Ruminations ---Part 4
As I was mentioning in the former parts, we find ourselves at war. This is not a war that we started or wished to be involved in. It has been forced upon us against our will. We either conform, or all is taken away that we find valuable in our lives. This includes our families, our reputations, and in many cases, our sanity. Should we tolerate this without a fight?
Our natural inclinations are to turn to the “superior authorities” and ask for relief. There are two problems with this:
a. The WTBTS has been dealing with these same authorities for over a hundred years now and know the ropes. If there are some strings to pull and/or someone to pay off in order to delay or avoid retribution, they will know how and who --- and do it. We, in turn, are amateurs.
b. Those authorities are themselves leery of the WTBTS. Many of the lawyers are shocked and outraged by what happens when they come up against the Organization. Their prime reaction is “Good Lord! Did anyone get the number of that truck that ran over me?” As one F. B. I. agent told me personally, “Whatever you do, don’t get involved with that outfit.”
This brings us to an undeniable fact: there is no group of people in this world who knows the Society as we do. By and large, whatever success we hope to have in resisting them will have to stem from our own efforts, as the rest of the world is woefully ignorant of the organization and its tactics.
But there is another undeniable fact. We as a group are fragmented, demoralized, and completely unorganized. Plus, all of us are hurting due to the immoral and totally unchristianlike conduct to which we have been subjected. This lack of strength has, by and large, rendered our efforts impotent.
There is a good reason for this treatment. If they can keep us discouraged and overwhelmed with the feeling that all is lost, we won’t try to resist. I refer to this as the ‘victim mindset’. It is our greatest enemy, for it causes us to simply give up before we begin.
That mindset is erroneous. Why do you think that the Society has gone through all of the legalistic convolutions that they have in the past few years? It is because they are well aware of the power we have if, and it is a very large “if”, we get our act together. They are feeling vulnerable, and for good reason.
If the Hansen family of Ashland, Oregon can get a $60,000,000 judgement against them due to their own efforts only, (It was overturned on appeal by demonizing the family as radicals) how much more could we do if organized? I’ve spoken to their lawyer, and according to him, the Society pulled it out by the skin of their teeth. You can be assured that they had a real scare, and it woke them up as to their vulnerability.
But back to us. If we want relief from the diabolical conditions that have been thrust upon us, then we need to take a lesson from actual warfare. Britain did not go to court against Germany in World War II to get an injunction to stop them from bombing London, for the simple reason that Germany would have laughed at them. They looked to their own people for help, giving them the training, equipment, weapons, and moral courage to resist. That, combined with the efforts of their allies, carried the day.
(This is not to imply that we shouldn’t go to court.)
We need to do the same. True, much work has already been done. The progress on such topics as the U. N. affiliation, blood transfusions, and sexual misconduct has given us weapons that are truly powerful. However, without the training and will to use them, they are useless.
Let’s face it. You could give some people an atom bomb, and all they would accomplish is mash their toe with it. Those who have training can and will take on an army by themselves with little or nothing in hand, yet prevail.
For instance, I knew a Special Forces soldier who was in Vietnam’s backcountry. He received this order by radio: “You have a battalion of North Vietnamese regulars coming into your area. Do something to demoralize them.” He did, and the next morning they all packed up and went right back where they came from. What did he do?
He’d waited until the wee hours of the morning, sneaked into the heart of the camp and cut his way into the back of the commander’s tent. He killed the commander, left his knife in his chest, draped his beret over the haft as a calling card, and left the way he’d come. It totally freaked the battalion. They felt like a ghost had killed him and could kill any one of the rest of them at will.
We need to get over the idea that the only thing we can do is run and hide whenever we spot a column of tanks coming down the road. They have vulnerable points too. Just go raid the hen house and get a few dozen eggs. That night when the tanks are parked, sneak in past the guard and bust two eggs in the fuel tanks of each tank. (Honey or sugar will do the job too.) The next day the tanks will run just fine --- for a short while. Then the engines will seize up and not run again without a major overhaul. In the heat of war, that is usually fatal for both the tanks and their crews.
When we have the victim mindset, we can be looking at a marvelous opportunity and not even recognize it. We tend to see only that which we perceive as threats and all we know to do is run or panic. If we look at these things with the eye of a soldier, our enemies themselves will tell us how and where to attack. With this in mind, let’s look again at something that was posted a few days ago.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=18348&site=3
(Ashataka) ZERO DID ALL THE WORK AND FOUND THIS. JUST WANTED TO POST IT ON A THREAD, BECAUSE SOME LURKERS MIGHT NOT WANT TO GO OFF SITE TO LOOK AT STUFF. HATS OFF TO ZERO.
"Just returned from the Elders School. A long, draining and largely unnecessary meeting containing little different from the last School. I began recording it, but frankly it was not worth the effort. It was little different than an average CA this time.
Not worth the effort? Good Lord, this thing’s priceless.
You obviously are aware of the ‘fifteen minute’ publisher arrangement. Most elders thought this a huge joke and the fact that its introduction was designed to boost morale for declining figures was openly discussed when we stopped at an elder’s home for drinks. When his wife was informed of the arrangement her immediate reaction was - ‘Oh! That is just a numbers game they are playing’.
I am convinced that the GB are ten years behind the rest of the JW’s in their thinking. If they knew how a lot of elders reacted to their gift offerings they would be mortified.
There is a rift building between the elders and the GB. Do all that is possible to help that along without being conspicuous about it. If the head can be isolated or even decapitated, good.
Just one or two points made, largely a repetition of the last School and posted verbatim:
Never give out the names to the police or press of anybody in the Legal Dept.
The Society has thrown all their eggs in one basket. They are staking everything on the capability of the Legal Department to defend them, and those individuals are feeling vulnerable. Demoralize them. Use every opportunity to publish those names and/or provide them to anyone that could be even remotely interested.
Also, Kent and others would do us a great service by publishing the names, addresses, email and telephone numbers, etc., of everyone connected with Legal. That includes their personal history, and anything else we can get our hands on. If Carolyn Wah has a pimple on her butt, publish it. Make them feel like there are invisible cameras in their bedrooms.
A nasty trick, you say? This is war, remember? What are they doing to us? They need to be made to feel the same implacable attitude that they use against us, as well as the meaning of Matthew 6:12; “ . . . with what judgement you are judging, you will be judged; and with the measure that you are measuring out, they will measure out to you.”
Never refer to the Society as an entity in any letters that involve disfellowshipping. Verbal correspondence is safer.
Be sure to always emphasize that the Organization is a monolith that is indivisible. All they are trying to do is reduce their financial exposure in a manner that is nearly identical to that of a man being sued for divorce by his angry wife. The more assets he can hide, the better.
The ideal is to have nothing at all to do with our disfellowshipped family members if possible. It may be hard to do but will please God.
Make it as hard as possible by treating family members nice and doing good deeds for them whenever possible. This causes them to think, whether they want to or not. It will also provide them with a contrast with the Society’s policies that can’t be ignored. The long-term effects can be profound.
All scanned forms and other documents or letters pertaining to the WTS must be erased from hard disks as soon as we arrived at our homes.
Send all communications from the Society to Kent, et. al., ASAP. Publish them.
Inactive Publishers are to be viewed as still totally under God’s laws.
(Ashitaka’s comment: I am convinced that they intend to move against those who try to ‘fade’, largely I suspect to these people giving away their MO on on-line Boards.)
Emphasize continually that there is a difference between God’s laws and the Society’s laws, and that our vow was to serve God, period. Any claim to the contrary by the Organization is a pure fabrication and an attempt to defraud, both now and at the time of baptism.
As soon as anybody is accused or confesses to child-abuse, say absolutely nothing but contact the Legal Dept by telephone immediately.
Never utter one word to the newspapers or police. Say to them - ‘I must speak to my Lawyers first’, and then telephone Legal Immediately. This includes any questioning over any refugees we may have in our congregations.
Report such matters to the authorities as soon as you hear of them, preferably before reporting to the elders. Take it out of their hands ASAP. Also, give those authorities the names and numbers of the Society’s lawyers that they will probably be dealing with. Make it possible for them to contact those lawyers directly.
Also emphasize to those same authorities to keep your name out of it as much as possible, as you will be retaliated against. That way they know that the Society will be hostile.
Always announce reproof whenever a child molester has been dealt with. Congregations must be warned of such people.
Some progress here. Hold them to it.
Never, in dealing with marital problems should the words ‘can’t’ / ‘should’ ( as in you can’t / should leave your mate ) be used.
Another attempt to limit their liability. Hold them to it.
Each of the following items can be slanted toward a different type of personality. Like jewels, we merely need to put them in the right settings.
Regarding Blood - ‘ As medical technology develops we may need to change our views yet again on what we consider acceptable or not. (Branch Coordinator)
Changing yet again??? They obviously didn’t know what they were doing in the first place.
We need to remind ourselves that we know that the FDS has been appointed by God over ALL his belongings, so how do you respond to its direction? Some elders have been noticed ridiculing the direction of the FDS. What they need to realize is that they are actually ridiculing Christ.
And how does this stand in the face of such scriptures as 1 John 4:1; “ . . . test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God . . .”, and Hebrews 13:7; “ . . . and as you contemplate how their conduct turns out imitate their faith.”
Also, how do such outlandish claims demonstrate the mental attitude that Luke 17:10 recommends?
Quotes to bring a smile to your face:
Branch Coordinator - ‘Worldly people read the Bible, but in a perfunctory way, without real understanding. We however read it with real discernment’.Is this why the blood policies need changed again? How about the teachings on 1975, the King of the North, and 1914?
Jehovah takes very seriously someone who withholds the truth from a person who has the right to know it.
Then why do you have such a doctrine as “theocratic warfare”? Why do you use it against your own people as well as the world itself? Have you not read Job 13:7-12?
“Will you bring unfair arguments for God?
Will you tell lies on his behalf?
Will you be sycophants of the Almighty?
Will you be special pleaders for God?
Will it be well when he probes you?
Can you deceive him like a man?
No, he will punish you, if you are sycophants of his in secret.
Should not his majesty cause you to shudder?
should not the dread of him seize you?
Your maxims crumble like mere ashes,
your arguments collapse like mounds of clay.”
(This is Moffatt’s translation. It’s especially clear.)
It is very dangerous to introduce secular research into the congregation - these writings will not help us get eternal life. The GB have at their disposal the best Biblical researchers available. They do your research for you and provide you with the cream.
But this violates 1 John 4:1 and Heb. 13:7 again, not to mention the spirit of Acts 17:11. Plus, in the judgement day, how can we expect Jehovah to judge our heart if all we do is parrot whatever you say? Should we not try to “sound them down into our hearts” by reasoning on them and testing them out?
Even some in Bethel have had to be dismissed because they became spiritually weak after reading things on the Internet.
Then those things must have been of serious concern. Were they given scriptural answers? Plus, why should we be afraid of the Internet? Is truth afraid of falsehood?
Some women work outside of the home to elevate their standard of living. This way they develop their own sense of independence, and this can be very dangerous.
LOL on this one. I won’t enlarge on it except to mention one that maybe you haven’t thought of: Proverbs 31:10-31. Did that woman have a great deal of independence and the room to make her own decisions? Did she work outside the home?
Our enemies say that we are opposed to JW’s having a good education. We are not. What we are opposed to is education for no purpose."
The Bible speaks many times of the importance of discernment. It is like a muscle, and must be used in order for it to be developed properly. Why are you attempting to prevent us from exercising it?
Ashitaka
All of these are excellent in our endeavors to drive a wedge between the elders and the GB. Something as simple as a knowing look or a raised eyebrow could be sufficient. They are also excellent in opening the eyes of our relatives and acquaintances.
In no way do I mean to imply that the above is sufficient to bring about change in the WTBTS. It isn’t. However, it does demonstrate the aggressive mental outlook and calm, analytical examination that needs to be given the things they throw our way. Given enough of it though, along with time and action based on that information, it can.
Part 5 will take up some practical ways to combat our inner weaknesses that are left over from our association with the Society. If we don’t shore those places up, we will not have the strength when that strength is needed.
Tom Howell
(LoneWolf)