When will non-annointed men serve on the Governing Body?

by logansrun 25 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  logansrun

  Hello,

  The Society has many doctrines and practices which are plainly wrong. Nonetheless, little dogma is, from an organizational standpoint, in serious need of change -- except one. For the Society to continue any form of credibility with it's followers it will have to change it's understanding of who can lead the organization, in other words, who can become members of the Governing Body.

  There has never been a member of the GB who did not claim to be of the annointed class. The current dogma, based on JW understanding of Matthew 24:45, is that the annointed take charge of the organization's teachings, even if this means delegating responsibility to members of the "other sheep." But the annointed are few in number and dying rapidly. Although there are a few "younger" members of the GB, the body as a whole is getting very, very old. Within a decade most of them will likely be dead.

  This presents a problem for the organization: What will they do when there are no more members of the annointed around, or when they are so few in number that they will not be able to function as an entity anymore? Speculation is that member of the "other sheep" will one day be allowed to serve as GB members. "Scriptural" validation of such a practice could theoretically be found in the oft-used WT idea of "types" and "antitypes." They could use the example of Moses entrusting the leadership of the Israelites to Joshua before even entering the Promised Land. Moses would represent the "annointed GB" and Joshua the "other-sheep GB." The Promised Land, which Moses (the annointed) was not able to enter, would represent the New System. And, just as there was plenty of work for the Israelites under Joshua to do in preperation for entering the Promised Land, so there will be much activity for JWs to do even after the annointed have all died off.

  In such convoluted reasoning, the GB will be able to keep their "spiritual validity" in the eyes of the rank-and-file, probably even touting such "new understanding" as a "blessing from Jehovah" and a further sign that "the time left is reduced."

  When will this happen? My guess is the "transfer of power" will be gradual, with some members of the "Nethinim" class working as full-fledged members of the GB within the next ten years or so.

  All this is speculation, but it is a likely and necessary tactic for the Society to retain any credibility.

  Bradley
• 

  Pole

  When will non-annointed men serve on the Governing Body?
  
  One of my favourite topics.

  Perhaps it will never be necessary. If you look at the current members of the GB, three of them are 55-63 years old. I've never met a JW who'd be disturbed by this fact. Rather, I've heard people say: "Oh how nice, we're gonna have some more robust boys in charge now".
  
  Here is my favourite GB table, which I've already posted two times on this board :) :
  
  

  first_name	surname	born	age
  M. Stephen	Lett	1949	55
  David H.	Splane	1944	60
  Gerrit	Lösch	1941	63
  Samuel F.	Herd	1935	69
  Guy H.	Pierce	1934	70
  Theodore	Jaracz	1925	79
  Daniel	Sydlik	1919	85
  John E.	Barr	1913	91
  Albert D.	Schroeder	1911	93
  Carey W.	Barber	1905	99

  Edited 5 times to reformat the table...
• 

  Elsewhere

  Back in the 90's when I was still "in" I heard a talk at a District Convention that hinted at the possibility of non-anointed men serving on the GB. I don't recall the exact terminology, but they referred to non-Jews who served in the temple... they described them as "helpers" or something to that effect.

  Does anyone recall the name of these "helpers"?
• 

  logansrun

  Pole,

  Yet, it seems quite probable that a full half of the current GB, which is already smaller than past bodies, are will be dead. In ten years there will only be three or four left who are still "able" to lead in any meaningful way. And what will the situation be like in twenty years? This predicament will eventually need to be addressed.

  I guess there could be other ways around this problem. Perhaps the GB will just be dissolved when the last member dies. Then the "reins of power" will simply sit with the Board of Directors of the Society, which will be a de facto GB without the name. This would be very unsettling to the rank-and-file.

  Or, they make a "new call" for annointed ones, somehow telling the brothers that are experienced to "weigh prayerfully to see if you are in fact annointed." This would be even more unsettling to the rank-and-file, though.

  I think the scenario I laid out -- which is not original to me -- is the most likely one.

  B.
• 

  logansrun

  "Nethinim" Elsewhere. But, they are not considered actual members of the GB.

  B.
• 

  Pole

  logansrun,

  I actually share your view - in the long run this issue will have to be addressed. It's a doctrinal problem in many ways. Not only in terms of leadership. Think about some of their key prophecies such as Gog's attack on the remnant just before Armageddon. If in 20 years time there are no annointed ones left who is going to be attacked by "Gog of Magog"? And who is going to fulfill this prophecy:

  "...and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air..." (1Thes.4:16,17)

  One thing I know for sure: we can use the stupidity of their views. For instance when talking to an active JW you could say that you successfully guessed what Jehovah's New Light was going to be long before the current WTS leader realized it.

  And if all doctrinal changes originate with God so must this one too. So, what if an apostate could predict Jehovah-inspired doctrinal changes?

  I guess it would be nice if somebody published or rather patented this prediction of doctrinal change already, so that we can later prove that we anticipated it. This is a rare opportunity.

  Pole
• 

  Narkissos

  The big logical problem for the WT, I guess, is the 1935 date made up by Rutherford in order to secure his own authority.

  According to the classic WT's explanation (as far as I can remember), in 1935 the global calling of the "anointed" was supposed to be over. Those who were "called" later were supposed to be exceptions, in substitution for older "anointed" who had, somehow, "fallen" away from their calling. As Pole's table shows, in the present GB the exception is already more frequent than the rule (most GB members have been supposedly anointed after 1935). As time goes by, this will prove untenable (implying that some who were called as substitutes also fell away, and so on... which would make Jehovah a poor "head hunter", as it were)

  There are a number of possible "new lights" to get out of this mess.

  1) Giving up the whole "two-hopes" stuff (quite unlikely, as something central to the JWs' identity would be lost)

  2) Giving up the literal interpretation of the 144,000 figure; hard to swallow for the R&F, but not much more than the literal interpretation of the 1914 generation which was already dropped a few years ago. This would leave the authority structure nearly intact, inasmuch as the new co-opted GB members would have to declare themselves providentially anointed prior to entering the GB.

  3) Including some (so-called) "other sheep" as such in the GB, in itself, would only postpone the crisis. But combined with solution # 2 (new "anointed" and "other sheep" admitted into the GB) it could help solve the problem smoothly under a convenient cloud of mystery...

  Should I apply as a consultant to the GB?
• 

  Tim Horton

  I remember that WT study in 95 when they changed their view of the generation and looking around at the meeting and thinking

  " Is nobody else here amazed at what this is telling us, after all this time telling us this is a "promise of Jehovah" and wiping it away with 2 study articles? Not alot of discussion afterwards either!!

  so I 'll go with Narkissos new light version #2 !

  p.s as a newbie still finding the cultish aspects of my previous belief system more unnerving all the time..
• 

  blondie

  When sisters given public talks and serve on JCs.
• 

  gumby

  I guess there could be other ways around this problem. Perhaps the GB will just be dissolved when the last member dies.

  They have already shown pics in the Watchtower with Russell, Rutherford, Knorr, and Franz in heaven watching over the kings intrest on earth. They have had Watchtower articles dealing with Isaiah( I think)... where it discusses "Princes ruling for Justice" in which it was discussed that the 'Great Crowd' could fill the shoes of the annointed on earth and the annointed would somehow direct things from heaven. I don't remember which article it was.

  Gumby