Factions Within the Watchtower

by metatron 11 Replies latest jw friends

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  metatron

  Another poster alluded to a reality within Bethel's walls - factions.

  Of course, open disputes are impossible within this secretive cult - so such disagreements are more discreet.

  The Watchtower allows for college - but the Service dept ( i.e. Ted Jaracz) sez forget about it.

  This is nothing new, the same thing happened with regard to the Society's reaction to "multiple personality disorders"

  The Writing dept. leaned towards recognition of a disease, while the Service Dept. ( Theocracy's answer to the SS)

  talked about demons. And so it goes...

  This is why you lurkers need to abandon all hope of reform within the Watchtower. Nothing the magazines

  - or the Bible - says has any meaning when confronted within the oral law emitted by the underlings serving

  "the Boss". All this 'feel good' stuff in Study articles is vapor compared with whatever the C.O./D.O./ Service Dept.

  decrees.

  metatron
• 

  RunningMan

  Don't forget, though, that the leadership is at least a thousand years old. A few well placed deaths, followed by a power struggle, could lead to new policies. It happened after Russell died. The Judge took the organization further than Russell ever could have.

  They are due for a purge. The chronology is tired out, prophecies have evaporated into history, they are riddled with scandals, and growth in Western lands has turned upside down. Add in the aging demographic, and you have a recipe for disaster.

  Either the malaise will continue, or some visionary will seize power and recreate the place.
• 

  Carmel

  ...a visionary will arise... yeah, the blind leading the blind! To where shall she lead them?

  carmel of the "incredulous" klass
• 

  DannyBear

  Jw's pride themselves in being seperate from the world as regards ritual and ceremony. They tout a rigirous refusal to salute the flag or offer any allegiance to governments.......

  YET, they subscribe vigorously to an almost sacrosanct view of thier leadership, ie gov bod, 'the boss', do's, co's. To openly challenge one of these 'saints' is tantamount a heretic act.

  Let a lowly sister (pioneer or otherwise) question one iota of what a window washing elder, says from the platform, to fully understand the above premise.

  Any elder or ms wanting 'to serve' in expanded capacity, will think and doulbe think any contest with his superior's. Let anyone deny this, they are bald face liars.

  The whacky organization is putrid and rank with self serving con artists, that don't even recognize thier own complicity in promulgating these levels of 'factions' within the evil empire.

  Danny
• 

  NeonMadman

  Don't forget, though, that the leadership is at least a thousand years old. A few well placed deaths, followed by a power struggle, could lead to new policies. It happened after Russell died. The Judge took the organization further than Russell ever could have.

  I thought the same thing when Knorr died, and again when Fred Franz died - that maybe now things would improve. But they never did. The GB has had significant turnover in the almost 30 years of its existence, but none of the changes have resulted in any significant improvements. I have serious doubts that any future turnover will make much of a difference, either - unless a strong leader actually emerges, but I don't really see that happening.
• 

  gumby

  I think RunningMan has a point and I have to agree somewhat.

  The old bastards who call the shots are all on the road home to push up daisies soon. Many changes could happen when they go, but the way the cult is designed, many changes would have to come gradual because of a mass exodus possibility that could occur were some changes made too quickly that countered current beliefs to strongly. Liars have to be careful ya know?

  Gumby
• 

  OHappyDay

  But this is the Borg! Resistance is fu-tile!

  The problem is, as a recent book study lesson quoting Lord Acton said, "power corrupts, and absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely."

  If a strong leader emerges, bent on reform, more likely it will be only a matter of time before he remakes the organization into his own image, rather than concentrating on original Christianity.

  What we need is something like the Catholic aggiornamento, wherein people with a real concern for the flock come together as equals, look at everything we do, hold on to the good stuff and toss the bad and irrelevant.

  Otherwise, we need to just tear everything down to the ground and build a new structure, dedicated to Christianitiy as Jesus Christ taught it.

  I think it could be done. But I won't hold my breath waiting for it to happen.
• 

  willyloman

  I thought the same thing when Knorr died, and again when Fred Franz died - that maybe now things would improve. But they never did. The GB has had significant turnover in the almost 30 years of its existence, but none of the changes have resulted in any significant improvements. I have serious doubts that any future turnover will make much of a difference, either

  In a talk, a bro used an illustration about a giant oil tanker on the high seas. If the captain decided to stop, or turn, the ship would travel many, many miles before there was any discernible change in speed or direction. That's because it was so huge, so heavy, and its present momentum had so much weight behind it. He wasn't tallking about the WTS, but it applies.
• 

  Abaddon

  An organisation has a certain amount of inertia.

  This is a measure it's resistance to change, and it's ability to continue forward purely due to its momentum, as distinct from it generating any power.

  Most religious organisations have HEAPS of inertia, and the Dubbies, poor clueless souls, have more than most.

  There is not one fresh idea to come out of that Organsiation in decades, just re-warmed variations on a theme with the required changes in vocabulary ("generation") and burying of embaressing past-utterance needed to maintain (internal) credibility.

  As with most cults, it's "beauty" (as in beautiful like a shark; killing beauty, functional beauty) is in the self-sustaining nature of "endtime" memes, you knpow, '"it's the end of the world as we know it and the book offer for the month is". Keep the poor fuckers busy and thinking their bad if they are not.

  Mere OBSERVANCE keeps most people so busy they have little time to think about things. Add in the "dissent and disappear" philosophy that staples peopes lips together and stops disemination of unothodox ideas, and it's lack of directional change is no surprise.

  As for reform from within? Maybe. I thought at one point maybe there would be a schism. Maybe there will, with a rump of hardline coituswits keeping the old version and a new liberal version stealing most of the numbers.

  But what is, as they say, the point?

  It is a made-up religion. Changing it wont make it any the less made up.
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  Undaunted Danny

  When the engine that drives you is the 3p's Power+Prestige+P***y.Benevolent reform is impossible.It's always been dog eat dog mindless cannibalism. WT's SPIRITUAL REIGN OF RUIN [James 3:15]