Is the Watchtower finally changing for the better?

by Dead Man Joaquin 25 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Dead Man Joaquin

  I'm having a hard time figuring things out here. The last few years it's become increasingly cultish - i.e. the Public & Kool-Aid editions, the infamous November(?) 2007 KM, etc. But then they drop the bombshell that starting in 2009 we'll only be meeting together just twice a week (i.e. the condensed TMS/KM/book study arrangement) instead of the burdensome 3 times. This is HUGE, and it's actual reform for the better. So am I finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel here? Has the will of some reform-minded individuals of the GB finally trumped the hard-liners? Will we see more changes for the better?

  Your thoughts please?
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  daniel-p

  I think they're trying the senile tactic of changing where it doesn't matter (fewer meetings) and not changing where it does (blood, shunning, etc.).
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  Dead Man Joaquin

  I don't know if I'd file the meeting changes under "doesn't matter". For those of us with kids, even just one less night to worry about getting everybody to the meeting and back before bedtime is a HUGE relief. Maybe next they'll finally start lightening up on secular pursuits/higher education? Who knows?

  Time will tell...
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  OnTheWayOut

  Has the will of some reform-minded individuals of the GB finally trumped the hard-liners? Will we see more changes for the better?

  It is not reform-minded individuals. The infamous KM (whatever month)
  is their true hard-liner feelings. The change of the bookstudy was analyzed to
  death, and most are satisfied that it had nothing to do with giving a break to the
  members.

  Regardless of their stated reasons, they only make changes to do one of
  the following:
  1. Save money (This is no. 1. Be it minimizing lawsuits or costs, always consider this first.)
  2. Retain members (Sometimes, a reform that looks good is simply done to keep members in the cult.)
  3. Expand membership (Many moves are attempts to look like a mainstream religion. JW's would love
  to pull this one off, just as Mormons did. Many moves seem reform-minded, but are two-faced. The
  reason being that they want to expand membership but not create breeding ground for lawsuits. This
  could happen with changing blood doctrine or shunning policy or anything having to do with DF's.)

  The bookstudy move would fall into No. 1 and No. 2. There is a slight bit of No. 3 (attempt to appear
  mainstream) but they are either saving money by not reimbursing Bethelites for driving to the bookstudy
  from Wallkill, or they are looking to print less books by having reduced bookstudy time, therefore there
  is a need for half the books of the hour-long meeting. I believe they have nearly emptied their warehouses
  of the older books like the REVELATION: GRAND CLIMAX. If these are not their reasons, perhaps they
  are doing something to retain members.

  A shortage of elders would cause such a thing. The bookstudy change would be to retain elders. Less work.
  Lightening the load on members would not be care and consideration for the members, it would be the
  appearance of care and consideration so that members don't skip the meeting.

  Their new flagship for the bookstudy is their new book, KEEP YOURSELVES IN GOD'S LOVE. If they
  did not change the bookstudy, many members would miss this meeting as the bookstudy is poorly
  attended by many. By changing, they cause many more JW's to attend the indoctrination session of the
  bookstudy.

  By the way, No. 2 and No. 3 that I have listed- both are so that there will be more members to donate to
  the WTS. The purpose of the corporation is entirely No. 1. So really, retention and expansion is just about
  money. It's not that the cats at the top are fat monetarily, it's just that these delusional people think that
  the eternal perpetuation of the corporation is the most important thing.
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  Seeker4

  I can't quite figure out what the meeting change is about - but I know it's a welcome one!

  Considering that some of the younger Gb members have been giving the most hardline anti-college talks (ie: Gerritt Losch), I doubt if they'll soften on that view any time soon. Opening up college for JWs is a sure case of having more and mroe leave, and they are already dealing with a huge turnover rate.

  S4
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  Zico

  I don't think they'll change much more. in recent articles the 'FDS' continue to assert their authority, and rarely ever talk about Jesus.
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  ozziepost

  Will we see more changes for the better?

  That depends on whether you think that changes like that make it "better". I hold to the view that it's rotten at the core i.e. it's basic teachings are wrong, so it wouldn't matter how much the outside packaging is presented, it's still a rotten apple!
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  Lex Talionis

  I agree in that on some levels mixed signals are being sent.
  
  But the fact is they are going through the same cycle of 1919, that is, major doctrinal and organizational changes.
  
  When Rutherford took over, he basically culled the Bible students, renamed the org and sacked any elder not appointed by him, they even went as far as to cut out Public talks altogether, so when I hear about publics talks getting cut to 30 mins or meetings being dropped it just reminds me of the start to the Rutherford era.
  
  One thing this makes me think of is when the WTBTS says "where else can you go" "aren't we the ones that taught you the truth about Hell and immortality of the soul and the trinity".
  
  They werent, if anyone it came from Miller and then Russell, they passed it on then Russel died.
  
  He died years before the so called inspection in 1919 so technically he wasnt a member of the "faithful and discreet slave" that was appointed in 1919.
  
  Ive said this before and I'll say it again, this is the weakest point in the WT assertion that they are the "faithful and discreet slave".
  
  Rutherford was an opportunistic business man that saw money in the early eschatological movement. He was the one that started this whole FDS thing.
  
  He was the one that demonized he Bible students, he made the org what it is today, Russell didnt start the Jehovahs Witness movement, Rutherford did, and its Rutherfords model that still exists, but the flaw of the Rutherford model is the legal liability it puts on the WTBTS, thats where we will see changes.
  
  So any lurkers here or people thinking the ORG is in the middle of a reformation, your right, it is being remodeled to fit the current legal environment, period, dont expect a break from 'the rules'.
  
  You go back and read WT's around the time Rutherford took over and see how many references there are to the 'faithful slave' and compare it to now. Same same.
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  willyloman

  I see the change to 2X a week meetings vs. the old 3X a week sched as just another adjustment along the way. When I became a dub in the mid-70's, they were still talking with pride and awe about the old 8-day district conventions and what hardy souls they were to have endured them. Just a few years before I started going to meetings, the four-day conventions still included one or more night meetings and a morning of field service. Over the next decade or so I watched them trim these annual conventions from four days to three and shorten the hours, starting a little later, ending a little earlier. They trimmed a day off one of the two annual circuit assemblies, too.

  I think the main reason for these revisions was that so many younger dubs came into the organization in those decades (60s, 70s, 80s) and so many of them had children that it changed the dynamic of the JW population. Prior to those years, dubs had fewer or often no children so there was little organizational regard for kid-related issues such as homework, going to school with enough sleep, and so forth. Parents were viewed as dubs first, and those who had children deserved to suffer for disregarding the counsel not to bring children into satan's world with the End So Close. We tend to be very critical here of the JW governing forces, and for good reason. However, there is some evidence that a measure of compassion or at least empathy was at work during those years; as some people in authoritative positions were willing to lighten the load on the rank and file. This is just good business, after all, when you depend on these folks to provide you with free labor and millions in donations, but still it was nice of them to ease up on the reins. It didn't really change the focus of the organization, though.

  The new meeting arrangement won't significantly change anything, either. The dubs are already arguing that they "still have five meetings a week" as that's a source of pride to them. It won't be long before they starting beating the drum to devote that "night off" to other spiritual pursuits - organized evening witnessing or a required family study (actually, such is already "reguired" in some respects, but count on them to institutionalize it somehow).
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  Mightyone

  Their new flagship for the bookstudy is their new book, KEEP YOURSELVES IN GOD'S LOVE.

  The new book after the Rev. book is "Live With Jehovah's Day in Mind"