by beroea 13 Replies latest jw friends
From the subject title, I was expecting some kind of "Ultimate Fighting Championship in the Octagon Deathmatch." I'm relieved to see that we are still living in the harmony of the Sons of God.
I did all my Dubbin' in NYC, and the general feeling there at that time was that the further away from Bethel the brothers were, the more lax they were.
I didn't know that the "inverse square law" applied to the holy spirit.
Hi Beroea, et al,
I find your observation most interesting, although I must admit that because my experience with European JWs is limited to Italy, I found that as a group they are as rigid and in some cases fanatical, perhaps even more than the worst of American JWs. My impression is that far too many of these would fit in beautifully with Mussolini's black-shirted thugs.
This personal observation seems to be corroborated by most of the experiences published on the internet by dissident Italians such as Achille Lorenzi, Achille Aveta and Sergio Pollina, to name but a few.
The south of Italy appears to be a hotbed of what the dissidents call ``Geovismo'' along with the area around Verona.
Very interesting comments, all. The bottom line (as we say in the USA) is that the WT wants an untarnished image. If the prevailing wisdom in a particular region is toward more freedom the WT will grant it.
Or, as RW (RationalWitness) once so aptly stated it, to the WT, "Image is everything."
"Reproach to Jehovah" = "our image has been tarnished"
Regards,
Mum
Seize the day, and put the least possible trust in tomorrow. - Horace
I have learned to live each day as it comes and not to borrow trouble by dreading tomorrow. - Dorothy Dix
Or, as I have pointed out before, they are totally and utterly dependant upon their adherants for survival. Their power lies in the illusion of power they hold (god's only spokesperson on earth), but put enough cultural pressure on them, and they do as their adherants wish, not vice versa. Much as they're loathe to do so. They will try to perpetuate their "tough" exterior, but in the end, majority rules. It's the same with any organization, even governments. Get enough people pissed off and even the harshest regime falls. In fact, the harsher ones are the ones more fearful than any of their populaces.
Bridgette
