Posts by XBEHERE

61

Are we wrong to attack the Elders?

by MARTINLEYSHON in

jw
friends

i see a number of board members alluding to the elders as antagonists.

this is amoral.

there is an inference that these ones ( elders ) can think for themselves, they cannot.

XBEHERE

"An elder should not lose his family over stepping asside from being an elder. A person can still be a loyal JW and be a publisher. If an elder is forced to accept a position where he must compromise his integrity and yet remains an elder, the only thing that keeps him there is his own pride"

Were you ever an elder? Sometimes those in that position feel a responsibility to remain even though they don't want to, not for pride but so as not to cause diffculty for their families. Wives are often invited to more social gatherings than if husbands were not elders, the elders kids play more together, etc. I can go on and on. We all know how the politics works in Kingdom halls. Some elders have very "JW" families and dont want them to be looked down upon if he loses his position. Please try to remember that It is a very damaging psychological head trip.

I do agree though that despite what I just said above if he must compromise his integrity than possibly pride plays a factor in it. Being an elder is never an excuse for not being a loving human being. A good person, elder or not, would never do that especially if it hurts someone else.

61

Are we wrong to attack the Elders?

by MARTINLEYSHON in

jw
friends

i see a number of board members alluding to the elders as antagonists.

this is amoral.

there is an inference that these ones ( elders ) can think for themselves, they cannot.

XBEHERE

I feel many Elders are sincere persons who are trying to serve god. There are many of course who will stop at nothing to hold on to their positions and will lie, cheat, and backstab. I know of some who have deliberately covered up the transgressions of their family to keep their titles. But I agree with one of the posters... they should be held accountable especially those smart and sincere enough to know the truth about the truth, and trust me there are many out there who do know but stay in for families sake.

We should not generalize and call all of them bad names and curse the whole group out because I feel that is the same as racism in a way. But from reading the posts on here and how many were treated I can certainly understand the anger.

16

When brothers don't reach out

by Sadie5 in

jw
friends

all this talk about privileges being taken away, such as microphone duty, got me to thinking about how some brothers are viewed who aren't reaching out.. my husband would have fallen in this category.

i got involved with the jws first and looking back i think he just followed along to keep peace in our marriage.

he (gladly) followed me out too.. when we were jws, it wasn't a priority to him to become a ms or elder.

XBEHERE

I can't speak for all Elders or every congregation but I respect what your husband did. The bible even states that your family comes before al that other stuff anyway. There will always be "Company" men... you know those Elders who pioneer with thier wives, have no kids, but seem to be fountains of advice for child rearing. They eventually become CO's I would imagine. These ones critisize men for not reaching out.

You always here parts about comparing field service to the Widows mite in Jesus illustration in other words you do what you can, Jehovah values all service. I can almost guarantee that no one giving "widows mites" in the ministry was ever appointed as an MS or Elder you had to at least make national average or very close to it. The whole reaching out system is flawed as you can see.

1

Any ex CO/DO's Here

by XBEHERE in

jw
friends

just wondering if there were any posting on here.

they can give is unique insight into the workings of the wts being the ultimate company men and all.

also looking for ex longtime bethelites/missionaries?

XBEHERE

Just wondering if there were any posting on here. They can give is unique insight into the workings of the WTS being the ultimate company men and all. Also looking for ex longtime bethelites/missionaries?

19

Aren't the elders supposed to visit df'd ones?

by buffy in

jw
friends

maybe someone can answer this.

i thought that elders made it a point to visit df'd ones like 1 a year to see if they've thought about coming back, etc.

don't get me wrong, i'm happy they haven't come to see me.

XBEHERE

Yes they are supposed to visit DF persons once a year. This was according to an article in the WT back in 1989-1990 somewhere during that time.

They are also supposed to be a lot of other things but most I find these days just go through the motions and do the bare minimum. They also will not visit DF ones if they suspect that you may be an apostate. In my experience the Elders will not bother to seek you out if you have any dirt on them either, i .e. you know that they have sinned or anyone in their family has. They do not want it exposed so the more you stay away the better.

47

Do You Believe Any of "The Truth"?

by XBEHERE in

jw
friends

i've been lurking for several months, its my first post here.

i am currently an active jw.

i have a very jw family so i have to be careful.

XBEHERE

Thanks all of you for your replies. Big Red especially thank you. 25 yrs as an elder... you remind me of my father, though tack on another 6 yrs to that and still going strong in the "truth". Your post made a lot of sense. I would like some examples of what you said if you do have the time just so I can follow your reasoning better.

I think you have it right though. Most just want to trust that someone else (GB) has it right so they dont have to think about it. For me now I am at a loss as to what to do. I am starting to really doubt the whole arrangement but its the love of my family that keeps me going to the meetings, out in service (though I often resort to 1/2 pushing the doorbell so it doesn't ring). Its sad really.

18

To Current Witnesses

by freedom96 in

jw
friends

.

for witnesses who are currently going to the meetings, or anyone really for that matter, who may have friends still going i have a question:.

what are the active witnesses saying about the molesting issue that has come quite apparent lately?

XBEHERE

Not much at all in my hall. I, on the other hand am disgusted by it and its one of the reasons that I am now here.

There were a few comments by some, most just parroted the usual... "if they they would wait on Jehovah" and "they should not have run ahead of the organization like that" (meaning those interviewed on Dateline, etc.)

47

Do You Believe Any of "The Truth"?

by XBEHERE in

jw
friends

i've been lurking for several months, its my first post here.

i am currently an active jw.

i have a very jw family so i have to be careful.

XBEHERE

Umm...... "Agent Smith" reporting for duty here!

47

Do You Believe Any of "The Truth"?

by XBEHERE in

jw
friends

i've been lurking for several months, its my first post here.

i am currently an active jw.

i have a very jw family so i have to be careful.

XBEHERE

Thanks for your welcomes and comments. Having seen how bodies of elders operate I really see how messed up the system is. I mean one can say that well Elders are imperfect and God has always used imperfect men in his service. I have usually always believed that but lately I just can not understand how they can allow pedophiles to operate and use the "2 witness" scripture to support it. When I first thought about this I thought of Jesus and how he allowed his apostles to thresh wheat on sabbath and also how he healed on the sabbath even though technically no non-religious things were supposed to be performed according to written law. Jesus' point was that showing love and compassion is more important. In other words the circumstances should be considered before the law is laid down as absolute.

That 2 witness rule does not apply in cases of child molestation period! Under that circumstance, love for the victim should overide what the scripture states just as Jesus eased up while the pharisees would not under certain circumstances. I thought how disgusting that Elders would chose to ignore and send home victims to abusive households because the child was the only witness. The society has recently changed policy so that if more than one victim of a accused molester comes forward, even though they are still the only witnesses to the act of their own molestation, then they can proceed with a judicial hearing. But how does this help if no one else comes forward? Still flawed. As you can see I am deeply disturbed by this issue.

47

Do You Believe Any of "The Truth"?

by XBEHERE in

jw
friends

i've been lurking for several months, its my first post here.

i am currently an active jw.

i have a very jw family so i have to be careful.

XBEHERE

I've been lurking for several months, its my first post here. I am currently an active JW. I have a VERY JW family so I have to be careful. The pedophile scandal was really the catalyst for me to go online and investigate. I thought well if they were wrong about this, what else can they be wrong about? I was broght up as a JW and most of my family are elders, servants, pioneers. Anyway just wanted to say hello to all of you and to let you know how insightful many of your comments have been. My question is do some of you still believe in some of what the JW's teach? I mean some if does make sense (I may get flammed for that) but I am begining to see just how messed up the org is.