The Governing Body wants JWs to really, really understand this one point

by cattails 46 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  miseryloveselders

  Sometimes I wonder if the current Governing Body members realize that they're as trapped by the teachings and the history of this organization as much as undercover apostates trying to maintain their family ties. What I mean is, Franz and Rutherford amongst other scoundrels, steered this ship so far in one direction, that the current GB members and other heavyweights in Bethel realize they can't just steer it the opposite direction without heavy damage to the entire ship. They realize they're trapped by the blood doctrine, how the disfellowshipped/disassociated are to be treated, and their views on other religions. To randomly drop those positions would leave them open to lawsuits, not to mention how it would damage people mentally who desperately want to believe in all of this. An argument can be made that it would be unconscionable to randomly tell all your believers that we got it all wrong and that you've just wasted the majority of your life on our doctrines. Even on this forum, many of us have come to the conclusion that for old time JWs, its best to let them have their beliefs. So considering such, the GB throws nonsensible articles out there to purposely sabatoge their own credibility in the hope that eventually enough people wake up and leave the organization of their own volition. You can compare this to how they avoid slandering ones by not making an announcement of a person's disfellowshipping, but rather that person is no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses. The classic, "it wasn't our doing, rather it was them who chose this."

  I know this sounds somewhat crazy, and it probably is, but I can't for the life of me figure out why they continue mentioning this parabel as prophetically applying to them. Anyone with common sense can read these verses, and see its simply a parabel for illustrative purposes. Maybe the GB and Writing Department keeps mentioning this verse and their so called authority hoping their readers will wake up and call their leadership out on this nonsense thereby giving the leadership an outlet from this nightmare created by predecessors.
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  Vidiot

  "...So as The Watchtower has often explained, the steward must represent the “little flock” of anointed disciples as a collective body, or group..."

  Of course it "must". Otherwise, what is the point of its existence?
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  Vidiot

  miseryloveselders - "...So considering such, the GB throws nonsensible articles out there to purposely sabatoge their own credibility in the hope that eventually enough people wake up and leave the organization of their own volition..."

  If that is in fact the case, it won't be because they've concluded that they've "got it all wrong" and that it's time to throw in the towel; it'll be to get rid of the "lukewarm" and be left with the hardcore TrueBelievers. I talked about this here: http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/205377/1/Somethings-been-on-my-mind/.
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  donny

  The GB says that this "appointment" took place in early 1919, yet they provide no evidence to support it. As a JW you are supposed to accept that statement hook, line and sinker. That "appointment" is a monumental claim that should have monumental evidence to support it, yet there is none.

  Donny
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  MrMonroe

  Still to be determined, though, is the function of the FDS. Their number is growing by the year (11,200 now)and yet what do they do ... have conventions? Web forums? Newsletters? Video conferences? Do the female members of the FDS exercising their teaching authority and how? What translation services are provided to allow those people of "all languages" to communicate with one another? Since the GB describes itself as the "spokesman" and "representative" of the FDS, does it meet with those 11,200 to seek their guidance on how best to represent or speak for it?

  The weird thing is that the FDS is one of the most central, core beliefs of JWs. And yet if one was to ask a JW calling at your door to explain what it is and how it works in providing that "divine direction" to the entire membership, what would they say?
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  LostGeneration

  cattails I agree this is the one "pillar" that holds up all of the rest of the rules. I think it was Peter Gregerson who pointed it out from his study of JW doctrine back in the 70's that basically everything that the WT says is all dependent on whether they really are the faithful slave.

  If they are, then they can make all of the rules they want and JWs should loyally follow. If they are not then it allows the mind to finally consider all of the other options. You can battle JWs all day long on doctines like holidays, birthdays, 144k and the like and it won't affect them a bit. But if there is a "magic bullet" of any kind it is to get them to see this scripture for what it really is, only then will the rest fall into place eventually.
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  BluesBrother

  "GB throws nonsensible articles out there to purposely sabotage their own credibility"

  No.....It is not "nonsensible" to them, or to the faithful. I argue this kind of thing at home and all I hear is "Who else can understand and explain The Bible? Who else has got the reasons for mankind's problems? Who else understands the prophecies of the last days?

  Because I do not claim to know the answer to everything I "should listen to those who do"....I am sure that those at the top, cocooned in the ivory tower that is Brooklyn are so institutionalized in their thinking that they cannot see it any other way..They are the biggest victims of their own mistakes
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  punkofnice

  Blues Brother = I argue this kind of thing at home and all I hear is "Who else can understand and explain The Bible? Who else has got the reasons for mankind's problems? Who else understands the prophecies of the last days?

  This is what I get along with 'Where Else Will You Go?'
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  kimbo

  All hail King Saul the Great.
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  Old Goat

  I'm old, right? Probably old enough to grandfather to many of you. The one thing about the faithful slave doctrine that always disturbed me was the idea that the "collective" determined the organization's course. This is a blatant falsehood. The "anointed" as a group do not choose members of the governing body. They do not submit articles to the Watchtower for publication. They do not meet to hash out doctrinal points. The Faithful Slave/Governing Body doctrine is a contrivance, a lie. If the faithful slave is a collective (most reputable commentators give it another meaning), then the Governing Body is a rebel organization, ignoring those to whom they are responsible. That would make them Apostate! Imagine.