i had a brother approach me once to tell me i was too friendly.
i had the habit of greeting everyone i could in the time provided before the meeting.
it was done sincerely and with personal interest.
(laughing at minimus - you just want to cop a group hug feel) ;)
I was counselled for smiling at brothers. Too distracting, apparently.
You know - you just have to laugh sometimes when you look back and realize how you really thought this was the Truth.
this is just an obsevation from me...ok i dont mean to annoy anyone but is it true or just me?.
i feel that ones raised in the truth are so much better of than us who came in from the world.
i say that because they have family who are witnesses too.
AE - like most things in life - for some it's good and for others it's not so good. Guess it depends on where you sit in the audience, know what I mean?
what things about elders do only elders know and the rest of us dont?
i never knew they had a hand book till i came on here.
unsure why they dont mention it because surely its not meant to be a secret?.
Not sure the question, AE? Haven't attended for five years in general? As in, do they hunt them down and DF them? Or just in general don't attend?
what things about elders do only elders know and the rest of us dont?
i never knew they had a hand book till i came on here.
unsure why they dont mention it because surely its not meant to be a secret?.
AE - thanks. I truly am fine, now. But yes, THIS is a prime example why JW apologists (meant gently!) encounter so much anger here when they come on and talk about how wonderful the organization is and how it has never done any harm.
Know that many of the ones who have been harmed are OUT - and many of them b/c they were disfellowhipped to keep the events quiet. There are verifiable cases and cases and cases of this. Those that are in - wouldn't know unless they come to sites like this - which is why the society discourages visiting "apostate" sites. The truth always does come out, one way or the other, I find.
You know what? I don't blame him, honestly. I think he was a sick sick man who did horrible things, yes. But the fact is that he was ENABLED to do so BY the organization who didn't remove him as an elder and allowed him to serve for TWENTY MORE years, then never reported him to the proper authorities when there was finally more than one witness to the abuse and THEN re-appointed him!!!! And that was not the policy of a few imperfect men in a random congregation. That was organizational policy. And yes - I hold them far more responsible.
this is just an obsevation from me...ok i dont mean to annoy anyone but is it true or just me?.
i feel that ones raised in the truth are so much better of than us who came in from the world.
i say that because they have family who are witnesses too.
I had to laugh a bit at this one! :) I don't know the answer to that. I was born in - I'm 3rd generation. I NEVER caught a break. If anything, I had to dress, talk, behave, etc BETTER than everyone else because I had to be The Example To The Congregation. I rarely was invited to the few outings for teenagers b/c 1:) I wouldn't have been allowed to go b/c the kids were judged Not Good Examples or Poor Association OR the kids didn't want The Elder's Child there. I think they thought I would have been spouting scripture and ruining the fun. Little did they know how much I wanted to be "bad" (i.e. normal!)
The pressure was enormous. Now that I'm out? I lost my entire family, the social circle that I had...I have very few social references (i.e. - Hey remember that movie/song/TV show/whatever? Um. No. Wasn't allowed to see it.) All of the "normal" stuff that worldly people do - I had absolutely no clue. It was starting again at ground zero, learning everything that everyone else learned as they grew up normally.
what things about elders do only elders know and the rest of us dont?
i never knew they had a hand book till i came on here.
unsure why they dont mention it because surely its not meant to be a secret?.
(laughing) - it's really not that interesting. It's just a rulebook. The good bits are in the hand-written notes the elders make in the margins and are told not to share with everyone.
then: get up grumpy, shower, go to starbucks, leave magazine to start time, drive to kingdom hall, hope to be able to work with friends in service so we can do just a few doors and then calls and an early lunch.. .
now: get up when i wake up, make coffee, read the boards, read the wsj and sf chronicle, wait for wife to wake up, take dog on a walk and decide what fun things to do in the bay area this weekend.. i love my weekends now!.
zarco.
My favorite time of the year is assembly time. I cannot describe the joy knowing I DO NOT HAVE TO GO!!!!!!!!
what things about elders do only elders know and the rest of us dont?
i never knew they had a hand book till i came on here.
unsure why they dont mention it because surely its not meant to be a secret?.
It's been a long time, and I'm fine. Ask away (but thanks for checking)
Absolutely a convicted pedo can be an MS. Here's the thing: the directive is - a "known" pedophile. That refers to the members within the congregation - it doesn't refer to proof that someone IS one. So if someone is convicted - let's say in one area, and moves to another area, the new congregation would not KNOW he is a pedophile. Reappointment can and does occur if the pedophile is not known as a molester WITHIN THE CURRENT CONGREGATION.
It is watched a little more carefully now, I believe, since they lost the cases in California and had to pay out millions of dollars in settlements to the victims.
what things about elders do only elders know and the rest of us dont?
i never knew they had a hand book till i came on here.
unsure why they dont mention it because surely its not meant to be a secret?.
No. Elders have several different meetings throughout the year. They meet as a body anytime there is a judicial matter, they meet to decide administration stuff (often), and they meet before every assembly, and every CO visit. They meet often.
what things about elders do only elders know and the rest of us dont?
i never knew they had a hand book till i came on here.
unsure why they dont mention it because surely its not meant to be a secret?.
AE - thanks. :)
He's dead now, finally. The thing is...I'm just one of many he molested - and one of many that have been molested. That's one of the reasons there is so much anger on boards like these. Pedophilia is NOT an auto-DF. The scary thing is - no one knows about it. So you have householders who could be called on by pedophiles, SERVING elders that are pedophiles, etc. etc.
Oh- and he made it back to be an MS before he died. Do I think he quit? not for one nanosecond. Pedophiles do not quit...study after study after study has proven that.
