Updated chapter shows how and when the WTS's GB was created

by Doug Mason 3 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Doug Mason

  UPDATE:
  
  I have reviewed and rewritten one Chapter of my Study.
  
  The updated Version 2 is available at:
  http://www.jwstudies.com/Did_a__Governing_Body__govern_Paul__Part_1_-_The_Study_.pdf
  
  The updated Chapter is available at:
  http://www.jwstudies.com/Updated_chapter_Did_a_Governing_Body_govern_Paul.pdf
  
  It shows how and when the Watchtower Society's Governing Body was created.
  
  Doug
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  Phizzy

  Thanks Doug, I will read it later, I should be working now.

  Thanks again for all your work.
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  St George of England

  Very interesting, I had not realised the term governing body had been used much before 1971.

  Many thanks

  George
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  Doug Mason

  St G,

  I see the actions in 1971 as one step that started in 1944. I hope I have shown the context, as reported in the 1944 articles: the Society had been instituted as a democracy (Rutherford was almost voted out and while in prison in 1919 said he would never allow that to happen again). In 1938, Rutherford brought out his change from a democracy to a "theocracy".

  He died in 1942 and it was left to his business manager Knorr to institute organisational change. When he brought in his top-down control system, he included a Board of Directors ("Governing Body"). Franz created a religious rationale. The changes required a change in the original Charter, and the changed WT Charter had to be registered as being accepted with the secular authorities.

  The roles and responsibilities continued to be thrashed out, and these were addressed in subsequent years, of which 1971 was a key date.

  The "Faithful and Wise Servant" was in the WT vocabulary from Russell's time, and Rutherford wrote a major article in the 1927 Watchtower magazine.

  The GB was made to be the "representative" of the FDS, who were all the 144,000 still on planet earth. Gradually, the term FDS became colloquially synonymous with the GB. The two threads (FDS and GB) thus gradually grew closer until the inevitable happened and the two merged in 2012 when the GB staged its takeover.

  At least, that is how I see it.

  Doug