WT backtracking fast on Book Study -High Gas Prices (page 3)

Satanus

Can anyone provide the letter where they said that it was because of the high gas prices?

S

DoomVoyager

Wasn't there a letter scanned on this site of that letter? I thought it said something about due to "gas prices." The WT organization does make flat out statements and then deny it blaming it on the rank & file quite frequently - (remember '75).

Yes. I scanned the letter and posted it here sometime back in May. Unfortunately I hosted it on tinypic and no longer have the link. I'm sure I still have the files on my laptop, but unfortunately that computer is on the fritz now, so unless you can go back and find the scan in JWD archives, you're probably out of luck.

And yeah, the letter did explicitly mention "rising cost of fuel" as a factor in the decision.

EDIT: Ta-da! That didn't take me long to find.

alt

undercover

From my personal experiences with JW relatives...

None of them ever attributed it to high fuel costs. I think that was a rumor that got going because of the timing of the announcement and spike in prices at the pump.

(edited after Doom posted the letter: I stand corrected...it wasn't a rumor afterall. It's right there in print...)

A couple of my relatives confirmed that it was said that it was because of the higher stress of life in general. Elders were having a hard time keeping up with both family and congregation. Families were having a hard time making all the meetings with more and more single parent families in the congregation and husbands and wives working in most other families.

They spun it just as it was spun to them: The GB sees and understands and they want to find a way to ease their burden yet keep the spiritural food coming. I saw through it as a move to keep people from burning out and quitting altogether.

Jim_TX

"so...does anyone say, "If it's not the real reason...why did they say it?""

No, because one does not question 'new light'.

Satanus

Thanks, doomvoyager.

S

DaCheech

it did say "escalating fuel prices"

Doubting Bro

At the meeting I attended, they just ignored the fuel prices excuse completely. However, the above letter posted shows that the GB mentioned that as one of the reasons. There was some absolutely crazy comments about the tribulation and how we needed to be together as the end gets close. However, having spent my life in this mess, I know that the previous reasoning was that the BS groups would allow the JWs to deal with "persecution" much better due to the small nature of the groups meeting in private homes. The most outrageous comment was made by the PO (uh, COBE)that the change proves that Jesus is leading the congregation and actually said that Jesus told the GB to sell the Brooklyn properties so they could get out before the real estate market crashed!! How come I can't get investment advice from Jesus??

passwordprotected

@theoldhippie - there must have been a lot of murmuring about the gas prices in his cong.

ID Crisis

In our congregation the focus was placed on (1) family/private study and (2) the need to be submissive to these changes by the FDS ... no mention of fuel prices.

OnTheWayOut

Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia!

I love when I "get it" with these references. LOL.

The letter clearly says that this will be beneficial to their weekly schedules and
cites high fuel costs as a problem. It never says, "Because of high fuel costs,
the book study will be changed." So they dropped a reasoning thought into the
discussion, giving people a reason so they don't question the leaders, then remove
the reason when it has served it's purpose. They didn't lie. They just manipulated.

The letter will never be read again. The members don't need to try to pick apart
the reasoning. Just go along.

As a matter of fact, the letter doesn't say that each family should arrange a specific
evening for "Family Worship." It says that the adjustment in the weekly schedule
will provide an "opportunity" to do so, then reminds family heads that they have
a responsibility. So if WTS wants to push the members one way, they can. If they
want to deny telling them what to do, they can. If they want to push another way,
they can still say "We never said..." as they always do.

WT backtracking fast on Book Study -High Gas Prices

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