My mother told me that her bookstudy overseer asked his group this question---"Why do you think a mature brother in the truth would just suddenly leave and stop coming to meetings? Any ideas?" The group gave different opinions and finally he gave what he thought could be the reasons. "The brother could be PROUD. Maybe he was willing to GIVE counsel but if he thought he was going to get counsel, his pride could get in the way. Or maybe he's materialistic and has one foot in the world and the other in the organization.".....When I heard this, I told my mother that "it's unbelievable how judgmental these men are without knowing any of the facts.''.............Any reaction to this???
The Elders Are Getting Opinions About Minimus
by minimus 84 Replies latest jw friends
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jgnat
Hmmmm. Very scientific. I heard another reason from a JW recently. JW's leave because they did not have a sharp vision of paradise earth. They just can't imagine themselves there.
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simplesally
Mini, they are trying to impute wrong motives. By implying these sorts of innuendos, it gives the congregation that the elders are trying to say something without actually saying it. They now assume you needed counsel but are too proud and materialistic to receive counsel.
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heathen
How about this ? or maybe he was tired of council from idiots . I guess they're just too stupid to realize that while trying to run everybodies lives is in fact ruining their lives .
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minimus
I've also heard that after my daughter marries the "worldly" (normal) man, we'll come back.
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ScoobySnax
Minimus.
Its funny I was talking with my mum about this earlier today. I had just come from my sisters house and she seems to have fully immersed herself in christmas, there she was busy wrapping presents and touching up her tree etc..... I wondered why xmas still makes me feel so uncomfortable. Mum took me and my sister to the meetings and brought us up "in the truth" whilst we were growing up, and yet I still hold onto the faith. I don't think I could go against what I learnt when I was growing up like my sister has, yet of course I love her as much as I ever did, maybe even more since we have grown up together.
Mum said to me that I am similar to her in that I take 1 step forwards and 2 steps back as far as the faith is concerned. I don't think any of us are "Proud" we've just gone different ways.
I also don't think these "men" in the Org that taught us what we once knew are judgemental at all, I just think they presented us with the Truth of the faith, taught us about Jehovah, and we either stuck with it, stayed in limbo, or left.
For once . Its an interesting question though Mini.
I'm still as consfused as from when I answered!
Scoob
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Blueblades
Was the question related to the material studied at the book study or was it just the book-study overseer asking this on his own,or was it asked at all the book-study groups as planned by the body or was it aimed at your mom to get back to you?
My reaction to this is that it is inappropriate because anyone who answers would have to have personal information about such a person and would not be at liberty to reveal it.The overseers response to the question shows a lack of wisdom and or knowledge of the person that they may be asking this about.It could also be a measure of frustration on the part of the body of elders,so they go fishing for information without letting the brothers know this.
Blueblades
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minimus
I think the conductor , I mean overseer, was fishing, hoping my mother would bite. So far, the most they get out of her are tears. This guy, I'm sure asked this question independently......Scooby, to be an elder, you HAVE to be judgmental. It goes with the territory. And if you knew this elder, you wouldn't even question it. Tell your mum that Minimus wishes her a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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seattleniceguy
I don't think that the elders are necessarily trying to be judgemental - that's just the end result. I think the real factors at play are as follows:
The Witnesses think that they have the absolute truth, and that it is also absolutely rational. You can test this by asking people whether they think it is conceivable that someone might be totally honest and knowledgeable and yet not agree with the WT Society. I've met a few pioneering souls that will admit that it is, but most people accept as unchallengable the idea that it is not possible to dispute with "the Truth."
Therefore, the only conceivable reasons a person would want to leave have to be irrational or immoral: they have too much pride, they want to make a lot of money, they want to have truckloads of sex, they got stumbled by Sister So-and-so's haircut, etc, etc.
It introduces major cognitive dissonance to believe that someone could leave the way of the only true God, and yet do so for conscientious reasons and still be a really great person. If Witnesses were to accept this premise and think about it, they would be headed for the door. Therefore, they have to find something wrong with the person who leaves - anything - in order for their world not to come crashing down around them. In the mind of a Witness, a person cannot be a grade-a, wonderful human and leave the Truth.
In short, I think that they believe those things because they are desperately trying to preserve their belief system. It's a defense mechanism. It angers me at times that they can be so small-minded, but think about the anguish of a mind so shuttered in. I hope more elders see the light some day.
There're my two cents.
SNG
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Blueblades
By your answer Minimus, this guy is frustrated and fishing,trying to make some sense out of what is bothering him about you.
Blueblades