DECEPTIVE JW ELDERS #1
On H20 I posted a Justice Series with 12 Judicial Case experiences for the purpose of showing how decisions are made, and to highlight the poor training, lack of education, and often the incompetence shown by Watch Tower appointed Elders. Even those of us with a measure of secular education were often untrained in essentials of dealing with people’s personal and emotional problems. I may resume this series on this forum. In the meantime ...
I will commence a Series of posts on Deceptive JW Elders and how early on JW Elders can and are often corrupted by the Watch Tower system such that by the time they may become Circuit or District Overseers or higher up the management ladder, they are primed to be nothing but ‘yes men’ and mortgage their consciences to a system that is unfeeling and unconcerned with truth, and can exhibit strong levels of corruption.
CASE #1: Jehovah's Angels are Watching - YOU! JWs are of the belief that Jehovah God uses his Angels to monitor and direct matters in the organization on a daily basis. When, for example, a person commits some transgression, but tries to conceal it, then the matter comes to the attention of the Elders, the guilty JW may be made to feel that it was Jehovah’s angels and spirit making sure the wrongdoer is exposed.
Brother “N”, whom I helped become a JW, was about to get married. He was really not ready for marriage in any sense of the word, both his young age of 19, and his emotional development were lagging behind his peers. His wife to be was 34 years old and a mother of four children ranging in age between 7 and 15. He was not prepared to be a step father, and the children (all boys) resented his being involved with their mother. The road was already going to be rough at the very beginning of what would become a tenuous marriage.
Brother N still enjoyed doing things that young teens like, including playing coin operated video games at the pizza restaurant while adults sat at the table talking and drinking beer. This was okay because he had not started to make the transition to show more interest in things typical of adults.
But, the Elders were beside themselves to find a way to prevent brother N from getting married to Sister ‘P’. One day, they asked Brother N into the ‘back room’ after the meeting to discuss some important matters. During the discussion, they asked how he was planning on supporting a large family when he marries Sister P. He responded that he had a full time job and while his income was not stellar, he could help a lot, and combined with Sister P’s income, they would be okay.
The Elders asked if he understood the importance of saving, spending wisely, and not doing foolish things with his money. He said that he felt he understood that well enough to get started in marriage. The PO, Brother “J” then asked if he liked things like video games, and Brother N confirmed this. Then Brother J talked about how foolish it would be to spend $30, $40, or $50 playing these games when the money would be better used by saving it, or using it to make sure bills were paid first.
Brother N was awe stricken because he had just blown $50 on a coin–op video the day before. He brought this up to the PO and expressed how timely it was that the PO would mention this in light of his recent expense.
Up to this point, nothing wrong or deceptive has taken place. Watchful parents used such tactics at times to reason with their teen age children. I have done this. But what happened next displays a serious deceptive practice that helps foster a false image that Jehovah is directing his organization.
Brother N concluded that Jehovah must have been guiding and directing the Elders minds so that they could reach his heart. The PO supported this notion that Jehovah uses the Angels to bring matters to their minds so that he can direct his people right in the congregations. Even here, I suppose one could argue that the Elders and the PO were of the same belief and acted in good conscience. But ...
When the meeting ended, I was talking with the PO about this issue. He begin to laugh and said to me privately that someone who saw Brother N blowing $50 in videos told him about it. He just put two and tow together and used it to counsel Brother N. But, as he laughed, he said that poor Brother N really thinks that one of Jehovah’s Angels enlightened their minds, and he never had a clue that the PO was told about it in advance. He continued to be humored by the fact that Brother N was now scared of the Elders and it would be easier to keep him in line.
I stood there shocked at what I was hearing. The PO didn’t even have the slightest thought about being deceptive or in allowing a false belief to go forth just to accomplish his goal. Instead, to him, it was nothing more than an older and wiser adult hoodwinking a stupid young man.
Yes, this is a small scale deception that of itself is not the worst example of dishonest religious practices ... but, it is the first in a series that shows the corrupt thinking that runs through the minds of the Elders, and that such corruption, like leaven, will only grown and continue on to bigger things. To be continued ... Simply Amazing