after 2 years, getting the courage to read COC. but is is still really relevant?

by nowwhat? 22 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  nowwhat?

  if so why?
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  Marvin Shilmer

  Because the Watchtower organization (JW dot whatever!) was and remains a top-down run organization with little if any transparency. COC provided a documented view into the culture that made the organization.
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  Diogenesister

  Good point.

  I think Marvin has answered it better than I could.

  I will add, from my own point of view, that this is an organization that claims to have Holy (holy?)Spirit. The personal backing of the Almighty Creator of the universe, at that time and for all time.

  That such an organization could go gunning after one aged individual who had served it faithfully for most of his life - homeless, virtually penniless and almost friendless - with a vindictiveness that would make the Cosa Nostra blush, simply for the crime of resigning his position?

  Words fail me.....

  Is it relevent today? Yes, if you have an ounce of human compassion. I feel no shame in playing the emotion card btw.
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  redvip2000

  Maybe the fact is it a top-down run organization is not so much the issue - after all one could say that a theocracy is exactly that. The fact that is not transparent, and how vindictive it is are the real issues.

  For me, COC gave us a peek beyond the shroud of mystery that surrounded the GB. Most JWs, including myself we saw them as these holy-like super humans that had a red phone to God, but after reading COC it became clear that this group is truly just a group of typical old men with the same issues and flaws as any other shit head human.

  
  In fact I think the more the GB members allow themselves to be known and visible to all JWs (especially now with JW broadcasting), the more JWs wil be begin to have less admiration for them, and I think this will prove to be a negative thing for the Org.
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  Chris Hannover

  Read the book & decide if its relevant for yourself.

  If it has taken you 2 years to get enough courage to read a book & you still need help, you're clearly not ready to be free from someone telling you what to think, believe, and feel.

  When you are emotionally ready, you will be able to read books on your own without support.
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  Muddy Waters

  I believe it is very relevant! The book exposes how the GB evolved, changed, came to their spiritual "insights" and conlusions; it exposes blatant hypocrisy, inconsistencies, abuses of power, guessing at scriptural meanings, backstabbing, power struggles, doctrinal problems.... I make it sound a bit boring perhaps, but it is an honest and painful documentary...

  I agree with the above poster who said that if you are still afraid, you are still under their control.... But don't let that stop you! :) When I began reading the book, I was terrified and afraid too..... For many of us, it helped open our eyes and cement the view that the leaders of the organization were nothing more than arrogant, bumbling men trying to control other people's lives.
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  sparrowdown

  Suriously, two years ?

  What were you so afraid of?
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  _Morpheus

  I would say definitely.

  Much of the book is real life experiances, both rays personal ones and organization as whole accounts. Those dont change with time and they still carry a lot of significance. Milawa vs Mexico bribery, flip flopping on teachings and the impact on peoples lives, the writing of the aid book etc etc all still have relevance.

  further, as marvin noted, the org still runs the same. Ray pulls the curtin back for those that were never in middle managment let alone upper cult managment, and shows how there is nothing special and certainly nothing spirit directed going on there.

  The doctrinal stuff was interesting to me at the time i read it because i was still semi believing. Now, not so much, but that one aspect doesnt lessen its value for me at all.
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  Village Idiot

  What Morpheus said.

  It is in part a personal account which is still relevant nowadays because the organization still treats people the same. It also exposes their manipulations of doctrine (not simply doctrine change) which stays the same even as the doctrines change.
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  sparrowdown

  What I like about the book is he gives ordinary JWs a fly-on-the-wall look at stuff tbey would never ordinarily be exposed to.

  To me, the people least likely to wake up are ordinary r&f, simply because they are never privy to what's really going on.

  Books like this lift the lid on the can of worms known as the GB