by fearnotruth22 9 Replies latest jw friends
"Whoever wants to be greatest among you must be the slave of all"
Does anyone understand and can explain the jw cast system and pecking order? Please go into detail on this if you understand, Specifying and exaplaining What it is ? How it workks and the high man and low man on the toyem pole.. Much appreciated
There's only one thing you need to know:
If you are a man you are a supreme being (in their belief) and if you are a woman you are nothing. Women have no social standing. (Unless your husband is an elder and then you can play behind the scenes, just as long as someone doesn't find out about it.)
So they (the women) form their own little make believe social orders inside the society's make believe religion's make believe social order. Kind of like the hen club, with a lot more gossiping and pecking. And inside the men's circle the gossiping is even worse. That is, unless of course it relates to child abuse or other really important news that should be gossiped about. Its much more satisfying to talk about who hasn't been coming to meetings or who's skirt is too short or who was seen with worldly people or at an R rated movie.
Yes, I am over exagerrating, but its not too far off at that.
Gretchen
There used to be a listing (tongue in cheek and not so tongue in cheek) that was posted on ex-JW sites. Did anyone save it?
Blondie
Fear,the pecking order is all based on seniority,or rank at Bethel.The longer you have been there and have been elevated to Bethel Elder you have first place in the bidding order.You can bid for better rooms and window views and floor locations.You can pull some strings for a change in the type of job you want to work at .The office or other types of work that you like.
If you are low man on the totem pole,you start out with living quarters the size of a broom closet.and mopping toilets and cleaning bowls.
However if you are needed for a special service in a department,you get the royal treatment.
Locally there is a pecking order also.It involves kissing up or brown nosing the local elders who have information that one wants so that they can know how to proceed to get a position of favor with the in crowd.
And if the CO.likes you and can use your skills for free he can see that you advance up the pecking order faster than someone who has been around longer than you.There are some brothers who have been lingering in the same position for years never being allowed to advance.Others run around like chickens with there heads chopped off and do anything it takes to get up the totem pole.
Blueblades
As far as field service is concerned, it goes something like publisher, auxiliary pioneer, regular pioneer, and special pioneer.
being male does not assure all that much. U must be an agressive male who reachs our (tm) for greater privileges.. While tech all elders are equal, of course the PO is more important. Also any man that has served as a elder but for health or similar reasons steps down, is still important and repected. Your family needs to be in subjection to u, and if they are not, u will either not be very respected , or u will be asked to step down as elder. Older sis are respected to a degree, and pioneers are given respect. Anyone else is not in the real circle of jwdubdum, and can only hope they will smile at them. The big guys at bethel have it all, and anyone that has been to bethel and did not get kicked out, is an important person in the cong. Of course, if u are very well off and contribute quite a bit, are a doctor, lawyer or someone they need, u could be on public reproff and still get invitations to the elders homes.
all i know for sure is, some people can do the most dreadful things and still be welcomed and others are shunned just on suspicion they are bad associates. If u ever get the label as bad associated, u are dead meat.
I just sent a p/m to one of our Aussie blokes...he once posted an absolutely gut-splitting hilarious list...maybe he can find it tomorrow.
Craig
I'll give it a shot, though I might put a few out of order. By the way, it is caste system.
Lawyers
Governing Body
Bethelite
District Overseer
Circuit Overseer
Presiding Overseer
Elder (third generation)
Elder (convert)
ex-Bethelite
Ministerial Servant (third generation and related to the P.O.)
Ministerial Servant (convert)
One of the anointed (viewed with a mixture of awe and suspicion)
Special Pioneer
Regular Pioneer
Auxiliary Pioneer
Baptized Publisher
Unbaptized Publisher
Male baptized JW (third generation)
Male baptized JW (convert)
Mother of a male Publisher or Pioneer
Mother of a male baptized JW
Female baptized JW engaged to elder's son
Mother of a female Publisher or Pioneer
Mother of a female baptized JW
Mother of a male child
Male JW child (third generation)
Female JW child (third generation)
Male JW child of converts
Female JW child of converts
Single woman, baptized JW, no prospects in sight
Thought of a few more:
Unbaptized JW
"Interested One", studying to be a JW
Return Visit
Baptized JW, Bad Association
Householder
Worldly Relative of a JW
JW on Reproof, working on Reinstatement
Relative of a JW, part of Christendom's Churches
Relative of a JW, Roman Catholic
Relative of a JW, homosexual
Disassociated JW
Disfellowshipped JW
Apostate
Hiya jgnat! Darn, it's been a while since we've chatted. My bad.
That list is pretty good, but the one I'm thinking of is about 100 lines long (ya know, lot's of little sub-classes and micro-groups) LOL
I just hope that kangaroo-kicker gets up at a decent hour.
Craig
drat! I figgered mine was pretty long! Craigie-boy, I been missin' ya too. And I remember that list you are talking about.
