Posts by careful

34

How far will they go?

by careful in

i've been drawing back lately and looking at the big picture going on in the org, somewhat like slimboyfat has also been doing, but i am wondering about different possibilities.

so the current gb has modernized recently in various ways.

they have done a strong and sudden about-face regarding the electronic world, from viewing the whole thing suspiciously and condemning bros. use tablets from the platform to suddenly embracing them and causing the r&f to do so to such a degree that old ones are spending hundreds of dollars to buy devices that they have no clue how to use; they have heavily embraced this media for their message, very much like the churches have been doing for years, especially with their jw broadcasting and their caleb and sophia animations.

careful

Thanks to all! Judging from the number and quality of the responses, I think this is the most successful thread I've posted, so I appreciate the input.

OEJ:

how does allowing facial hair or being more flexible on dress help them?

How does Splane's pop music help them? If we say that it is some attempt to increase their appeal and thus increase membership, then doesn't the same reasoning hold for possibly loosening up on the formal dress?

stuck…:
Is pop music or use of "worldly" consultants a "serious issue"? I haven't chosen these but the GB has.

smiddy: thanks for the input. We'll see if they continue following this trend.

listener, berrygerry: How does the pop music change the bottom line? Is that a business change?

lumberjack: I do not see how anything in the OP can register as a complaint. I'm just reporting the org's modern history factually, no emotion, no judging. Then I'm wondering if the future of the trends we see will include changes in dress and grooming. That's all.

Magnum: thanks. Your thoughts are deep and I think I've seen you express them before. You are surely onto something here.

Nicholaus K: Well, maybe, but the CO is their hands-on, mega-loyal link to HQ. Would they give that up for local elders some of whom can be problematic? Of course, you never know…

brand-new and Island Man: I went to the Caribbean while still in, and it was indeed as you, Island Man, put it.

Please keep the input coming.

34

How far will they go?

by careful in

i've been drawing back lately and looking at the big picture going on in the org, somewhat like slimboyfat has also been doing, but i am wondering about different possibilities.

so the current gb has modernized recently in various ways.

they have done a strong and sudden about-face regarding the electronic world, from viewing the whole thing suspiciously and condemning bros. use tablets from the platform to suddenly embracing them and causing the r&f to do so to such a degree that old ones are spending hundreds of dollars to buy devices that they have no clue how to use; they have heavily embraced this media for their message, very much like the churches have been doing for years, especially with their jw broadcasting and their caleb and sophia animations.

careful

I've been drawing back lately and looking at the big picture going on in the org, somewhat like slimboyfat has also been doing, but I am wondering about different possibilities. So the current GB has modernized recently in various ways. They have done a strong and sudden about-face regarding the electronic world, from viewing the whole thing suspiciously and condemning bros. use tablets from the platform to suddenly embracing them and causing the R&F to do so to such a degree that old ones are spending hundreds of dollars to buy devices that they have no clue how to use; they have heavily embraced this media for their message, very much like the churches have been doing for years, especially with their JW broadcasting and their Caleb and Sophia animations. They are rapidly embracing "worldly" ways in music with David Splane's pop tunes and their music videos that end each monthly broadcast. Like the churches they have aggressively embraced child baptism and may well be on the way to infant baptism. They have used "worldly" consultants for a variety of things they never would have before: legal matters, construction, financial advice, reorganizing and downsizing their Bethels (cutting the fat, dismissing the costly old-timers).

Sooo my question is this: how far will they go in this vein? Specifically will they finally allow facial hair and cut the conservative dress they are so obsessed with? Before anyone answers "They'd never do that," it might be good to think about how so many here have been surprised at the above-mentioned changes. I imagine that the GB has surprised us all recently with so many changes that many here have commented that they don't even recognize the old religion any more.

49

The wonderful things you hear AFTER you step down as an elder!

by redpilltwice in

well, well, that was quite a heartfelt welcome on this site four days ago.

thank you all for the encouraging replies.

one of them was this one from magnum: "hey now, don't just pop your head in and disappear.

careful

I quit and quickly I moved out of town and faded. I'd grown a beard and only kept in touch privately with a few bros. who were enlightened about the org's corruption. Then when I was visiting some of them in my old city, I unexpectedly ran into a MS I knew in a sporting goods shop. This guy was a nice chap, zealous and all, but had been passed over many times for appointment as an elder. I was concerned that he'd seen me with my beard and might report me to my fellow "friends" on the elder body and they'd come looking for me to "rescue" me. But it was quite the opposite. He couldn't have cared less about my beard. All he wanted to do was talk about the problems in the old congo, why he still wasn't an elder yet, etc. It was amazing how he opened up to me. The whole thing was quite awkward and I found myself comforting the poor guy, telling him to wait on Jehovah, blah, blah. They really do open up if you let them, far more to someone who's no longer a perceived threat to them.

8

Bethel Family Matters

by WatchtowerReviewz in

using the hilarious song 142 i went ahead and created a sitcom intro about life at bethel.

this is what that song was really created for.

i hope watchtower likes my pitch!

careful

You've labeled Sam Herd as Mark Sanderson!

43

Counsel from Bro Losch (GB Member) to the Elders about the NFL

by James Jack in

while attending a week long training class for elders in patterson, bro losch gave the concluding talk about loyalty to the borg, which i was in awe of(i went more in detail in a recent post about a s.a.d.

where losch was the speaker).

at the end of his talk, here's what he said: .

careful

Well, it's no wonder then that he's not a heavy among the GB members, but a wannabe!

14

Warwick Photo Gallery 4 (May Through August 2015)

by wifibandit in

full set: http://imgur.com/a/djhfe.

sample:.

.

careful

Thanks for the post and pix.

37

Infighting at the top?

by JeffT in

jw
friends

we've all been trying to decipher what is going on at the top of the watchtower organization.

clearly, the game's afoot, we just don't know what game we're playing.

item: the constant harping about money and donations.

careful

You're right about being in the dark alright! This post makes me think of so many others here based entirely on conjecture, the same thing we all saw when we were in among the Witness R&F and elders!

So who "at the top" is involved? In one sense the GB is like any other elder body. They undoubtedly have their differences in closed meeting sessions, but must present a unified front outside their meetings, as many of us have witnessed and even participated in while we were in our local congos. But you would have to delineate just who is who on the GB, who the liberals and hard liners are, who the weak pushovers and who the alpha dogs are. Do you have some insight here?

Clearly Tony Morris and David Splane are the top dogs. But where do the others fit in? I have heard that Jackson is somewhat liberal and Sanderson too, but I don't know if that's substantial. Herd seems rather a beta than an alpha type. Lett, well, who knows? A loose canon, but probably harmless and easily controlled by the alphas. Lösch, I dunno... maybe the wannabe as someone here said once...

So where here is the power struggle? If you postulate a power grab by those below the GB, as some here really really want to believe, then you have some serious issues with their forced acceptance of the GB's power and the fact that if they are ever found out, they can easily be axed, especially in the current climate of Bethel dismissals. Hmm...

Finally, as you yourself recognize, any appearance of disunity at the top would be devastating to the R&F. As daft as the GB are most of the time, they are bright enough to recognize that fact as well, and they would likely do whatever they need to do to avoid such a perception by the R&F.

19

Lawrence Onoda, Ph.D., Jehovah's Witness Psychologist

by Maryo in

in about 1980 i came to know of and meet one time with lawrence onoda, ph.d., a jehovah's witness psychologist [also i think elder] in southern california.

i was shocked to know there was such a thing in view of the wts traditional stance against jws consulting such a person!

he had been one of jws for six years at that time, i recall.

careful

He was a professor at Cal State Northridge, but retired some years ago. His private practice was (is?) all JWs. He is not the only JW psychologist either, though they are rare. He was mentioned in some early posts on this forum, though they do not seem to have survived the transition to the new board here. Another Witness psychologist once told me that he and Onoda were backed up with Witness patients. Now why is that not surprising?

As for him still being in, he puts faith in the org, and thus compartmentalizes his critical thinking ability. As a loyal one, he would not apply such thinking to the org. That would be playing into Satan's hands in his mind.

11

Do JW's still go door-to-door?

by Dark Knight in

with the rise of the new literature cart method of preaching, i'm curious as to how the traditional jw preaching work is organized.

the other reason i ask this is that i hardly see jw's door-knocking anymore.are they still going door-to-door and tracking how regularly their territory is covered?

are they still using territory maps and keeping track of do-not-calls, ethnic/deaf houses etc?i'm also curious as to how the literature cart ministry is organized.

careful

In the recent 18-month period they've come to my door 5 or 6 times all the while having a cart at the local Wal Mart. Since I've gone inactive, I cannot help you with those in-house questions you are asking.

33

Elder continues serving as elder after his daughter got disfellowshipped!

by hardtobeme in

this is what is happening in a spanish congregation in our area.

this happened 3 weeks ago.

this brother conducted the school and after the school was over, another elder gave the announcement: "( name of the person) is not longer a jehovah's witness".

careful

I saw plenty of times when elders would continue to serve after their kids were DFed and other times when the guy would get the ax. Sometimes it depends on whether the elder in question had the right connections or not, or others on the BOE who would pounce on the situation and use it to get rid of a rival.