Misinformation in CoC (page 3)

garybuss

"they probably saw the printing and placing of all those books as unnecessary"I can see where that outlook might have had adverse career affects on a person employed by a book print company. It'd be a bit like Lee Iacocca saying people don't need to buy cars while he works for Chrysler Corporation. That certainly would not be the message to deliver to your downline book distributors. It'd be secular suicide.
My personal ethics tell me that I owe loyalty to the company that employees me. I never do anything to their detriment. I certainly wouldn't tell my employer's customers that they do not need the products produced by my employer while I am employed by them.
Maybe the subjects were not employed by the Watch Tower Publishing Corporation but I was under the understanding that they were. If they were employed while advocating against the use of the company's products, I can see why they were fired. That's just good business.

Cygnus

Gary, I continue to like the way you think. Breaking free from Watchowerism can certainly be unpleasant at the time, but the sooner one realizes he was just part of the machine and entirely replaceable, one can find relief.

in a new york bethel minute

THAT'S IT! I'M GOING BACK TO THE TRUTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bethel

p.s. kidding! but it's nice to know the story behind the story

Forscher

Thanks for posting the story IC. Since I am almost fluent in Spanish as well I had no trouble reading the letter. I've saved it for future reference.

Have you ever tought about the possibility that Franz didn't have full access to the story himself because of the way the Governing Body sprung the whole fait accompli on him before he could get all the facts? They certainly had to time it that way so that he couldn't have all the facts he needed to defend himself against the charges they levied against him. Then they DF'd him just as quick as they could frame something against him. That would've also made it difficult for Franz to get all the info about what happened.

It is just a thought.

Forscher

FairMind

ICBehindtheCurtain,

Thanks! Just goes to show that there is almost always more to a story then we are told. Also, as wrong as the WTS often is, they are not always wrong.

Narkissos

I can see where that outlook might have had adverse career affects on a person employed by a book print company. It'd be a bit like Lee Iacocca saying people don't need to buy cars while he works for Chrysler Corporation. That certainly would not be the message to deliver to your downline book distributors. It'd be secular suicide.

My personal ethics tell me that I owe loyalty to the company that employees me. I never do anything to their detriment. I certainly wouldn't tell my employer's customers that they do not need the products produced by my employer while I am employed by them.

Maybe the subjects were not employed by the Watch Tower Publishing Corporation but I was under the understanding that they were. If they were employed while advocating against the use of the company's products, I can see why they were fired. That's just good business.

Actually the d'f policy shows that this is just another business with its own business rules; or, another religion with its own religious rules -- as was plain in the 1986 WT which was published shortly before I was d'fd, and justified, in short, the disfellowshipping of Christians by the fact that being a JW implied more than being a Christian, i.e. specific beliefs, just as being a Catholic or an Anglican (supposedly) implies specific beliefs beyond the mere fact of being a Christian.

But this is not what we were told, and this is not why we joined in the first place. We came to the "Bible truth," to a "God" who was to be "obeyed rather than men". And for this very reason I think that when a JW realises s/he was fooled s/he has every moral right to subversive action -- even if this only results in showing both the reality and the propaganda for what they respectively are. And, mind you, when we are in this situation we all know that.

In my last few months as a JW, I was still a special pioneer (hence an "employee"). Still I had gradually come to using the Bible only. I didn't criticise the WT teachings, but when by their own reading people were reaching different conclusions than the official WT stance I would certainly not "correct" them. At some point a fellow SP who was quite in agreement with my approach had some scruples and told me: "That's nice, but I guess it is not what the Society expects from us and (symbolically) pays us for." My first reaction was asking her: "What do you think people who donate to the Society donate for? A human corporation or God's work, whatever that may be? I think we're doing much more of that than placing magazines." Then I thought it over and concluded that I didn't want even this to be a possible charge against me or a "stumbling block" to anyone. So from this moment on I checked the case "no allowance" on the monthly report (I knew this wouldn't last anyway!). But I had no moral doubt on my basic attitude. Down to the very last minute I really wanted to hope, against all evidence, that things might change. And if they had -- that is, if I had been able to live by my faith as a JW I would certainly not have left at this stage.

Of course this may sound very silly retrospectively, but every bit of our past looks silly when we lose sight of what our motivations were when it was not past yet.

garybuss

In the restaurant business, we were told to sell the sizzle, not the steak. The Witness ideal was nice to think about and nice to look at, but the Watch Tower Society looks and behaves too much like a secular business not to be a business. It has every element of a business in place. It has a product, copyright protection, factories, employees, rules, rule enforcement, distribution, sales staff, and upper level management complete with perks and benefits. They're even listed on who's who in New York business directory.
Even Rutherford's death certificate says he was an Editor and a Publisher, not a preacher. They have not been trying to hide the fact they are a business from the world or from their followers. They do deny it, but they don't hide it . . . . a fact I still find fascinating.

Kaput

Also, as wrong as the WTS often is, they are not always wrong.

No...just most of the time.

peacefulpete

Narkissos, a man I can respect. there aren't many.

cyberjesus

Does anybody know what happened to the Vazquezes?

Misinformation in CoC

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