So the "boys in Penn" act on the word of those whom they follow, and are in a leadership role only in as much as they fullfilling the dictates they have received and proven themselves loyal to the religion to be in that position. Anything beyond that kind of just borders on conspiracy theory
Thanks everyone for your responses on this thread. I had wanted to respond sooner, but have been so busy.
problemmaddict. I can see where you are coming from. However, 7 men at the forefront of the Watchtower corporation can only do so much. It makes absolute sense they have powerful advisors such as qualified lawyers, and businessmen in the background steering the ship to avoid stormy seas ahead (eg legal battles/lawsuits/building projects etc). It all goes hand in hand.
A prime example is the pope of Rome. Is he running the entire Catholic church singlehanded? Are all his views, ideas, dictates immediately put in place? I would hardly think so. Some perhaps, but not all. The Catholic church will have its own powerful men pulling many important strings. The GB is our collective pope like leadership in a manner of speaking.
Given what I have seen on JW broadcasting, I don't see any outstanding astute hawks or powerful men among the GB. I only see what amounts to a figurehead at the very top of the organisation. The friendly face of watchtower. In fact I view it the same way I view the queen of England. She is a figurehead for the country, but not the actual individual running the country. She will be advised on just about everything.
As Newly Enlightened said...'the Board of Directors in PA are the power & money'......they mention they were informed of this by someone who used to work at the Pennsylvania corporation after they had defected.
I believe there is credibility to what Mike and Kim are saying. I find it all very fascinating. As someone who has actively been trying to change policy through letter writing over the years, such information is important; it is in fact vital. Highlighting issues with the right people could or can make a difference.
I would personally like to thank Mike and Kim for highlighting this and bringing it to people's attention!
Also a very big thanks to Darkspilver for all the information you provided. I will be keeping all of this for reference.
Thanks again
UTC