Why BOGUS PREDICTIONS and CHANGEABLE TEACHINGS only strengthen JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES

by TerryWalstrom 23 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  TerryWalstrom

  Today's JW knows less about the history of the Watchtower religion than ever before.

  There is NO NEED to know. Only the present moment of New Light has meaning.

  There are too many enemies surrounding JW's to risk learning something faith-weakening.

  Such as facts. ___________________
  

  GETTING AWAY WITH IT

  The Watchtower religion (Jehovah's Witnesses) has been 'getting away with it' since 1874.

  Setting dates built on false chronology, pyramidology, slanted quotations about world events, and misrepresenting their own authority, (channel of Jehovah) is a profitable enterprise for the Watchtower org.

  How do we know they 'get away with it'?

  The membership continues to increase despite the best efforts of former members to blow the whistle and reveal damning facts.

  Why are the Governing Body so slippery?

  Here are a few common sense reasons.

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  REASON #1

  Question: Who does this religion lose when their promises fail?

  Answer: Those loyal to facts and intellectual honesty than to the leaders and the organization.

  Question: Who remains behind no matter what they teach?

  Answer: Those loyal to men and not to evidence of false and misleading teachings.

  Conclusion: By predicting false dates the Watchtower Society rids itself of the very people who--if they remained inside--would raise doubts and question authority, perhaps swaying others toward insubordination. When doubters are DF'd or leave of their own accord, only the hardcore loyalists remain. Due to cognitive dissonance, they are strengthened in their personal resolve to view the Organization as true, just, and right no matter what. The GB label ex-members as god-haters, apostates, mentally diseased and infected by demonic disloyalty.

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  REASON #2

  By pumping up the rhetoric around events such as 1975, frightened people are baptized into the cult quivering in fear of destruction. Once absorbed into the "us versus them" Kingdom Halls, the newly converted are radicalized into cult behavior which marks them as weird to outsiders.

  Question: Why don't Newbies leave when the scary dates pass without incident?

  Answer: Once you think and act like a cult member there is no longer a place for you outside the Organization where the 'worldly' are seen as a dying breed of satanic losers.

  The weak-minded will repeat the phrase, "Where would I go? Back to Christendom and false and paganized celebrations, doctrines, and practices?"

  Conclusion: Black and white thinking has a remarkable paralyzing effect on people who don't celebrate social opportunities for bonding with their fellow citizens. By becoming indoctrinated into seeing patriotism as devil worship, Christmas as pagan, birthdays as ungodly--new members are driven deeper into the duped flock.

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  REASON # 3

  The application of peer pressure to conform is reinforced constantly. Family and friends are encouraged to snitch out misdeeds or missteps. Contrarily, the flops and misses of the G.B. are waved away by saying, "They're only human." Few outright admissions of wrong teaching have ever been aired from the top. What is dispensed comes in the form of oily blame-shifting efforts, double-talk, and mushy excuses.

  Illogically, the leaders aren't allowed to be seen as "only human" when proclaiming worldwide destruction based on baseless claims in the first place; only after it all goes wrong.

  ____________________________

  REASON # 4

  Human nature is such we seek to avoid loss and this aversion makes us susceptible to something called 'framing effects.' In other words, you'll react positively or negatively depending on whether a piece of information is presented to you as a LOSS or a GAIN.

  QUESTION: How does this work vis-a-vis false prophesy?

  Answer: The Watchtower presents Armageddon as a fearful expression of Jehovah's wrath on those who are NOT part of His Organization.

  So, acting out of fear of loss---JW's are moved deeper inside the org.

  When the prophecy fails--it is presented as a GAIN of time to save more people by active witnessing. Jehovah has acted with mercy. (It is positive.)

  SUNK COST FALLACY becomes active: "Well, I've come this far as a faithful JW--I can't throw it all away now and miss out on paradise and seeing my dead loved ones again."

  ____________________

  REASON # 5

  
  

  Everything is a test.

  When the G.B. is wrong--IT IS A TEST of your faith. "Wait on Jehovah" and never start complaining or asking touchy skeptical questions!

  The critics of Jehovah's Witnesses, the skeptics, and the Apostates are waiting to test you

  by getting you to read tricky, satanic articles and watch devilish videos on YouTube. Your loyalty is tested by refusing to listen or think for yourself.

  Becoming deaf, dumb and blind in the face of free-thinking and independent study is the true TEST of your loyalty, faith, and trust in Jehovah.

  CONCLUSION:

  Today's JW knows less about the history of the Watchtower religion than ever before.

  There is NO NEED to know. Only the present moment of New Light has meaning.

  There are too many enemies surrounding JW's to risk learning something faith-weakening.

  Such as facts.

  . . .
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  FusionTheism

  Thank you for your post.

  The only thing I would add to it, is that the current GB ("Governing Body 2.0") definitely is more open and honest and transparent in the new publications about their past errors, even though, as you point out, they don't really have to be.

  For example, there was no urgent need for them to talk about all their past errors and mistakes with the Types/Antitypes and Parables, but they made a huge deal about it, and about going through and correcting those views.

  They also made a big point at the 2014 Annual Meeting Talk about how bad Russell's Pyramidology was. There was really no urgent need to do that, but they brought it up anyway.
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  TerryWalstrom

  Here is how I inelegantly characterize the Governing Body's new 'transparency.'

  Should we praise you for shitting your pants and finally admitting it stinks?

  For almost a century, the GB acted as though they had not shit their pants repeatedly.

  If you hinted it stunk, they'd quickly pounce on you for criticizing Jehovah's anointed.

  But now---one hundred years after the failed 1914 prediction, when every ex-J-Dub with a YouTube account has pounded them senseless---they finally admit to a wee stench.

  Aww, bless em'!
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  Finkelstein

  Well said Terry and bitingly truthful as well.
  

  Todays Jws are blindly ignorant to the activities and operations of the WTS's past.

  Again that has been done so with great attentiveness by the WTS leaders, such as making sure none of the old publications from the organization are available to read or see.

  Part of that is of course is done with the intent of retaining followers and the continuation of alluring followers.
  
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  Finkelstein

  Reflectively one can see that this religious publishing house was founded and nourished on self supporting theological bullshit by a long string of self serving opportunistic men. The rooted structure of the entire organization was established by a self motivated man (C T Russell) and his desire to propagate his own uniquely devised Gospel of Christ's return and what both good and bad was going to happen as a result of this return.

  They were certainly attention grabbing doctrines which no doubt helped in the proliferation of the literature these men published, irregardless of not being participially backed by accurate bible interpretation.
  

  To me I see it as a standing example of the freedom of religious expression structured as it is by the US government's own constitutional act.
  
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  Magnum

  FusionTheism: The only thing I would add to it, is that the current GB ("Governing Body 2.0") definitely is more open and honest and transparent in the new publications about their past errors, even though, as you point out, they don't really have to be.

  For example, there was no urgent need for them to talk about all their past errors and mistakes with the Types/Antitypes and Parables

  I disagree. I believe the current GB is just as deceptive and calculating as any that preceded it. It seeks to promote the org and hide its past. It is moving rapidly toward an arrangement that will not allow for research into its past teachings, writings, and policies and its history. The online library and other pubs can be altered at any time, and any parts they want to hide can be eliminated.

  They only reason they did what they did about the types/antitypes is that it suits their purpose; it was not for the sake of honesty and transparency. They are moving towards a less technical, less doctrinal approach so they can't/won't be questioned and challenged so often. JWism is becoming more about practical application because the higher-ups realize that they lost and can't defend their former more technical and complicated theology. They don't have Freddy to run to anymore (he couldn't defend the doctrine, either, but at least many thought he could, and that gave them a false sense of confidence).

  As I said, this GB is just as deceptive as ever. They're deceptive about finances. They're deceptive about the huge money they make on disaster relief. They're deceptive and nowhere near transparent about the org's history. Do you really think they want everybody to have access to the complete history of the org??? Yeah, they might mention things like Russell's pyramidology, but again, only if it suits their purpose. If, as you said, they did mention the pyramidology, it's only for PR reasons - to take ammo away from their opposers. It allows them to say "oh yeah, we've acknowledged that.". It also prepares individual JWs to hear about the pyramidology and not be disturbed by it. They will reason that the wonderful, humble GB has already acknowledged that and they won't think a thing about it.

  The GB is very strategic. Don't think for a minute there's anything open or honest or transparent about it.
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  Magnum

  Terry, excellent! I agree with all of it. I'm going to copy and save the material (hope you don't mind). I've been thinking about reason #1 a lot lately. It seems to me that it's sort of like natural selection. The situation, by its nature, selects those who are not loyal to facts and who are not intellectually honest (and maybe just plain not intelligent). Those who are intelligent, honest, reasonable, etc. are weeded out, and I think the org wants it that way.
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  BluesBrother

  reason #1 says it all.

  They cannot afford for people to think. Blind faith and unquestioning obedience to the central doctrine and the human leaders are what is required. ....It is amazing that I have to say this about the WTS. Some years ago I would have said it about the Catholic Church, and boy! did we not go to town on them for it ....Sadly I was following a religion that has developed the same authoritarian structure.

  If you are true to your conscience, you cannot be a J W
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  Finkelstein

  Any old light from the organization is to abandoned and disregarded, its todays light thats most important and what we as faithful and devoted JWS should teach, todays light after all is from god's own guiding truthful holy spirit.

  This is Jehovah's provision and arrangement as his faithful, obedient and chosen organization.
  
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  John Aquila

  Great post Terry, thanks!

  But now---one hundred years after the failed 1914 prediction, when every ex-J-Dub with a YouTube account has pounded them senseless---they finally admit to a wee stench.

  If it wasn’t for YouTube, I would still be in that stinking, foul-smelling organization inhaling its wee stench. And it’s true that the WTS is still growing, but not like when I came in the early 70s, when growth was around 15-18% a year. Now it’s only 2%

  . So people can smell the stench and they just can’t stand it anymore. The only ones that continue to stay are the ones that have smelled it so much-(Sunk Cost fallacy) that they love the smell.