Bethel Lurkers! Let People Go

by metatron 16 Replies latest jw friends

  • metatron
    metatron

    It should be obvious by now that the Society's vindictive policies
    are having a negative effect. How many angry and disgruntled
    victims will it take to realize that the Society needs to make
    changes in the way it handles disagreements on doctrine or policy?

    Why is the present situation so stupid? Please consider:

    Why not instruct elders that Witnesses are allowed to have any
    private opinion about anything - as long as it's kept private?
    The Bible speaks of rejecting a man who promotes a sect , not
    someone who holds a private opinion. Why go beyond the scriptures
    and allow elders to pursue witchhunts? - which your 'canon law'
    permits at present!

    Why not treat disfellowshipped people the way the Bible says and not like a secretive cult? Nowhere does the Bible say "never speak
    a word" or "never talk" to such a person (not even John said that).
    Basically, the Bible is saying 'don't be their friend anymore'.
    Why should the organization keep creating a dedicated class
    of enemies who actively (and effectively) seek the Watchtower's
    destruction?

    Why not relieve congregations and elders of the liability and
    trouble of judicial committees, etc. and simply "let people go"?
    Why is the Society SO HYPOCRITICAL that they must count 15 minute
    publishers - but will try to chase down ex-Witnesses to be
    disfellowshipped who haven't attended meetings in years?
    Why not set a time limit of a year? After that, you're not
    df'd , you're just not considered a Witness anymore. You could
    start studies with such ones, if they eventually want to return.

    In summary, I'm reminded of the anger and years of frustration
    that erupted in Bethel some decades ago. Conditions were getting
    horrible with theft, lying, fornication, - and cynical contempt
    for the Watchtower leadership that emerged amoung Bethelites.

    Brother Knorr (and others) couldn't understand why such angry
    and hate-filled individuals continued to stay at Bethel.

    He didn't understand that people often 'get stuck' in places
    they don't want to be, for various reasons. Bethel improved
    when the Society dropped the 4 year requirement and simply
    let people go.

    That's exactly what the organization needs today - TO LET
    PEOPLE GO! Too many bored, angry, and bitter Witnesses are
    just hanging on - so as not to lose their relatives and 'friends'.

    Why would any organization want such people to stay?
    Why not give them a way out - and relieve the situation?

    metatron

  • LittleToe
    LittleToe

    Metatron:

    Why should the organization keep creating a dedicated class of enemies who actively (and effectively) seek the Watchtower's
    destruction?

    We aren't forgetting that this is their only source of imaginary persecution, are we?

    Facial Hair Poll: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=33229&site=3&page=1

  • Farkel
    Farkel

    : Why would any organization want such people to stay?hy not give them a way out - and relieve the situation?

    See "Cult."

    Farkel

  • Amazing
    Amazing

    Good points Metratron: It seems that when the Society does things right, it is by accident because they had some selfish motive. The Bethel situation, as I recall, was done simply to attract more workers to meet a temporary need ... the Patterson Project being the prime example ... Then, by accident, it had a positive affect in giving the Bethel workers there a way out.

    The same type of thing happened in the early 1970s when the Society published the first "Organization" book ... and the applied the word "ministry" to a broader scope of activities. The Society was trying to get JWs to take everything as seriously as the 'door-to-door' work ... at the same time Ray Franz mentioned that they were trying to make a better application of the word 'minister' by changing tot he word 'service' as they broadened the scope. This change brought a lot of relief and many JW women especially felt that they 'service' as wives and mothers was now as valueable as the 'door-to-door' work. All this was fine until thje Society saw the numbers dropping and the COs started complaining ... then they changed it back when Ray Franz left.

    ... the positive changes were not done out of love for the JW membership, but by accident, when making a more accutate application of the Bible. As soon as the Society saw business drop, they changed back.

  • HoChiMin
    HoChiMin

    Arrogance!

  • Dismembered
    Dismembered

    It would be a tremendous loss in dubship!

  • Duncan
    Duncan

    Excellent post, Metatron.

    I always like the way that you're able to pick up a point, and make a well-rounded argument in less than a dozen paragraphs.

    David.

  • rekless
    rekless

    The society is a disfunctional organization that has disfunctional members that follow disfunctional

    elders that follow disfunctional GB that follows their disfunctional God and a disfunctional mistranslated bible. So why is it a surprise that if one no longer speaks their disfunctional language the responce is a knee jerk reaction of, "He / She does not speak our language. He/She must be removed with dishonor."

    They are an org. of cruel, unjust, misfits that I used to belong to and be one.

    Their feelings can be turned on and off at a drop of a hat. It all has to do with controll nothing else.

    It is a disfunctional Publishing Empire that has trained a disfunctional sales department.

  • Lionel_P_Hartley
    Lionel_P_Hartley

    Metatron,

    Your points are good, but, in all honesty I don't think they don't go anywhere near far
    enough. In fact JWs can and do hold opinions in private. The problem is that they aren't
    allowed to discuss their opinions freely. Now, "private" might mean a private
    discussion but, in reality, that isn't realistic since a chain of such private
    conversations could rapidly spread one's "private" opinion far and wide.
    Far better to be allowed to be open about one's opinions and free to discuss them with
    those who are interested in such discussions. In fact, that would be the single biggest
    way to defuse the damage that "apostate revelations" cause - change would then come
    naturally with many JWs remaining on board since diversity of opinion would no longer
    be such a shock to the organizational system. Thus, the only solution is to abolish
    the (JW) concept of apostasy except in cases where someone is clearly preaching
    against Christianity itself.

    Further, the JWs need to dispense with the notion of "membership." JWs
    should be free to identify with the religion or not, no matter how long
    it's been since they attended. The leaders should not have time limits and
    "tests of fidelity." At this point I think that relaxing the rules a bit would be
    terrible - they have to drop them altogether.

    The problem isn't so much that the rules are bad, but that the rules exist at all.

    LPH

    Edited by - Lionel_P_Hartley on 29 July 2002 11:18:55

  • hillary_step
    hillary_step

    Metatron,

    As ever a well thought out post, thank you.

    Imagine for a moment, that the GB allowed the 'happiest people on earth', to be able to leave their religion quietly, with no repercussions.

    Imagine that all those in full time services were granted some sort of financial settlement after their exit.

    How many would chose to leave? It seems to me that the GB have deliberately entrapped people within an emotional prison and force them to work until they die. Slavery - Brooklyn style.

    HS

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