Poor little dubbies. They’re so optimistic. If ONLY the current GB would just die off, everything will get better, they think. This is the “Waiting for old Saul to die” syndrome that they’ve plucked from the Bible to try to explain why so many things are screwed up. “When Saul dies, Jehovah will turn the mantle over to the modern-day David and then he will bless us.”
Well, there’s a problem with this way of thinking. In the Bible, there was only ONE Saul. In the Watchtower religion, there has been a whole DYNASTY of Sauls. With the single exception of Chuck Russell, all Watchtower monarchs have been “Sauls.” ALL of them.
When Rutherford wrested the grip of power from Russell’s hand-picked successors in 1917, I’m sure those old Bible students had hoped that if and when Rutherford died, things would get better. They didn’t. During the next 25 years of absolute rule, Rutherford purged the ranks of Russell’s followers, took over control of all congregations, created a religious hierarchy identical to the Church he hated the most (RCC), invented a new name for his pet religion, divided salvation into two “classes,” banned vaccinations, cooked scripture to justify his living like a King in his own private castle, traveled first-class to Europe every year, and purposefully made his pet religion hated around the world.
Rutherford promoted himself as the world’s leading expert on the Bible. Many dubs, including the elite in Brooklyn just hoped he would die. “If only King Saul would die, things will be better.” Then he died. Only four people attended the funeral of the “world’s leading Bible expert.” His hand-picked successor Nathan Homer Knorr did not even bother to attend. Neither did his chief “scriptural chef,” Frederick William Franz.
“Things will get better now that Knorr is in charge,” dubbies thought. Well, Knorr was groomed in the Rutherford boot camp, and he was every bit as ruthless as his mentor. He had personal body guards, just like “Saul” his mentor. He was abrupt and heartless just like his mentor. Knorr was responsible for turning the WTS into a well-oiled, cold-blooded Corporate business machine. He created a missionary school, gave us the “New World Society”, banned blood transfusions, banned organ transplants, banned consensual marital sex, DF raped victims for not screaming, created the Mexico/Malawi hypocrisy. He was called “Papa” by Bethelites and everyone around him feared him.
But most importantly, he sent everyone into serious comas wherever he gave a talk from the platform. Some of those people are STILL in comas and may never recover.
“If only Saul would die, things will get better,” people thought. Then Knorr died.
Knorr was succeeded by FW Franz and everyone loved Franz. Surely things will get better. Many people don’t realize that it was Franz who created all major JW doctrine from about the 1930’s. Franz’s absolute cynicism allowed his non-existent conscience to dream up the bullshit about the “return of the Princes” to Beth Sarim so Rutherford could have a “Bible-based” excuse to live like a Sheik. His wacky and off-the-wall interpretations of the Bible proved time-after-time to be a major embarrassment for the WTS. He gave us 1975 and didn’t give a shit about how many people’s futures he destroyed because they were gullible enough to believe what he wrote was from Jehovah. He was the guy, who when asked by his nephew, Raymond Franz to identify members of the Faithful and Discreet Slave CLASS™ could only come up with one name: his own.
“If only Saul would die, things will get better,” people thought. Then Franz died.
By this time the mantle of Saul was entrenched in the hands of the Governing Body. Milton Henschel was not able to hold the absolute control of his predecessors.
As little as four years ago, my own sister who was serving in Bethel with her husband told me that she and her peers were waiting for the GB to die off, and THEN things would surely get better.
Today, the head “Saul” is Ted Jaracz, who is know as “The Boss.” What LOVING nicknames these men have! “The Judge,” “Papa”, and “The Boss.” Jaracz appears to be in good health and I’ve been told that the GB pretty much goes along with everything he wants. What’s going to happen when THIS Saul and the other old GB members finally die off? Well, the four new boys in the GB were all hand-picked by “The Boss” for their loyalty and even ruthlessness in carrying out his orders. That being the case, we have “little Sauls” in training to continue the pattern started over 80 years ago.
Poor little dubbies: waiting for “Saul” to die off, when those “Sauls” breed clones of themselves faster than rabbits.
If “Jehovah” was ever going to get rid of the Watchtower “Sauls,” he would have done it two generations ago. He didn’t and they’re still with us. They will always be with us.
Farkel