Thought you would find this of interest, what what your feedback is.
WTS: what does the future hold?
by RR 13 Replies latest social current
-
-
LDH
RR,
Thanks for the link. I read that article. I was also of the opinion that the GB split from the "other sheep" was also done to protect the assets of the corporations.
Thereby, they could simply say, "We merely publish. We don't set policy." Meantime, the GB sets all the policy they want but can't be touched (legally) cause they have no assets.
Thoughts?
Lisa
Nice to see you Class
-
Elsewhere
Very interesting!!!
Two years ago, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, the organization behind the Jehovah's Witnesses, reorganized, and while a reorganization within the Society is nothing new, this particular reorganization has many wondering what is next for the Jehovah's Witnesses.
For years the governing body has been equated with the board of directors, since this new reorganization, such is not the case any longer. The seven members of the board of directors have resigned and three new corporations have been added to the dozens of other corporations the Society owns.
The new corporations added are Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, the Religious order of Jehovah's Witnesses and Kingdom Support Services. In addition to these, several others corporations in New Jersey, Florida and New York State have been reorganized.
While the Watchtower Society returns to it's official function as a publishing house, the new corporation, Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses comes to the front as the legal representative of the Jehovah's Witnesses. These changes have already been effected in their literature and witness work.
For example, subscriptions and request for literature and contact is no longer sent to the "Watchtower". Such request are now made to "Jehovah's Witnesses" In footnotes where references are made to publications published by the Watchtower Society, such references now read "Published by Jehovah's Witnesses."
Caller to various Watchtower headquarters are no longer greeted with "Watchtower", but now "Jehovah's Witnesses." In their door to door ministry, they advertise themselves to their householders as a member of the "local Christian congregation."
One of the biggest changes was that of the board of directors and governing body. It was decided that the governing body could exist outside of the various corporations, with that in mind, all anointed Jehovah's Witnesses, who sat on the board of directors resigned as board members, these members were replaced with those of the "other sheep" those who do not profess spirit-begettal.
The "anointed" ones were then merged into the governing body, leaving the various corporations into the hands of "earth-bound" witnesses.
What does it mean?
The question of course is .... what does it mean? If the governing body, who ruled the organization and the Witness movement for decades no longer has control of the corporations what is stopping the various corporations from falling apart? Could such a split ocur?
It most certainly can. Consider that all of the various corporations EACH have their own board of directors and officers, none of these overlap into the other corporations.
Of course the reorganization was done in such a way which would make it difficult for such a split to occur. For example, while the Watchtower of New York are the publishers, the Watch Tower of Pa. own the copyrights. Making it difficult for the New York branch to split off if they chose too. They would eventually have to publish their own literature, and would not be allowd to publish the Watchtower, announcing Jehovah's Kingdom and other copyrighted material.
At the same time, they could easily begin publishing on their own. However, no doubt another corporation owns the assets, such as the printing presses, another corporation owns the real estate. With all these obstacles, it makes it very difficult for one sole charismatic individual to take complete control such as Judge Rutherford did in 1917, unless ALL the various board members agreed to it by electing him president of ALL the corporations, such is not likely, when you have so many individuals and corporations involved.
The Governing Body
Another question is ... what exactly is the governing body "governing"? If they have no "power" within the Society, what is their function? Accordingly, their function is to focus on spiritual things, while the others handle the day to day activities of running an organization. However in the years since the reorganization, some of the governing body members have passed away, others have suffered physically, most are in their 80s and 90s, and although there are a few "young" ones in the body, they have not been very vocal.
A concern among many is the lack of leadership, the Society has not published anything of significance in years. The Watchtower articles have been "watered down." Books have been replaced by brochures and what books that have been released are merely recycled older publications with a new title and look.
Scandals and fiancial woes?
In recent years, the Society has seen its share of troubles. From financial scandals of owning stocks in government war machines and "smart bombs" to child abuse and pedophilia charges among their rank and file. Those who have stood up to voice their concerns have been disfellowshipped or silenced. And while the victims are victimized, the accused are free to harm again in most cases, since such abuse is rarely reported.
in 2001, it was made known that the Watchtower was "sleeping with the enemy" the United Nations, an organizations that the Society has for decades associated with Satan himself. Such a scandal found the Society being disfellowshipped by the United Nations, as thousands of former Witnesses bombarded UN officials with anti-UN literature published by the Society.
Many Witnesses saw this as a "last straw" and left, many more became inactive, while others ceased their financial support. This last action, caused the Society to downsize, their once beautiful hardbound books were now paperbacks, they no longer published volumniously as they did in the past. Subscriptions to the Watchtower and Awake journals were stopped, and subscribers were told their subscriptions would no longer be renewed, and that they would have to go to the local kingdom hall to obtain them.
Talks of having commercial printers take over the Society's operation have been heard, and the layoffs of thousands of staff members reported to be imminent.
A New Trend
There is however a new trend within the Witnesses movement, one that was frowned upon in the past, and that is of rank and file Jehovah's Witnesses authoring and publishing their own books, these so called "Watchtower Apologetics" have formed their own publishing companies and have taken matters into their own hands.
Greg Stafford, a prominent Jehovah's Witness who published "Jehovah's Witnesses Defended" has been looked upon by many Witnesses as one who could arise as a leader. However his latest book, "Three Dissertations" has had mixed reviews. In his lastest endeavor he criticizes the Watchtower Society for some of their practices. Many are hailing him a modern day Martin Luther, while others, a turncoat and "apostate."
In Europe and other parts of the world, reports of schisms among the Jehovah's Witnesses are reported. In Romania, Poland and the Ukraine separate groups of "Jehovah's Witnesses" are reported to exist, some of these making their presence known on the internet.
High ranking officials in various international headquarters have resigned of been disfellowshipped. Support groups in the form of online forums, chatrooms and message boards are making their way onto the internet where Witnesses, active and inactive can discuss issues. This has prompted the Society to warn their followers not to go online, many of these "threats" go unnoticed and fall on deaf ears.
In addition to organizational changes, doctrinal changes have also been made, complete turnarounds and modifications have been made in long held teachings. Often times inner struggles within the Society have occured. Unapproved articles have made their way into the printed pages of the Watchtower journals.
Now what?
The census is that within the next few years the Jehovah's Witneses will be openly divided. Independent congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses will arise, they will be self-governing, answering ONLY to themselves.
Just who exactly is in charge? With the governing body NOT governing, a board of directors NOT directing, a publishing house NOT publishing for lack of solid material and leadership role. With those within the rank and file who could make a difference and take the leadership role being labeled "unsupportive" and "apostate" and the rest being disfellowshipped and disassociated by the thousands because of their lack of faith and their questioning of the organization, one wonders indeed, what is in store for the Watchtower Society.
-
DanTheMan
I found this comment interesting:
Unapproved articles have made their way into the printed pages of the Watchtower journals
Examples?
-
Elsewhere
Yes... I was thinking about this too. Does anyone know of any unapproved articles? How does one know that it was unapproved? Has the GB released a list?
-
metatron
This article tends to exaggerate some things and mix up the order of events in some cases
but overall, it's good.Clearly, one hand doesn't know what the other is doing. They print a flashy tract calling
for youth to apply to Bethel - and then begin downsizing a thousand people, for example.
Their lawyers, like rabid Rottwilers, go after a broke father trying to save his daughter,
then suddenly stop.This committee governance is going to get interesting - that said, never underestimate
the BOTTOMLESS CAPACITY for Witness self deception. A sister I know acknowledged that
their was corruption in the organization, that they were dumping the blood issue,
that the Society publically lied, etc.
She commended me for attending the next meeting! They never learn or figure it out!
An elder denied that the Society is running out of money because now that subscriptions
are cancelled, they'll have lots of $ !To survive generally - without real reform - they must get dumber, crazier, and more
isolated from reality. There's no other way.metatron
-
RR
dantheman, Elsewhere, I believe there was a thread by Barbara Anderson in regards to this very subject. She stated that although most of those on the writing committee were of the Other Sheep, governing body members were approving everything.
However with their busy schedules and articles awaiting approval in their "IN" baskets, they simply rubberstamped everything without looking. That's how that series of articles about the nethinin, the so-called replacement of the governing body got printed. Barbara Anderson stated the articles were a hoax, and the "brother" who wrote and approved them got promoted, not kicked out!
As to the Society eorganizing to avoid lawsuits? That could be. However, and this is a big however I have not been able to support, IF there the GB has indeed divested itself of ALL interest of the Society, then yes, they are free from lawsuite. However, if that is so, then they really have no conrol, their leadership then is merely symbolic.
However, if there is some kind of "Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, Inc. where they are the parent company with all the others under their thumb, then yes, they leave themselves open to lawsuit galore.
-
TheOldHippie
I agree with you, metatron, that there are exagerrations and confusion in the article, but that the point it raises, is a very interesting one. There have been no "new thoughts" published for years, the literature is either recycled previous literature, and / or with points all the time simplified and made less and less specific but more and more general, it's becoming "simpler and easier" all the time.
The splinter groups in Poland and Romania and Hungary, though, is incorrect - these groups started in the 50s or 60s, and are a turn back to the Rutherfordian and Early-Knorr way of thinking.
Nethinim? If it were a hoax, then why has it become reality? It was meant to pave way for the great Crowd into the ruling organs, as the Governing Body faded away due to age and illness - and today, what has happened? The Great Crowd, the nethinim, rules the organizations. So, if it were ahoax, it came to be reality.
The circuit overseer here a couple of weeks ago stated that ALL articles in the Watchtower were read by at least one member of the Governing Body before being printed, and that that reading and studying process, checking ALL Bible and literature references etc., took from a couple of days and up to some weeks for each article, some taking up to several months. In fact, he said, he knew for a fact that one particular ste of articles had been checked for two years before it was printed.
A strange thing, that. When the Knowledge book came, no reference was made to the "generation" and 1914. But the book was issued in June / July, and it was not till the November Watchtower that the Generation Change occured. So the change had been made, but was not made public till half a year later. When the new book was now issued, and the chapters on blood and the anointed had been dropped, it makes you wonder what will appear in this year's November Watchtower. because, it's in the November issues it all appears, since the conventions are then over, and there is a long time till the next ones .......
-
Farkel
Old Hippie,
: There have been no "new thoughts" published for years, the literature is either recycled previous literature, and / or with points all the time simplified and made less and less specific but more and more general, it's becoming "simpler and easier" all the time.
I friend of mine met with GB member (I believe) Carey Barber in the very early 1990's and he admitted to my friend that most of the WT articles were recycled even that long ago.
With the passing of Fred (Not Ray!) Franz, I've not seen one WT article that would interest anyone, especially in a religion who's whole history was fueled by date setting, chronology and anti-types.
I would have to say that the Jehovah's Witness religious doctrine IS Fred (NOT Ray!) Franz and Judge Rutherford. Russell was only a contributor in moderation, and no one else counts at all.
Farkel
Edited by - Farkel on 5 September 2002 14:54:42
Edited by - Farkel on 5 September 2002 19:58:48
-
Celia
Farkel,
With the passing of Ray Franz, I've not seen one WT article that would interest anyone,
....the Jehovah's Witness religious doctrine IS Ray Franz and Judge Rutherford.
did you mean Ray Franz or Fred Franz ?
Edited by - Celia on 5 September 2002 9:58:41
Edited by - Celia on 5 September 2002 10:7:22
Edited by - Celia on 5 September 2002 10:9:46
Edited by - Celia on 5 September 2002 19:7:16
Edited by - Celia on 5 September 2002 19:9:16