Welcome Ivan !
Did The Elders Treat You With Respect & Love???
by minimus 29 Replies latest jw friends
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MAHABA
Welcome Ivan !
Thank you for your welcome Paul.
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Odrade
Dissenting answer here.... YES.
but...
I was the favored daughter of a favored young elder. My father and the rest of the elder body in my home congregation was well-known and well-liked by many, including a number of Bethel "heavies." My dad was one of the very first to go to Bethel on the temporary work assignment arrangement. We never moved around the whole time I was growing up, so we were more or less the "old guard" in our hall, even though my parents were young...
When I moved out of my home congregation, I moved to a hall where the most prominent elder and his wife wanted me to hook up with their son. From one "favored" position, to another. I was treated with love and respect in that hall too. Even when I left for a few months, then came back and confessed my "sins," this elder told my JC, "be kind to her, she is like a daughter to me." I was treated as respectfully and lovingly as the policies of a JC allow, I believe.
then...
I moved. Out of the congregations where I was the treasured "daughter" of important men. Now I was just one of the lowly publishers. NOW I got a taste of how the rest of the flock was treated and viewed. Now I realized that to be "favored," one had to perform. I did not. So much for respect and love. There were a few who continued to behave the way I had come to expect, but I believe these were the men who behaved that way IN SPITE of the general atmosphere in the BOE.
It all depends on who ya know.
O
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HadEnuf
In my vast and varied experience with elder's; it seems to me that if there were any "good" ones who had some degree of empathy and kindness, it didn't last long because they were quickly being integrated into the Boy's Club. In all my years as a JW, over 4 decades, there is not one elder that I would have gone to with a problem.
Most of the time their "encouragement" just led to more guilt and depression for me.
How can elder's treat the "sheep" with respect and love when they cannot even use their own consciences to deal with the "flock"? They are puppets manipulated by the GB who, in my opinion, are the coldest most self-righteous men on the face of the earth. Oh No...I'm getting my blood pressure up here. Better end now or blow out a blood vessel. See what your questions do to me Mr. Minimus!! (Just kidding of course)
Cathy L.
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minimus
Some elders were very considerate human "creatures". Others were dickheads!
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XBEHERE
The good ones are not treated well by the bad ones. I have seen 10 good elders in this circuit have the rug pulled out from under them. The ones that remain are hatchet men and cowards. I have heard several good ones just throw in the towel, staying elders but doing as little as possible staying out of the way of the steamrolling ones.
Blondie how do you have so much insight? You are 100% absolutely dead on with this comment. Especially calling the remaining ones hatchet men and cowards. These are the ones who suck the CO's behind and call them for every little detail about every little issue that arises in the congregation for fear that they are found out for who they are. It truly is disgusting to say the least.
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franklin J
with respect and love? No. They were control freaks and had a point to make.....
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minimus
C'mon, Frank. They loooovvvedd u.
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franklin J
Hah!
yes, Min, they loved me....that is until I would not let them "have their way with me";
and when I forced them all to bend over and take "ceasars law" up their "most holy"; it really earned me a "special" place in their Theocratic hearts.....
to this day they will cross the street if they see me coming......
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fleaman uk
Some elders were very considerate human "creatures". Others were dickheads! Absolutely spot on.