Are Jehovah's Witnesses....

Honesty

victims of an evil group of men masquerading as the voice of God?

garybuss

They actually have some pretty nasty females too.

Otherwise . . .yup!

Flash

an evil group of men...?

I prefer "Evil Slave."

I believe so. I have nothing against rank and file JWs but, I have a pretty strong disdain for those in the leadership role who are misleading millions with their twisted doctrine. I believe they share some of the responsibility for the deaths due to the blood issue. I would love to see the entire GB rotting in jail for the lives they have destroyed.

mrsjones5

yup!

greendawn

They certainly are no question about that because they were caught many times in the process of lying and manipulating the R&F. They certainly do not protect or promote the spiritual interests of those that have put their trust in them despite their claims to the contrary. And they have committed just as many sins of ommission as sins of commission.

They learnt the bible by heart not because they love the truth but in order to distort it and misuse it in promoting their own selfish interests.

Confession

Are Jehovah's Witnesses...victims of an evil group of men masquerading as the voice of God?

This has become a difficult question for me of late. While I now clearly recognize that the WTS is not what it purports to be, I cannot answer for certain who of them are evil and who aren't. Does the organization pretend to be the "voice of God?" Yes, and any person or group that claims such a thing should be subjected to the highest scrutiny by those considering them. My problem... Some here will suggest that elders were the problem. They will relate all sorts of true experiences about elders who wronged them or their families. Listening to some, it would appear that most every elder was stupid, arrogant and uncaring. I think some may imagine that elders didn't really believe the things they were doing were right--but did them anyway because they liked the power trip. I have no doubt that this is something that can apply to a good number of elders in that organization. But I also know that some of us--yes, I'd even say most of us--truly thought we were being used by God's earthly organization and just tried to do what we thought He wanted of us. I remember praying as a judicial committee about whether or not to disfellowship a young sister who just couldn't stop smoking. Now I recognize that such a thing is ridiculous. But then? Before deciding not to disfellowship, we just kept praying, kept discussing it, with all our might trying to divine what Jehovah wanted us to do. I really believed in this stuff. I wasn't goofing around here. You can talk about how stupid this was, but--damn it--I thought I was doing the right thing. You can say I was ignorant, but I don't think you can say I was evil. So what about the Governing Body? I never did meet any of them, but although I am horrified by so much of what I've come to find out about this organization, I am forced to consider the possibility that at least some of them might be as sincere as many elders and I were. They have entered this circus already in progress. The assumption is that this organization is the one--the only one--that God Almighty is using. For many persons, being able to admit it's not what you thought takes something extraordinary. Reading some of Scholar's posts really brings home to me that--for whatever reason--some people just can't see the truth. It took me years to finally understand how the organization's policies on pedophilia were wrong--and so often allowed abuse to continue. It took me quite awhile to realize the seriousness and implications of their involvement as a UN NGO. I'd heard accusations about false prophecies for years, why didn't it have an impact? Because my mind was captive. It's true that, if you were a publisher when a JW, you were not involved in creating policies or serving on judicial committees. But what if you were so involved while you still believed? Can you be certain that you wouldn't have done many of the same things--before finally waking up? The truth is, I am not presently sure that God exists. But I have latched onto something I've found comforting. Righteousness. Doing and saying what I believe is right. And while, after awakening from the Watchtower coma, I would like to be able to pin the "evil" sign on each and every one of those old guys in Brooklyn, the truth is I believe it's possible that some of them really believe what they're doing is right. Don't get me wrong. I don't think this "excuses" those in such a category. I would like to see all those inside come to find out the truth--and escape the Watchtower. I would like to see lawsuits that either bring the organization down or cause them to effectively reverse their destructive policies. Just as I can understand why you did and said certain things while a JW, I have to admit there may be persons on the Governing Body who are less "evil" and more "woefully misguided." I just don't know for sure.

Rooster

This ‘beating their fellow slaves’ in a verbal way would be because they wanted to dominate or exercise power over others. They desired a high position so that they would be looked up to. But they could not achieve their ambition. Christ would not let any such disloyal ones have domination over or break up his congregation and stop the work it is doing. Instead, on inspection, Christ would "cut asunder" such ones, cutting such individuals off from the "faithful and discreet slave" class

willyloman

Many of the elders I knew were not evil, merely ignorant. Some were dumb as a rock. What motivated them, in my opinion, was they were protecting their turf. Only in an organization like this could someone with no intelligenge, no skills, no training or education, get "promoted" to to middle management. This management job, however, comes with a "Made by God" certificate. The appointment is said to be by holy spirit, of which the average dub is in awe.

A poster once said, beautifully, that only in the JWs would you find a janitor with five suits in his closet. The dubs have created a class of men who go to work every day where they are completely overlooked because they lack the qualifications to lead, but then go to the KH three or four days a week in a suit and are revered as leaders.

This is a mighty tonic for some guys. I see lots of posts on this forum that indicate the price these guys pay for the position is to look the other way and ignore injustice. That's true of some of them. But many of them aren't looking in any direction, nor are they aware of injustice. They have bought the party line completely and once chosen to lead will not rock the boat. This includes not reading or studying any material that would cause them to have to think, even WT-approved materials. You'd be shocked to learn how little of the society's literature the average elder has bothered to read. They fit the "fat, dumb and happy" description perfectly.

I have met a few elders who were, in my view, evil. But most of them were just ignorant. Some were neither and either left or found a comfortable position in which to coast.

It's hard to look back and explain why we stayed and swallowed what we now perceive to be crap. It's easy to assume those who don't wise up and leave must be evil. The truth is many of these guys are receiving an important psychological wage for their work. It will be impossible - no, unthinkable! - for most of them to give this up.

yaddayadda

I really think the GB sincerely believe they are the only individuals that God is using to impart spiritual truths. They are victims of their own myths. Since the GB started, the whole decision making process and culture at the WTS is so cumbersome and loaded with trouble for the individual who would like to see certain changes that it has become it's own worst enemy. Undoubtedly there are some on the GB who have strong doubts about some things and would like to push through some changes. Franz's books show that to be the case in his time. There will always be more liberal and more conservative individuals in any group. But it seems there will always be some domineering individuals, like Ted Jaracz for example, who will crush any dissenting voices, Ray Franz style. The conservatives will always win out because the men appointed to the positions of power will nearly always be ultra loyal organisational yes-men. It's a self-reinforcing system designed to ensure it's own survival.