Has Greg Stafford taken over the Watchtower?

by slimboyfat 3 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  slimboyfat

  In 2002 when he published Three Dissertations on the Teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses there were a few major changes Greg Stafford was calling for:

  1. No arbitrary time limit on when the anointed are gathered, age should not be a factor.

  2. Acceptance of 1914 chronology should not be necessary for fellowship.

  3. Taking blood should be entirely a conscience issue.

  4. Reporting time for field service should be abandoned and legalistic approach to service dropped.

  5. There should be a rebalancing of authority and individual conscience between the leadership and ordinary members generally.

  They seemed outlandish at the time, but we have already seen number 1 implemented. And if the field service figures are no longer to be published then the chances are reporting time is coming to an end as well. So what about the others? Has Greg Stafford taken control of the Watchtower society after all? Or has someone at the top decided to put his programme into practice?
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  cabasilas

  I don't think so myself. Many of these items are things that reform minded JWs feel just have to happen. My take on the rationale for not publishing statistics in the KM is because in some lands the statistics can be embarrassing, especially when you compare the number of baptized versus the number of publishers.

  The 1914 doctrine will certainly have some more adjustments. Perhaps it'll be kept like the Seventh Day Adventist 1844 date.

  I don't see blood becoming a conscience matter, aside from the complex "fractions" rules which almost could make it so in some situations.

  I personally doubt the Governing Body will ever relinquish any of the authority they now claim. What scares me is the idea that someone on the GB will become more powerful than the others and we'll see the rise of a new Judge Rutherford who would make the GB a mere Board of Directors again.
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  leavingwt

  No cult can survive implementation of item #5.

  Therefore, not gonna happen.
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  Mrs. Fiorini

  I agree with previous posters. The organization will never give up power over its followers voluntarily. If (and that's a big if) it ever happens, it will be because they were forced to reform against their will. A change or die type of scenario. And, by the way, that could happen if they continue to be exposed and it gets to the point that they believe they will fare better as an organization by mainstreaming instead of remaining a cult. I'm not hopeful about that though.