suicide attempt and the one stable one have cut off all ties for their mental health. She was reinstated sometime after 2009 and is now the prototypical droning self righteous JW. She doesn't sugarcoat her past, but kind of wears it as a badge of honor. I give her credit for wearing her crazy that boldly, but that those are two of the recently active members says something. To their credit, they are keeping it together, and are kind folks.
I guess my point is that they don't seem to be that picky about elders these days. Uncle is really just their for aunt and when she quits again or goes off the rails and is DFd, he will go with her. She is a true believer and will always go back to it if she survives. She drAnk the cool aid completely, but he is a warm body with(presumably) a penis.
If you want to be an elder in 2 years, start pioneering, if you can give good talks even better. Show up for anything to do with "theocratic" activities, always have the CO for a mean, invite individually the elders for a meal. You don't even have to read your bible - but know your daily text back to friend. You could be secretly watching porn and playing violent video games, it won't make a difference :-). As other have referred to - a good brown tongue will get you there even quicker. Also, having a "stepford" wife in order will help.
There is no holy spirit involved. I was given assembly parts while being awake - how funny.
My observation is that it takes no effort at all in some congregations. Well, breathing helps.
How does an elder become an elder?
As others have pointed out be perpetually "available" for any...any assignment that comes your way particularly ones the other elders don't want to do like volunteering to take the FS group on public holidays. Appear eager to help but not ambitious. And the most important is to put your lips together and suck like your life depends upon it. It also helps to marry a theocratic "it" girl like the COBEs daughter or local pioneer.
Most elders had to be a** kissers or yes men. That is exactly what the org is looking for. They are not looking for someone who is free spirited or can think for themselves. Even if it was just an act on the part of the perspective elder, there had to be at least a little bit of smooching and head bobbing.
You could level that charge at anyone wanting to advance in any organisation, whether it be religious or career related.
The majority of elders, I'll admit, do fit your description, but there are elders out there who are good public speakers, very empathetic and are all round nice people. There was certainly one or two of them in my old congregation.
As with most things, sweeping generalisations are a bad thing.
There is no holy spirit involved. I was given assembly parts while being awake - how funny.
I dropped out when I realized I valued intellectual honesty more than most things.
Having watched part of the last convention online, is it possible that some of those crazy guys giving parts are also awake? Maybe desperate to believe, regardless?
"Some people have played video games, taking the perspective of characters who do not act according to Bible principles..." I really feel bad for the lower level guy who reads this from the outline and knows exactly how much bullshit it is. And he did it anyway. Freaking Bible characters don't act according to "Bible principles." What a crock.
I was told to do 10 or more hours per month in the failed misery. Answer lots at the meetings(tm). Generally make sure my family do the same.
I got to be an elder........it was the start of my apostasy(tm). I realised I was not in an organisation directed by god...it was directed by bullies!
