Bethel and the Change from Presidental Dictatorship to GB Rulership

by frankiespeakin 10 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  frankiespeakin

  I was at Bethel when Knorr lost his crown and the GB came into power. At first it was a breath of fresh air with more freedom and less restrictions. I sugest one read Ray Franz book on the subject I think it is in the Crisis book but not sure.

  When I went to Bethel there was a 4 year requirement,,and if you left prematurely before your agreed mandatory duty was fulfilled you were put on some type of reproof or restrictions. This requirement was quickly overturned when Knorr lost his control by the GB. I remember when the announcement was made to the bethel family, it was read by Raymond Franz and everbody was clapping and we all took our time to walk to work that morning, discussing the impications of such change. At that time there were quite a few that did not real like Knorr,, many of the older one acording to my roomate were sick of his always taking the lead in morning text comment with his negativity about certain thngs which the bethelites had to suffer through up until 1972 when he relinquished that priviledge or at least allowed other GB to share it on a rotation basis. When the annoncement was made about the end of the four year requirement my roomate said he looked over at Knorrs table and he did not clap but kept a stern stoic face.

  There was some interesting comment by Knorr that were made some months before he lost his crown about brothers who wanted to leave bethel and not be put on restriction, of course Knorr was defending his stand since he was the poliicy make at the time. At that time there was a lot more freedom to speak up and even complain in fact a bethelite who was in my congregation wrote a long list of complaints and was even verbal about them was never censored he was just concidered by most of us as a BA (bad attitude).

  I could get into more details but my time is short as I have work to do,,but perhaps latter I may get into more of my observations about that time or perhaps there may be some interesting post made by others who know of or shared the experience.
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  Terry

  I'm especially interested in the history of FREEDOM to think for oneself within the Jehovah's Witness organization.

  C.T.Russell allowed people personal freedom to develop their own relationship with God and decide things on a conscience directed by the Holy Spirit.

  Somewhere down the line there were addenda to that policy.

  Now, it is strictly "Mother, may I?"

  Nobody can think for themselves at all. Every jot and tiddle of the ponderous rabbinical Mishna have to be observed and the GB Pharisees must be consulted.

  WHAT HAPPENED?
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  frankiespeakin

  Terry,

  When the GB first dethroned Knorr there was more freedom, more balance was being desplayed but it only lasted a few years, with the 1980 apostacy causing the GB to react in a desperate way to maintain control.
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  Terry

  The fear of being wrong or the fear of being ousted? Which is stronger, I wonder?
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  Narkissos

  Frankie,

  It is in Crisis of Conscience, chapter 4, "Internal upheaval and restructure". If I read correctly the actual change took effect on January 1, 1976.

  In page 75 Ray Franz mentions Knorr's comment (in 1975, before the Bethel family) that the changes "will be made over [his] dead body".
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  frankiespeakin

  Nar,

  I remember rumors that were around at that time when the 4 year thing was enforced. There was talk about a brother who secretly married a sister with children and was spending some nights in her apartment,, he finally got caught,,they were going to df him but it was brought out that he was legaly married but secretly,, so that he could fullfill his 4 year vows and not be disiplined.

  There was one brother who everbody considered a BA because he couldn't wait until his time was up,, he ran the fork lift and wore a hat that counted off the days during his last few weeks of service,, of course he was latter reproved for drunkeness just be fore his honorable discharge. Something like that would never be tolerated to at bethel.
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  Narkissos

  P. 69:

  At that time anyone applying for service ad headquarters ("Bethel Service") had to agree to stay a minimum of four years. Most of the applicants were young men, 19 and 20 years of age. Four years equalled one-fifth of the life they had thus far lived. When at the meal tables, I often asked the person next to me, "How long have you been here?" In the ten years I had by now spent at headquarters I had never heard one of these young men respond by saying in round figures, "About a year," or "about two years." Invariably the answer was, "One and seven," "two and five," "three and one," and so forth, always giving the year of years and the exact number of monts. I could not help but think of the way men serving a prison sentence often follow a similar practice of marking off time.
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  Athanasius

  There was also more freedom in the local congregations during that brief era. Some of us called it Watch Tower Vatican II. There was local autonomy as the CO's lost control of patronage which was then given to the local elders. Disfellowshipping rules were no longer harsh. Many of us enjoyed Bible Studies using translations other than the NWT. Unfortuately Watch Tower Vatican II was gone by 1981. The COs took control of patronage, private study and using Bibles other than the NWT was discouraged, DFd individuals were treated harshly, and an era of oppression began.
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  Flash

  I was at Bethel when Knorr lost his crown and the GB came into power. At first it was a breath of fresh air with more freedom and less restrictions.... When the annoncement was made about the end of the four year requirement my roomate said he looked over at Knorrs table and he did not clap but kept a stern stoic face.

  At that time there was a lot more freedom to speak up and even complain in fact a bethelite who was in my congregation wrote a long list of complaints and was even verbal about them was never censored he was just concidered by most of us as a BA (bad attitude).

  The GB has fallen into the same trap the WT Presidents had, and that is the trap of self importance. They counsel the congregations about it, yet they are the biggest offenders! The GB and the Presidents both lost sight of the great freedom God has given His Son the angels and humans to think and speak and act as INDIVIDUALS!!! They imagine they have come up with the perfect 'model' of how a worshiper of Jehovah should think, feel and act...very mono-tone, very two dimensional. Well intentioned I'm sure, but WRONG!

  I could get into more details but my time is short as I have work to do,,but perhaps latter I may get into more of my observations about that time or perhaps there may be some interesting post made by others who know of or shared the experience.

  That would be nice.
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  frankiespeakin

  My recollection,, purely from my limited pointed view is that, the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses during the time of Knorr's presidency, won a major coup over the power of the Presedent,, but those that spearheaded the coup had major impure motives for doing so, and that is the reason why, there are so many restrictions that were added on after they gained control. They want power to control,,period.

  While some of the members of the governing body may have had somewhat pure motives, non the less they have been led along by those who are the manipulators.