by Wasanelder Once 22 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
I believe that the Society's crackdown on independant thought will escalate within the congregations. I also predict a shortage of elders in the near future, and consolidation of Kingdom Halls in the industrialized countries to increase. The pedophile problem will eventually get headlines, and it will hurt them at the congregational level.
JK
I'm still waiting for a couple of these items to come true (written before Awake cutback announcement):
To get a grasp on where the organization is heading, you first must put on your corporate thinking cap. Afterall, the WTBTS is simply a book and magazine publishing corporation.It's nice that the search feature is working again. Ultimately, once they streamline again and really focus on reducing areas of cost due to their printing operations, the only other area where they can make money is by selling off kh's. Consolidating congregations and/or forcing the pubs to meet in private homes is on the horizon. I found this post back from Jan '02 regarding ownership of kh's being changed to the WTS:If I were the CEO, I would first look at the numbers provided from years past and how it compares to the most recent data released. In industrialized nations, there appears to be negative or no growth, ACROSS THE BOARD. In 3rd world countries and also others known for not having easy informative access such as the internet, positive growth is a little more apparent. Less people coming in and more going out generally means declining revenues. Since the industrialized nations most likely carry other poorer countries in terms of revenue producing income, and without seeing individual country dollar figures, this area could be considered a wash.
So where does the money come in from? The largest portion comes in the form of direct donations from the publishers. The next major portion would probably be from donations to cover the costs of the literature. Wills, trusts, stocks, bonds, and real estate are nearer at the end I'm guessing. If my company's profits are beginning to trend downward, I need to attack that area, or areas, of declining revenue. What is causing it? I think we can all agree that "an informed witness is an ex-witness." The internet is wreaking havoc on the WTBTS. Too much sensitive and damaging information is getting into the hands of the R&F witness in the privacy of their own home. As the CEO, I know that I cannot put an outright ban on witnesses going on the web. The web is ubiquitous these days and is used extensively for business purposes. Many witnesses would rebel against a ban as more and more of them are getting computers and finding them very useful in everyday activities. If I cannot stop witnesses from getting on the web, reading about my corporation's twisted past and then leaving because I misrepresented my company, then I need to find other areas to trim back to stop or slow the lost revenue.
Where would I look to slow this revenue drop? The actual printing itself is one major area. If it takes 1,000 hours to produce one convert(increase that time for children of witness parents being baptized), then how many magazines are handed out without asking for a donation for every convert? Our company has already pounded and pounded the idea of the donation arrangement into every service meeting - at least the publishers are supposed to ask for a donation in their demonstrations. Should we cut back on the magazine distribution timeframe? How about combine the WT and Awake into one magazine? Instead of twice a month, how about just once? This alone would cut expenditures on printed materials by almost 50-75%. And the books? Well, we already did away with hardcover and we also cut the physical size of most books to roughly 50% of the older larger ones. Can we take advantage of electronic distribution? Would some witnesses prefer to print out Adobe PDF files of the magazines? Instead of offering the WT and Awakes at the doors, why not switch to using just tracts? Save the magazines for studies and witnesses themselves. Tracts would cost less to produce and effectively carry the same message as the magazines.
These are just a few ways to cut back on expenditures. Of course, we would need to mask these changes as being for the better good and to also show a progressive proactive stance so that the witnesses do not become disheartened as to the lack of spiritual food that they were once accustomed to getting. We can use words like: compressed, simple, cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and others that show we are trying to fit as much spiritual food as we can into one magazine without wasting the paper it is written on. If we see that donations continue to trend downwards, disfellowshippings must occur. We must always keep the fear of our God-given authority firmly entrenched into their minds. If they feel that they do not want to help towards to worldwide work, then they can leave. A non-donating witness is the same as a worldly person in our eyes. Dead money.
Ok, so the last part may not happen, but the rest very well could.
OR...once the WTS gets hit with an unending stream of lawsuits, they now have the legal assets to sell-off in order to cover expenditures. The given 'reason' will be to "combine congregations" or some other excuse.
As has been mentioned time and time again by myself and other posters - once you view the WTS as a BUSINESS, a book publishing business, only then will you be able to plainly see where they are headed. Forget new light. The tried and true jw will stick with them forever regardless of what new understanding comes out. But you have to remember, if the money isn't there to support massive printing facilities and other necessary capital expenditures, they will eventually die. Their paper isn't free. Water, electricity and gas are not free. Food is not free. The one and only single item that allows them to do what they do today is their tax-exempt status. If they were to ever lose this, they would fold up quicker than a hand towel. Going along with this "tax-exempt status" idea, if the USA, Canada and Mexico ever manage to become the "North American Union," the USA's Bill of Rights will probably go away or will be extremely reworded. "Freedom of Religion" will likely become "Freedom to practice whatever religions are approved by the government." Who knows? I see it as a distinct possibility that it could happen. Religions that are considered "mainstream" will be left untouched, but those that are viewed as cults, sects, or annoying, would not enjoy such a status. And it's hard to say whether or not any religion will be tax exempt. Anyway you look at it, the kh's are next on the chopping block. Of course, the CO's and DO's will likely be out of jobs too somewhere in the ruckus. Or at least their cars, salaries or anything else which directly ties them to HQ as employees will be done away with. These are exciting times we're living in!
We have had the generation bye-bye in 95 (Huge) and now the annointed will be called up way past1935, which is huge because it was so obvious these old guys were all dying. Nobody at the time of1914 and for 20-30 years later did not JEsus coming!?!?!?!?! must have been very hard to detect! So now 1914 is about to go bye-bye and that is so big, we have to have a 1 week elder school to run it by them and prepare them.......oompa has spoken
I see the whole man-made theology being tossed onto the scrap heap - where it certainly belongs!
Sylvia
I think they will also increase the shunning to include all non-JW family members who they do not "necessarily" have to have contact with; i.e., those members with whom there are no binding legal obligations. This will increase their isolation, and thusly, bonding them closer to the Borg; keeping its financial teat intact. If all your relatives are dead to you -- more money for you to leave to Mother in your will!
CG
Piss off a few governments to get the persecution cooking, sell many buildings, increase W.T. issues on how to will away all earthly belongings, and visit Madison Ave. for a new drug.
Yes... I have to agree with the blood change. I reckon that it will become conscience based... and have even been bold enough to mention the "prediction" to several active JWs.
I also think that we'll see a greater division between being "in the org" and being on the outside.
Think of the kudos of being able to see inside the new "members only" Watchtower.
If "studies" aren't allowed to see inside them, that will place amazing pressure on "studies" to get baptised.
I also think that we will see a greater "clarification" of who will reside on "paradise Earth" - maybe making the group smaller.
Also 144,000 will become figurative - to accommodate the growing masses of partakers.
They WT struck lucky with 1914 just by mentioning it as "a date" (regardless of what they predicted) I can't see 1914 going away - but something inside tells me that it will ???
I like Sir82's insight on the 144k. I think it will once again become a symbolic number. They have already laidd the groundwork for it by saying
1. 1935 wasn't a cut off date
2. anointed have no more insight and holy spirit than anyone else
3. the GB are the voice of all anointed (FDS)
4. there will always be anointed right up to the Big A (through the new generation teaching)
Expect the heavens to be opened once again.
I thiink, after they are done cracking down on independent thinking and have fully cut themselves off from the public, they are going to crack down hard on anything that resembles a normal life. Fun of all kinds will be seen as stealing from field circus. Gatherings of any kind will continue being phased out, and they will crack down on the ones that are starting to pop up again. Ultimately, life as a Witless will be a closed circuit as they do all they can to seal off any opportunities for people to leave.
Of course, I could well be wrong. There is such a thing as free will, and they could opt to ease off. However, given their track record, I doubt that they will do anything but crack down on everything when they see people packing up and walking out. That's the only way they seem to know how to deal with problems.
Fun of all kinds will be seen as stealing from field circus. Gatherings of any kind will continue being phased out, and they will crack down on the ones that are starting to pop up again. Ultimately, life as a Witless will be a closed circuit as they do all they can to seal off any opportunities for people to leave.Of course, I could well be wrong. There is such a thing as free will, and they could opt to ease off. However, given their track record, I doubt that they will do anything but crack down on everything when they see people packing up and walking out. That's the only way they seem to know how to deal with problems.
Wizard, I could see them doing this. Right now, dubs can have sufficiently entertaining lives if they know how to balance it. It's the only way the young people are still in--they can have fun if they know how to not get in trouble. The new Kool-Aid WT would be a perfect forum for them to trim anything enjoying from the dub's routine. Squeeze more hours out of them, more studying, etc.
