The second generation drawers-of-water GB finally kicked Knorr in the ass by ending Gilead, his baby. How rude!
He can't even defend himself! His precious school of outstanding Bible scholarship is DEAD.
Could there be a little teensy-weensie bit of revenge mixed in with the more obvious cost-cutting?
A LOT of key players at Bethel back then literally hated Knorr. Mebbe a Knorr-purge is ahead... like a bad enema.
But the foot swings back and kicks their own butts:
The Last Popes of the Watch Tower
The Ray Franz debacle of 1979-1980 was much different than what is happening in the current world of the Watch Tower. In 1980 the Governing Body was cocky and proud of their new-found power and authority, and weren’t about to let someone like Raymond Franz upset their aspirations. They had recovered from the false prophecy of 1975 as being the end of the world, and the members were growing again in leaps and bounds. Like bullies in the schoolyard, they took their turns kicking in the heads of the dedicated workers at Bethel that dared to question them, some of whom had spent decades working there for $14 a month.
But 30 years later the world has changed. Religious and political dictators are losing power. Corporate secrets are being exposed daily. Facebook, Twitter, Wikileaks and countless whistleblowers abound. The Watch Tower is about to be launched into a world of hurt that they will never fully recover from again. They are afraid, and for the last couple of years have been plotting numerous strategies to survive.
The average JW does not see it coming, as the WT’s desperate strategies can no longer be couched in terms of “new light”, or divinely-inspired doctrinal changes. The Watch Tower is a worldly organization, and organizations will do whatever it takes to survive. Heads roll, lies are fed to the media, disposable volunteer workers representing potential liabilities are neutralized through legal maneuvers.
Nowadays, “new light” is used, not to advance the power of a few or cover past blunders, but to cover over actual criminal activity that has gone unnoticed for years. This comes at a bad time, as the money is not coming in as before (no one wants to buy or read their childish magazines and books) and the average Witness smells a turd in the cupboard. The gossip is all over the Internet among Witnesses.
Just a few years ago a brave elder by the name of Bill Bowen, as well as a Bethel Writing Staff member Barbara Anderson, followed by others, began exposing their longstanding practice of harboring pedophiles in the organization. Even elders and members of the Governing Body were implicated, particularly Ted Jaracz. It was discovered that pedophiles in some congregations had long been transplanted to where their dirty deeds were unknown. Lawsuits began to cost them millions of dollars to keep this hidden from the public. Dozens of cases, just the tip of the iceberg as we now can see, were taken to court and are still on the rise. In spite of their efforts to hide the bad PR, Jehovah’s face was getting dirty and looking pretty ugly. His “faithful and discreet slave,” supposedly the only spokesmen for God on earth, scrambled to seal the cracks by putting the blame on others. “Jehovah’s organization” must be vindicated at all costs! Typical corporate tactics.
“New light” was quickly devised. No one else claiming to be of the “anointed” was to be listened to as an authority. The number of Memorial partakers of the bread and wine was rendered meaningless by saying the door to heaven was never really closed, and the “anointed” (except for the great and powerful OZ, the “faithful and discreet slave” (aka the Governing Body), were the only ones to be listened to. But Toto has pulled back the curtain to expose the lies.
A Few Hidden Tactics
Space precludes showing the dozens of politically-motivated changes made just in the last couple of years under the cover of “new light” to keep the flock in the dark. Just a few recent ones:
- There is now a public and a “private” version of the Watchtower magazine. The public version puts on a nice face; the private version continually stresses loyalty only to the Governing Body, lest any competition arise claiming to be from Jehovah and of the “anointed” as well. Beware the “apostates”!
- No meetings are allowed, not even private congregational gatherings, without the direction of the Governing Body. JWs gossip a little too much and must be kept silenced!
- Higher education is “allowed” in the eyes of the public, but in the secret elders book and District Assembly talks, college is heavily warned against, and some elders who allow their children to go to college are being removed from positions of authority. Their qualifications are being “reviewed.” As a result, the number of elders is dwindling; but loyalty is more important, so let them go!
- An increase of the number of “publishers” keeps being reported as on the rise around the world, while Witnesses can see for themselves that in most Kingdom Halls, seats are emptier than ever before. Practically everyone smells a rat on their “reports.”
- Publishers are being asked to pay for more and more things, like suggested donations for attending assemblies. Parking fees have consistently been charged in spite of an agreement with convention centers that parking is free.
- Publishers are to pay for the books and magazines they take door-to-door, and if they receive any monies from the householder, it is to go back to New York, thus getting double the money. And if the magazine and book counter doesn’t send in enough money to cover the “free” literature, the congregation is cut off from receiving more until their “bill” is paid. They literally send them an bill!
- Those who persist in having accounts on social networks like Facebook and Twitter are also subject to a “re-evaluation” of their position as an elder, and if they allow their children to have such accounts, their position will also be “re-evaluated.” Note one example of the Watch Tower’s “loaded language” in the article, "Samples of Watchtower Using Mind Control in Enforcing Obedience."
http://www.freeminds.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2834:the-last-popes-of-the-watch-tower&catid=31:governing-body&Itemid=346
dogz
