Speculating on New Rules in 2008 and Beyond

by WTWizard 13 Replies latest watchtower bible

WTWizard

I have read on this site about some of the weird new changes ahead for the Watchtower Society. The thread www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/115757/1.ashx had a resolution that effectively banned entertainment, and I doubt that any of the Witnesses that were present at last summer's assembly where this was presented even realized it.
Then I read that they were going to split the Watchtower magazine, giving us a public (showcase) edition and a study (Kool-Aid) edition. The study articles would not be open for public scrutiny, which means they are going to beat up on the Witnesses without anyone on the outside realizing it (I sure hope Blondie continues to get her supply of study articles so she can put up those comments you will not hear at the study).
Here are some of my predictions of what might come out of this. Of course, there is no guarantee that all, or even any, will actually come to pass. But, with the secrecy, they are all much more possible now. And it could be even worse than this.
(1) All entertainment banned, totally. They will realize what they passed last summer when this comes out. They could rank entertainment up there with celebrating Christmas is now. And they could start disfellowshipping people for planning any recreation once this comes out. In the resolution, they imply that entertainment is up there with chat rooms, porn, drunkenness, and materialism.
(2) Stronger pushes for more money. This has a high probability of coming through. They might require all people to leave all their money with the Watchtower Society in their wills. They might also start hacking into bank accounts of those who have ever given them checks, and withdrawing what they feel they should be getting. For sure, there is going to be a lot more about those donations in the future.
(3) Banning such everyday things as sleep, work, school, medical care, and insurance. All these take time and/or money that the Watchtower Society would like to receive.
(4) Quotas put on the likes of return visits, studies started, and new publishers. Currently, they require quotas of hours spent in the ministry and don't give a rat's @$# about what they place; they also only require this of pioneers. In the future, they might require everyone, not just the pioneers, to place 60 sets of magazines per month (or more), start 5 studies, and get one new unbaptized publisher. I wonder what they are going to do if all the studies go to www.sixscreensofthewatchtower.com and read that site.
(5) Banning the likes of computers, video games, TV, radio, listening to anything but Kingdumb s***, and any other technology that could be fun. The exception would be a required usage of a cell phone, and that only to make sure that people are going to actually be home when the publisher arrives at the door.
(6) Starting more meetings. Already they have meetings for field service at 5:30 AM (see the KM of February 2004: they "suggested" street work to begin at 5:30 AM), 9:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM (so that children, who should be focused on school work or having fun after school, can come out and waste the whole afternoon in service), and at 6:00 PM on non-meeting nights. They might also add midnight witnessing (street work) in places with casinos and stores that are open 24 hours, and letter writing that goes on all night. Anyone in the stamp market?
(7) Passing dress codes to be followed 24/7. You have to be dressed up for service to go to secular work, even to wash toilets. Already, they are "suggesting" (=requiring) people to stay dressed up during the summer assemblies and not change in more comfortable clothes. That's going to be really smart having children in those sweatboxes in places like south Florida where it gets very muggy.
(8) New hounding precedures for inactive people. They could detail a system to recapture those who are fading, perhaps by picking them up and carrying them to the Kingdumb Hells. They would wait until the would-be fader is en route to work, at work, or shopping and then swoop in and drag them into the Kingdumb Hells and into a closed loop that includes nothing but meetings and service time. It would be illegal, but hey! Harboring pedophiles is also illegal, but www.silentlambs.org details how they do that, too. So why not?!
I hope the new changes are simply not palatable for people. Hopefully they will read the Kool-Aid and refuse to go along with something in it. Hopefully if enough people refuse to go along, they will simply leave and start blowing the whistle Bad for the Tower; good for JWD and similar forums.
undercover

My thoughts on your speculations:
(1) All entertainment banned, totally.
Highly unlikely. They will always demonize a lot of "worldly" entertainment, but they'll never totally outright ban any and all entertainment.
(2) Stronger pushes for more money.
I can see that. Over the last few years they've already started making more mention of money even up to the point of making sure that all the dubs know about how to leave money to the WTS once they die.
(3) Banning such everyday things as sleep, work, school, medical care, and insurance.
They already discourage higher education but by law, children have to have a basic education. The WTS has no issue with the basics. They need to have young JWs to know how to read and write so they can give talks, read the WT and preach door-to-door. The WTS doesn't like college educations because it does more than teach the three Rs, it teaches people to think, reason and question the status quo. The WTS does not want that.
The WTS already has a mess with the blood doctrine. They wouldn't want to get into another jam by trying to deny medical care. If possible, I bet they'd love to drop the blood doctrine altogether but they know that there would be lawsuits aplenty if that happened. They'll leave the rest of the medical/insurance stuff alone from now on.
(4) Quotas put on the likes of return visits, studies started, and new publishers.
There could be more emphasis put on the preaching work. Keep them too busy to think about anything else. They already keep up with the hours spent and JWs are judged based on how many hours they spend. Quotas on RVS and studies could be done, but if they make it too hard to meet these quotas, it could backfire on them. People may get discouraged and give up if they can't keep up. I think they'll put heavier emphasis on it, but keep the requirements as vague as they do now so no one really pays any attention to the fact that the preaching work doesn't really work.
(5) Banning the likes of computers, video games, TV, radio, listening to anything but Kingdumb s***, and any other technology that could be fun.
I don't think you can ban computers, too much of society relys on them in everyday things. They already demonize the Internet but it's not working. More and more JWs are becoming adept at using the Internet. The WTS could really get heavy handed on counseling about the usage of the Internet to try to scare as many as possible from spending time on it. Video games and television are pretty much hated by the WTS already. They've done all but ban them. I think its impossible to ban those kinds of things but they can continue to preach about the dangers and evils of these items trying to keep the sheep from being influenced by them anymore than they already are.
(6) Starting more meetings.
Could be. But as I remember being an active JW, I got so tired of meeting after meeting after meeting. If they pushed it too far, it could cause a revolt.
(7) Passing dress codes to be followed 24/7.
They made it clear that they don't want their followers dressed in casual clothes at all during the conventions this summer. The wording in the Kingdom Ministry was the strongest that I remember seeing about how to dress. It could very well be that they are going to start implementing a stricter dress code.
(8) New hounding precedures for inactive people.
Sometimes I see evidence of a witch hunt and then other times I see next to nothing being done about it. If they were to hound the inactive to be a part of the congregation, that could backfire as well. Those of us who have faded because of realizing that we were duped would be a thorn in their side if they put pressure on us to come back. We could undermine the elder's authority, the Society's position as God's channel and get people to start to question things more. I think when people go inactive and there's any hint that the inactive one has issues with the WTS, they'd rather just let them go than be around to stir up the pot.
WTWizard

Well, for one I promise to be the biggest thorn in their side if they ever do try to recapture me. The last thing they want is for me to put their Kingdumb Hell computer on www.sixscreensofthewatchtower.com and leave it there for the next brother to see. And I will keep mentioning that Web site, which is the most up-to-date, in-context, backed-up apostate Web site I know of, with every placement. And they will lose calls if I mention it when the person is trying to set up a study time or write the Web site on a card or their magazine/tract.
5go

1) All entertainment banned, totally. They will realize what they passed last summer when this comes out. They could rank entertainment up there with celebrating Christmas is now. And they could start disfellowshipping people for planning any recreation once this comes out. In the resolution, they imply that entertainment is up there with chat rooms, porn, drunkenness, and materialism.
Already is so, no one cares.
2) Stronger pushes for more money. This has a high probability of coming through. They might require all people to leave all their money with the Watchtower Society in their wills. They might also start hacking into bank accounts of those who have ever given them checks, and withdrawing what they feel they should be getting. For sure, there is going to be a lot more about those donations in the future.
Haven't they been doing that.
(3) Banning such everyday things as sleep, work, school, medical care, and insurance. All these take time and/or money that the Watchtower Society would like to receive.
Same as 1.
(4) Quotas put on the likes of return visits, studies started, and new publishers. Currently, they require quotas of hours spent in the ministry and don't give a rat's @$# about what they place; they also only require this of pioneers. In the future, they might require everyone, not just the pioneers, to place 60 sets of magazines per month (or more), start 5 studies, and get one new unbaptized publisher. I wonder what they are going to do if all the studies go to www.sixscreensofthewatchtower.com and read that site.
Yes, but only quotas on special broshures (sic)
(5) Banning the likes of computers, video games, TV, radio, listening to anything but Kingdumb s***, and any other technology that could be fun. The exception would be a required usage of a cell phone, and that only to make sure that people are going to actually be home when the publisher arrives at the door.
Same as 1.
(6) Starting more meetings. Already they have meetings for field service at 5:30 AM (see the KM of February 2004: they "suggested" street work to begin at 5:30 AM), 9:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM (so that children, who should be focused on school work or having fun after school, can come out and waste the whole afternoon in service), and at 6:00 PM on non-meeting nights. They might also add midnight witnessing (street work) in places with casinos and stores that are open 24 hours, and letter writing that goes on all night. Anyone in the stamp market?
No, I see less coming.
(7) Passing dress codes to be followed 24/7. You have to be dressed up for service to go to secular work, even to wash toilets. Already, they are "suggesting" (=requiring) people to stay dressed up during the summer assemblies and not change in more comfortable clothes. That's going to be really smart having children in those sweatboxes in places like south Florida where it gets very muggy.
Same as 1.
(8) New hounding precedures for inactive people. They could detail a system to recapture those who are fading, perhaps by picking them up and carrying them to the Kingdumb Hells. They would wait until the would-be fader is en route to work, at work, or shopping and then swoop in and drag them into the Kingdumb Hells and into a closed loop that includes nothing but meetings and service time. It would be illegal, but hey! Harboring pedophiles is also illegal, but www.silentlambs.org details how they do that, too. So why not?!
Same as 1.
minimus

WT.Wizard, you sound like KoolAidMan. I think the list is mostly ridiculous.
WTWizard

And so is the Watchtower Society itself. They make so many stupid things that they ought to just go in some combine and take the Kool Aid. That way, the results will come that much quicker: instead of slowly tearing apart people's lives, they will end them in minutes. Same results.
Pricilla

I agree with WTWizard.
jwfacts

Banning such everyday things as sleep
I hope they wake up to that one:)
Has the resolution from the last convention been printed in the Watchtower yet?
moggy lover

Nah, I don't think they'll ban entertainment altogether.
I mean, what can be more relaxing after spending 18 hours in field service than watching a video or DVD of Teddy Jaracz giving his latest 3 hr talk on how to be more loyal to the GB.....or listening to the Bethel choir of amateur singers singing mostly out of tune and in the key of flat, all the kingdom songs.
Cheers
OnTheWayOut

I tend to fully agree with 5go. Here's my take:
(1) All entertainment banned, totally....
And they could start disfellowshipping people for planning any recreation once this comes out. In the resolution,
they imply that entertainment is up there with chat rooms, porn, drunkenness, and materialism.
They do demonize most entertainment already, but most JW's have enough balance to get some.
I could see removing "privileges" for taking vacations and going to the movies, but I can't see it go further.
(2) Stronger pushes for more money.
Yes, but what will work? They keep trying. I expect District Conventions to lump in more "expenses" so
they can read off a really big deficit at each one before it's over. They already tell the rank-and-file to give
cash to the worldwide work everytime there is disaster
(3) Banning such everyday things as sleep, work, school, medical care, and insurance.
I can see them pushing Doomsday around the corner, so skip health and life insurance. Otherwise, no.
(4) Quotas put on the likes of return visits, studies started, and new publishers.
Maybe quotas on RV and flyers placed. They can't really expect studies and new publishers.
That's the old "blood-out-of-a-turnip" scene. Not more literature placed, but more flyers. Books and
mags cost money. I could see a push to gain students. More quotas will equal more lies about
personal service. IF I GOTTA MAKE 10 RV's, I WILL REPORT 10, even if I did 3.
(5) Banning the likes of computers, video games, TV, radio, listening to anything but Kingdumb s***
Same as No. 1.
(6) Starting more meetings.
I expect meetings to stay the same, or if too many JW's go inactive, they might drop a weekday evening meeting and
incorporate it into a big weekend meeting. This will require more hours, but there will be less congregations, so most
Kingdom Halls will have no problems.
(7) Passing dress codes to be followed 24/7.
It's possible that they will try to make them keep the uniform on longer and longer. Maybe they will blast name brands
because they take too much money that doesn't get to them. Window washers and kids going to school should wear
plain cheaper clothes. They might assert more control in this area, but it won't be that effective. JW's will act non-JW
when they wear their bad clothes- more double life JW's.
(8) New hounding precedures for inactive people.
Yes, Mother could decide to make being inactive about as bad as Disassociating yourself. I could see that. They will say
it's for "their own good." Backlash would be more active dubs seeing the extreme measures of the organization. I don't think
this would change the already inactive ones, but it might affect those contemplating a fade. I
Hopefully if enough people refuse to go along, they will simply leave and start blowing the whistle Bad for the Tower; good for JWD and similar forums.
I agree with that.

Speculating on New Rules in 2008 and Beyond

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