by Joe Grundy 20 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Their MO is to say something along the lines of “We were wrong about X then, but our revised teaching about X is right.”
A few years down the road they can (and probably will) repeat the same mantra all over again about X.
They will NEVER admit to being wrong in the present tense. Did I mention NEVER?
Marvin Shilmer
15. Some have reasoned that because we have had to make minor adjustments in our understanding of God's Word, that perhaps holy spirit is not directing Jehovah's organization. This reasoning is dangerous. It can lead to questioning and even outright rebelling against Jehovah and his organizational arrangement. How tragic it would be if we allowed ourselves to "perish in the rebellious talk of Korah"!
15. (a) What have some reasoned, and why do you think it is foolish for some to reason this way? (b) What will happen to us if we question Jehovah's organization?
[not real, satire, it's been awhile, this paragraph was too short!]
--sd-7
| Re: Can You See GB Saying This: 'Maybe We Were Wrong' |
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No.
Cannot see it happening. Too bad, actually, because many honest, active JWs are whispering it already.
Frankly, I think this is what they actually need to do to turn things around. They need to admit that mistakes were made vs. saying the R&F was too anxious and expecting too much, as they did about 1975. Quit passing the blame.
(1) They need to admit 607BC is a bust. Just not true. It is the "doctrine" that causes the greatest fallout among JWs. Then do damage control on the 1914 issue it causes. They can still spin it that they are God's Best Religion or something like that.
(2) They need to abolish DFing except for extreme situations. And absolutely do away with any punishment against people who just want OUT! There is more damage being done by "faders" than they can control. They should just give them a Get Out Of "Jail" FREE card. And, return to the moderate treatment of those who leave or are DFd. Be humane. Act like Christians.
(3) Drop the Blood Policy. Total conscience matter (really -- no covert punishment). Period.
(4) To be successful in any future growth, they need to revamp the recruiting methods. D2D is just simply a waste of time, at least in the western world. Look at the Mormon TV commercials as an example. Yeah, it will cost money, but will it cost any more than all those printing presses and real estate? They could even get into their own religious TV Network, nationwide (US & Canada), then globally. Russell used the Photodrama, and Rutherford the phonograph. Both way ahead of their time. Today WTS still uses "scrolls".
(5) Finally, lighten up on things that are just not all that important, such as birthdays and nationalism. Accept "modest" birthday celebrations. (NO beheadings allowed!) Quit being hard@$$e$ on things like flag salute or national anthems. NO ONE thinks of a national anthem as a prayer or religious expression for the country. Canadian baseball players stand out of respect for the US anthem and vice-versa when they compete in professional games. Olympians of every nationality stand respectfully for all other anthems. WT makes it a big deal when it really is nothing.
The failure to do any of this is PRIDE. It's a horrible thing. NOT a fruitage of the Spirit. Admitting you were wrong takes humility and honesty.
Desirous Of Change, but not expecting any.
They would never say "we were wrong". How could they be God's representatives on earth then? They would say "we have new light" or "we have an increased understanding". They've said they were wrong plenty of times... they just never used the actual word wrong.
NEVER, admitting you mistakes requires true humility.
The WTS. has created a pseudo fictitious game around its publishing house, where they play as
god's only spokesman for all humanity.
Only problem is god didn't choose them, they choose themselves and built their own publishing house to support this acquired identity.
They will NEVER admit to being wrong. To admit outrightly to having been wrong would be the same as saying we did not receive info directly from God. Their assertion of being God's Sole Channel would go totally out the window. They are too arrogant to listen to anyone. They have destroyed so many lives and the fallout from admitting they were wrong would result in a great exodus from the organization IMO. We all know what happened to Ray Franz. No wonder they wanted to silence him, he was a humble man. It boggles the mind how they could possibly think they have God's approval. Leslie
Accept "modest" birthday celebrations. (NO beheadings allowed!)
Whenever JWs mentioned their stand on birthdays, I asked them, "So if John the Baptist had been beheaded at a wedding feast you would be against weddings, too?" Shuts them up every time.
Beyond the humility involved with expressing such an admittance, would be the courage needed while being in expectation of the organization losing a 1/3 of it's pew overnight and plenty more not long after that. Me personally I would respect the hell out of them if they man'd up and admitted that they were lead along just like the rest of us before waking up. Even if they came out and admitted they feared for the collapse of the organization as a reason for hesitating to coming out, I'd still have a significant measure of respect for them. I'd never want to be in the shoes of a religious leader whom people follow blindly right before dropping a bombshell like what this thread is imagining.
Yes, Humility. And No. NEVER gonna happen. After the collapse,what would they do? and where would they go? It is not a religious org. It is a business. It is a machine. It is their bread and butter. They are rulers of their own planet. And they control all of their citizens. Why change it?
