Posts by Tallon

41

what are your thoughts on this quote from the elders book?

by aboveusonlysky in

'in order to extend mercy, the committee must be convinced that the wrongdoer has a changed heart condition and that he has a zeal to right the wrong and is absolutely determined to avoid it in the future.'.

shepherd the flock page 91. i remember this is one of the first things that concerned me as an elder because it seemed to sound like a person is guilty until proven innocent rather than 'love believes all things', especially given the word 'convinced' appears in bold.. then in a training video one elder said something like 'unless we are convinced of repentance the shepherd the flock book says we must disfellowship'.

that was the begining of the end for me as i thought surely true christians would reason the other way round and show mercy wherever possible.. any thoughts?.

Tallon

….. 'In order to extend mercy, the committee must be convinced that the wrongdoer has a changed heart condition and that he has a zeal to right the wrong and is absolutely determined to avoid it in the future.' ….. Aboveusonlysky

How can the Org impose upon JC Elders the requirement to be convinced whether the person being ‘judged’ heart has changed?

I am not knocking Elders however, are not they not imperfect men as is every human being? How can they, as imperfect beings, judge others?

Does not the scripture at Jeremiah 17:10 read: “I, Jehovah, am searching the heart, examining the innermost thoughts, to give to each one according to his ways, according to the fruitage of his works”.

Therefore, is not Jehovah the one who reads hearts? Yes, there are occasions where Elders judge a situation right however, what if they judge a situation wrong? If Jehovah is the one guiding the decision(s) of JC Elders, then how can there be wrong judgments?

Although I was an MS, in hindsight, I’m glad that I was never appointed an Elder.

10

Week 16 Since My Disfellowshipping - Update

by pale.emperor in

hi guys.

i could really do with you advice regarding my current state since being disfellowshipped 16 weeks ago.. since being given the boot (i did try to fade but it failed) ive been on a rollacoaster of emotions.

lately im getting frequent headaches, tiredness and i have about 3 or 4 thoughts running through my mind at all times.. im passed the sadness phase of discovering it's a cult.

Tallon

Hi PE

As has been suggested on other discussions, maybe it might be worthwhile having a few sessions with a counsellor - if only to make sense of some of your thought processes and to point you in a direction from which you can move forward.

16

What happens to the elders?

by Worldling9 in

with so many khs closing and congos consolidating, what happens to the elders?

clearly there won't be a place for all of them.

would the older ones be the first to go, losing their long held positions of 'power'?.

Tallon

I stand under correction however, I'm guessing that the Elders will be transferred to the BOE of the congregation to which they are re-assigned.

17

Rape Victim Forced To Listen To a Tape Of Her Assault In A JC

by pale.emperor in

this is absolutely outrageous.

a rape victim was forced to listen to herself being raped while the elders stopped and started the tape claiming she was consenting.

even though during one of the assaults she was duct-taped, gagged and had a pillowcase over her head.

Tallon

Sickening beyond belief. I hope this woman receives justice from the courts.

As for the rapist and those JC Elders; ... (insert wording for the ellipses)

19

Petty Rules

by HereIgo in

did your congregation have any petty man made rules?

i remember the elders in my cong didn't like if a single brother and single sister walked in the parking lot together after the meeting ended, to their car.

you couldn't hold the mic or give a talk without a coat (that might be a universal jw rule).

Tallon

"Tallon, you grew up in a WAY more boring congregation than I did " ..... Wayward

It was pretty much standard in the congregation I was associating with at that time. Granted, not all of what I posted occurred at all of the 'parties' (it depended on whose party it was) however, I'm not exaggerating either. It was so ridiculous that a core of us decided to boycott these 'parties'.

As soon as we were in a position to make a break from that congregation, we were gone. Some left the Org while others, myself included, moved to other congregations.

12

The Hypocrisy Of A Judical Committee

by pale.emperor in

i posted the elders training school video of how to conduct a judicial committee on my youtube channel last night.

it got me thinking of the hypocrisy of the whole thing.

and also how in their own publications they ridiculed the pharisees for the way they dealt with jesus... which is the very same manner they use on the flock.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lzmgjjpafk.

Tallon

I've never been involved in a judicial committee and to be honest I would never allow myself to be subjected to one.

The process is flawed and totally the opposite of any fair enquiry. How the Org can set up a system whereby congregation Elders are the Judge, Jury and 'executioner' is beyond me.

13

How We Felt When We Discovered TTATT!

by The Searcher in

.

Tallon

'Fooled me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I'm out of here' !

19

Petty Rules

by HereIgo in

did your congregation have any petty man made rules?

i remember the elders in my cong didn't like if a single brother and single sister walked in the parking lot together after the meeting ended, to their car.

you couldn't hold the mic or give a talk without a coat (that might be a universal jw rule).

Tallon

Not strictly 'rules' however, my pet hate was the ridiculous restrictions enforced upon us at witness 'parties'.

At the time us young folk ranged from late teens to early twenties - this was circa early 1980's.

The activities we had to engage in;

1. Sit down, open your bibles and play bible games.

2. Play games that were designed for kids under 10 years old

3. Couldn't play the latest songs on the charts and heaven forbid if it had a beat to it (among other groups, I was into Duran Duran).

4. Don't even think of dancing with a girl otherwise some grumpy old gits and a few 'holier than thou's' would be stumbled

5. There were plenty of others but I think I will stop here .....

PS: ... and some of the Elders and other folk wondered why we stopped attending these 'parties' !!!

20

Successes you enjoyed since leaving the Org

by Tallon in

thought i would start a discussion, and hopefully a positive one, on what successes you’ve enjoyed since leaving the org.. each of us is different as people, in life experiences etc.

however we all share one common factor in that we have all experienced the negativity, to a greater or lesser degree, of being a jw and the org.. each success is worth celebrating so i invite you to share some of your achievements.

it does not matter how ‘big or small’ it is, share it with us.. my achievement means a great deal to me both personally and professionally.

Tallon

Thank you to all for responding to this discussion.

It's great to see that each of us in our own way have moved forward with our lives and not wasting away whatever years we have left.

The main thing is that whatever successes we've achieved are important to ourselves and give us personal satisfaction.

If anyone else wants to share their successes then please post. We'd like to hear how you've moved forward from the Org.

7

Do as I say, not as I do

by LoveUniHateExams in

and so it has come out that shami chakrabarti sent her son first to a prep school then on to prestigious dulwich college.

both institutions feature entrance exams and fees (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3839975/shami-chakrabarti-embroiled-new-education-row-emerges-sent-son-18-000-prep-school.html).

she joins other people of the left who oppose grammar schools but sent their own sprogs to selective, exclusive schools: polly toynbee, seumus milne, diane abbot and harriet harman.

Tallon

Do as I say, not as I do - hypocrisy indeed.

Mind you some of these politicians are no different to some of the 'leaders' in the Org.