Policing the Flock: Does it vary from country to country?

by Londo111 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  cedars

  I should probably expand on my previous comment a little!

  I've served briefly as an elder, and I can safely say that the level of "policing" very much depends on the personality of each individual elder.

  Some elders "get off" on throwing their weight around and influencing those around them. Others just want a peaceful life and/or genuinely want to help the congregation. I have encountered both types of elder. The bully elders really are something to behold, and dislodging them or getting them to quit making people miserable is harder than anyone could imagine.

  Anyone who thinks the answer to an overbearing or meddlesome elder is to "wait on Jehovah" for justice to prevail is deluding themselves. They are born survivors, and they are ruthless when it comes to protecting their position, which they value above all else.

  Cedars
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  3rdgen

  IMO, Not only does it vary country to country, cong to cong, elder to elder but accused to accused. by this i mean my former FIL performed numerous steakouts and gleefully recounted the stories in full detail. (so much for confidentiality) OTOH, when the accused were his sons....................The whole thing was swept under the carpet and the persons who made the accusations suddenly found themselves in comittee meetings on the hotseat.
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  Julia Orwell

  Ours is the same as yours, Londo. It's part of the Australian character: we're generally an apathetic bunch, so the elders seem to let us go. I've heard of them gunning after people like JWfacts who were in a position to do some damage, but if you don't make waves they give up pretty quickly. Or so I hope. I'm expecting someone to come round for the DC pamphlet drive which starts in a couple of weeks.
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  Julia Orwell

  A sister staked out her own house because she suspected her JW flatmate was having sex with some dfd guy who came around. I don't have a problem with that, because as the owner of the house, it was her right to make the rules for what went on under her roof and who was allowed to be there. She'd told this guy to not come to her house, but the flatmate would sneak him in when she was out. Pretty rude of the flatmate if you ask me.
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  awaken2004

  Absolutely, without a doubt. Depends on the personalities of the elders. I knew an elder that was determined to catch a sister by constantly calling her, trying to visit, asking family about her. He was finally able to DF her when he found out she was pregnant and continued to ignore him.

  Other elders in the same congregation were much more liberal/carring and didn't take much time to catch "wrongdoers". They moslt waited for you to come forward on your own after trying to contact you for awhile.

  That other elder was a young self-righteous prick, imho. Also, I think he made it personal with her because she was interested him for some time but he would just play cat and mouse with her. I believe he is single to this day. Probably a supressed gay guy. Funny but sad.