Take a look at the list below. One in red is a possible reform, the yellow highlight is a current understanding of FDS doctrine. So would the FDS organism and its body survive the information age?
My thoughts are below the list.
Justification by faith -- Christ's sacrifice atones for all sins, and it is only necessary to believe in it to be saved. There is nothing humans can do by their own efforts to add or detract from it.
Both faith and good works (acts of devotion, charity, the sacraments, etc.) are necessary for salvation.
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The priesthood of all believers -- all believers have equal access to God and no other earthly intermediaries are needed. This does not mean that the flock does not need teachers, but there are no special sacramental functions belonging to any particular class.
The FDS is necessary as only the FDS can perform the sacraments necessary for spirtual health and correctly interpret the meaning of scripture
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The scriptures as the only source of true doctrine -- studying and understanding the scriptures is therefore important to all believers. Translating the Bible into the vernacular tongues and making it available to all is essential.
Scripture is only one way in which doctrine is revealed; the decisions of FDS councilsand letters to the BoE from the FDS are all part of it. Only the FDS can correctly interpret the meaning of scripture -- do not try this at home.
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Christ's sacrifice happend only once, and no repeat of that sacrifice is necessary. Although Calvinists and Lutherans believe God is present at the sacrament and it nourishes the faithful spiritually, the bread and wine are not literally the body and blood of Christ. The sacrament is only symbolic. Everyone takes both bread and wine.
The Eucharist is a mystery in which the sacrifice of Christ is reenacted; the bread and wine become spiritually transformed into the true body and blood of the Lord. Only FDS partake of the wine and bread
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God's foreknowledge and ominipotence mean that everyone is predestined to their fate: either to be or not to be one of the elect. Human action avails nothing.
God's omnipotence does not restrict human will, and each individual is still responsible for earning their own salvation.
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The Bible only documents two sacraments: baptism and the Lord's Supper. No FDS status is required to perform them, although ministers are necessary and useful to directing and guiding it.
There are seven sacraments: baptism, the memorial, confession, confirmation, marriage, proper food at the proper time, extreme unction . Of these, baptism can be performed by anyone in an emergency, and marriage is technically bestowed by the two partners on one another -- all the rest can only be performed by an elder.
I got the list for here;http://www.lepg.org/religion.htm; its regarding the reformation of the church. Yes, I did allow myself a little poetic license in the list changing some titles, but, its pretty close. The church survived the reformation. Before the reformation and the printing age no had access to the bible in an understandable language. It was a hidden secret of the church. I think (let me know if I'm wrong here) that against this was an act of herasy.
I'm not holding the WTBTS up to be as strong and as influential as the church 500 years ago, but I am saying that to an awful lot of people on a human level the hold is as strong. My thinking is that the FDS and the Corperations it bestows it earthly presence too will survive the information age, but not in its current form. It will have to change, and subtly, as mentioned in the article. In fact its already changing. It has been here before. Making the information available is only one link, all beit and important link, in the chain to pull it down. (reminds my on a watchtower picture of the mill stone).
- on a side thought, I found it quite amusing that the FDS's organization is closer the the catholic church of 1500 than the reformists.
steve.