by highdose 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
They dont' do things that other religions do. They don't build hospitals or schools or run soup kitchens or homeless shelters or give away food or clothing to those in need.
All the money flowing to them goes straight into their asset management program. They give NOTHING back to the communities, NOTHING back to their followers.
This is a scam on a global scale and the governing body are co-conspirators.
Hi Mouthy
Sorry to pick on you. But when you say they truly believe what they believe. Why not treat the GB members as individuals. The responsibility of guilt is singular not plural. Why do you judge them as a Governing Body and not as individuals.
Acolytes
An analogy of this might be Scientology. The current leader Miscaevage is a mini-clone of L. Ron Hubbard, and ruthlessly took over when Hubbard died much in the manner of Rutherford after Russell. His inner cadre are brainwashed to the point that he physically punches them and slaps them around in public just to show who is boss. If you were not completely brainwashed, then you would immediately become a sort of Scientology Ray Franz - and many have, which is how the embarrassing inner secrets are leaking out about this cult.
I would say that the only one I could label as probably not so much brainwashed as he was an advantage-taker would be N. H. Knorr. Based on his seeming disinterest in the religious aspects of the cult, rather than the business opportunities. It has been posted here before that he pretty much let Franz have free reign on the doctrines (and he even sort of disliked the blood issue and 1975) - so long as he could be chief executive officer of the business.
The rest, I think, are just as brainwashed as any new bethel boy - but probably a lot less scared into constantly watching their backs.
They have no qualms to burden people. They have their meals prepared, housecleaning provided, doctors, dentists, eye doctors, chiropractor, absolutely no bills/concerns. Also, they have their 'circle of loyalists' that adore them constantly. What a set up!! Again, its worked for them.
Well said Gayle
Let it be noted that these men have the opportunity to stay in that position as long as their minds and bodies are capable,
so essentially its a secure place to be in when these men get elderly.
When considering if this organization will continue on into the future, the realization of the money and privilege offered to these men
and the answer is plain to see.
I think this is a very interesting topic. I’ve read the comments a few times now and it’s truly amazing how the brain works once freed from the shackles of this religion. When I was still a JW, I was friends with a family who has one member in Brooklyn bethel, one member in the Canadian branch and yet another who helps out the writing committee at Brooklyn. The one helping the writing committee and I used to have some really interesting conversations about our belief system and he had some very enlightening things to say that actually allowed me to begin the lengthy deconstruction process of the JW faith. He said that in his interactions with the GB, he definitely had the impression that they believe that the ‘end’ will not come in this lifetime and that he felt sad that Witnesses who have been waiting for decades are suffering from depression caused by delayed expectations. His daughter went to university to study writing because he felt strongly that young JW’s need a career to prepare themselves financially for old age in this system and that the GB knows this. So I really believe that while the GB are sincere in their beliefs – at least for the most part – they are not really honest with the R&F because the mass exodus would be catastrophic.
I think that they are guilty of the same issues that they are happy to accuse the Catholic hierarchy of but they're so sure that they have God's backing that they have lost the ability to look outside themselves and see their actions with any kind of objectivity.
<<The one helping the writing committee and I used to have some really interesting conversations about our belief system and he had some very enlightening things to say that actually allowed me to begin the lengthy deconstruction process of the JW faith. He said that in his interactions with the GB, he definitely had the impression that they believe that the ‘end’ will not come in this lifetime and that he felt sad that Witnesses who have been waiting for decades are suffering from depression caused by delayed expectations. >>
I almost hate to say it (but I am glad to hear such reasonableness from a JW) - but this is EXACTLY how Ed Dunlap (he was Ray Franz' friend, used to be Registrar of Gilead school, and was prominent on the writing committee) - got started thinking that the GB was off base...and indeed it was Ed that got me started thinking that a barrel of rotten fish was evident at Brooklyn to anyone with a functional nose.
I believe they are well aware of their guilty behaviour and have put their entire emotional being into deceiving and exploiting their followers, the error they perpetrate is too massive for them to be unaware of it. In case they are not aware of it this is because they chose to ignore it and live in the parallel universe, call it a singed conscience or a hypocritical mindset. Surely they are aware of their numerous doctrinal errors and the destructive effects of many of these upon their followers.
Ed Dunlop and many other exemplary JWs were viciously villified and expelled by GB members just for wanting to study the Bible without the WTS literature. Ray Franz was expelled for dining with someone who was himself expelled merely for disagreeing about 1919 being the year of the (so called) invisible return of Christ, a ridiculous and totally groundless claim made by the JWs. Likewise the Swedish JW historian Johansen was expelled for producing a very well documented negation of the 607 BC date.
