Among dubs who are True Believers(tm) they will readily admit that their religious leaders have "made mistakes." Few of them however, will admit that their leaders are intentional and calculating liars, dirty rotten lying liars who lie in order to blind their flock and to conceal their own dirty laundary and miserable failures in both doctrine and policy.

I'll give but one example. This example so obviously a lie that a person would have to be so braindead he couldn't even manage his own normal bodily functions if he actually believed it was an "honest" mistake.

In 1920 about 20,000 people attended the Memorial. In 1925 about 90,000 people attended the Memorial. In 1928 about 20,000 attended the Memorial. We all know this 350% increase was due to the hysteria created over the prediction that Armageddon would occur in 1925. We all know that the subsequent 350% decline in the 3 years after 1925 was due to the fact Rutherford was a liar and his 1925 prediction was a false prophecy. (I'm well aware that many who attend the Memorial are not dubs, but most are.)

We also know that if the WTS is good at anything, it is good at keeping track of its book sales and its worldwide book salespeople. The WTS LIVES for those stats.

With this in mind, note what the Proclaimer's book states about the 1925 fiasco: "The year 1925 came and went. Some abandoned their hope. But the vast majority of the Bible Students remained faithful." (p. 78)

SOME abandoned their hope? How could the "vast majority" remain faithful when approximately 70,000 of their 90,000 members left the movement in only three years after 1925?

How could any half-normal dub conclude that the above statement is nothing more than a self-serving and thoroughly deceptive lie?

Farkel

Farkel,

That is a whopper with cheese.

Englishman.

Funny things happen to people when you catch them in a lie.  Especially if you calmly confront them with facts that they know, but didn't know that you knew too.

Initially, before they realize that you know, they will go on in a whatever-do-you-mean? sort of way, in an attempt to make you look dumb and them look not dumb.

Slowly, as it becomes clear to them that you know that they are lying, they get very very quiet.  You've caught them and they go blank temporarily.  Anything they say now will make it obvious that they've lied.

Then the "reasons" begin coming, without admitting to telling a lie, the liar begins to suggest reasons that seem obvious to them why things turned out the way they did, in an attempt to shoot down your facts and weasel out of the uncomfortable position they've been painted into.

Sticking to the facts keeps them uncomfortable.  Do not engage them in the "speculations" or "reasons" why things turned out the way they did.  The fact is that they lied and do not want to be embarrassed further by being exposed to anyone other than you.  Heck, to them, it's bad enough that you figured out that they are lying liars, the last thing they want is for it to become "public".  So the conciliation phase begins.  In exchange for your silence, they will do a favour for you.  They will atone for the lie that they told you, if you allow it to slide this time.

It's fascinating to see this in action, when you know how it will play out.  Psychology is a very cool science.

Of course, when we are talking about the WTS, we know that they are pathological liars and sociopaths pretending to be righteous Prophets? of Jehovah.  They hide behind a doctrine called Theocratic War Strategy? that makes it okay to lie or "withhold the truth" from People Who Are Not Entitled to Truthful Information?.  Most JWs live their lives believing that the Governing Body?/ Faithful and Discreet Slave?/ The Society? has the best interests of JWs and all mankind at heart, and it never occurs to them that the WTS considers the more than 6 million of its own followers to be People Who Are Not Entitled to Truthful Information?.

That is why a true blue JW will defend the WTS for everything it does.  They can not fathom the complete and utter betrayal that has played out in the ivory towers of the WTS:  that the WTS is more interested in self-preservation and bilking people of their money than it is in dispensing Truthful Information?, and that the LAST people they want to find out about their history as liars are the 6 million people who have been putting money in the Contribution Boxes?.

Love, Scully

Diabolical?

Nah, ....just multitudes of braindead people on the planet primed to be a sucker. There always will be.

Gumby

With this in mind, note what the Proclaimer's book states about the 1925 fiasco: "The year 1925 came and went. Some abandoned their hope. But the vast majority of the Bible Students remained faithful." (p. 78)

 

Here is how it "could" be parsed to avoid the lie:

Let's say the Bible Students were a small number to begin with; the official International Bible Students with a population of X.  Everybody who came and then left could be considered as:

X+=    and X-=   with the X only suffering a small loss.

Thus the vast majority (over 50%) remained faithful and the others came and went.

That would be my sneaky analysis.

Another gem! .............and another nail in the WTS' coffin!

Strange they say that, Farkel, because the Yearbooks give quite another story, but then inconsistency always was a well-thought-of jewel of the WT. The Yearbook dealing with Switzerland told how 90 % or so left after 1925, and other Yearbooks and life stories tell how congregations of 20-30-40 dwindled down to one person or only the story-teller's family. But I guess the rationale is that  20,000 + 90,000 - 92,000 = 18,000 tells that only 2,000 or 10 % of the original BSs left.   

Terry,

This is most true.

Here is how I think it works: at the bottom of hierarchy:

Individuals don't count in the borg. Even 70,000 individuals don't count as long as the borg can break even with their figures in a relatively short time.  If they can be replaced and if they get outnumbered by new converts, then what? Then Jehovah's organization

HAS JEHOVAH'S BLESSING!!!

They are as freaking successful as Job. He lost lost ten children as a result of God's gambling with Satan, but then he gained another ten children, and many cattle too :)

Plus as the Bible tells us:

"And no women were found as pretty as Job?s (new) daughters in all the land, and their father proceeded to give them an inheritance in among their brothers.  And Job continued living after this a hundred and forty years and came to see his sons and his grandsons?four generations. 17 And gradually Job died, old and satisfied with days."

For the average JW, the WTS story has so far been a success story no matter what. I hope the WTS Flying Circus dies satisfied with days too. After a life of "a hundred and forty years", which is 2014 (counting from 1874 - their first important date).

Know my chronology!!!                 

 

 At the top of the hierarchy:

Even if half of the GB got df'ed one day, it would be the weaker, less cynical half. They could easily be replaced by a bunch of more faithful newly annointed figureheads.

It's all very simple: It's the survival of the fittest game.Some day computationally oriented historians of religion will write a genetic algorithm explaining teh statistical fluctuations of the borg.

 

Pole

Sirona:

You're just saying that, cuz he's cute...

 

LT,

Damn!   I wuz hoping noone would notice my farkel crush.  

Sirona