by hillbilly 27 Replies latest jw friends
Hillbilly,
Excellent post!
Minimus,
Amen. 30 Years A Watchtower Slave is one of the main keys to predicting wts moves. And yes. They would rather get rid of most of their current members in order to perpetuate their organization in some form or fashion just as 30 years A Watchtower Slave describes.
Worf
I tend to think that they are in the process of Mainstreaming the religion. They will no longer need to convince the new recruit to accept all of the restrictions etc.
Think how simple the message can get.
End Times = Live Forever in Paradise = Hope of better Times
The vast majority of faithful in other religions do not fully understand what they believe. Why should the Rank and File JW.
I sincerely hope they are trying to mainstream the religion. A kinder, gentler version of the WTS would be at worst kooky. The WTS today does untold damage to individuals and families. To go mainstream, though, they are going to have to drop some of their more damaging dogmas.
I would be thrilled if the WTS would join the great brotherhood of churches. Then at least those that leave the organization have a place to go. There are signs, however, that they are instead tightening up the rules and closing their ranks. Russia dropped their damaging totalitarian dogma (at great cost to the country, by the way). China has not. Both have been successful in their own way. My guess is that there is no one head of the great WTS organization, and that there are conflicting forces at work. Moderates vs Hardliners. The hardliners, at the moment, appear to have the upper hand.
Hillbilly has a point. The lawyers may end up ruling the ship. Recent policy changes such as "disassociating act" and "conscience matter" is attempting to dump all culpability in the individual member's lap. If the lawyers have their way, the written materials will become more convoluted, incomprehensible, and bland.
Mainstreaming would no doubt destroy the Society as we know it. It would no doubt cause a schism in the organization, with independent JW congregations functioning without the Society's iron hand.
Without financial support the Society would dry up like the Worldwide Church of God who went mainstream and lost 75% of its following and was forced to shut down radio and television stations and close down universities as well as sell off property.
Besides, where would the Society's boast of being Jehovah's organization be if they went mainstream and was like everyone else?
RR
. There are signs, however, that they are instead tightening up the rules and closing their ranks
yes they are. Just look at eh new DF rules. Mnay years ago. 60-80 we were told that at tiem would come when only those who stuck by the org would be saved.. If we did not attend meeting-well we
may not know where the next meeting would be held at. The emphasis was staying close, following all rules, blind obedience.We were told jehovah would save his org into th new system.
the changes being made now are to streamline the org. Just like when they stopped haivng meals at conventions. .the org is concerned who has access to their literature, so they are stopping subs etc. u now have to go to the hall to get mags-and they could refuse to give u mags if they wish. (ours frequently get given away).Moving it all to patterson- good move to tighten stuff up. Also, it gets them out of NYC where they are probalby afraid of another 9/11.We were always told , either move forward with the org, or get left behind .B/c we live in a very lawsuite society, many changes will be due to that. B/c they know SOMEONE WILL WIN A SUITE SOONER OR LATER .B/c of viloating peoples rights for so longe enlightened people wish to sue them. they are going into protection mode.I think eventually, it will be hard to just attend a meeting without some form of credtials. (card , pass something that idnetifes u as a real jw) If they can control access to their literature, they can halt he apostaes work. I ecpect many are thinking we will be going underground
anytime. Like it or not-this org is prepared.
I don't think that this is an intentional dumbing down. The men who are now running this are JUST THIS STUPID.
Think about it: They believe their own press. They believe that they speak for God; of course, they do not. And the more they believe this lie, the further they get from COHERENT THOUGHT. This means that all of the information that is being spewed out is done by committee, from men who are fighting over what to say, what not to say, and trying to make whatever they say agree with what was written in the past. That is quite the balancing task; combine this with the fact that ANYONE with an internet connection can find out that they are teaching bunko in a minute, tops. So, if they believe what they say, they are running scared; if they know that it is bunko, they are even more scared.
The only avenue that this bunch has is to tighten up and increase the control by use of manipulation, buzzwords and veiled threats. Just look at the picture of Miriam in Sunday's WT; the message is implicit: If you speak against us or the elders, God will get you.
This bunch of men is just unbelievable.
For some of the newbies---Btt
bttt
