Hi AO. I've had to write a long post to get all my thoughts across here!
'You summed up the "rise to the top" well, there is indeed no guarantee of power. But those at the top must gain from it somehow. Or are the all sincere but deluded ?'
One of my closest friends in the Jehovah's Witness religion became a Ministerial Servant about 6 months ago. He was a good guy, 'sincere but deluded' he reached out and put a lot of work into becoming an MS. Once he was appointed, he became very arrogant, almost overnight. Jehovah's Witnesses are taught that nobody receives an appointment unless Jehovah's holy spirit guides it so the appointment is made. Status can change people. They don't see it themselves, but it does happen. When you're told you're a Ministerial Servant because God himself has selected you to be one, it's no surprise it might make someone think they're something special. I've seen this arrogance develop in people other than my friend within the Society. My parents have seen it happen to their older friends when they become elders.
When some Witnesses get a small part in this special feeling, they begin to crave it more. They work hard to move further up. Being an MS soon becomes not enough, they have to become elders to fulfill their crave, then that's not enough, and they want to be Presiding Overseer. They want Service meeting talks, then that's not enough, and they need Public talks, then they need talks at Assemblies and then Conventions. It's all to gain that feeling that 'I am special, Jehovah is blessing me' and even in some cases 'I am progressing more than that person, Jehovah obviously loves me more than him' And that's gonna be a good feeling.
The higher you go, and the more you give in the Organisation, the more praise you get. Jehovah's Witnesses love Circuit Overseers, they love District Overseers, they think they are wonderful and that they can do no wrong, and they make this clear to the Overseers. If becoming an MS will change people, becoming a Circuit Overseer or District Overseer, and even higher will surely change people.
I think, each member of the Governing Body started off as 'sincere but deluded' entering full time service because they think it's what God wants. They push to become higher to fulfill their need to be special. They may not want Governing Body at first, most people will not reach this as they're not capable, or not in the position to, they probably just target the next step up the ladder each time it comes, and only when they get closer to it will it become the goal. Once they've reached that goal, they're then told God himself selected them to look after all his possessions on Earth. Once again, it's no surprise it might make someone think they're something special. Facing that they're wrong and letting go of it, especially when considering they have no lives outside of Bethel, and nowhere to turn, would take a lot of courage, that few people would have. And so, the Society's wheel keeps on turning, some at the top may realise it's nonsense, but they can't make too many changes because that will result in a loss of control, and a loss of control will result in them having to face they've wasted their lives, and that God has nothing to do with them.
A big thing when they've spent it believing God himself has controlled their rise to leader of the Organisation, and future king of the world.
'It seems to me that slowly they are eradicating the damage that Rutherford did. They are erasing his doctrines.'
I (respectfully!) disagree. Whilst they are erasing some of his wacky doctrines they've held on to the damaging doctrines and policies. The doctrines they've replaced rarely have any affect on JW lives. Rutherford introduced the large amounts of time in Service, the control over Witnesses, the blood policy, he took away holidays, and told them not to go to College, to ignore their own wellbeing in place of Jehovah's (The Org). If anything they've got worse, as it was Knorr who introduced disfellowshipping to the extremity it is in now. And the current Governing body has shown no signs that they will make changes and lessen the control, recent Watchtowers have, in fact, suggested the opposite.
All IMHO, of course! ;) But it would seem to fit in with what I've experienced on a local level, what I've read on this board, and what I've learned from reading Ray Franz's books and corresponding with him.
