Comparison of Mormonism and JWism (page 2)

rodnico

Alex-
It is funny but I have never thought about the similarities between the two organizations. I was raised in Utah. I lived in Ogden, and was a regular pioneer all over northern Utah. Because I was one of the few non-Mormon kids at school it had a strange affect of strengthening a faith.
When my family first moved to Utah to serve where the need was great (there were few witnesses in the area) my mother began to read anti-Mormon apostate literature. She researched the church she used to say "I don't know how someone could believe this", and then she just stopped. I remember someone asking her why she stopped and she never really gave a decent answer. Now looking at this post I wonder if she saw the similarities and it shook her faith????
This is interesting to me now I think I will do more research.
Thanks for the post Alex.
Nicole

mommy

Alex,
Welcome! I really enjoyed your post. I had a few young men coming to my house for awhile. It was after I left the Jw "We are the chosen ones, everyone else will die" stage. After the pentacostal "God loves everyone and it is easy to get saved" stage. Somewhere between the "if there is a god, he would want us united" stage. But way after the I can worship god on my own stage. Of course now, I am in the "I can't believe it's not butter stage"

Gee, so many religions so little time Amazing how similar we all really are

Great to have you and thanks for the long thought out post. I love people who give of themselves to help others. I call this the "humanity" stage. I don't think I ever left that in all of my different stages. This seems to work the best for me.
wendy

In a controversy the instant we feel anger, we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.

philo

Here's some of the church hierarchy, hopefully others with HQ experience can fill in the higher levels.

Congregation

Elders are overseers of different departments. The presiding overseer or PO chairs every committee and is in overall responsibility. Generally, he is not a boss man, because decisions are made by committees, but a politically astute PO can more easily rule the roost than other elders. Elders are made by being voted (I think unanimously) by the other elders in a secret session. All elders meetings are secret.

Ministerial Servants are just sub-elders doing less spiritual matters, small speeches, perhaps shepherding the flock. Usually one handles literature accounts, another money collections…

Publishers are men and women, and kids (if active on door-door and approved of). This is 'drone' level. They report their preaching hours on form every month. This is compiled by congregation and sent to the Branch, then Brooklyn (supranational HQ)

Circuit

City overseer is the travelling circuit overseer's mailman, he also helps co-ordinate assemblies for the circuit.
Circuit overseer (travelling). These men used to all be single, now they are virtually all married. They manage about 20 congs (that's maybe 800-2000+ people depending on area) . He gives pep talks, door-door demonstrations. Behind the scenes he handles the elders, rubber stamps their new appointments usually - not always. He will have contacts at the Bethel branch office (National HQ) and must report on all the congregations. Some COs are political lightweights, pussy cats, some are serious Rutherf…..rs

District

The district overseer manages a few circuits (does anyone know the average number??). From a publisher's eye view, this man is a public performer who only appears at assemblies and addresses thousands, only to disappear until next year. I believe his responsibilities have as much to do with Branch HQ departments as with his district. When a tricky apostate matters comes up, a CO and DO are often despatched 'for a chat'. In my locality, two such men arrived unannounced at a congregation meeting once, just got onto the platform and announced that the congregation was dissolved, not the meeting - the congregation! So these guys are major ball crackers.

Bethel Elder

(From here on it gets really hazy for me.)

This is not just a congregation elder who happens to work at Bethel. He is of a very much higher class. Help, Maximus! Or other Bethel insiders, can you fill in some detail.?

claudia

Alex, thanks a bunch for the info, and do you know anything about a secret handshake?

philo

claudia, you're being a bit mischeivous I think. Good one! Susan[here] would probably not entirely approve.

philo

claudia

Philo, I really thought there was a secret handshake as mentioned in a thread a few weeks earlier

RedhorseWoman

Alex, thank you for posting all of this information. I was slightly familiar with Mormonism because my nephew had joined the Mormons for a short time (about 2 years).

I was quite surprised, however, to realize exactly how close we all are as far as dealing with the control techniques, and coping with the fear after we've left.

Most ex-JWs go through the same process of worrying that they have somehow condemned, not only themselves, but also their minor children to death by leaving the JWs.

I can assure you that those feelings eventually subside. Gaining knowledge and discussing your feelings with others helps the process along.

Glad you could join us.

Erin

Alex--you said to ask, so I am asking.
What is the big secret about what goes on at a wedding in the Morman Temple? Something about re-enacting "original sin"?
What about babies which are conceived as a result of this? Are they considered especially holy babies because the father is a priest of high ranking?
Please forgive my ignorance, but there are lots of rumors circulating about Temple weddings!
Thanks in advance for your input!

alex

Nothing really weird happens in temple weddings at all. The groom and bride dress up in the white temple robes (over the bride's wedding dress if her dress is modest) and everyone else is in sunday dress clothes. They all go into a sealing room which is usually a luxuriously furnished room where 30-80 people can sit and it has an altar (just a big huge piece of furniture about 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide shaped like an upside down "U" with cushions on each side to kneel. A temple worker called the SEALER performs the ceremony but usually first gives about 15-20 minutes of advice about marriage. The couple then holds hands over the altar during the 1-2 minute ceremony as the sealer bestows blessings on them that their marriage will last forever in the eyes of God if they are faithful and the Sealer also pronounces them as married according to the laws where the temple is physically located. After the ceremony is finished the newlywed couple is usually invited to do their rings exchange and then to stand near the exit door so they can greet their guests as they exit the room to go through the halls of the temple and out of the building to join the photographer and the rest of family and relatives who weren't worthy to enter the temple. Meanwhile once the sealing room is empty the newlyweds then go to the changing rooms to get out of their temple robes and get all spruced up to exit the temple doors as husband/wife and get all the family pictures at the temple done.

I think its the temple robes and the 60 second ceremony wordings/grip that are considered sacred and not to be discussed. Personally I think that the reason why temple grips are considered secret by members is not because of any divine reason but because of the fear of oaths the members take to not reveal them and thus the fact that these grips are plagiarism of Masonic grips is not discussed.

alex

I still am fearful to discuss specifics of Mormon temples personally.

But I'd recommend that you lookup online to find out what the Masonic grips are for 3 levels - Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason. Ask your LDS friends to goto http://www.telepath.com/believer/page-l.htm and learn about the Masons.

Comparison of Mormonism and JWism

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