Posts by passwordprotected

35

Personal Grudges and Judicial Committees: is There a Link?

by passwordprotected in

i've received a submitted article for publication on my blog (http://thegoverningbody.org).

this is from the introduction:.

i have an issue i would like raise.

passwordprotected

What about the supposedly liberal stance on education? Has that gotten more liberal or more hardline?

35

Personal Grudges and Judicial Committees: is There a Link?

by passwordprotected in

i've received a submitted article for publication on my blog (http://thegoverningbody.org).

this is from the introduction:.

i have an issue i would like raise.

Personal Grudges and Judicial Committees: is There a Link?

by passwordprotected in

i've received a submitted article for publication on my blog (http://thegoverningbody.org).

this is from the introduction:.

i have an issue i would like raise.

passwordprotected

Talking about dress and grooming, gotta love these guys... I wonder where The Governing Body gets its ideas from;

35

Personal Grudges and Judicial Committees: is There a Link?

by passwordprotected in

i've received a submitted article for publication on my blog (http://thegoverningbody.org).

this is from the introduction:.

i have an issue i would like raise.

passwordprotected

Let's be pragmatic for a minute, and use a 5 year timescale.

Who of us, while we were active JWs 5 years ago, would have thought that the WTBTS would publish revisions to the 1935 theology and the "generation" theology, which itself was tweaked twice in quick succession, which would severly readjust their eschatology?

Who of us, while we were active JWs 5 years ago, would have thought that the WTBTS would abolish the home group arrangement, and all but outlaw (via the September 2007 KM Question Box) private group Bible study?

The Watch Tower Society, under the direction of The Governing Body, does whatever it needs to do to protect its assets. And its assets are money and property. That means they will absolutely make sure their butt is covered legally. That also means they need a hard core acolyte following that only ever farts when they're allowed to.

Faders do not fall in line with that.

The WTBTS will only get more hardline. They need to run a tighter ship.

Perhaps this needs to move to a new thread?

32

As The Governing Body Tightens its Grip...

by passwordprotected in

two and a half years ago i predicted that the governing body was going to have to tighten its grip on the rank and file witnesses.. "it's time to get in the compound, brothers and sisters...." it's classic sleight of hand.

distract your audience.

pull off the trick.

passwordprotected

@Black Sheep

You raise a good point. However, do JWs place the same important on 1914 as they did back, say, in the 1980s or 90s? During my exit an elder told me 1914 was merely the end of the Gentile Times, nothing more.

Really? Is that all 1914 was?

35

Personal Grudges and Judicial Committees: is There a Link?

by passwordprotected in

i've received a submitted article for publication on my blog (http://thegoverningbody.org).

this is from the introduction:.

i have an issue i would like raise.

passwordprotected

Having listened to all the material posted I think Matthew's fate was sealed the moment he accused Ronnie Hunter of slander. Matthew refused to play the role of the cowed Witness in the face of the elders interfering with his family but took them on at their own rhetorical game. Faced with the claim that they had acted improperly Ronnie Hunter decided Matthew simply had to go in order to uphold his own righteousness and he did everything in his power to accomplish that end.

You're probably right re. Ron's involvement. I know for a fact that my parents had been pestering the elders in Matt's congregation to get something done about him (and cardboard ninja). They'd been gathering evidence against him based on his on-going friendship with my wife and I, as alluded to in the recordings; they'd gone on holiday with us, a holiday that had originally been planned with one of the elders on the original judicial committee.

That being said, Matt had moved house and hadn't been to a meeting for around 6 months. They actively pursued him very quickly after his 25th December encounter with Ron in the Bishopbriggs Kingdom Hall.

Ron likes to play Mr Meek and Mild, but it should be apparent to even the most pro-JW listeners that the guy had an agenda and could barely contain his ire at Matt's audacious questioning. Notice how, when seemingly backed into a corner regarding his own allged slander, he started asking Matt theological questions. Matt's replies gave Ron the ammunition to relaunch their investigation against him.

That's where the lack of ethics come in;

Ron was one of two elders who had "shepherded" Matt and his wife
information disclosed by the couple at these visits where re-visited by Ron during his confrontation with Matt
Ron became the chief accuser against Matt
Ron was the chief witness to the accusations against Matt
the other witness to the accusations was the other elder who had "shepherded" them

35

Personal Grudges and Judicial Committees: is There a Link?

by passwordprotected in

i've received a submitted article for publication on my blog (http://thegoverningbody.org).

this is from the introduction:.

i have an issue i would like raise.

passwordprotected

What makes you think that? Isn't there just a bit of wishful thinking involved there? You want the Watchtower organization to become more hardline to vindicate your low opinion of them and help flush out more members, perhaps including people you know who are still in. But what if the organization becomes less hardline? Would you welcome that or would you be disappointed? For what it's worth I think you made the right decision to leave regardless of whether the organization becomes more hardline or not. Don't make your estimation of your choice dependent on whatever they decide to do in the future.

If I remember correctly, your choice to remain a Witness (and I'm guessing, fade?) is so that your aunt will continue to speak to you. That might influence how your read my comments on faders, no?

You want the Watchtower organization to become more hardline to vindicate your low opinion of them and help flush out more members, perhaps including people you know who are still in.

Really, I do? You know that for a fact?

My low opinion of "them"; who is "them"?

But what if the organization becomes less hardline? Would you welcome that or would you be disappointed?

My personal feelings over what the Watch Tower Society does or doesn't do aren't being discussed. As it happens, I don't believe the Organisation will become less hardline. The recent reemphasis over relationships with disfellowshipped family members (twice in 3 months?) suggests a certain hardline stance.

What has my "estimation of my choice" got to do with the obvious tightening of control on the Witnesses by The Governing Body? Did the fact that I disassociated from the high control environment of the Watch Tower Society mean that my opinions on how The Governing Body are operating wrong or irrelevant? If so, how does that work?

Could it be that you have an element of fear lingering over you, that because you're still ostensibly identified, via your baptism, as a Jehovah's Witness, the Society has some sort of control over your future? For example, if they did crack down on faders, it would impact on your life via family relationships?

I sympathise up to a point.

35

Personal Grudges and Judicial Committees: is There a Link?

by passwordprotected in

i've received a submitted article for publication on my blog (http://thegoverningbody.org).

this is from the introduction:.

i have an issue i would like raise.

passwordprotected

@Aussie: - I have no doubt they could do that. It would certainly sort the wheat from the chaff.

35

Personal Grudges and Judicial Committees: is There a Link?

by passwordprotected in

i've received a submitted article for publication on my blog (http://thegoverningbody.org).

this is from the introduction:.

i have an issue i would like raise.

passwordprotected

Faders are the problem the WTBTS, under the guidance of The Governing Body, will address over the next 3 years.

32

As The Governing Body Tightens its Grip...

by passwordprotected in

two and a half years ago i predicted that the governing body was going to have to tighten its grip on the rank and file witnesses.. "it's time to get in the compound, brothers and sisters...." it's classic sleight of hand.

distract your audience.

pull off the trick.

passwordprotected

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