2010 - Year of the Governing Body? (page 2)

Mad Sweeney

What motivates the GB? My theory is this:

The modern-day GB arrangement established in the mid-1970s was in order to prevent a loon like Fred Franz from becoming a one man show like Russell and Rutherford were. They wanted to both share in that power and attenuate the authority of the Society president. Then, in 1980, a faction of the body decided to remove any members who might take up the mantle of Sola Scriptura and place the Bible above the Watchtower publications and those who run the organization. At the time, it was Ray Franz, and any who may have sympathized with his view were frightened into silence by the ease at which any one of them could be cast out.

That generation only has one (or two?) members remaining on the GB. The rest, I believe, are likely a strange mix of true believers and guys who get off on the lifestyle and power. Once the old guard finishes dying off, who knows what will motivate the GB?

WTWizard

I call it idolatry. If they tell you that, even if you can prove one of their major doctrines wrong with the Bible, that you need to abide by and teach the bad doctrine until they themselves fix it, it is idolatry. If they tell you to get rid of things, and there is no scripture that gives them that right, getting rid of those things is idolatry. If they tell people to quit college and pio-sneer, and there is no Bible evidence aside a few out of context scriptures for doing this, that is idolatry.

I also call it idolatry when a new student (or an existing witless) has to do things to appease the hounders or their teacher. If you are instructed to throw away your music instead of selling it, despite no scriptural reason, you are committing idolatry. If it isn't even in the littera-trash, you are effectively worshiping either the hounder or the study conductor. If you are told that there is zero tolerance for looking at Christmas lights or fireworks, and that is not in the Bible, observing that is idolatry--and, if it isn't even in the littera-trash, you are also worshiping whoever is making the rule. If your study conductor makes you throw away all your Journey records despite nothing being wrong with them, you are committing idolatry if you actually throw them away for this reason. And so on.

Yet, the religion (and its leaders, and most of those high-control hounders and "teachers") condemn idolatry. They condemn the form of idolatry where you display posters of a favorite music artist, or have whole discographies of their works, or do one or two things that they do. However, this obeying everything the Filthful and Disgraceful Slavebugger (or your teacher/hounder) tells you without questioning them, is even worse idolatry.

donuthole

When the original GB came to power over the presidency they had numbers on there side. It was the large GB against Knorr and few loyalists.

When I look at this latest crop of teachings it seems that the GB is desperate to seperate and elevate themselves above "the anointed". I'm wondering if there is an element of fear there. You have 10k+ who have been told all along that they are the FDS and that the GB represents them. I can't ever see a coup happening but if it ever did, the anointed have the numbers on their side.

More than likely it is simply the consolidation of power, the misuses of authority, and push toward tyranny that humanity tends to skew towards.

It seems likely that the GB will assume the role of the FDS. I'm wondering though if it will stop there? They have been trying to deflate "anointed ones" why not shift into outright hostility toward them. The seeds are already there. Wage war against them. Call them pompous. Call them crazy. Maybe make the GB an apostolic group that must "lay hands on" (grant authority) for individuals who will become anointed. As it stand the position of "anointed" is the only thing the WT has not yet try to take control over. Maybe leaving the election to God will no longer be in the best interests of the Society.

poor places

WT Wizard,

I definitely see your point about worship. I don't know about other JWs, but speaking for myself, I fought a constant battle between worshiping God and worshiping the man-made rules. And if someone doesn't believe that JWs make you worship rules, just have them read that recent Bible study book: Remain in God's Love or whatever it's called. Or listen to a JW speak adamantly about how you must not celebrate Christmas because it's pagan, while acknowledging that the only reasons most people celebrate the holiday is to be with family. But rule-worship prevails over logic.

One somewhat unrelated point that came to mind about being an "apostate." How can a person who has differing views from JWs ever discuss those views without being suspected of reading "apostate" literature or sites? It's a tough situation. Once a JW suspects you of reading "apostate" stuff, the conversation is basically over. As far as JWs are concerned, "apostate" stuff is plain evil and the person who has been reading it is deeply misled and troubled. You just can't get around it.

notverylikely

B-b-b-b-but the FDS don't gots no more holy spirit than anyone else!

JWoods

It seems likely that the GB will assume the role of the FDS. I'm wondering though if it will stop there? They have been trying to deflate "anointed ones" why not shift into outright hostility toward them. The seeds are already there. Wage war against them. Call them pompous. Call them crazy. Maybe make the GB an apostolic group that must "lay hands on" (grant authority) for individuals who will become anointed. As it stand the position of "anointed" is the only thing the WT has not yet try to take control over. Maybe leaving the election to God will no longer be in the best interests of the Society.

+++.

In fact, I think the GB already has assumed the role of the FDS. One way to avoiding the difficulty of the ordinary "annointed ones" would be to simply quit taking count of them at the memorial. This would also avoid the embarassment of the steady increase in their numbers at a time when they should doctrinally be going down.

Then, there would be nothing left except the governing body.

Mad Sweeney

Sorry I overlooked this in my earlier post. I must have been in a hurry.

Perhaps the emphasis on the GB in the last couple years is the result of their being demasculated at the corporate level. They don't run the Watchtower Society anymore. Their only power is in making rules over the rank and file Dubs via the Writing and Service Departments. Even then, many of the rules are handed down due to legal and business considerations, things these guys pretty much rubber-stamp because of deference toward the attorneys.

This brings up some questions in my mind about the legal business structure of the borg. Would it be possible from a legal standpoint for one of the corporations to break off from the rest, forming a new independent religion? I mean, what legally ties the WTS of PA to the WTS of NY to the WTS of Upper Volta? We know how the branches are laid out under the service committee, but what's the situation legally speaking? Say one of the presidents and the board of directors he works with decides the GB isn't worth the trouble; could they legally dump them and move on without them? I'd like to know more about the current borg structure. Is this info available anywhere?

notverylikely

In fact, I think the GB already has assumed the role of the FDS. One way to avoiding the difficulty of the ordinary "annointed ones" would be to simply quit taking count of them at the memorial. This would also avoid the embarassment of the steady increase in their numbers at a time when they should doctrinally be going down.

WRONG!

Nah, just kidding, you are spot on, mate :)

Mary

Excuse me if I am a little slow, but wouldnt that mean that they are claiming that the WT is inspired of God? How else can you spin that?

I'm not sure if they've ever claimed in print that the Craptower is "inspired of God", but there's no doubt that they have elevated their own literature above the bible, and have elevated their own position to that of Jesus. It's only a matter of time before they kick him to the curb and start eyeing Jehovah's throne. While they've always had a superiority complex, it's gotten really noticeable in the last few years and if I were still going to the Hall, I'd be extremely troubled at how much their promoting the idea that a person's eternal salvation depends not on following Jesus (or even Jehovah), but rather on how 'loyal' they are to the Borg itself and how 'obedient' they are to the "Slave Class". I did a summary 3 years ago on one of the Craptower study articles which shamelessly elevated themselves with God, IMO:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/bible/129061/1/April-1-2007-Craptower-All-About-Obeying-The-Slave

As others have already mentioned, I believe this is being done because the present GB members are scared shitless of losing control over 6.5 million people's lives and are desperately trying to shore up their (non-existent) biblical authority as they increase their emphasis on 'unquestioning obedience' to 'Mother', no how ludicrous some of her teachings might be. With the advent of the internet, they no longer have the ability to hide their pathetic history of embarassing blunders, flip flops, failed prophecies, needless persecutions (Malawi, brothers like Terry who went to prison for refusing Alternative Service) and Assisted Suicides (aka: blood transfusion) from the rank and file. To anyone drunk on power like these goons, nothing is more frightening than being exposed for what you really are. Rather than admit that they are no more 'spirit directed' than some on LSD, they have chosen instead to tighten their stranglehold on those still in. If they can get rid of their present semi-understanding that the "faithful and discreet slave" is made up of all annointed, and instead, reinterpret it to mean only themselves, then they'll be one step closer to becoming what they claim to hate:

"He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God."---2 Thessalonians 2:4

Lozhasleft

I agree totally with donuthole and jwoods ....they are taking full control of the title F&DS ...and diminishing all value of the anointed ....they must believe that God's choices dont really count for anything .....

Loz x

2010 - Year of the Governing Body?

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