I do not for one moment believe they are actually paranoid, actually believe the fears they are instilling in the Rank and File Witnesses, but they see it as the only way to go to preserve their postion of power and control, and to preserve their comfortable lifestyle.
High-control religious groups (WTBTS, Independent Baptist Church, Westboro Baptist, etc etc) need a raison d'etre. There has to be a line in the sand that the leaders can point to as proof that their group is different, special, better, set apart, holy etc. The line in the sand may merely be doctrinal, it may be the claim that "we're more biblical than everyone else", or it may be because the group holds to a particular annihilationalist eschatology.
Whatever the raison d'etre is, it must be compelling to the members of the group, something that gives them a sense of having "the truth", something that sets them apart and gives them a reason to do the works the elite tell them to, and to do so with urgency and vigour.
What, exactly, does The Governing Body offer the rank and file that provides this? Perhaps it used to be the 1874 return of Christ and the "herald of His presence". Maybe it was "millions now living will never die" and the 1925 return of the prophets. Possibly, for a while, it was the persecution during the 30s and 40s.
Later, it might have been "stay alive 'til '75". Or the 1914 generation that so clearly showed up the 1980s would see the wrap up of "this old system".
All along they had bold, vibrant prophets and visionaries, men who could point with clarity to world events and paint a picture of absolutely imminent, exclusive salvation for those who have "remained faithful until the end".
But with the recent eschewing of 1914, the concoction of the overlapping generation and the increasing number of "Memorial partakers", the Watch Tower Society has lost it's line in the sand.
The Witnesses, if they really examined their doctrines, would see that, not only have their denominational goal posts been moved, they've been completely uprooted from the turf and are no longer to be found in the stadium!
I'm sure The Governing Body realises that it no longer has any doctrinal hooks in the rank and file. It doesn't have a bold prophet. It doesn't even have ticking, "end of age" clock anymore.
Therefore, as we approach 2014, it needs to resort to the cult classic: fear.
The Governing Body doesn't fear apostates, opposers or faders unless their bottom line is affected. Watch the money, always watch the money...If the elite recognise their monetary resources are being impinged upon - or could be impinged upon - expect them to act.
Losing members doesn't frighten them; they're more than making up for lost membership in the 1st world by the new comers in the 2nd and 3rd worlds. However, it's the 1st world members that were shoring up, financially, the in-roads made in the 2nd and 3rd worlds.
So, they're prepared for casualties. They don't really need the wishy-washy socialite Witnesses. They want the hard-core, "we will unquestioningly obey, even sacrificing our children", uber-Dubs. These ones will only ask "how much?" when The Governing Body rattles its collection can...
It will be interesting to see how this unfolds, will they get much more hardline about faders like me, who are in a position to sow a lot of thoughts in active Witnesses minds ? which I do on every possible occasion !
I've no doubt that the faders will be next in their sights, as predicted two years ago