by truthseeker 6 Replies latest jw friends
I thought it was worth a separate post, see my last post on being shunned at the hall.
Did you know anyone who resented your freedom from the Watchtower Bible Study & Control program?
You know, the freedom to turn up at will or leave after the Public talk. The freedom to not go out on service.
I guess one example would be a friend who is an elder. He has to be available every Saturday, to take the group out, Kingdom Hall cleaning etc etc.
He sees you come and go as you please, no responsibilities, no pressure.
I ask this question because a young elder in his 30s just stepped down because he couldn't deal with the pressure.
Heck yes. There is an unwritten JW rule that if you miss a meeting, you get a punishment from your friends. Miss the sunday meeting, and they're not allowed to visit or ring you all day (except to say they missed you, and tell you that you missed a good talk). Miss all meetings in 2 weeks, and you are banned from get-togethers. etc....
TRUTHSEEKER - Oh yes indeed! Got a letter from my older elder brother 60 years old , September of 2006 . He was a self righteous 8year ex-Bethelite who has been an elder for 35 years. He condemned me in the letter saying I quote, " You have had way too much freedom running the countryside doing whatever you want all these years with no thought of responsibilities to your relationship with Jehovah . Until you take seriously your relationship with Jehovah , you are not welcome in my wife and my home ". This , to a inactive fading witness flesh and blood brother of his. Nice guy, eh ? And did you notice the resentment in his comments to me indicating he envies my " freedom " ? So, yes, I've experienced resentment for my stand
I didn't personally recieve it that way, but I saw others in the hall get it.
My JW mother and aunt resent their non-JW fleshly sister immensely, I think it is because their worldly fleshly sister has regular contact with their df'd kids as well as her own. It seems that JW's take their frustration out on faders or worldly people instead of where it belongs, with the WTB&TS.
I think one of the things that happens at least from the viewpoint of the elder body is that when you stop going to meetings and out in service it becomes a bad mark on the congregation and when the Circus Overseer comes through and looks at the attendence figures and service report cards he see's inactive publishers and want's to know what the elders are doing to reactivate those not going out. So it gives the elders more work to do and they resent that because they are already overwelmed. Also others who go to all the meetings think that is the totally right thing to do and when they see someone fading it upsets them that they are not going along with the program.
LD
