sir82, How do you think they will turn the screws tighter? Will they go to regional communal living? Build compounds like other groups have done?
Will what's coming have to do with printing books?
In the past didn't they separate themselves from the world by printing books and distributing those books from door post to door post? Then they wrote flaming political articles. ?????
WALKING IN THE PATH OF INCREASING LIGHT - WT STUDY
by Mary 135 Replies latest jw friends
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garybuss
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Mary
Mary, what do you think about this excerpt from the January 15 Watchtower? If the Corinthians refused to forgive and reinstate that man, the Devil would overreach them in another way. How so? They would be harsh and merciless, like Satan himself. If the repentant man became "swallowed up by his being overly sad" and gave up entirely, especially would the elders bear some responsibility for this before the merciful God, Jehovah. (2 Corinthians 2:7; James 2:13; 3:1) Of course, no true Christian would want to imitate Satan by being cruel, harsh, and merciless.
The only thing I can see them changing, is perhaps the length of time someone is disfellowshipped for----provided that they are "repentent" and go to all the meetings. Let's say someone commits fornication repeatedly and they're DF'd. Instead of being out for a year (which I think is the norm right now), maybe they'll only be out for 2 or 3 months, providing they toe the line. Maybe the GB is feeling particularly generous and will once again allow the congregation to clap their hands when someone's reinstated instead of still treating them like garbage. They've got to be careful on this though because they're still going to want to limit the R&F's contact with DF'd ones. Personally, I don't think they care very much about those who are DF'd for fornication or adultery any more. They've got bigger fish to fry but they can't be seen as differentiating between those who are DF'd for fornication and those who are DF'd for apostacy..........I would be quite shocked if they changed the rules for DF ones.
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Will Power
Maybe they are preparing the R&F for questions regarding QUOTES website, the lawsuit the WT attacked Peter with and the obvious embarassment.
They are supplying them with ready made sentences to combat the reality of their own history that is out there for all to see. (except them)
They will need to print a new book "Reasoning from Our False Prophecies"
a Vindication of the Watchtower's Name
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Finally-Free
Maybe the "increasing light" will be a new interpretation for the meaning of "666". They will say that 666 is the Internet in an effort to get JWs offline.
W
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sir82
sir82, How do you think they will turn the screws tighter? Will they go to regional communal living? Build compounds like other groups have done?
I really don't see anything drastic. Regional communal living might be an option if there were 6000 JWs in total, all living near eeach other, but with 6 miilion plus active scattered across 200+ countries, and then another 9 million or so "hangers-on", it wouldn't be possible to control so many.
This is all speculation at this point, of course. One idea that popped into my head last night: some sort of program like "you must be an active publisher to be 'true Christian' ". To be followed by a program of specialized shepherding on all inactive ones. After a "reasonable period of time", any who don't cooperate with the elders are announced as "no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses" (fitting in with the mysterious wording change in the new Organization book).
Just an idea, who knows what it really may be.
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Mary
some sort of program like "you must be an active publisher to be 'true Christian' ". To be followed by a program of specialized shepherding on all inactive ones. After a "reasonable period of time", any who don't cooperate with the elders are announced as "no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses" (fitting in with the mysterious wording change in the new Organization book).
If they tried anything like this, I think you really see things go down the spiritual toilet fast. There's only so much people can/will do before you push them to the breaking point. Witnesses might be able to see the "logic" in not talking to someone who's DF'd because of apostasy. It's quite something else to be ordered to totally ignore someone who's simply "inactive".
Like an abusive husband who thinks there's no limit to his power, the Governing Body should take caution that they don't push the R&F too far. In 1977, Francine Hughes, an abused wife for years, finally snapped and burned her husband to death while he lay in a drunken stupor. He never knew what hit him and certainly never though his "meek little wife" was capable of anything like that. The Governing Body seem to think along the same lines: we can do anything to the R&F and they'll obey us! I say one day, they're going to impose just one too many stupid, manmade rules and people are going to snap and rebel. Come to think of it, that might not be such a bad idea.
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garybuss
Mary, You wrote: "I say one day, they're going to impose just one too many stupid, manmade rules and people are going to snap and rebel."I've wondered about this too. I don't think I'd want to be an elder sitting in a windowless room with my back to the wall, waiting to put somebody on kangaroo court trial, and a pissed off mentally ill Witness or relative of a Witness, walks in with a gun. Being an elder might be coming with a mortality rate. They antagonize people way past a normal point to invoke a violent response. It begs the question, would you kill the elders who broke up your family if it was legal?
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Terry
The Governing Body is about power. There is never enough that more can't be sought.
To demonstrate power you must have enforcement of restrictions on something. The every-growing list of do's/don'ts provides the basis of said power.
What JW's need to challenge is the obviously false analogy with 1st Century Christianity. It is illusory.
T.
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RodentBoy
I think there are some pretty big practical limits to doing something like banning the Internet. It is simply too prevalent as a means of communication in the industrialized world (and is spreading even into the Third World). I don't think the WTS is really any longer in a position where it can ban new things. It can circle the wagons and it can modify and relax present policies, but if the WTS really tried something like an Internet ban, the problem holding on to younger members would probably turn into an unstoppable hemorrhage.
I expect that it will be either a modification to blood policy or some alteration to reinstatements.