Exactly so. I've been comparing the Watchtower to the Soviet Empire for years now because it fits so well - even to the points that both organizations were born in the events leading out of WW1 and the fact that it's young people volunteered to be (Red) "Pioneers" !
Most folks on this site simply repeat the same idea over and over: 'the Watchtower will be around for years to come', 'it's not going anywhere' and the like.
The defect in these notions is that they fail to recognize that the Watchtower's resources could soon transform into liabilities, if they haven't done so already. Publishers are becoming a problem instead of a solution.
Consider the example of many long term Bethelites: one day you're a valuable asset to the Watchtower and the next day they toss you in the street. 'Your services are no longer required, Brother'.
In the case of the USSR, Eastern Europe was intended as a vital part of its empire, a resource but over time, that changed. They became too expensive to hold on to. They became a liability.
And Publishers? They waste literature. They fake hours. They skip meetings. They may be seen by governments as representatives of the WTS and thus, part of a hierarchy that allows lawsuits to move up the ladder. Don't think so? Tell me what the h*ll the Service Meeting is designed to accomplish? It sure looks like a sort of "Amway" to me.
7 million publishers can be cheaply replaced with a rack of servers and some software.
metatron
