Watchtower: Theocratic or corporate?

by DaCheech 7 Replies latest jw experiences

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  DaCheech

  The other week we were read a letter about the upcoming elder/ms training school. Out of all the letter I discussed with my friend from another congregation the part that said "If you are unable to go to your assigned school, and you want to attend another circuit's school you can with the Circuit Overseer's permission.... But if you happed to attend an earlier one than the brother s you frequent, you should keep all matter confidential until they hear it themselves"

  Well my friend (JW) cracked up, and laughed at this "stupidity", but before the conversation was over, he added his own personal experience "stupidity".

  he said: In my cong. I'm the literature servant, and along with the english congr brothers we get quite a few that are part of a foreign langage group (as many know they have a meeting ance a month in their language, and go to their own assemblies). Well the english had their assembly a month before the others, the elders told him that at all costs these foreign people could not see the new releases until they were introduced to them at their own assemblies!

  Can you imagine literature being displayed, and this brother having to hide them at the first presence of these!

  This is what corporate does!!!!

  Example: record companies, and video releases.... what does this have to with theocracy
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  VM44

  
  It is similar to the release of the Harry Potter books. No one can see the books until the official release date!

  It is an artificial way to build up excitement about the new releases/information, otherwise the information is just "ho-hum", nothing special.

  So what it comes down to is this....The Watchtower is using MARKETING METHODS to manipulate the witnesses, to build up in them anticipation to "consume" whatever The Watchtower publishes!

  --VM44
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  Hellrider

  Funny thing, we were always told be to be "theocratic", and for years I thought this was a word that meant "behave properly", or something like that. Only after I grew up and moved away and started studying, I learned the truth about this word. The thing is, in the JW-world, this word has been "positively charged" (don`t know if that`s the proper english term for the thing I`m trying to say, but...), the word has a "positive ring" to it. However, the word in itself, in the way the rest of the world uses it, is completely neutral. It simply means that the power of the society is delegated downwards, with a god on top, under it the prophet, then the priests, the men, and at the bottom: women and children (just above the house pet...). There is absolutely nothing positive about that word, outside of the JW-society.
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  peggy

  A letter was read at the congregation today. They have lowered the standards for the international conventions coming up in 2006. If you want to attend one of these you now only need to have been a pioneer for five years or an elder or servant for a "combined" total of five years. Your spouse will be allowed to attend with you. I am not sure what the previous standard was when it was first read. I want to say fifteen years service. Apparently the applications were low, therefore the requirements lowered. Recently a CO told me that every year 30 CO's leave the work. Last year they lost 60. Is the corporation in doing poorly?
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  Mysterious

  I guess "spiritual food at the proper time" has been interpreted to give each circuit their own "proper time"
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  OldSoul

  Corporate.

  [whispers from stage left] What? Oh, this isn't just a poll? Oh well. I stand by my statement.

  OldSoul
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  findingmyway

  They have lowered the standards for the international conventions coming up in 2006. ; If you want to attend one of these you now only need to have been a pioneer for five years or an elder or servant for a "combined" total of five years. ; Your spouse will be allowed to attend with you. ; I am not sure what the previous standard was when it was first read. ; ;I want to say fifteen years service. ; Apparently the applications were low, therefore the requirements lowered.

  Maybe they'll soon do the same for other requirements (i.e., df'ing). I remember when there were at least 2 categories of shunning: (1) disassociation of non-baptized publishers and (2) df'ing of baptized publishers. In both instances, the da'd and df'd person was shunned. When they revamped the rules, a friend of mine was da'd. She didn't have to do anything (write a letter, talk to the elders, etc.) in order to be reinstated. They simply announced that they had done away with disassociating people. The following meeting, it was like nothing ever happened. For some, this wasn't acceptable and I remember the trend of "marking" people as unworthy of associating with.

  Does anyone else remember this?
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  DannyHaszard

  The following meeting, it was like nothing ever happened. For some, this wasn't acceptable and I remember the trend of "marking" people as unworthy of associating with.

  Does anyone else remember this?

  circa 1989