Lowering the standards: The sign of a cult struggling for survival

by Hidden-Window 49 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Phizzy

  I have long thought that there are Puppeteers pulling the strings of the G.B and in real control of the JW Scam.

  What comes to mind is the British T.V Sit-Com "Yes Minister" and its later evolution to "Yes Prime Minister", both were really clever and funny takes on the true workings of Government, the figureheads, Ministers etc, being manipulated, rigidly controlled, by the Permanent Under Secretaries etc.

  I think the WT/JW Scam Org functions in eaxactly the same way, just as poor old Jim Hacker was fooled in to thinking all the ideas were his own, so do the G.B

  The changes we have seen , one after the other in recent times, are too astute to have come from the G.B themselves. They may though well turn out to be not very good decisions even though they are being made by cleverer and more worldly wise people than the G.B

  Lowering of Standards must be felt by long time JW's to be equivalent to a lowering of Quality.
• 

  punkofnice

  The changes we have seen , one after the other in recent times, are too astute to have come from the G.B themselves.

  Good Gawdon Bennett phuzzy....that's what I was lumbering around trying to say. Well put young fellow mi' lad.
• 

  stuckinarut2

  Great Thread!

  A very good thread for one of your first posts too!

  excellent points....

  Welcome Hidden-Window!
• 

  prologos

  Phizzy, yes minister!. Davis Splane's remark a year ago " we love this idea" (the 1919 F&DS) stood out for me in that connection. He did not say we love OUR idea, it sounded as if this new doctrine was profffered to them by the backgrounders, the helpers, the strategists, the tacticians.

  the Lett, Loesch and Morris seem not to be of the caliber to function at that level.

  light comes through hidden windows.
• 

  DesirousOfChange

  The greatest loss to the WTS has been that they have lost almost anyone with the ability to think & reason.

  This affects them all the way to the top. They used to have Fred Franz or even Ray Franz, and Ed Dunlap. Remember the level of writing there was in the older publications. That is all missing. Now they have Stephen Lett or Sam Herd, and someone who homeschooled & pioneered working in the Writing Dept.

  Same thing in the Congregations. Look at all the "former" elders who are here now. Only the brain-dead have stayed behind and have been moved up to the position/title of Elder.

  On the other hand, in the real world we have the internet -- the information age.

  They're fighting a losing battle.

  (Judging from the recent court cases, they might be using homeschooled pioneers to combat real lawyers.)

  Doc
• 

  millie210

  I am relatively new to the "eyes opened" mindset.

  I have for years gulped down the truth at face value. So I am way behind most of you in looking at things analytically.

  I do "sense" that there is more going on here then what appears on the surface.

  It seems like all of the sudden (meaning within a few brief years) the writing quality dropped off the shelf.

  The strategic buying/sellling of properties got very active.

  The lawsuits started pouring in.

  Readjustments in the 1914 doctrine that are ludicrous.

  I think we are looking at a split coming up.

  I think the GB at this point are figure heads like Queen Elizabeth is.

  Tolerated because the people "want" them but with little use or power really.
• 

  prologos

  Millie, I can not picture the Queen or her representatives talking about tight pants in her thrown speech. You comparison shows though, how far the GB has strayed from representing the supposed ruler of the cosmos.
• 

  Heaven

  While we can only hope that this cult is struggling for survival and one day fizzles out, the flip side to what you say is, it is far easier to be a JW these days with the lowered requirements.
• 

  punkofnice

  Look at all the "former" elders who are here now. Only the brain-dead have stayed behind and have been moved up to the position/title of Elder. - DoC

  Why thank you my good fellow

  There are some real dingbats left in the WBT$ now as there has been a bit of a brain drain. Most of the thinking, intelligent people I knew on the filthy, disgusting cult have now left.

  Although I had a bog standard education I took the time to read and study a lot on those nights when I stayed in due to having no friends in the 'world(tm)' and no one of my age in the lugubrious congregation where the condensation dripped down the foetit walls.

  I look back with distain and regret.

  I agree though that even though the older dublications were written by the deluded, they were at least more interesting:

  *** kj 377 20 Land of Magog No More to Threaten Mankind ***
  The unburied dead, those slain by Jehovah, will be so enormously many that even the carrion birds and scavenging wild beasts could never take care of their consumption. The burial of even what remains after these lower creatures have their fill would be stupendous. Doubtless the Almighty God will use some highly scientific means, whether including antimatter or not, to dispose of the surplus of decaying bodies in a speedy and sanitary way. This remains for the survivors of the war of the great day to see and witness.

  *** yw 322 12 The "Prince" of the Sanctuary Stands Up ***
  In this prophecy God warns that he will also use other natural forces that are at his disposal, possibly a rain of antimatter that has the property of annihilating any material thing that it meets. He warns all scoffers that he

  *** yw 323 12 The "Prince" of the Sanctuary Stands Up ***
  25. How could Jehovah God use these cosmic rays to affect the king of the north and the king of the south, and what other natural force might he use in his work?

  Strange ‘Awake!’ article titles:

  "Swiss- the Tasty Cheese With Holes In It"

  "Tree Frogs- Friend or Foe?’’

  "Are You Plagued With Loose Bowels?"

  "The Mighty Carrot."
• 

  Hidden-Window

  This affects them all the way to the top. They used to have Fred Franz or even Ray Franz, and Ed Dunlap. Remember the level of writing there was in the older publications. That is all missing. Now they have Stephen Lett or Sam Herd, and someone who homeschooled & pioneered working in the Writing Dept.

  Great observation. I remember the level of writing and the issues being covered on the magazines. Since I was intellectually curious since I was a teen, I loved reading articles that were of an intellectual nature. I remember, for instance, when Salman Rushdie was threatened by a Fatwa from Iran for the publication of The Satanic Verses. I first read of that through the Awake! magazine.

  Books like The Bible, God's Word or Man's? Revealed that the writers were well versed in History and Philosophy. You no longer see that type of stuff.

  Sometimes I think that they are trying to leave as little room as possible for intellectuals, since the more you think, the closer you get to figure out nonsense. As explained on my first post, I was an Elder for some years until I stepped down giving vague reasons (that I had to take care of some personal issues).

  I still attend meetings because I have a family that I am not planning to lose. But I will eventually fade.

  The point is that there were times a couple of years ago when I could freely comment on the Watchtower study without saying something I did not believe. Now this is less frequent. Almost every article has to do with promoting the WT or why this is the truth, etc. As a result of this, I rarely raise my hand.