Is Watchtowers view & practices currently split in two? Split leadership direction?

by thedepressedsoul 13 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  thedepressedsoul

  I've been deeply following JW "culture" the last 2 years and I am getting the impression that the leadership is currently split in two different directions. On one hand you get this sense of a happy, joyful and less strict religion and on the other hand there is still this strict, harsh religion of the past. Let me explain more.

  There have been a lot of video's lately that show dancing in Kingdom Halls, Bethel dancing to the "Happy" song, JW.org downplaying their beliefs and making it sound like daisies. Writings that make it sound like one can have a Christian conscience and just a more relaxed view point.

  On the other hand though, DF'ing is still strong, harsh counsel is still plentiful and old school standards are being focused and pushed. Higher education, DF'ing, tight pants, dress (telling do's and don'ts) etc...

  I can't help but feel that the leadership is split, or the GB and the PR department have a different view of how the organization should be. Is the GB split? You can tell just by listening to Anthony Morris that he is definitely in favor of stricter more harsh rules (Taking it back to the 70's-80's) but where is this other side coming from? Is there other GB members that want a change? Are there Bethelites in higher positions that want a change? There are definitely two sides of the coin right now and it shows more then ever. Who is behind this more modern, relaxed side? 
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  jonza

  Or it is becoming even more cultish... Displaying the outward appearance of it all being roses, when the reality is getting much more sinister.
  
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  joe134cd

  I don't think so much split. I think it's more that the old guard has now died and so has their ideas. It was the rutherfords,   Knores,  and the franzes, who where the ones that were not going to change, and there weren't the external factors around to necessitate change e.g the internet. Clearly they had to do something or it would be shut up shop.
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  OneEyedJoe

  I'll say it before vidiot comes in here and says it (I happen to agree)

  the rebranding is about presenting the appearance of "mainstreaming", whilst keeping the internal policies unchanged.

  I think in most cases where you have leadership by committee, you'll see some degree of mixed messages coming through, so that may be a part of it as well.  I think GB 2.0 is much more in the loop as to what's really going on than their predecessors, (even if they don't realize it and consider themselves to be true believers) so they're inevitably going to be more manipulative about presenting a great facade for the org while leaving the insides rotten.  I think it all started with the public/study WT split - at least for me that seems to have been the beginning of their efforts to put on a good face for the public while keeping the true policies as harsh as ever.
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  hoser

  The public watchtower study watchtower split is where the two sides of the watchtower really became noticeable IMHO.  What I see now is the jw website is a complete 180 from how the religion is really practiced. 

  The website says we don't shun former believers, we don't gain salvation by our preaching work and we can let our conscience guide us when we choose entertainment. 

  
  
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  thedepressedsoul

  I think it's more that the old guard has now died and so has their ideas. It was the rutherfords,   Knores,  and the franzes, who where the ones that were not going to change, and there weren't the external factors around to necessitate change e.g the internet.
  

  Yes but Anthony Morris reminds me of those guys to the T. 
  
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  thedepressedsoul

  I forgot about the split of the Watchtower magazine. 100% a public religion and an internal religion. 
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  Vidiot

  The leadership is not split.

  All the stuff they're putting out now is a full-on effort to portray the WTS as "mainstreaming", whilst internally, they remain the same old authoritarian high-control group they've been for decades (actually, probably more so).

  Don't be fooled.

  EDIT: Whoops; OneEyedJoe beat me to it.
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  Vidiot

  hoser - "What I see now is the JW website is a complete 180 from how the religion is really practiced."

  Pretty much.

  It's one thing to withhold certain bits whilst conveying information, or putting one's "best face forward", but deliberate full-on deception? Saying the exact opposite of what's taught and practiced? That's Scientology-level shenanigans.

  They've come a long way, baby.
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  Londo111

  This is classic cult MO. Nothing new, but the style.

  There is outsider information vs insider information. 

  There is a face presented to the outside world and another face to those on the inside. In fact, the further up a person goes in the org, one encounters still more faces.