JWs and materialism

by YellowLab 8 Replies latest jw friends

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  YellowLab

  Been out of the "truth" for nine years now, with many family members and relatives still in. While I was in, we were taught to be humble and put Jehovah first in your life. Meetings, study and service were the most essential parts of being a JW. Having been an "outsider" now has really given me a different perspective on just how humble of a lifestyle JWs are leading today. In particular, JWs appear to have become increasingly materialistic, even much more so than someone who is not a JW. They seem preoccupied with having the latest gadgets, driving a snazzy car, wearing expensive suits, buying a big house, and living beyond their means in general. I agree there is nothing wrong with having nice things if you can afford it, but to the JWs it appears to be an endless quest for them. Rather than follow the cramped and narrow road, it appears their spirituality has been put on the back burner.

  Has anyone else picked up on this vibe?

  YellowLab
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  badboy

  This may or may not have anything to do with this;But it was mentioned in an XJW's book, that one couple kept on making `keeping up with the Jones' remarks during bookstudy.
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  Doubtfully Yours

  JWs are no different than the average 'Joe' in this regard. We all want nice things in life and we'll do what we can legally to acquire these things.

  DY
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  desib77

  They seem preoccupied with having the latest gadgets, driving a snazzy car, wearing expensive suits, buying a big house, and living beyond their means in general. I agree there is nothing wrong with having nice things if you can afford it, but to the JWs it appears to be an endless quest for them.

  Sorry, I have to disagree with you on this. Maybe some JW's are concerned about materialism but others aren't. My husband and I have been working hard to make our home a nice place to live. When we had my mother over my husband thought she might comment on some of the new things we had purchased......not at all...in her opinion if I didn't purchase it at a garage sale, I spent too much...my mother and her husband are like many others I remember from our cong. that gave most of their money to the society. Material things mean nothing to her. She rarely buys anything new and if she does it has to be on sale........she prays about most purchases she makes so as not to spend too much money. It is not only my mother and her husband that I noticed this with but several others in my old cong. In my opinion, it really depends on how loyal the person is to the borg.
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  Room 215

  There's a strong, if not dominant, element of ``spiritual materialism" in the JW belief structure. Consider, for example, how powerful the imagery of a fine future New World homestead and lifestyle is as a motivator; and it wasn't uncommon to hear JWs in coversation speculating how they might well inherit the homes of the well-to-do in their territories after Armageddon, once they were swept clean of the present owners' bones, of course.

  I would say that there are proportionately as many materialistic JWs as there are in any demographic of comparable size.
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  fraidycat9

  Funny...this thread reminded me of something I hadn't thought of in some time. At many a convention and assembly they would have interviews with those who gave up having children, gave up jobs earning X number of dollars, gave up scholarships and turned down chances to be upwardly mobile in a secular career (because, after all, that was being materialistic). Although it never was directly said that everyone should go out and do the same, they were clearly presented as "examples" to follow. When I used to be a "convention groupie", often I would go to another convention and hear some of these same people give the same retelling of what they gave up, turned down, etc;. This got me to thinking: If they are so happy, why do they have to keep retelling the story again and again? Most times a tone of regret was unmistakedly felt during some of these retellings, causing me to wonder what some of them really really thought about what they did or didn't do. hmmm....
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  undercover

  In the JWs, just as in the real world, there are the haves and havenots. There are those that want more and there are those who are satisfied with their lot in life. There are those who are well-to-do and there are those trying to get out of poverty.

  It is interesting, though, to see how people were treated based on their position in the congregation. Elders that had money, nice homes, nice cars never seemed to suffer the guilt trip of being warned about materialism, but let a regular publisher, you know, the guy who gets 8 hours of service a month, misses a handful of meetings a month, doesn't help at quick builds, spends time with worldly family, etc, let this guy come into a little money and get a bigger house or a new car/truck and all of a sudden the elders are anxious to "help" this brother "avoid the snare of materialism".

  I know, I'm one of em. We struggled the first few years of our marriage to make ends meet. Not one word of encouragement about how the friends would be there to help if we needed them, but we were admired for always "putting Jehovah first". After a few years, our jobs changed, our incomes changed and we were actually doing pretty good. New house, new cars, new furniture, new toys, etc. Then the friends started looking at us a little different. We were "different" somehow. They didn't seem to trust us. The elders were "concerned" about our new found "wealth" and how it "might" be detrimental. I lost count of how many people made comments about "why did we need THAT car" or "why such a big house" etc.

  I used to be a little embarrassed by our good fortune to be able to afford what we have, because of the attitude of so many at the hall. Over time (and as I faded away) I have realized that we have worked hard for what we have and I owe no one an apology for where I live, what I drive or what I do with my money. If a JW, elder or otherwise, questions it, I will be quick to tell them to mind their own business.
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  desib77

  I lost count of how many people made comments about "why did we need THAT car" or "why such a big house" etc.

  I hate the way instead of being happy for you that you are doing so good, the JW's can make you feel horrible for a little financial success.
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  fifi

  As far as I have been able to judge, I must admit that there seems to be an increase of interest for material things amongst JWs, but not all of them. It seems more acceptable for those with positions in the congregation to get themselves "better off". It is also true that they don't seem to get any"grief" about their situation as opposed to "lesser" JWs.