Who Pays The Ferryman....? (page 3)

belbab

Nathan Knorr's infamous remark to my wife many years ago when she asked him how he could sleep at night being aware of the pitted trail that the WTS left behind it, is very telling, "I leave these things to Jehovah to deal with". It shows the ease with which people can come to terms with the foulest deeds if they can pass on the responsibility to others.

In a post some months ago, after 9-11 disaster perpretrated by fanatics, I asked a question, Who said these words, Go to your assignments and DIE there if necessary? No one replied to ask me, and I forgot about the post til now.

The answer to the above question.

Nathan Homor Knorr, in a address to the 34th class of Gilead at South Lansing,in 1960, told the students, GO TO YOUR ASSIGNMENTS AND DIE THERE IF NECESSARY!

If it wasn't for some loving brothers in my former congregation, I would not be here to write you these words.

[i]We shall not forget

Thanks Hillary and Compassionate Wife, for creating the space here for me to write these words, You have broken through my hard exterior crust and allowed the tears to flow from my eyes.

belbab, forty years isolated away in the cold.

GinnyTosken

Hillary_step,

Your essay is powerful. The description of "death by non-life" is especially poignant.

Here are some questions I have after reading your thoughts.

If the thinking of an elder, CO, DO, etc, is changed, it makes little difference to the WTS and normally results in their rapid expulsion from the WTS. Change the thinking of a member of the GB and doctrine changes with it. This clearly shows who bears the responsibility for the blood that now 'cries out' to be avenged.

Is it possible to change the thinking of a member of the GB? If so, how? What works? Do the members of the GB truly believe their own dogma? Do they truly believe that Jehovah is guiding them exclusively? Or is it an excuse, a con? Have they deceived even themselves?

Whether these men are deliberately evil or criminally insane, how can the harm be stopped? The Watchtower Society has become a Hydra of corporations. Each corporation enables a body of men to legally act as one individual. Is it possible to persuade these corporate entities to change? If not, how can they be held liable and forced to pay the ferryman? If they cannot be forced to pay, can they be legally strait-jacketed from causing further harm?

The GB seem quite content to blame God for these deaths, but their collective consciences seem unable to grasp the realties of what has really happened here, that is - that they have consistently enforced policies that have killed people and then absolve their own part in these deaths, by passing on the blame to God for instructing them to do it.

I agree that the GB shoulders a heavy share of blame for deaths--by shifting policy, by disfellowshipping, and by non-life. At the same time, I do not want to forget the share shouldered by the followers themselves for choosing to give these men power over their lives.

Several speakers for the Commission highlighted this paradox: What is odd about cults is that, particularly during the process leading to membership, the victim is an actor [‘actor’ in the literal sense of one who acts, one who does, is not a passive victim]. A certain parallel can be established with the stages of drug addicts: "We have controversies with parents of drug addicts. These parents think--and in a way, they’re right--that without the horrible dealer their child would be an angel. They forget the nine tenths of the way that the unfortunate child traversed, responsibly or not, but of his own will, to go into the arms of the aforesaid dealer. One should not forget the voluntary share of the follower, who is not an imbecile that one would manipulate - it is you and me--, but (...) who went deliberately." In this light, the cult recruiters could be regarded as "dealers of transcendence." In this respect, an analogy used by a person heard by the Commission seems to clearly illustrate the conscious character of the steps of the future follower: "Cults are not a net that falls down on people, but a lobster trap into which they swim."
from "Les Sectes en France," December 22, 1995

How can we prevent people from swimming into the lobster trap? How can we help those caught in the trap to escape?

I hope to see efforts continue at both ends--dismantling the lobster trap set by the GB, and giving people the information they need to make informed decisions so they will not swim into the lobster trap in the first place.

Ginny

Soledad

bttt

waiting

Just wanted to slip in here and say HOWDY, GINNY! Hope everything's going well for you and your family? GOOD!!!!

Hope this isn't going to be an isolated post incident on your part - lots of us miss you here.

waiting

hillary_step

Ginny,

I am working on an answer to your thought-provoking questions....I will return...lol

Best regards - HS

Reborn2002

This post should be copied onto a flyer and placed on the windshield of every JW in every congregation across the globe.

It truly touched my heart.

Excellent post.

SixofNine

.

Six- webmaster of www.silentfawns.com

GinnyTosken

Waiting,

Thank you for your kind words. It's always nice to be missed.

Things are going much better now than they were.

I feel I allowed my priorities to get out of balance for awhile, and plan to spend less time on JW.com than I once did. I still enjoy peeking in and can't resist commenting sometimes.

Hillary_step,

I understand that there aren't easy answers to my questions. I also imagine that the motivations of the GB are likely mixed and obscured from even themselves.

I hoped to generate ideas with these questions. Has the GB only responded to legal force and/or publicity? Are they influenced by money or statistical changes in baptisms, hours, and attendance? I'm trying to think of times past in which they've changed harmful doctrine. What caused them to change? What's likely to work again?

At the other end, how can a person be helped to make an informed decision about whether to become one of Jehovah's Witnesses? Publicity obviously helps in this regard. What if ex-JWs are not careful and are overly harsh in statements about JWs? What if we make statements that are inaccurate? Will that sort of publicity backfire and make people more curious about JWs?

Ginny

Makena1

Hillary - just want to add my applause to the prior ones for an incredible post. It really hit home for me.

The flawed blood policy, DF or threat of DF, and the depression inducing exhortations to "do more", we are good for nothing slaves, wait on Jehovah, double standards....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Hoping to share this with a bible study/close friend who is still in the borg.

Mak

larc

Hi Ginny,

It is so good to see you again. I did miss you. Please take care.

Who Pays The Ferryman....?

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