Five meetings a week
Field service at least every Saturday
Put in reports every month
A three day district convention every year
A two day circuit assembly every year
A one day special assembly day every year
The Memorial of Christ's death
Special talk once a year
How to behave at district conventions article every year
Circuit Overseers visit twice a year
Kingdom Hall cleaning once a year
Sign blood cards once a year
And if you're an elder then
Meeting with the Circuit Overseer twice a year
Kingdom Ministry School once every two years
a lot to do just being a Witness isn't there? And besides that, there's all the personal and prestudying to do, back calls and bible studies.
For witnesses trying to keep up with this regimented schedule, how could they ever stop and think about what it is they are really doing, and why they are doing it? How easy it is to simply run on auto pilot, year after year, decade after decade.
Then, apply this outcome to the Governing Body and ask yourself, what have they actually printed that is really relevant for our time? The articles repeat themselves, the Kingdom Ministry repeats itself and their yearbook repeats itself.
Even the talk outlines repeat themselves every so often. There is lack of genuine, new material - not that it would make much difference if they did publish anything different.
There has been no significant change of doctine since the "Generation of 1914" back in November 1995. The Society has not published anything of significance in years.
The only major change was a shakeup in who runs the business back in October 2000.
No one knows who is really running the show. Years ago, you could say that Knorr, Freddie or Henschel was in charge. Now, the leadership are faceless, nameless. It's like working for IBM I guess, you go there, you do your job, but you have no clue who the board of directors is, or what they're even thinking or planning.
The organization not only lacks leadership, but lacks purpose.
So when you read and listen to the same stuff over and over again, is it any wonder that a lot of witnesses go on autopilot?
It seems like it'll be awhile before the last of the "anointed" die off. Will they announce the day when no one partakes of the Memorial? Will there be new teachings explaining why this system of things is still here, but all the anointed are now in heaven?
Something has to change. Things cannot go on the way they are forever.
Fortunately, time is not on their side. With 2004 being the 90th anniversary of the "last days," the Governing Body themselves are not only very old, but cornered.
Their vision, their dreams are gone.
For 125 years, they have been saying that the end is near. And look, we're still here.
One wonders if they too, are on autopilot, waiting for their end.