It's not easy to sort out, guys. Yes, they are dumb and biased and uneducated, often with little real knowledge of the Bible itself. In my Bethel years, I believed that the Governing Body was led by holy spirit because the organization was wise and successful despite the lack of ability or intelligence manifest by them (except for Ray Franz, who had doubts and Fred Franz, who was just eccentric). I had no idea how much was covered up and how many lies were supporting the organization.
They just don't think about Malawi or blood or any of the serious issues brought up here. "Well, it's still Jehovah's organization" pretty much covers any discrepancy. I recall that the rumors about Greenlees getting caught with his hands on a young boy followed this same bizarre cultish response.
Maybe this lends support to you Darwinist types out there but much of the success they encounter is just cut and try, without any real thought behind it. No conscious design needed. So, you have astoundingly boring and sterile meetings in which most of the audience sits there in a nearly hypnotic gaze ( if not almost asleep) and gets programmed. If you drift away from your congregation, no Witless ever asks with concern if you have lost faith in God and Jesus, just 'we missed you at the meetings'. It's the programming sessions that are all important.
I have encountered CO's who acted as if canceling any meeting for bad weather was unthinkable. Eventually, peer pressure sets in and Witlesses treat meetings as sacrosanct even though they pay little attention while there.
I read a true story the other day about a 17 year old gangbanger who was dying from a gunshot wound to the chest. The police wanted to know who shot him. He followed the 'don't snitch' code and refused to tell them. He died.
Whether Witlesses or other people, habit can be a powerful force. Sometimes, even more powerful than your life as manifest by getting shot or wasting years of your life in meetings or the "ministry".
metatron
