Not on jw.org - comments regarding bad Jehovah's Witness employees

by jwfacts 42 Replies latest watchtower scandals

  • luna2
    luna2

    In the past (the long distant past now), I worked for two different JWs. The first one had a small graphic design company and they employed both non-JWs and JWs. When their non-JW employee had to go into rehab, I was hired to fill the gap...and that's all it was. They had two other employees who were JWs and I was so excited, as a new JW, to be working with brothers and sisters. It was a disaster. I was laid off when the gal who I replaced informed them that she was ready to come back. I can remember being totally devastated. What I didn't realize is that Jehovah's Witnesses don't hold themselves to conventional standards when it comes to being either an employer or an employee. Any decision that they make is justified somehow because Jah knows what they need and he is the moving force behind their decisions.

    I then got a job with an elder who owned a cleaning company. I continued to work for him and his wife for three years because I couldn't bring myself to quit. I thought that there must be some explanation for his poor business practices and bullying that I wasn't understanding. I was a fool. This man was an entitled, born-in JW who thought that he could do no wrong and he pushed people around, both in his company and in the congregation. I finally realized that I was never going to be able to justify how this "brother" treated people and I quit. He had the talking out of both sides of his mouth thing going on all the time. He'd make all kinds of pretentious comments about attending all the meetings and never missing a convention or special assembly day, and then he'd make me practically beg to get time off for those very things. After I moved out of that state, he started taking people's untility payments as part of the services he offered. He got into trouble when he misappropriated that money and didn't make these peoples' payments. Shortly thereafter, he sold the business and abandoned his family for a while. He was removed as elder finally, because not of the idiot elders in the congregation could hide their heads in the sand any longer about this guy. I believe he and his wife are back together, but don't know if he was ever reinstated as elder...he was never disfellowshipped. A real peach of a guy.

    JWs, in reality, for the most part, don't make good employees or good employers; they aren't good associates or even good friends. I knew a sister once who rented a house and took in roommates. She told me that after a bad experience with a JW sister not paying her portion of the rent, she never roomed with JWs again. I was stupid enough to loan a sister money to fix her car. probably about 16 years ago now, and might as well have thrown the money down the toilet because I never got it back.

    The Watchtower likes to print stories of how wonderful JWs are in every way, but that has not been my experience at all. JWs are just human beings. Some have an innate honesty and are good people, but its not due to the Society. Others are cheats and thieves, who justify their behavior by saying that they "aren't of this world" and somehow are able to stick to the letter of the law (so to speak) in regards to Watchtower morals. They are certainly no better than the world and are often worse.

  • LongHairGal
    LongHairGal

    luna2:

    I totally agree with you that JWs who are honest have an innate honesty and are good people in their own right and would be so even if they were not Jehovah's Witnesses. The religion has absolutely nothing to do with it as far as I am concerned.

    As you also said, others are downright dishonest. These very adept users DO justify their behavior in some screwed up way but stick to the letter of the "law" with regards to the JW religion. But, in all else, watch out!!

    When I was active in the religion, I came to some conclusions on my own (which I kept to myself). I would not have any business dealings with JWs because they imagine they aren't going to keep their end of the bargain and think they are going to get a FREEBIE. I could not stand these deadbeats and wanted nothing to do with them.

    They play the religious card and think they have a get-out-of-jail-free card. They claim the "imperfection" excuse until you are tired of hearing it. They also imagine they deserve a break just "because".

    Now, if I felt this way when I was an active Witness and not aware of TTATT - how do you suppose I feel now???

    That is a religion I could not BE in, much less function in... I would have had to come and go by myself and hardly bother with anybody... For this and other reasons, I am glad I am out.

  • luna2
    luna2

    LongHairGal:

    You said: "I would have had to come and go by myself and hardly bother with anybody..."

    There was a point in time, when I was disillusioned but still thought the JW's were Jehovah's Organization, that I tried to think of a way I could function inside the religion without bowing to the peer pressure and guilt that they were constantly trying to pile on all those who were susceptible to that kind of thing (which I was). I thought that if I could distance myself and act confidently about my less than whole-hearted participation, I could stay a JW.

    It seemed to me that the happiest JWs were those who kept to themselves for the most part, only getting involved in service or as elders to a certain point. They were careful not to let others too close (which would invite criticism)...and they did what they wanted to do when they wanted to do it. I'm not talking about big sins, but watching what television shows or movies (mostly rented, because they wouldn't want to be seen going to something with an R rating or even PG), taking vacations where and when they wanted...stuff like that. If they planned to go out in service while on vacation, they would make a real point of announcing it so that all woulde know what exemplary dubs they were. They would be very creative in counting their time, something that I was too stupid to figure out until I'd been in for almost 20 years. I think many of them would count time from when they got in their cars in the morning until they left the KH, and return visits were anybody that that spoken to about Jehovah before or even just a brief mention of the convention or something.

    In the end, I couldn't do it. It didn't feel honest and I figured that if there really was a God, he'd know what I was doing....so I dropped out. Best decision I ever made.

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