Why only 7 or 8 members on the Governing Body?

by Gilgamesh 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Gilgamesh

  Now and then someone hears a rumor that the GB might go with 12 members instead of the 8 (or now 7) they currently have. The value of 12 is understandable, which might even drive the rumors every time they plan to add another 4 or 5 new persons to the GB Helpers list. Of course, a rumor that steals their thunder may also promote a delay, even if true.

  I'm sure this quote from the Watchtower was previously commented upon as a good explanation for the Watch Tower's best reason to leave the number at 7 or 8:

  *** w09 6/15 p. 22 par. 10 The Faithful Steward and Its Governing Body ***
  Although all spirit-begotten Christians engaged in the preaching work, only a very limited number—just eight different men—were used to write the 27 books of the Christian Greek Scriptures.

  The Watchtower article's title discreetly removed the word "discreet" from "faithful and discreet slave" going with "faithful steward" instead. That seems fairly appropriate while drawing this particularly indiscreet comparison.
  

  But I found a very interesting deuterocanonical verse when reading Ecclesiasticus 37:13-14 (not Ecclesiastes) in the section on "Advisers" that starts out in verse 7 with "Any adviser will offer advice, but some are governed by self-interest." The section ends this way:

  Finally, stick to the advice your own heart gives you,

  no one can be truer to you than that;

  since a person's soul often gives a clearer warning

  than seven watchmen perched on a watchtower.

  Sounds like good advice, indeed!
  
• 

  sir82

  There is no bylaw which says it must be no more than 8. For a time in the 70's I believe there were as many as 18.

  Of course, the larger the number of participants in any meeting of any organization, the longer it will take to reach any consensus, so maybe they now keep the size down to keep their meetings to a reasonable time.
  
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  stuckinarut2

  A smaller group of like minded "yes" men is easier to control rather than a larger group....
• 

  The Searcher

  Based on past experience, I don't think the Magnificent 7 will want to enlarge their power base to any more than nine at most.

  I reckon that with the "consolidation" of the business interests worldwide - KH's/D.O.'s/finances etc., and with all their "helpers", the governing body has no urgency or necessity to create more "faithful & discreet slaves" for the time being.

  Perhaps due to ill-health or death.
• 

  Gilgamesh

  Searcher, stuckinarut2, sir82,
  

  Agree. I think there are obvious risks involved in controlling too many. Back when they had 17 they ended up with a few too many who showed their bad side. Too many talked too much about their own doctrinal speculations. Also, as more time passes, there might be trouble finding the right kind of persons who also claim to be "anointed."
  
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  Village Idiot

  Are all members of the Governing Body of the 'anointed'? A scarcity of qualified anointed members is probably the reason why they don't have more than 7 on the Governing Body.
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  Half banana

  Probably can’t afford more than seven now and as you say Village idiot, it must be hard to find heaven- hopers who aren’t already condemned as suspect or mad...
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  Giordano

  I don't think they have enough to do so why add more people. They each have an assistant and the assistant has theirown assistant(s) until it rolls downhill to some slave in Bethel who actually takes care of whatever needs to be done leaving the GB free time to ruminate on tight pants and colorful socks or make wild speculations on shit they don't understand especially anything related to science.
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  Gilgamesh

  Half banana,

  So right!!

  *** w11 8/15 p. 22 Questions From Readers ***
  . A number of factors—including past religious beliefs or even mental or emotional imbalance—might cause some to assume mistakenly that they have the heavenly calling.

  I remember how they kept claiming the "real" number was dwindling, when it was so obvious that the reported number of partakers always keeps going up. Might be funny if it went to 145,000 in a couple decades.

  "ENOUGH ALREADY!!!

  "STOP doing this in remembrance of me!"
  
• 

  neverendingjourney

  Obviously, I don't have any specific insight into the minds of these men.

  However, you can see how any governing structure that gives a veto right to a 1/3 minority could easily devolve into gridlock.

  Let's say there's a contentious issue. For sake of illustration, let's say it's the blood ban. Let's further suppose that 4 men are currently in favor of repealing it but 3 are against it. The 3 men in the minority might not want to approve any additional GB members for fear that their voting power would get diluted. If they were to add two additional members and it turns out they are in favor of repeal, they'd lose their ability to block the reversal as the vote would now be 6 in favor and 3 against.

  Just take a look at the U.S. Congress and how dysfunctional it's become since the senate began requiring routine measures to achieve a 60% approval. And that's just one house of one of the three branches of the federal government.

  Trying to run a multi-million member, multi-billion dollar religion by committee, much less by one that requires a 2/3 supermajority vote to implement any major change, is completely ludicrous and likely a major factor in this religion's decline.