Help me out here, I’ve never been a JW (family are in the Cult) but I’m trying to fully understand the madness that is their doctrine and subsequent mind control over their captive members. It’s seems logical that they will eventually abandon the 144,000 doctrine as being a literal number. Time is the enemy of a False Prophet. Which got me thinking, when there are no longer any living “anointed” members on Earth, how will the Governing Body justify their authority over the followers? The Governing Body = The Anointed = The Faithful and Discreet Slave, correct? Therefore should we not be surprised that the number of anointed has stopped decreasing? Any thoughts on this issue?
Evolution of a Con
by Resistance is Futile 4 Replies latest jw friends
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Morbidzbaby
I think there will always be those who claim to be of the "Annointed"...because, really, who can refute them? It's supposed to be a "feeling" they get and that's pretty much it. To accuse someone of lying about being of the "Annointed" is basically to call them out on their personal relationship with god...so no one asks questions of someone who makes the claim. That means that you will see the numbers of partakers steadily rise, as they have been. The WBTS can always excuse this, claiming that some partake without having the heavenly hope, that not all who go to the Memorial and partake are of the "Annointed", or even JW's, for that matter...or that perhaps some of the "Annointed" fell away and thus needed to be replaced (which would still theoretically keep the numbers the same, though many don't really think about that part). The GB being "Annointed" is their authority... They have to keep that in place or they'll lose their hold on the rank and file. They won't let that doctrine go.
PERHAPS they'll say the 144,000 isn't a literal number...but it's so precise in the Bible, I don't know how the heck they'd justify saying it's symbolic. However, they're guilty of just picking and choosing what's symbolic and what's not.
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finallyfree!
when all the annointed generation and all the other overlapping generations are dead, the then reigning governing body will claim to be spirit directed from christ and the 144000 to take care of their earthly possessions or some bs like that. the nice part about being cult leaders is that you get unconditional loyalty from your followers.
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Morbidzbaby
Yeah FF...unconditional loyalty and the ability to make up shit and have millions believe you....
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InterestedOne
Although I'm certainly no JW expert, off the top of my head I think they have a long time before the 144,000 could be theoretically exhausted. As time goes by and current anointed die off, more can claim to be anointed since they abandoned 1935 as the closing of the heavenly calling. The only time the 144,000 would become a problem would be far into the future when the JW TM organization has accumulated enough history of existence of its Governing Bodies such that the total number of GB members who ever lived, plus a few token Rank & File anointed (the rest could be accused of being mistaken) and a few early Christians, exceeded 144,000. I think that gives them a long time before they have to bother figuring out a solution. Maybe I'm missing something, but that's how it looks to me.
I think they'll be ok. They did a brilliant job with the overlapping generation, and I'm sure they'll come up with some other carny trick if 144,000 becomes a problem.