G'day all,
It's certainly an interesting question raised by Mulan.
I guess I've been around too long but I fear the worst but hope for the best i.e. I suspect it will have very little effect on the R&F. I hasten to add that I'm a born pessimist. Blame it on the Watchtower!
But we've seen other controversies come and go and still the general Witness population continues to accept the WTS as "God's organisation".
Recently we had the controversy over the WTS membership of the UN as an NGO. I copied off Stephen Bates' two articles as well as the UN statement confirmong the WTS 'dis-assocation' from the UN. I distributed these as a little 'package' to close friends and family. The effect? Nothing. Blank faces. Shrugged shoulders. It was hard to fathom how such damning evidence could wash over them with no response. But it did. Maybe it's just the Australian-ness of us here, maybe it's because we're too far away, but no-one seemed in the least excited.
As far as the Dateline program, I've asked for a tape of the program with the intention of having a viewing in Sydney for interested ones. I certainly hope it opens the eyees of many who are still undecided or sitting on the fence. There are many such of these here in Australia.
I accept Simon's comment:
I think for all the clever debates and research, what helps people to leave are the personal stories of mistreatment, injustice etc... which show that the society cannot be directed by god. Once people are on the exit ramp they then start to research things and confirm things with reason etc...
Whether the program opens the eyes of many remains to be seen. Here's hoping.
I think it also needs to be considered as to whether the Watchtower is reformable. Indeed, do we want it to be? Many contributing on this board still seem to hold out hope of there being a reformed Watchtower Society. There are others, of course, who do not foresee that happening and have 'moved on' with their lives. It seems to me that our anticipation for this program is 'colored' by our personal desires in this regard.
For the record, (not that I think my opinion matters one bit to the WTS), I don't believe it's reformable, nor for that matter do I care to see it reformed. No matter what changes are made they will be cosmetic. It will still be a man-made organisation standing in the place of Jesus Christ. For that it must be condemned as a blasphemy.
Nonetheless, I wish well to all those striving to expose the heinous practices of the Watchtower's judicial practices. Too many lives, too many sorrows, too much heartache. God bless Bill Bowen.
Cheers,
Ozzie
"It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."
Anonymous
