Mass Formation Control
Most of the changes in the organization have been doctrinal and as a rule JWs would not openly discuss these for fear of being labeled an apostate. Examples include overlapping generations and types and antitypes. Some changes are procedural such as the amount of preaching time needed to qualify as a pioneer and not having to count hours any more but whether it’s doctrinal or procedural none of these changes are visible.
An exJW friend of mine and I were discussing the recent changes including brothers being able to wear beards and sisters wearing trousers. A lot of brothers are now sporting beards or goatees. They don’t question why after all these decades it’s now ok to wear a beard - they’re just happy to roll with it and not having to count time makes being a JW easier than it has ever been.
It’s a modern phenomena we’ve not seen before because these changes are visual and they propagate throughout the organization and unless you’re a PIMO nobody seems to question or connect the dots as to why these changes are happening.
I would call this mass formation control (I adapted the term from medical researcher Robert Malone). Think of the Queen Bee deciding to change direction and all the worker bees follow her instinctively.
In real life wearing a beard is a small thing. You either have one or you don’t. Nobody really cares and you might get the odd compliment for growing one or shaving it off. Not so in the organization.
For decades beards were banned. My dad wore one and was never appointed as a ministerial servant because of it. Now, not only can you wear one, you don’t even have to wear a suit jacket and tie and sisters can wear trousers as long as they don’t have a meeting part.
This is a good example of the butterfly effect where a small change in a deeply connected religious ecosystem can influence larger changes. Wearing a beard is a small change but seeing Governing Body members wear them after “new light” was published is a larger change and it benefits the Society because they want to be seen as progressive while at the same time they continue to exert control over the membership.
Multiple changes happening within a short period of time can overwhelm and confuse the membership but because these changes are seen as positive they happily come into agreement with them because it makes their load lighter. It also creates a buzz of excitement as they wonder what will change next.
Could making birthdays a conscious matter be the next big thing? Absolutely, because with the changes in disfellowshipping and marking, it is more likely that some witnesses will take liberties and decide to quietly observe the day of their birth and may invite others to join them and they will be able to do so without causing waves. If this propagates and is allowed to flourish it could become the defacto norm.
We are “witnessing” a metamorphosis in the organization as they position themselves for the long haul throughout the 2020s and beyond.
Make no mistake, the GB and its helpers know *exactly* what they’re doing. They are well versed in marketing techniques and the effect this has on human psychology. Survival is first and foremost their main priority.