That Elder Mentality

by Englishman 22 Replies latest jw experiences

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  Englishman

  Exactly what does it mean to have "An elder mentality"?

  I'm curious. Elders didn't exist when I left the JW's. We had "servants" of course, but they were generally quite kindly and helpful.

  I also recall that in our circuit we did have a couple of "assistant congregation servants" who, although very keen, were deemed to be just too inflexible to become fully fledged PO's.

  Now I hear literally hundreds of horror stories about elders and judicial committees causing severe mental anguish to their flock.

  It wasn't like that during my time in the dubs. I left because I stopped believing the teachings and, anyway I found the whole thing too restrictive, but I didn't see much of the heavy stuff that people resent so much these days.

  When and how did it all change?

  Why?

  Englishman.
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  Love_Truth

  Answer:

  2 Timothy 3:12-17: "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

  Acts 20:28-31: " 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. [1] Be shepherds of the church of God, [2] which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears."

  Love_Truth- 'Nuff said.
• 

  franklin J

  I have been out for 20 years, Englishman, and I can tell you in my experience it varied.

  Like any "narrow" organization; it was easy for "narrow minded" individuals to throw their weight around and be bullies.

  My father was an Elder. He was one of the 9 (nine) Elders in the Huntington New York congregation back then. The older ones, like my Dad, had families and other secular responsiblities and tended to be more balanced due to their maturity in years. They understood much because of their age and life experience. Some of the younger ones, unmarried or newly married; no kids ; no responsiblities, these tended to be arrogant and controling. In hindsight, perhaps the younger ones should not have been appointed to such a position.

  In my recollection; some of these elders; you trusted instrinctively because they came across as good solid family men. You related more to their personalites; which were likeable. The others were arrogant and small minded and they would have been that way whether or not they were JWs.
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  MorpheuzX

  The elder mentality is simply this, "I'm better than you." I guess I was in four different congregations through out my JW life and almost without deviation the "elders" were uneducated, middle-aged men, working menial jobs or employed as unskilled laborers. It was also common for the elders to be interrelated -- siblings, brothers in law, and fathers in law. It was very much a clique. In fact, in my last congregation virtually the only way to become an elder was to be the son of an elder or to marry the daughter of an elder.

  I can't generalize and say all elders were haughty and moronic. They were not all that way. But most of them were. Can you say power-trip? To me this is a recipe for disaster: take five to ten uneducated men who've generally accomplished nothing in their lives, place them in an elevated position of authority and watch the chaos ensue.
• 

  MorpheuzX

  This was suppose to be with my first post on this subject, but didn't work for some reason, so here it is continued.

  When I was a JW at my last congregation, I was very close friends with two elders, one was the PO, and the other was a full-time pioneer. They were the only two elders, out of 12, that I could stand. The rest of them were all on power trips. Now the following story isn't a "horror story" it just illustrates my point. When I was 17 I was an auxiliary pioneer (back before the hours were reduced.) One day I had just finished giving a talk and an elder came up to me and told me that if I didn't get a hair cut I'd not be considered in good standing!!!! My hair was freaking short already. He just wanted to boss me around. And I think he was annoyed because I was consistently turning in more hours, conducting more studies, giving more and better talks than any of the elders' sons were. That was just their little way of keeping me in check.

  Stupid me at the time, I just went and did what he said. Today I would have taken out my bible and said show me where Jesus said that. But, I was pretty well brain-washed back then.

  Anyway, if I can digress from my digression, the elder mentality is a pure power trip.
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  Satanus

  Imo, the elder mentality, which cab maintain even after exiting jws, is controlling, self-righteousness, black and white on the issues, judgemental attitudes.

  SS
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  Gordy

  It means you have to be mental to be an Elder
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  MorpheuzX

  LMAO at Saint Satan, have you heard of "binary-thinkers". I think being one of those is a requirement of being an elder.
• 

  Valis

  Also that your descisions are spirit directed. This blows the ego way out of proportion, even if they don't even know it is happening. Also thinking one is equiped to make life changing descisions for someone regardless of the situation. yuck..

  Sincerely,

  District Overbeer
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  dustyb

  valis is right, elder mentality is them thinking they are elected by spirit, when its just the elders raising their hands and voting (politic free, yea right). the reality is they are elected elder by bribes, or favoritism, or maybe a little money kicker.

  truth is, most elders that don't think rationally think that they're really making a decision based on what God wants them to make, when in reality, they're just making a decision based upon man-made interpretation. its amazing, one book, so many interpretations....