Does GB know 'IT' is a farce? - Yes!

by Amazing 13 Replies latest jw friends

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  Amazing

  Given a comment on my BRCI Sound Bites, yet another, though now deceased, GB member also stated that the organization's teachings are a farce or fraud. Also, Ray Franz publications have throughly documented his views from the time he was on the GB and afterwards, as to what he thinks. It seems that Ray also mentioned in Crisis of Conscience that some of the GB felt that their 1914 doctrine was in serious error while he was there. So the GB, or at least a good number of them, know that 'IT' is a farce, and this seems evident from comments they have made in private or that were noted in Ray's book.

  Power Corrupts: Even though these men see the problems and the farce, they are caught up in a vortex of a kind of spiritual gravity that keeps them where they are. They either don't care as one former Bethelite noted, or they feel helpless to try and effect changing 'IT'. For others it is a 'power trip' as some have noted about one specific GB man who seems to be the 'one' in charge.

  I can only imagine that they 'fear' losing thier religion to the dust heap of history, and their lofty positions along with 'IT'. So they may very well be spending more time to find ways to create a 'soft-landing' whereby they can move mainstream as have the WorldWide Church of God (WWCOG) and now the Mormons are trying to do, and save their power and position without harm.

  Could they have good motives?: I doubt it. They are still caught up in the 'fantasy' that somehow they have 'more' truth or 'better' truth than others, even if 'IT' is a farce. It is just in their twisted minds a 'better' farce than all other farces. Or put another way, Their football team is the only 'true' team, and all other football teams are false football teams. If any of the GB have good motives, it appears that their motives are too settled into a 'comfort zone' that overpowers any sense of courage or concern that would normally cause right-minded and well-adjusted people to speak out and say, 'We are mad as hell, and we are not going to take any more of 'IT'.' - Amazing
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  Oldhippie

  If by "IT" you are referring to the 1914 doctrine, then obviously without "IT" their entire doctrinal structure becomes a house of cards.
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  Amazing

  Hi Oldhippie: I agree with you about their 1914 doctrine being their most important foundation stone upon which they are built.

  My reference to 'IT' was born out of JW jargon where they will ask, 'Do you believe 'IT' is the truth?' Or they might say, 'We have to wait on the organization, and not run ahead of 'IT'. The impersonal, lifeless, neuter-gender, mechanical 'IT' is none other than their god, the Big-O, the Borg, the institution, the Organization, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York and all their sunsidiary corporations. - Amazing
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  AuSet

  Amazing,

  "IT" is a train out of control, and they know it. Perhaps they are just sitting around on their hineys, waiting for some "New Light" to plop down into their laps.

  In the end, I see the GB as being like Hitler...if any of the old ones are left when the WT falls, they'll probably take the only option they have left, which would involve "getting out" in a sense, before they can be tried for their war crimes.
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  patio34

  Hi Amazing,

  Just a little thank-you for all the interesting posts you put on this board. You are one of the ones responsible for my visiting this board regularly. Keep it up!

  Pat
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  philo

  Amazing

  If as Ray Franz said in Crisis, the 'leaders' are mere 'followers of followers of followers', then they trapped, and weak individuals. So they don't necessarily even need bad motives to stay that way. But going a little deeper: if serving an organisation so completely, to the point where even conscience is considered just another kingdom chattel, is a bad motive -- AND I THINK IT IS -- then these men have BAD motives.

  What sparked your seemingly angry post, friend?

  philo
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  Amazing

  Hi Philo: You made some very good points. I am of the opinion that the WTS/JW religion is a moderate cult, or at least exhibits 'cultish' behavior in its inter-social dynamics. As a result, when people who are young get into a cult, and then leave many years later, perhaps 10 or 20 or more, they will for a period of time revert back to the age they were when they joined th cult. [I am headed somewhere with this.]

  When I left the JWs, before I read any material about cults, I was heard to say many times that I feel young again, like I am 20 years old ... and I actually when through a re-growth process.

  The GB Men-Boys: Many of these men have been JWs all their lives, and have been in the organization's operations most of he adult life. There is a good chance that they have never fully matured in certain normal growth aspects. And as a result, they have never learned to take an 'individual or personal stand for something, and the organization is all they have ever known. They are like boys who physically grow into men, but who still live at home with 'mommy.' This, I believe, is far more at the core of the problem than whether they act with criminal or bad motives. The GB don't always agree with 'mommy', but mommy must always be right.

  Amazing
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  philo

  Amazing

  when people who are young get into a cult, and then leave many years later, perhaps 10 or 20 or more, they will for a period of time revert back to the age they were when they joined th cult.

  That's very interesting. It's new to me. Where did you get this from, or is it a personal observation?

  philo
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  joelbear

  Amazing,

  interesting post. Someone else, I believe it was Defender, recently posted excerpts from a watchtower article that continued to ballyhoo
  1914 as the beginning of the last days.

  I am quite surprised that they have not started to tone done the 1914 rhetoric, now that 1914 is in a former century.

  Even as an active witness I disagreed with their concentration on future rewards for current behavior. I always felt that there was much more value to forming a unified brotherhood based on a love for each other and a willingness to sublimate self interests and concerns.

  Evidently they do not feel that this is enough of a payback to attract people. They do utilize this message but it always takes back seat to the more prolific "Now is bad, soon will be good" message. In fact, this year's magazines that I have glanced through seem to be going even more heavily in that direction.

  Quite odd. I do not understand their agenda. It may simply be that there are still enough "organization men" that need the organization to survive in order for them to be able to continue the way of life that they are accustomed to that they just want to soak a few more years out of it.

  I cannot believe that there are many 20 or even 30 year old males that are now willing to commit to a total Watchtower life.

  hugs

  Joel
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  Number 6

  Hi Amazing. Good Post.

  I was raised as a witness and the 2 things I just could never get my head around were "the faithful and discreet slave" and the 1914 calculation.

  My stepfather, an elder was trying to explain the bit about "time, times and half a time". I don't now specifically remember how this ties into the 1914 calculation but know that it was essential to it. Anyway...

  I asked why does the "times" specifically refer to 2 times? why not 3, 4, 5 or 20. He just shrugged his shoulders and said "it just does." This business of darting all over the Bible connecting up irrelevant verses was just a little too far fetched for me. My stepfather though said we had to accept it as it was from the "faithful and discreet slave". But don't get me started on that one.

  When I read "Crisis" by Franz I was amazed at how doubts existed at the very top as far back as the late 70's. Especially Nathan Knorr's comments about 1914 in the context of 1975.

  They have banged on about 1914 for so long now that any attempt to tone it down even over a course of many years will be pounced on by outsiders and exposed for what it is. My younger brother stated to me recently that the Nov '95 re-definition of "this generation" caused such an uproar locally that about 15 dubs just upped and left. Apparently it was the final straw for them.

  So do the GB know IT is a farce. I totally agree with Amazing that not only do they know it is wrong but have to conciously with their legal and PR people map out a course for the next couple of decades of how to ditch the entire doctrine with minimum loss. The trouble they have is that 1914 is SO essential to just about everything they teach that to unravel the threads might cause the entire thing to fall apart.

  Hopefully those now harbouring doubts will see the small changes over time and just get out.

  To my mind the JW's can only go in 2 directions.

  1. Go mainstream over a time and throw out all the practices that give them such a bad name. Then they become nothing more than any other Sunday morning quasi social/religious meeting with no strings attached.

  2. Set more dates. Become more hardline. OK so the moderate minded people with doubts will up and leave but there will always be the element of disfunctional weak minded individuals to prey on.

  As for the dubs being a cult? That they are is obvious to any who choose to investigate it, no more no less.

  As a 31 year old man with 3 kids and a wife. I certainly wouldn't tie myself to a restrictive religion like the JW's when the "end is soon" element of their doctrine will increasingly take a back seat.

  6

  I am not a dub I am a free man.
  (The poster formerly known as "Mr. Angry")