The president sit in with the G/B?

by Aussie Oz 6 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • Aussie Oz
    Aussie Oz

    This is made as a reply to a facebook question (not by me) as to why the Current President is not of the anointed:

    ??? why is your New President not anonted even tho the Watchtower says ALL presidents should be announted ???

    as for the current Watchtower presendent; you see back when Bro. Russell and Bro. Rutherford etc, were presedents, they contributed to the ministry in many ways, whereas the current president "Don A. Adams" takes purely an ADMINISTRATIVE role and deals largely with just legal issues! he is merely the president of the Legal Entities USED by Jehovah's Witnesses! - so just legal matters! This has allowed for the Governing Body to focus more fully on the preparing of spiritual food and caring for the flock

    "While various legal and administrative duties have been assigned to experienced overseers, ... all of them serve under the spiritual direction of the Governing Body. ... All of us prayerfully look to Jehovah for his blessing upon our united efforts in doing his will, to the honor and glory of his great name.”

    So, it lead me to wonder on this too... Does he sit in with the G/B meetings? has the society stated that all Pres must be of the annointed?

    Oz

  • What-A-Coincidence
    What-A-Coincidence

    THE REAL REASON: IN CASE THE GOVERNING BODY WAS TO BE ARRESTED/HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR ACTIONS ... ONLY THE ONES WITH OFFICIAL TITLES' WOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE AND NOT THE GOVERNING BODY. I was there for these changes back in the day. That was the REAL reason...behind the scenes ;-)

    NO HE DOES NOT SIT ON GB MEETINGS.

  • AllTimeJeff
    AllTimeJeff

    The President of the WTBTS no longer needs to be of the annointed. The GB has done what many religions in the United States has done, which is run the legal corporations as the "ecclesiastical" leaders of the religion. This is a legal designation ensuring ironically enough, that what Rutherford pulled in 1917 with the WTBTS (i.e. take it over via hostile takeover) can not happen.

    While this goes against the 20th century tradition of JW's, it is how things are now.

  • blondie
    blondie

    There are numerous corporations in the WTS, each with a president, secretary, treasurer who are not anointed.

    http://www.freeminds.org/organization/governing-body/governing-body-of-jehovah-s-witnesses-grows-old.html

    *** w01 1/15 p. 29 How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation ***At that unforgettable annual meeting in 1971, a distinction was clearly drawn between the spirit-anointed members of the Governing Body and the directors of the Pennsylvania corporation. Still, members of the Governing Body continued to serve as directors and officers of the Society. Today, however, the question arises: Is there any Scriptural reason why the directors of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania must be members of the Governing Body?

    The answer is no. The Pennsylvania corporation is not the only legal entity used by Jehovah’s Witnesses. There are others. One is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Incorporated. It facilitates our work in the United States. Jehovah’s blessing has clearly been upon that corporation, though its directors and officers have been mainly of the "other sheep." The International Bible Students Association is used in Britain. Other legal entities are used to promote Kingdom interests in other lands. All of them harmoniously assist and have a role to play in getting the good news preached earth wide. No matter where they are located or who serve as directors or officers, these entities are theocratically guided and used by the Governing Body. Hence, such entities have assigned tasks to perform in furthering Kingdom interests.

    The faithful slave’ has been ‘appointed over all his master’s belongings.’ These include facilities at headquarters in New York State, U.S.A., and the 110 branches now operating worldwide. The members of the slave class know that they will be called upon to render an account for the way in which they have used what has been entrusted to them. (Matthew 25:14-30) Yet, this does not prevent the ‘slave’ from allowing qualified overseers from among the "other sheep" to care for legal and administrative responsibilities. In fact, this allows members of the Governing Body to devote more time "to prayer and to the ministry of the word."—Acts 6:4.

    *** w01 1/15 p. 31 A Special Announcement ***Brother Barr told the audience that recently certain members of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses who had been serving as directors and officers voluntarily stepped aside from the boards of directors of all the corporations used by "the faithful and discreet slave" in the United States. Responsible brothers of the other sheep class were elected as replacements.

  • moggy lover
    moggy lover

    It appears that the position of "President" of the WBTS has been demoted to being simply one of symbolic ceremonial and titular importance. Its administrative authority has been castrated, divorcing it from from any real functional responsibility within the wider body politic of the Watchtower system. Once all-powerful, and capable of bestowing patronage on others, the man in that position now takes orders from the Chairman of the GB.

    That is the REAL position of power in the Watchtower system today.

  • Mad Sweeney
    Mad Sweeney

    I'm not so sure the president has lost power in these latest moves (8 or 9 years ago now?). He definitely lost power in the 70s when the GB took power as a group, but this latest move seems to give the corporations their presidents and their boards much more power than they used to have. How? Because that's where the lawyers work. The GB are nine old, uneducated guys with delusions of grandeur. The lawyers surely can get them to do whatever they want at this point.

  • cattails
    cattails
    The lawyers surely can get them to do whatever they want at this point.

    That's a very good point you make MadSweeney, I tend to agree with you that the lawyers are
    behind the reins in a lot of GB decisions, or so it would seem looking back on what's been happening
    with abuse cases, etc.

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