Recent WTS changes - why NOT significant...

by besty 24 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • besty
    besty

    In light of recent changes I thought to propose a counterview might open up the debate a little. I'm just throwng this out there for coments. I have plagiarized the following from another poster here:

    There are so many who feel that reform is possible; some even feel that most of the GB are going to be carted off to jail because of the child abuse scandal (rather like Judge Rutherford and the WT directors in 1918), and that will leave a group of senior brothers ready to pick up the reins and reform the Society.

    I realised it was impossible, because:

    1. Even though they were sentenced to 99 years in prison, Judge Rutherford and the other directors remained as president and directors of the Society; there is no reason to believe that the Governing Body would be replaced today, if they were sentenced to time in prison. After all, JWs believe they are 'anointed by Jehovah,' and that anointing could never be taken away by worldly authorities. The Society would explain away any prison sentences as simply 'persecution' that should be expected in these 'last days.' They would no doubt claim this persecution was prompted by apostates and the clergy of Christendom, and was further proof they were Christ's only true disciples!

    2. The Governing Body is self-perpetuating: i.e. if they are anointed by God, and are his 'only channel of communication with mankind,' then they are the only ones who can appoint new members to the Governing Body. Thus, they will only appoint as new members any whom they are confident will think the same way as they do. If they were convinced reform was needed, they would be doing it already. The fact that they are not, and that the latest appointments were all Jarracz 'clones,' proves that they do not accept a need for future reform.

    3. Whatever changes have been made in the past have been merely tinkering with the machinery of the organisation rather than any radical reform. Even when the Governing Body took control of the organisation from President Knorr (which, at the time, was as radical as anything that had ever happened within the history of the organisation), the basic structure remained the same: control by an elite group, claiming authority from God, imposing Pharisaical rules and regulations on--and then loading guilt on--their members and berating them for not doing more and more and more for the organisation. In the end, however, those changes were no more than rearranging the furniture, the basic house remained the same. There is no reason to believe that any future changes, however radical in appearance, will be any more significant.

    4. As the current policies and doctrines of the Society give the GB an enormous amount of power, there is no incentive for them to make any significant changes: any pressure to amend the traditional teachings and policies now in force will be strongly resisted. Any new members will very quickly get used to, and will consequently become unwilling to yield, any of this power.

    5. There is a further, fundamental, reason for not expecting any radical change in direction, no matter what the change in personnel at the top. And that is the concept on which the whole organisation is founded. This concept is not their 'unique' doctrines (which are not unique at all), as even their wackiest beliefs can be found in other religions. This concept is the organisation's belief that Jesus Christ selected THEM as his 'faithful and discreet slave,' giving them ultimate authority over all 'his belongings' on earth. This concept dominates the thinking, the writing and every action of the organisation, that God MUST deal with humans through an organisation, the WT organisation, of course! No matter how many problems a 'loyal' JW may see with the organisation, or whatever doubts he may experience about their teachings, so long as he accepts this concept, no significant change will ever be made. I expect most of the present GB believe in this concept, doubtless their subsequent replacements will do also.

  • blondie
    blondie

    The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same.

  • Seeker4
    Seeker4

    I would be surprised at any high level change for the better. I'm assuming it'll continue as it has over the last decade - taking a harder line on all those things it views as a threat: education, the Internet, study of literature outside that produced by the WTS, independent thinking, questioning the GB on any level.

    I also think that approach will backfire and cause more members to leave.

    S4

  • Jeremy C
    Jeremy C
    5. There is a further, fundamental, reason for not expecting any radical change in direction, no matter what the change in personnel at the top. And that is the concept on which the whole organisation is founded.

    I think that the observations made in point number five are completely accurate. We need to fully realize and remember what the organization is in the minds of JWs (including its leadership). The organization is a conduit through which God's exclusive communication and Holy Spirit flows. The organization is for all intents and purposes, an earthly mediator-like institution. Many of us have noted that the Watchtower continuously draws parallels between Moses, Aaron, and the Old Covenant Priesthood with the modern day organization. Such a parallel has the appearance of being Scripturally based on its surface. The organization is viewed as an extension of Jehovah God. It is veiwed as a material manifestation of his purposes; a visible reflection of His thoughts; similar to a computer monitor displaying what the computer is currently processing. To be separated from the organization is to be separated from Jehovah. The Governing Body did not create this concept. They themselves were indoctrinated with it through the Watchtower's publications. It is a case of the indoctrinated leading the indoctrinated; or as Jesus put it: "the blind leading the blind".

    It is this exclusivity that governs everyone's thinking in the organization - everyone from the local microphone handler, all the way up to the Governing Body. Many of us could say that the Governing Body display arrogance and elititsm. This is true, however, such spiritual arrogance and elitism is collective; not individual. Rank and file JWs view themselves as holier and more righteous to any other religionist. They think it is just fine and dandy that people (including innocent children) should be smitten by Jehovah for not accepting the Watchtower's gospel. How may times have we heard individual JWs ridicule other Christians as being "stupid", "blind", or "foolish". How many times have we heard JWs in field service comment on how they were going to take people's houses after they all had been destroyed at Armageddon. So, I belieive that the arrogance is collectively manifested in the organization due to the concept of "God's exclusive backing" of the organization.

    Ray Franz once commented that reforms in the Watchtower do not amount to much. He commented that changes in Governing Body members, personnell, and department structures were like re-arranging the interior walls inside of a house. It may look slightly different, but the underlying foundation will always be there.

    There will always be people throughout the earth who cling to that "foundation", that concept. The Watchtower could loose 80% of its membership, and the remaining 20% would become even more entrenched and committed to the organization. The Watchtower / JW organization will always be here. It may reform, restructure, fiddle with its doctrines, and change leadership, but the concept that gave it its birth will always be here. If the Mormom church with all of its scandals, upheavals, ex-communications, reforms, moronic doctrines, and idiotic nonsense can continure to exist after all of this time, than so can the Watchtower.

  • Witness 007
    Witness 007

    Stoping internet browsing and higher education won't stop the "Titanic" from sinking.

  • hamsterbait
    hamsterbait

    REAL change will only start as the Witchtower goes into its endgame death throes. By then it will be too late.

    Look at the Catholic Church. Until the 50s there was absolutely no hope of reforms. But by then the membership was in serious decline. So the Pope convened Vatican II. For the first time the church was asking what the problem was and listening to the laity and its harshest critics.

    I am sure however that the abolition of the BS has nothing to do with listening to the grass roots voting with their feet. They must have noticed that it was the worst attended meeting, and no amount of guilting was ameliorating the situation.

    In the twighlit world of the Witlesses, nothing changes other than for the benefit of those at the top.

    HB

  • Billy the Ex-Bethelite
    Billy the Ex-Bethelite

    Okay Besty, I'll respond to your counterview in a Jesus-like fashon--with an illustration...

    Reforming Watchtower into a more mainstream religion would be about as effective as turning Microsoft into a hamburger chain, or turning McDonald's into an automobile company. Sure, there have been changes over the years to WT, just like McDonald's has added salads and different things to their menu. But McD's had never dropped the burgers, fries, and shakes. That's their core product and moneymaker. They just don't mess with that. Not only aren't they ripping out the deep fat friers, they're sure not tearing down their McD restaurants to build car factories to compete with Toyota. I'm sure we all wish that we'd invested in Microsoft when it first went public. It's grown internally as a company, and bought out many other companies. But all those companies were related to computers and the Internet, right up Microsoft's alley. They've never ventured into foodservice as a logical next direction of growth. And they'll never give up Windows and the computer operating system business as their core product.

    The point I'm trying to make is that Watchtower was founded as a centralized, extreme, thought-control, cult. That is its core product. They have to be bazarrishly different from mainstream religions in order to condemn all the others as Babylon the Great. They have to preach the imminent Big A in order to keep the dubs in their seats, feeding the contribution box, and out trying to convert the heathens. If the KHs are going to try to compete with the mainstream churches with choirs, stained glass, and charities, I think they'd be more successful converting the KHs into Kingdombucks Coffee Shops instead.

    Okay, what do you think of my theory? And what do you think of my illustration? Pretty crappy, huh...

    B the X

  • besty
    besty

    Hey b the x - nice double meaning there...."Be the ex"

    I'd give you a W for illustrations LOL but your point is clear. I think meaningful reform and WTS are mutually exclusive concepts. Unless they actually did a Church of Christ...wow that would be something..

    Only thing I would take issue with from all that you said is minor. I dont agree that Chuck Rustles Bible Students were a cult from the start - he eschewed organisation. Ratherflawed on the other hand was a cultist and Nor developed the theme.

    Hi JeremyC

    The Watchtower could loose 80% of its membership, and the remaining 20% would become even more entrenched and committed to the organization.

    Never a truer word spoken - from Ray Franz and then Don Cameron - Dons' book was a huge help to me understanding where I had been, and where hardcore true believers still are. I even heard one JW say he wouldn't care supposing everybody left - he would be the last JW on earth - talk about idolatry.

  • WTWizard
    WTWizard

    Either way, I am not expecting the washtowel to go mainstream. Ted Humanoid Jaracz is handpicking all new members to be just like him, and they will do the same when the time comes. About the only things that could take them down are if they all croak at the same time and there is no one to replace them, or if they totally run out of money and have to shut down. Otherwise, we are going to be stuck with the Washtowel Slaveholdery and Jehovah's Witlesses.

  • besty
    besty

    According to friends still in the JW's, a recent DC talk highlighted the two things most neccessary to keep your faith intact:

    1 - avoid asking questions

    2 - avoid immorality

    It seems that apostasy is more of a concern to the GB than the big F....yaaay - this is the best news I have heard today.

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit