Is it possible for the WT society to ever convince us of true reform?

by james_woods 29 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Nate Merit

  Don't hold your breath!
  
  Welcome to the Board.
  
  Nate
• 

  james_woods

  I dragged this up from five years ago as a companion to the thread today "could you ever go back?"

  Isn't it still the concensus that they have gone so far that reform is impossible (without self-imploding like the Worldwide Church of God)?

  So, could you ever go back?

  I say, not without their total reform (even for those of us who still want or need to have a religion) - and their total reform is impossible from where they are at today.
• 

  techdotcom

  It seems likey that a huge change in doctrine and becoming more transparent about their past would do little more than break it apart and create splinter groups based on parts or all of the old teachings. My guess is that due to fear of this happening that even an honest hearted one among them would not back such a plan. Anything is possible, but it seems unlikely.
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  agonus

  So far as I can tell, out of the vast corpus of discarded WT doctrine, only two things have ever held up since CTR:

  1) No Trinity, and

  2) No Hell.

  Everything else, so far as I can tell, has been scrapped completely or significantly altered. If these are the only two "truths" that are still "current" truths (i.e. haven't been replaced by "new light"), and they acknowledged that everything else is pretty much a shot in the dark, then you might have something...

  But that "something" has been around from the beginning. It's called Unitarianism!
• 

  Soldier77

  Is it possible for true reform?

  No. Because to do so would mean unravelling all of the lies that have been handed down to the R&F. If they want true reform, they need to send out an accounts report on where all of the money is invested, how much is spent on what, whom and how it breaks down across all corporate entities controlled by the WTS.

  For true reform, they need to explain how they arrive at doctrine, what publications were used in research and by whom. They also need to say that they were wrong on all prophetic dates and explain how those dates were selected.

  If they want any credibility to continue on as a religion, these are just some of the many things they need to be transparent about.
• 

  sir82

  Implementation of such a plan would spell the end of pretty much any Christian religion, JW, non-JW, you name it.
• 

  james_woods

  So far as I can tell, out of the vast corpus of discarded WT doctrine, only two things have ever held up since CTR:

  1) No Trinity, and

  2) No Hell.

  Also, to be technical you could say No immortal soul and of course all the ramifications of 1914.

  But indeed, much of it is now based on things manufactured post-Russell.

  To change it to any degree, they would have to admit being wrong on so many things that they would put themselves out of the religion business.
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  agonus

  What the WT teaches today regarding the soul and 1914 have been altered to the point that they resemble nothing Russell originally taught and have therefore lost all meaning and significance.
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  Soldier77

  I agree agonus. The cult as it stand today is nothing like it was at the beginning or 45 years ago.
• 

  Vidiot

  At this point, if they implemented any of the significant reforms suggested in this thread, they would arguably no longer BE Jehovah's Witnesses.

  As Ray said, they've long since made their bed, and have chosen to sleep in it - with all the consequences inherent.