by Dune 41 Replies latest jw friends
I just wanted to echo what Geevee said,
BIG DEAL it is all BS. These "positions" are just garbage and only serve to show how mind locked I was
That's is how I see it now that it's past. At the time I thought I was a very spiritual man and had my act together. Little did I know that what I really knew wasn't my bible but WT dogma.
Thank you for posing this question and thank you to everyone that replied honestly from where they are at along their own path. It was a good exercise to reflect on. It has helped me reframe, reinforce and recognize that I no longer define myself or my life experiences in terms of JW hierarchy or terminology. There have been many peaks and valleys all along this journey of mine. I consider this very moment a significant height. Good stuff. :)
Regular auxiliary pioneer. That high lasted a few months.
most y'all were spiritually week. i made elder and bethelite.
praise alla
When and What was your "Spiritual" height?I was somewhat of a "bad association" or I ran around with spiritually weak members even though we always participated in field service, book studies, ministry school, congregation activities etc. Then when I grew older I thought I was…too “Spiritually high” to be active in the cong any longer.
I was a spiritual midget as far as position in the congregation. Let's see, I aux. pioneered and worked for an elder...not that that's anything to do with the religion, but it did give me a bit of status with him and his family and got me included in entertainments for the CO and such. The aux. pioneer thing did not work out well as I came down with a killer flu that month. It was very depressing as I normally worked full time and that was my one chance to try to do more. Kept wondering why everything I tried to do to increase my service to Jehgoober didn't ever seem to work out.
Third generation from an extended family where all were baptised JWs, a family where all the guys were Elders back to my Granddad, and all the families regularly entertained Circuit Overseers, District Overseers, etc., so give me a break - I didn't know any better...
Pioneered during vacation time at school; Pioneered from school for a few years; went to Pioneer school with the old book (pre-1989); married a Regular Pioneer (who continues to Pioneer to this day).
While I lived in England, for a while, I was regularly on the Quick-Build team. I lost count after about 30 builds. Most were in East Anglia, but a few were around Manchester, Yorkshire, Scotland, etc.
Became an MS in my early 20s and an Elder in my late 20s; held every congregational position except Presiding Overseer; had well over 30 Public Talk outlines, including "Special"; was a visiting speaker and gave talks internationally, including in an African congregation when I was visiting Nairobi for the 1998 International Convention.
Regularly gave Circuit Assembly parts and was being actively groomed for Circuit Overseer work. In charge of Baptisms at the Circuit Assemblies, and Attendant Captain at District Conventions.
Had a free pass into Bethel, which I called on to get a few nights visiting Bethelite friends about three months before I left the JWs.
Joined the illustrious ranks of "anointed" (actually just a "Damascus Road" conversion to Christ, which isn't as uncommon as you'd think), which send my mind spiraling towards exit from the JWs, before becoming national uber-apostate by Disassociating from the platform at the end of my last Public Talk.
Ya know, making a list like that just demonstrates (a) how many of us bought the whole show; and (b) how much of a hierarchical show it was.
Now I'm just plain "Ross", and luvvin it
Regular pioneer for two years attended pioneer school and participated in quick builds at every opportunity and one slow-build at my old congregation.
What I see as my greatest personal achievement, but was probably not seen in favorable light by the elders, was being asked during a meeting from the platform why I hadn't given in my talk slip, and me explaining I didn't know I had a talk and then getting up 10 minutes later, giving the talk completely ad-libing all the way through, and being told it's amazing what can be achieved without preparation. That kind of thing I think is a valuable personal achievement - even if it was a load of baloney.
First are you still active?---i was raised a witness and have not known anything else till i moved out at 18. i feel that my hole spiritual experience started at 11 thats when i felt it. i got baptised the summer before senior year. i had been very good and was very happy till i got my new car and fredom. i started hanging out with all my witness friends and doing things that eventually got about ten of our teens disfellowshiped and i havent felt that same spirit sense
I regard my "Spiritual High" to have been achieved after I broke with the dubs.
The "highest" that I got in the JW heirarchy was Ministerial Servant - and I didn't make MS until I was over 35 ( I had obviously managed to piss off a few people who counted in such matters!)
From the time that I was finally appointed an MS, I never had any aspirations to make elder.
Certainly, looking back on things from the perspective of where I am now, I am happy that never was. i.e. I do have many regrets - but at least participating in the spiritual / emotional / mental abuse of the the rank-and-file JWs is not one of them!
Jack.
