Latest convention brochure on,,, the Governing Body

by cedars 106 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  00DAD

  Interesting in that "Organizational Chart" of JWs is the myth about the "Faithful & Discreet Slave" and their theoretical involvement.

  Regarding the anointed, the GB recently said this:

  • "We thus have no way of knowing the exact number of anointed ones on earth; nor do we need to know. The Governing Body does not keep a list of all partakers, for it does not maintain a global network of anointed ones." - Question From Readers, w2011 8/15 p. 22 - Emphasis added

  Amazingly, the GB publicly admits that it does not know those who profess to be of the anointed class. They do "not maintain a global network of anointed ones" which is of course also those individuals who would comprise the "Faithful and Discreet Slave" (FDS):

  • "all of the anointed ones living on earth at any given time constitute 'the faithful and discreet slave' that Jesus said would provide timely 'food' for his domestics."- w07 11/1 p. 30 par. 12

  So if the GB does not know WHO they are are WHERE they are, certain questions quite naturally come to mind.

  • How exactly does the FDS class communicate with the GB?
  • How exactly does the FDS as a group coordinate with the GB in the providing of spiritual food?
  • How exactly is the FDS class involved with the selection of the GB members?
  • How exactly do the individual members of the FDS class participate in any way, shape or form in the all-important role they are allegedly assigned according to this doctrine?
  • How do they share in the development and supplying of the spiritual "food"?
  • What sort of input do any of the thousands of FDS members around the globe have into the deliberations or decisions of the GB?
  • How does the GB reach out to the FDS class to seek and obtain their input?

  Has the GB at anytime or anywhere even made an attempt at explaining the mechanism(s) for how any of this supposedly works and how the FDS and the GB allegedly interact? If you look for specific answers to these questions in WT literature you'll be disappointed. They aren't there.

  But a partial answer to these questions is found in a Watchtower from 2009 which made this comment:

  • "Are all these anointed ones throughout the earth part of a global network that is somehow involved in revealing new spiritual truths? No." - w09 6/15, p. 24

  So returning to our OrgChart with that answer in mind, we can now conclude that the bit about the role of the F&DS is a complete myth. This is very important because it is the concept of the F&DS from which the GB derives their authority. The concept is a myth and their authority is merely an assertion based on that myth.

  Something to think about!
• 

  panhandlegirl

  Quendiwrote:

  Many of us Witness veterans can remember when WTS literature would talk about "types" and "antitypes", "typical" and "antitypical" fulfillments of Bible prophecy. There is a school of theology which holds that the Bible is deeply allegorical and full of symbolic dramas. There is Biblical precedent for this as can be seen in the discussion in the book of Hebrews about Sarah and Hagar. Many took that discussion and ran with it, applying it to the Bible as a whole

  I remember all of those "types" and "antitypes" and those different classes they placed people into. Those studies used to be "deep." It made you think you were learing something important. Who would have thought it was meaningless, imo.
• 

  Room 215

  Quendi, what "expunged" the "types" and "antitypes" theology from the current JW lexicon is that death of Fred Franz, and the subsequent lack of anyone remotely capable of donning his mantle. The current seven-man GB is a singularly unimpressive lot of apparatchiks, not one of whom does any writing for the publications. During their watch, the once highly-anticipated "new light" book releases of prophetic commentary at yearly conventions have under given way to fluffy, insubstantial Bible Atlases, glitzy brochures of self-promoting revisionist JW history, DVDs, CDs, songbooks, etc.
• 

  kurtbethel

  So they toggle between "the governing body do not consider themselves to be leaders" and "follow those taking the lead among you" as needed. They even equate the governing body to the Christ. The cognitive dissonance of those who are still holding on to some rationality must be immense.

  There is a fallout from this nonsensical doctrine. It breaks cognitive functions so severely that some members are unable to distinguish the corporation from God.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZcf9_EHc4g
• 

  00DAD

  Freethinker: It's also important that you be fair though .. a lot of people at the door that are rejecting you are not necessarily rejecting God, they are rejecting the organization.

  JW: They're the same thing, it's the exact same thing!
• 

  Quendi

  @ 00DAD: That's an excellent analysis you give and it should raise questions among any Witnesses who have retained a shred of their power of reason. The way things are done now, however, is not the way they were done in the past. There was a time when the upper echelon decision makers in Brooklyn actively collaborated with other Witnesses around the world on matters of doctrine. Some of these collaborators professed to be of the anointed and some did not. But all of them actively contributed to the development of WTS theology. As a matter of fact, their collaboration was sought and expected. Fred Franz, although he was the power behind the throne before the creation of the Governing Body, was considered the organizations "chief theologian". He built a network of researchers with whom he consulted fairly regularly. That network has been abandoned now because the current ruling clique has no real interest in Biblical research, scholarship or hermeneutics. That's why they don't bother to discover who among the Witnesses professes to be anointed. They don't want their input and have made that as clear as glass in The Watchtower and other publications these last five years or so.

  @ Room 215: You're right to point to the death of Fred Franz as the line of demarcation with respect to what has happened to the quality and even quantity of printed material from Brooklyn from that time forward. I can remember the time when convention releases were the high point of those gatherings and were eagerly awaited and enthusiastically received. And while the teachings expounded were false, the publications themselves were well written and stimulated all kinds of discussion among those who had a real interest in Bible prophecy.

  The reason nobody has donned Fred Franz's mantle is because no successors were groomed to do so. One reason is because nobody at WTS headquarters really expected to still be operating in this "system of things". They were certain that the world would end sometime in the 1970s or shortly thereafter. As those hopes faded and were finally dashed, the organization stagnated. Nothing was done to train a new generation of leaders who could keep things going as they had before. Then came the digital revolution beginning in the 1990s and the organization was totally unprepared for what that meant to communication and information technology.

  Those who could have helped the organization adapt and regain momentum were purged or shut out of any decision-making responsibilities. The result was the rise of men to the top positions who were timid, diffident, ignorant, uneducated and extremely conservative. Iniative was stifled. Curiosity was damned. Innovation was accepted begrudgingly. Now the WTS is in the hands of men who are interested only in remaining in power no matter what the cost. They are doing what despots have done in the past: creating a personality cult that will keep the rank-and-file in line--or so they hope. But I have the feeling that their hope will lead to bitter disappointment.

  Quendi
• 

  00DAD

  Quendi, thanks for the kind words. Of course things have changed over the years in the leadership of the WTBTS. Perhaps in the past, they were more open to input from the anointed. But even then it would have been a fantastically small percentage of the total number of "anointed" at any given time.

  it is apparent then that AT NO TIME has there ever been a "F&DS" as taught in the WT:

  • "all of the anointed ones living on earth at any given time constitute 'the faithful and discreet slave' that Jesus said would provide timely 'food' for his domestics."- w07 11/1 p. 30 par. 12

  Never have "all of the anointed" been actively involved in the preparation of the spiritual "food" as WT mythology would have us believe. It does appear that lately the GB has been ever more dismissive of their "anointed brethren".

  The fact is, IF the "anointed" are not involved in the preparation of the "food", THEN they are NOT part of the alleged "F&DS". IF THAT is the case, THEN the WTBTS's definition of the "F&DS" is incorrect. Their is no such thing as the F&DS. It is/was/and always has been only an illustration by Jesus on the subject of spiritual attentiveness.

  00DAD

  PS - Quendi you have an EM
• 

  Chariklo

  kurtbethel wrote

  There is a fallout from this nonsensical doctrine. It breaks cognitive functions so severely that some members are unable to distinguish the corporation from God.

  As so often, my elderette study conductor and her elder husband were of this mind. Rejecting the GB is rejecting Jehovah. Thus, disobeying the GB is rejecting Jehovah's loving provision for his followers, and is also rejecting Jesus and his dear kingship.

  Yes, that is word for word.
• 

  bobld

  Just after their release of "Good news from God" brochure and telling people that what we

  preach is from the Bible.And telling people see this is from the Bible and not from some mags

  or publication.

  They go right to their fork-tongue,fibbers,liars and tell us to direct the people to the Governing

  Body brochures.HYPOC.........HYPO///HYPO
• 

  Quendi

  What bobld shared reminded me of an experience a Witness in Colorado had. He was severely criticized for going door-to-door offering householders a free Bible study without using WTS publications but the Bible alone. His reply to the critics was to say if we offered Bible studies to people, then that is what we should use, that the Bible should be the only "publication" examined. If we did anything else, then we were liars and perceptive householders would see that. He went further and said that if we were real Bible students, then we shouldn't fear using the Bible alone in the field service. The silence which followed those words was deafening.

  Quendi