by NotFormer 9 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Just thinking about how the WT has evolved over the century of its existence. Before the GB tricked Knorr into making them the ones responsible for everything, the President at the time was very much the face of the Society. After Franz, it all became a bit nebulous as to who was in charge.
Is the current situation more advantageous to the WT or less?
I think WT (aka the GB) currently has lots of faces, and in most cases it has been disadvantageous for them because the R&F can see that they are "just human". The "curtain" has been ripped back and what can be seen is not as impressive as what earlier JW's envisioned things to be.
They dodged a bullet by limiting Franz's power in the 1970s, especially after Knorr passed away. Franz strikes me as a guy who would have wanted to rebuild the organization the way Rutherford did. But radical changes would not have been good for the rank and file, especially right after the 1975 fiasco. Franz would have driven the org right off a cliff.
The issue today is the lack of charisma among the GB members. Too many old guys who are used to preaching to a captive and obedient choir, and have never thought about how they come across to potential recruits. And with a constant presence via videos and social media, the mystique is gone. When you look and sound like a clown or a cartoon, it's tough for people to take you seriously.
JWdom is dead/done as an org that will attract outsiders (at least quality ones). Back when I became a JW, there were in my area eight engineers, two dentists, an attorney, a veterinarian, two medical doctors, a college professor with a doctorate, a high school teacher with a BS in physics, a number of deep-thinking & intelligent ex-hippie types, and a number of smarter, successful businessmen who became JWs. JWdom will never again be attractive to such types.
Therefore, in order to survive, it has to internalize - to focus on keeping what it has and indoctrinating the born-ins. I think that a Franz type figure would serve better for that purpose. He at least seemed to be deeper, more intelligent, more scholarly, etc. than the GB members of today. Though we now view him as being eccentric and maybe delusional, he did seem to be a sincere true believer. He seemed to focus on the Scriptures rather than cartoons, talk shows, pop music, etc. He wrote much deeper material. He was put high up on a pedestal back in earlier decades.
Some might justifiably argue that the new JWdom (dumbed down, trying to be hip and relevant) will serve to better retain current JWs and their offspring. It might, but I don't think so. I think JWdom will continue to weaken with its current "personality" and atmosphere. I think that a Franz type would better serve the org in retaining what it has - especially the smarter ones. Take, for example, types like my deceased JW grandfather. He was a zealous, true believer. He thought Franz was in Jah's right hand. My grandfather was smarter and more level-headed and reasonable than current JWs. I honestly think that being in the current JWdom would have awakened him, but with a Franz type leader, I believe he never would have awakened. He might have been baffled as to why the end didn't come when it was supposed to, but he would have trusted in the org and excused mistakes.
The org is just so shallow and dumbed down and corny and cheesy and embarrassing now... the leaders are so obviously not qualified... that I think the org will continue to bleed. I think that a change to a Franz type leader would infuse strength and life into it. However, it's a different world now. The internet changed everything. It would be hard for the org to become analytical and (seemingly) scholarly again because the masses have been equipped with a way to instantly fact check and research.
So, I think the org would fare better with a Franz type, but it can never again be like it was in earlier decades. The glory days are over; the heyday is over.
As long as a sucker is born every minute,, generation to generation,, the WT drags on.
Aweful.
Magnum, I concur that it's seemingly difficult to have a cult without a cult leader. But, however counterintuitive it might seem, the shift toward idolization of "Jehovah's Organization (tm)" has probably ensured the group will survive a long time. Group loyalty can be as cultlike as that directed toward a person.
I wish I could agree that in the Information Age, controlling minds and loyalties is more difficult. It hasn't proven to be the case. Vested people simply shun opinions or facts that threaten their beliefs, or even better interpret them as persecution. We know that better than most people as we did it for years. Recent posts on this site by well-intentioned believing posters demonstrate that well.
The Borg has the gb.
Not just 1 leader,,, but the gb consists of 9 dudes in New York which demands praise & idolizing
Where any one of these dudes goes,,,the rank and file ""ooooohs and ahhhhs"" worshipping them.
peacefulpete, I somewhat agree. The difference is in the quality. As I wrote above, in my day, JWdom attracted engineers, doctors, etc.; it won't do that anymore. The org's glory days are over. It will now only appeal to the down and out, the social misfits, to those lacking critical thinking ability, etc. That's why the new focus in the ministry is going to be on love... not doctrinal, analytical stuff. JWs will not just draw in the lonely widows who want company, etc.
"I wish I could agree that in the Information Age, controlling minds and loyalties is more difficult."
I think it is more difficult in the information age. I and many others left because of the availability of info on the internet. I think its a huge factor in the weakening and dumbing down of JWdom. Some of the "vested people" that you refer to might remain, but quality people won't come in from the outside anymore.
Some of the "vested people" that you refer to might remain, but quality people won't come in from the outside anymore.
The others that will remain are the prominent ones in the limelight who suck it up. It's like crack cocaine to them when the R&F line up to kiss their ring ass.
The old school dubs will remain. Sunk cost fallacy.
And those walking in the limelight. Cant forget those.
