i can't begin to count all the changes that have happened in the last five years.. i just read they're getting rid of the theocratic ministry school from cedar's blog.. i remember when they released the new theo school book back in 2001. how times have changed.. it's almost scary in a way what's happening.
there's barely any time to adapt to one change before another change comes along.. there's been more changes in the last five years than the previous 100 years.. i feel like there's some grand puppet master pulling his string.. what if the governing body are not really in charge but just give the impression they're in charge.
could there be someone else behind the scenes?.
The GB are true believers in something that is not based in fact and reason.
WT is an authoritarian organization.
Authoritarian organizations are reactionary.
Authoritarian organizations are authoritarian because their leaders are true believers, and as a result live by ideology, not fact and reason.
When people don't live in a world based in fact and reason, they make bad decisions, (eventually).
At a high level, that is what we are seeing the effects of.
d4g
i did not believe i would see the demise of the wt in my lifetime, and maybe i will not, they may be able to ride out their present problems.. but how do you think this will affect the average, loyal, believing jw ?.
usually most things just wash over them, if there is a slight niggle, they use their well-worn way of explaining things to themselves as in "the end is near" or "jehovah knows best" etc etc.
but the huge sea-change in corporate policy that we see unfolding, all construction work stopped, except warwick and maybe their biggest project, chelmsford u.k. huge bethel layoffs, and the lifestyle of the remaining staff reduced to virtual slavery, more bethel closures, spiritual food reduced for the public as well as the r&f, and all of this being the opposite of what they have claimed was evidence of jehovah's blessing ???.
I seriously doubt they will announce such set back to all JWs.
Maybe not. However, how long could something like that be hidden???
d4g
the chelmsford project in the uk has already come to a halt and every one has been sent home.
the bethel family in london is to be cut by several hundred.
my impression is that most ambitious youngster in the org dream of being involved with the building program.
There are a few things that can be said for sure, but they are mostly general.
The WT is an authoritarian organization.
Authoritarian organizations, are reactionary by nature.
Many major changes have taken place, (financial structure wise, as well as social), that point to an organization in transition, and has been in earnest, at least since 2012, and some changes several years before that.
WT is under enormous legal and PR pressure on several different fronts. (Child abuse, shunning, blood, charity in question, etc.).
My best guess is something went pop, and something anticipated, (but not strategically planned for), came upon the organization, or they are expecting it to, hence the 180.
Otherwise, the pieces of the puzzle just don't fit without resorting to conspiracies. Conspiracy theories are wrong at least 99% of the time.
Look at the big picture.
d4g
first off, i'd like to state that i currently have "privileges" in the congregation and volunteer at bethel on and off throughout the year.
that's as much information as i will currently give about myself.. starting off, i think something big is coming in the form of lawsuits and bad pr.
they seem to be batting down the hatches in preparation for something the last few years and even more so the last few months.
neverendingjourney - If things get dire enough, do they accept having a tax imposed on them and go back to charging for everything, a quarter for digital downloads, a dollar per magazine, etc.?
Cannot happen, unless there is a complete change of business model. Tax-free organizations are dependent on that status to remain in the black. Everything pretty much becomes taxable once that line is crossed, (real estate, capital gains, sales, etc). The society changed to a "donation" basis 25 years ago, kicking and screaming quietly just to avoid that change of status, as it likely would have bankrupted them in a few years. They will not do it now, because they cannot.
It is possible to do however if planned properly, but would require a major sell off of assets, and restructuring.
d4g
if an (aggressive) real estate fund is stopping it's operations directly,.
and if an publishing house is minimize the portfolio,.
and if a member of it's board of directors is telling the costs are higher then the profits,.
Immediate insolvency type issue? Not likely. Long-term sustainability concerns? Oh, they have those for a certainty. Is the current stop on a dime changes related to that? That would seem a bit extreme. So it is anyone's guess...
Something is up for sure. That something might be something else other than a financial concern altogether. I don't much care for blind speculation, but the pieces don't quite fit on this one, after giving it some thought over the last few days. While the anecdotal evidence points to something financial, I am not so sure that is a given. They would have to have been way off in their forecasting to cancel almost all projects. I will use the same reasoning I did on 9/11 when taxiing on the tarmac in Huston towards the gate on a business trip, when over the PA it was stated, "all connecting flights have been cancelled, as all airports in the USA are shut down, due to the 'incident' in NY...". My first thought was, "That never happened before in the history of aviation, what the hell just happened?". Likewise, the WT never cancelled all major construction before. Something is up, and I don't know that it is just about immediate finances.
I would theorize that something much bigger could be in the works. As Orphan Crow pointed out on another thread, it could be something anticipated, however not necessarily planned for. I would not go as far as an ordered shut down, (at least not internationally), maybe something more localized, but equally upsetting to the R&F, if they were to discover it. Creating a financial issue smokescreen could be just the distraction needed.
I would go as far to say that all of the changes over the last few years might have something to do with this. There is some serious re-branding and re-positioning taking place. Maybe that is not such a coincidence after all.
Time will tell.
d4g
i'm not sure if this topic has ever been posted (surely, i believe it has), but it would be interesting to revive such a topic and hear your stories!.
when my parents heard my first rant (after they told me to be home schooled when i was caught kissing a girl) they entered into a long depression that continues to this day.
my father suffers knowing his once amazing family is now divided, and my mother is equally angry.
One dear friend freaked out. I still want to fix that.
One other, (related to the friend mentioned above), is tolerant, but keeps me at arm's length.
The rest? I could care less. Fuck 'em.
d4g
my thoughts are.
1. they want to avoid being made to comply with any laws that come with anything classed as a "school" especially a school with children enrolled.. 2. the mid-week meeting has been dying in the ass for years and needs a revival.
i predict happy -clappy-sing-a-longs to be included in the program.. anyone else have any thoughts ??
WT does all things for one of two reasons: Control of members or economic reasons. These two motivators are about the organizations survival, and that is what it is trying to do. Always start from there.
In this case, I think they realized they lost control of people with respect to reliably caring for assignments and the use of "qualified" men for those parts. So in a way this is about saving face and making things appear less of a malaise than they actually are. It fits more into the control camp, albeit indirectly.
d4g
could the stopping of construction be just another ruse to squeeze money from the rank and file?.
it will certainly generate buzz like nothing else..
Pistoff - Could the stopping of construction be just another ruse to squeeze money from the rank and file?
It will certainly generate buzz like nothing else.
Maybe, but if it is nothing more than a ruse, it is a very desperate one...
d4g
as i've mentioned from time to time, i'm a retired accountant.
i have tried many times to come up with some logical, sound business reason why the wtbs has made the big changes in its financial arrangements: taking the congregations savings, the monthly donations per congregation etc.
i finally came up with the answer.. the leadership of the watchtower society is batshit crazy.
I agree 100%.
They are not well educated. They believe their own BS, (yes, they believe this crazy shit, even though they make it up, think about that...). It was only a matter of time before this blind belief allowed them to make enough bad decisions that it affected their finances.
They only reason it took over a century is because they had the benefit of tax-free status, while selling their publications, for decades. By 1990, (when their tax-free status was in jeopardy, and they began the "donation" arrangement), they were still sitting on mountains of cash and assets of all classes. 25 years have passed, the donations are not there, and the money supply is not what it was. Add to this a rapidly changing social environment that is not friendly to fundamentalist religious ideals, (and what all of that entails, specific to the WT), and you have the perfect storm.
This is really the beginning of the end, even if this phase takes another 50 years.
d4g
a good source just just told me that at morning worship today that the governing body announced that a total of 1600 bethelites will be let get go and not transferred to warwich when the last property is sold in brooklyn and all kingdom hall building projects are on hold for at least a year so that all the focus will be on the preaching work.
Between the new round of layoffs, the stopping of large construction, and the magazine reduction, (again), it is clear now that they are either in very bad financial trouble or planning to be. Like a few pointed out, the construction stoppage is a turn on a dime. They would not do that unless they realized something was very wrong.
The money grab from congregations didn't work. The pledging didn't work. The begging and coercing for money in the videos didn't work. Legal precedents were set with the Conti case that will bring further cases to court. The ARC will bring more of such cases to Australia and beyond. The construction projects are running way over budget.
Do the math.
d4g
