Is This Current Governing Body As Bad As Previous Ones!

by minimus 51 Replies latest jw friends

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  Vidiot

  Julia Orwell - "Authoritarian regimes traditionally go one of two ways: they become more liberal and go more mainstream...or they become more radical like Hitler and North Korea. I see the GB becoming more radical."

  Oh, totally.

  Progressive reform's been off the table for a long time now, and the WT heirarchy's feeling so besieged that an increasingly extremist stance is virtually inevitable.

  Which will serve two purposes; radicalization will help winnow out all but the most die-hard loyalists, and the resultant negative reaction from the larger world will reinforce the Org's persecution complex.

  It ain't gonna be pretty.
• 

  SAHS

  “Julia Orwell”: “Authoritarian regimes traditionally go one of two ways: they become more liberal and go more mainstream...or they become more radical like Hitler and North Korea.”

  Indeed. And modern religious groups either go the way of progressive, liberal Protestant-type denominations, such as the United Church, or they turn into the outlandish and rather bizarre cults, such as the Scientologists, Moonies, Branch Davidians, etc.

  For the Watchtower religion, . . . . well, let’s just say that I’m waiting for a big showdown with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives versus the new Warwick compound. With all the children and babies continuing to die because of the WTS’ ridiculous blood sh^t, not to mention the many victims of depression and suicide because of being shunned by their families, in obedience to this “loving” provision from the WTS, I think something has got to come to a head one way or another.
• 

  minimus

  All hardliners, now.
• 

  L3G

  In my years of visiting this site, I have noticed numerous "golden lines" from diverse posters, and sometimes several can be found in a good thread. That's surely the case here.

  Donut hole has come up with a real winner:

  "Past Governing Bodies were content to pull strings from the background. This Governing Body can't help but to plaster their faces on everything."

  So has Gayle:

  "Knorr and Franz could hide behind the "curtain" more, to create their seeming more mysterious in the minds of their followers. But now, with media and Internet, the GB are having to get more 'public.' Talks are more easily recorded and taped to be sent everywhere. This GB are stuck but playing it all they can, but are seeming to enjoy it."

  Likewise kneehighmiah has some fine insights:

  "The old GB seemed to hide behind the scenes. This new GB is attempting to be charismatic leaders. This produces apathy or revolt in countries like the US, but fervor and zeal in 3rd world uneducated countries. I was in a South American country during a recent GB visit, the first one in years. It was insane. A long line of people who wanted pictures and to just shake his hand. The americans and bethelites didn't really care. we in america don't like being told what to do. 3rd world countries love dictators."

  THESE COMMENTS ARE SO RIGHT ON----Thank you!

  Question for Vidiot:

  When you say "Progressive reform's been off the table for a long time now," do you mean since Ray Franz's exit? You're sure right about them feeling besieged! That explains a lot about their policies and decision making.
• 

  Finkelstein

  Is just a simple occurrence now with so much information available on the Net revealing the WTS. lies and

  corruption of this religious publishing house, that the leaders of this organization are so ardently pursuing

  to protect the organization from their own established position of the organization ?

  .

  The recent talks concerning watching out for potential apostates and the recomfrimng that elders

  should obey and be loyal to the GB on all matters tells a tale of paranoia from the GB men themselves.

  .

  All the exposure the WTS is getting on the net is relieving the true operational workings of the WTS.

  from its past to this day and the GB heads have no control over that.

  .

  The GB in a sense are in a information war in the media, one by any honest speculation says that

  over time the WTS. might eventually loose. In the past the WTS. could subdue information they didn't want

  exposed to the public by removing literature that was deemed unuseful or muzzle people who posed

  objections to the doctrines at Kingdom Halls by DFing people.

  .

  Now they have something much worse then that, its the new age of information available on the inter-net

  which they have no control over and never will toward the information that is readily there.
• 

  wizzstick

  Years ago, back in the 80s, I can remember a good JW friend of mine saying that unlike the clergy the GB were unseen. You could walk pass one at a DC and you wouldn't know them from anyone else. Their picture weren't in the magazines so they were pretty anonymous.

  That was true back then, I couldn't have pointed them out. But the Proclaimers book began a change. And today they are everywhere. They just love their faces on videos and so on.

  Another change for the worse that played on my mind when I was in.
• 

  Vidiot

  L3G - "When you say 'Progressive reform's been off the table for a long time now', do you mean since Ray Franz's exit?"

  Not completely, but in significant part; Ray was the lone voice of reason and compassion (and they figuratively crucified him for it).

  The way I see it, Rutherford started the Org across the bridge to authoritarianism, Ray Franz tried unsuccessfully to turn it back at the halfway point, and Ted Jaracz’s iron-fisted reign burned the bridge behind it.

  When you’ve painted yourself too tightly into an ideological corner, all that’s left is to climb the walls; i.e. increased extremism and marginalization.
• 

  factfinder

  Is it too far fetched to think that future yearbooks will feature biographies of Gb members instead of the history of the witnesses in different countries each year?

  Perhaps a new 32 page monthly magazine: GB, with features on different GB members each issue, to be distributed door to door!

  New books will be about the GB members and their life stories!

  Framed portraits of each gb member will be provided to each KH to be prominatly displayed.

  Visitors to Bethel , especially the new world headquarters in Warwick, will see the gb prominently featured in displays and videos.

  A new 32- page brochure entitled: "The Governing Body- Who Are They? What do they do? Why honor and obey them?" will be released at the DC in over 1,000 languages and a special campagn to distribute them door to door will be announced!

  Each issue of both editions of the w will feature an article about a gb member each month.

  I'm sure the GB would love this.
• 

  minimus

  The GB are humble men.
• 

  hamsterbait

  OMG!! What a hideous thought: GB Magazine. Preferably without a nude centerfold.... mind you most of them are so fat, they wouldnt even fit onto two pages with a staple on their nads.

  HB