Unrest in the Governing Body (page 5)

jwfacts

As the WTBTS has grown & becoming increasingly just a large corporate , my feeling is that the GB are essentially somewhat marginal characters - the elderly "life Chairman" of a corporate body.

A bit like the Queen of England.

steve2

Since I am not JW/WT, I assume freedom of speech and thought is meritorious.

Hi godrulz, I would hate you to conclude that anyone who questions your "methods" is bullying you, but I am constrained to say that you remind me of old-timer JWs in this specific way:

Regardless of the topic being posted they/you find a way to inveigle their/your beliefs about Jehovah/Jesus into the topic - even if that was not the initial topic. It's not so much that you occasionally do it - but that you tend to do it regardless of what else is being discussed.

Of course, you've got freedom of speech to do so - but go easy on the religious-spin, please. It is more than faintly reminiscent of the JWs of old who used every opportunity to "preach". Much appreciated. steve2

godrulz

Everything comes back to Jesus. If GB is the huge issue for JWs, it is good to remind them that the real issue is the Lordship/Headship of Christ, not the fallible GB who ruins lives. We are told to trust a person, not a manmade mediator organization. This seems relevant to the topic and worth mentioning to those who fail to see the distinction. Not all my comments are about Jesus nor are they all unrelated to the topic. I don't have a big problem when people jump on my topics and use profanity, ad hominem attacks, etc. It is the wild west of the internet, not a controlled KH.

steve2

I don't have a big problem when people jump on my topics and use profanity, ad hominem attacks, etc. It is the wild west of the internet, not a controlled KH.

Yes, you're right. It's both the good and the not-so-good about the internet: Freedom to advance a point of view and the freedom of (some) others to become personal. Your good grace is noted and I admire the way you haven't resorted to kind. Even so, evangelism wears a little thin when it's routinely trotted out, especially given that most of us here on this forum have had our fill of the 'all-topics-lead-back-to-the-"Truth" mentality. I swear my maternal JW grandmother could turn any conceivable topic into an excuse to bring up "the Truth". It was excruciating for listeners (including little me ) .

On balance, however, it's great that more often than not, forums such as this one allow individuals to not only exchange ideas but have some fairly helpful discussions as well.

godrulz

I respect your legit point. I do have another light side that will eventually come out more. Perhaps we can start with a common enemy, the JW/WT Borg (I understand those who have been in it have a much bigger personal cost/stake in the issue, but concerned Christians should not be dismissed as JW-like in our sincere efforts to commiserate and try to share a more biblical, balanced, positive perspective; I liked the youtube video that showed the sad, oppressed state of JWs and then their post-Jesus joyful state. There is rejoicing when one sinner repents; I would delight greatly to have any victim of any sort find true joy and freedom. For me, God's glory is paramount and it is grievous to see how it is impugned by false religion.

RayPublisher

Uhmmm ok back on topic...

@Flipper- You said:

My theory is that it's really the WT legal and corporate attorneys and behind the scenes movers and shakers businesswise who are controlling the GB members like puppets and pulling the real power strings . The GB are just the outward figureheads for rank and file JW's to look up to and are probably getting their direction from the business owners of the WT society.

I honestly disagree that's the case. Yes the legal dept and other pressures influence the GB, but the reasoning that THEY are the sole channel hasn't changed. In fact it has been strengthened and emphsized more and more in recent times. An old timer who used to work in the writing dept in the 70s and 80s told me that the writers regularly drop in these "The-GB-are-God's-instrument-on-earth" comments in unrelated articles to gain their trust and establish credibility with them. They are sprinkled into study articles on young ones, The life of Jesus, family, marriage, etc.

THEY are the ones holding the reins. This has been the mindest and policy at Bethel from its very inception. Power flowed from president to president and then into the GB-as-a-collective-leader in 1976, January 1. As was mentioned earlier, yes they hammer out their differences behind closed doors and ironically are the only ones among all of JWs that can freely express agreement/disagreement about scriptures, policies, etc. The legal dept. advises and warns, liberal elements within writing and the service desk exist tenuously and try to create change from within, but ultimately the GB masters set policy and rule with an iron hand inside a velvet glove. After all, Jehovah appointed them to GOVERN right? (See COC grant suiter's comment lol)

Anecdotes from a thousand websites, blogs, and post,s as well as audio/video testimonies, not to mention the published quotes from the literature bear this out.

1975

JWFreak, Thanks for the info. My question to you is this, since you've read the scriptures, how many loyal men in powerful positions didn't abuse it? I've met and seen school janitors let their jobs go to their head, imagine those who are in higher positions?

1975

RayPublisher

JWFreak you have a PM

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

JWF, We would probably have a little different view since I got to know most of GB2.0 (after Losch) while they were in Service Dept. at Patterson, before they were appointed GB. It would be interesting to know how much they've changed since promotion to such powerful positions. Three things immediately come to mind from your OP:

1) None of them have much personality. They are company men, janitors pretending to be Jesus. Compared to the old-timers and visitors that would visit Bethel, these guys were BORING.

2) About Lett, I would rephrase that he appears "to care for people and takes his time to listen." An overseer leaked to me a conversation where Lett advocated kicking out a 15-year bethelite who had developed a health problem. Lett is the type that would use his smiling rubber face to convince someone to confide in him... and then he'd use the information against them.

3) I'm not sure the latest on Sam Herd, but his diabetes seemed to be bothering him and he could be terribly moody. On a good day, he could be cheerful and have an easy-going, up-beat morning worship. On a bad day, he'd look terrible and start everybody's day with a gruff, insulting morning worship.

godrulz

These guys appear to be cronies. Since they deny the Deity of Christ and the personality of the Holy Spirit, they are sinful men ruling in the flesh. This contrasts with godly servant leadership filled with the Spirit in the despised churches of 'Christendom'. It is hypocritical to rail against the pope/papacy when WT/GB is essentially the same thing (without as much light even).

Unrest in the Governing Body

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