This too Shall Pass (RC Commission vs WTS)

by undercover 25 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  JWdaughter

  • I grew up when people had to be threatened to stop littering and smoking.
  • We were forced to buckle up under protest.
  • I saw aids discovery a+d lost a friend to it in 1991. Before good treatments.
  • Now gay marriage is legal.
  • Abortion was illegal when I was born. Activists on both sides are still struggling with that one.
  • I was born when breastfeeding was tacky and when I could not nurse my second child, I was castigated by strangers for bottle feeding her.

  None of those things came about without growing pains. As former JWss, none of us went from all in to OUT instantly. Whether others recognized it or not, a process happened that changed us.

  Finally, the truth is that the WT changes constantly whether they like it or not. They have to. Tax laws have changed them-they can try to tell the story that suits them, but they had to change and they did.

  • Blood.
  • Selling literature
  • meeting frequency
  • Field service hours required
  • Limit on studies(length of being one.)
  • Transplants
  • Vaccinations
  • 1975
  • Beth Sarim

  I don't care how the parse the changes, I just look forward to it.
• 

  DesirousOfChange

  The best prospect is that it may awaken a few more JWs. Someone has to keep planting seeds. Someone else waters. Eventually some of it grows and some of us wake up.

  Doc
  
• 

  steve2

  The OP is a straw argument. Who here has said this will be the JW organization's downfall?

  If they have, they'd be in the minority.

  Overwhelmingly, what has been said has been thoughtfully reasoned. A common response is even if there are relatively "small" changes, if it results in victims being less re-traumatized it will have been worth it.

  It also puts the JW organization on the backfoot. They cannot claim that, in this instance, the light is getting brighter because the impetus for change is a secular legislative body with the power to impose sanctions and fines.

  Also, it already serves as a robust validation of former Witnesses (e.g., Barbara Anderson, Bill Bowen, etc) who have worked tirelessly to articulate genuine concerns about the JW organization's harmful policies and procedures on responding to abuse allegations.

  Believe me, the organization's so-called "Legal Department" has been on tenterhooks for months - if not years - about the organization's backward policies and procedures. And now the vulnerability has been ratcheted up even more.

  Radical change? No.

  Significant shift in thinking and more care shown in process? Yes.
• 

  Dagney

  The genie cannot be put back into the bottle. By having these proceedings on youtube, it is forever out there to stumble upon. I agree that very little will be changed in the corporation. I think most long term faithful will not be see these videos. But this 2, 3 4th generation are out there looking at stuff on youtube all the time and will find it.

  The corporation will spin the numbers in the coming years, as they always have. But there will come a time when it will be harder to cover the decreases. They are shoring up their survival by the automatic monthly funding, and real estate investments. I will say all but 3-4 of my former friends are still in. Still in, and I think struggling. Future generations though will not be so blinded. It will be harder and harder to make a living, let alone without some additional education. The legal cases will hit the news. Little dents will continue to be made on their shiny surface.
• 

  krejames

  Totally agree that we need to make the most of this opportunity to get people to think! This whole thing has just left me speechless - the JWs have come off looking like incompetent, arrogant and foolish all at the same time.

  An old bible study who still texts me from time to time (he stopped studying when I stopped going to the meetings), sent me a message this week to say that two brothers from my old congregation stopped by and he had a long chat with them. Said how nice they were etc.

  I said to him that I would be interested to know what they make of everything that's going on in Australia (and explained). I'm sure he will be getting another call from them and I really hope he asks them about it. It wouldn't surprise me if none of the local JWs know anything about it. My mum certainly hasn't mentioned it (but then it's not "upbuilding" is it?). ;)
• 

  umbertoecho

  Dagney
  

  28 minutes ago

  The genie cannot be put back into the bottle. By having these proceedings on youtube, it is forever out there to stumble upon.

  And there we have it..... The process of the RC is forever on the internet. People will always be curious. There is good video evidence now available in the public domain.

  The WTBTS can order the r@f not to look at them, but really..........curiosity is a big part of our makeup and being ordered not to do this or look at by people who claim such exulted status is not going to stop many from having a "peek". Then another.........I know this commission will not force great change. I just want it there, all ready and served up for future generations to access. WT does not control the internet, only it's own site. Of that I am very glad.
• 

  umbertoecho

  My family has an elder, a young elder who was over there the whole time. He was freaking out and at the same time outraged that the RC had dared to have the Shepherding book. Too bad. They had it and there was nothing anyone could do about that.

  She was constantly receiving blow by blow accounts. I tell you. All JWs in Australia know ALL about this. What they will do, is pretend they don't know about it to those on the outside who will ask for opinions.
• 

  breakfast of champions

  From what scientists understand, about 4.5 billion years ago a celestial body the size of Mars smashed into Earth, creating the moon.

  And if there were conscious inhabitants of earth back then, I'm sure they would have thought, "This too shall pass."

  And indeed it did.

  But every night, people look up at the moon in wonderment.
• 

  Vidiot

  umbertoecho - "The WTBTS can order the r@f not to look at them..."

  Really?

  The WTS can order JWs to not watch a Governing Body member provide public testimony?

  How would that work, exactly?
• 

  Slidin Fast

  I have been "associated" with this organisation for over 60 years. I believe that this measured, intelligent reasonable exposure is unprecedented.

  I cannot see how it can do any thing other than bring change. Bring it on.