For believers still inside the organization: The book study change is a big deal. It has been part of worship for as long as anyone has been alive. The Society has stressed repeatedly how important it is to attend the book study and how members have not been taking it seriously. The Society has stated that the book study is important for many reasons, not the least of which quite possibly being your main lifeline in an emergency or even Armageddon. They have encouraged members to socialize and get to know intimately the people in the book study for decades. Then they come out of the blue and say that it is no longer necessary. An active, believing JW can only see this as some earth-shattering event.
For non-believers still inside the organization for various reasons: I am one of these people. I am hoping this is the beginning of the end (of the WBTS). It would be far easier for me if the WBTS self-destructed than it would be for outsiders to take it down. I think it is a monster that has enslaved the minds of millions of innocent people.
For non-believers outside of the organization: Once again, I think there is a desire to see this organization go down in flames. It has not been determined whether this most recent but important decision is to control minds and stop independents, to prevent lawsuits, to save gas for publishers, or any number of possible theories. Some want it to be an indication that something is wrong, that there is some massive failure somewhere, but that has yet to be seen.
So there is some legitimacy in the excitement that people here feel when changes like these are made. Unfortunately, none of us have any insiders on the Governing Body and their closed meetings so we are ultimately in the dark until we see the fallout.
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