Motives for starting the lie of Watchtower Authority. (page 2)

redvip2000

The natural process of development of an organized religion is not that much different from that of any business.

When a business opens as a small shop, the owner runs the business based on simple concepts, with simple rules, changes procedures and course of actions quickly as needed, without much thought, knowing he is accountable to himself. When the company becomes huge, it changes, it now needs standard operating procedures, strict guidelines, decisions affect millions of dollards, and people. Everybody is accountable to the company and the company becomes bigger than any single individual. The company in essense gains a life of its own, especially once the original owner is gone.

The watchtower was the same. Started with Russel as a modest brotherhood, simple standards. Then Rutherford gave it the push to break out of the mold and shaped it as a corporation ruled from the top down. Knorr expanded and sharpened the edges business-wise. With the change to the arrangement of a Governing Body it all changed. The Org is now bigger than any individual. It has a life of it's own. If one individual at the top wants to change it, the others simply kick him out in favour of the standards already in place. The institution and values that have been in place surpass all other considerations, and the people at the top simply make sure they keep the engine going.

thetrueone

What motivates the men setting themselves up to the very top of this organization ?

Answer = power, prestige, personal adulation, an increase in ones own perceived self image, even security.

When you consider the age of the men being placed as a member of the GB.

There's life time security there until you die and the WTS. will cover all of your medical costs to boot.

I'd say there's motivation there.

stuckinamovement

I think it became one of those things that the leaders feel is "too big to fail". I am sure that the GB does not believe everything they publish yet they have painted themselves into a corner with their assertions of Christ given authority. Seriously, this weeks study had the sentence " Today Christ uses the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses to direct his earthly congregation".

Today, you have 7 million people putting their trust in a corporation disguised as the one true religion. The GB knows it is a sham and because they are cowards and love the power they have over people they can't see their way to correct it.

Russell was sincerely nuts. Rutherford was a power hungry drunk. Knorr wanted to build a company. Franz was on par with Russell but with a darker side. The Current leadership are evil cowards who pretend that God uses them as his special representatives on earth.

I cannot get over the irony of how the one true religion directed by God is actually a corporation in Brooklyn that uses the scriptures and self appointed authority to control the minds of many.

SIAM

No Room For George

I have even less doubt that as time passed and the organization grew, preservation of the organization itself became its primary focus.

This is what I was leaning towards.

Another thing is a measure of responsibility in the sense of scales weighed with people's lives. What I mean is, the old saying about the needs of many outweigh the needs of few. There's over 7 million JWs, most active, and I'd venture to say most genuinely believe, or at least need to believe, with plenty who don't buy it all, and a smaller bunch who are just playing the game for reasons such as keeping their families intact. If it somehow came out from the WT's leadership that they got it wrong, even if they admit that they were victims themselves, it would be devestating to those longtime JWs who wanted to beleive they were involved in something special. You think Kingdom Halls are full of functional alcoholics and people on antidepressants now, imagine what would happen if the WT's leadership came clean?

That being said, I can see those in powerful places, making the difficult decision of allowing those who don't buy it all, suffer since they're/we're a minority in the organization. Hence, the needs of many outweigh the needs of the few.

Band on the Run

Perhaps the Internet has changed the balance but when my family was active, few KH people knew anything about the history. We only knew b/c my parents were born-in so it was part of family history. I often ponder whether the pope or WT GB believe their own publicity. Reading a very short summary of the popes, it all depended on the individual. I wonder if temperament does not tip the scales. Self-confident people will believe what they are doing is right.

Sadly, I wonder if any leader has said verifiable words that indicate intent and state of mind. Are they self-deprecating or believe they have a special mission to impose on others. From what I observed, the leaders had very little contact with their followers. Ray Franz revealed his process. His willingness to do so may have been a factor in his being disfellowshiped. Of course, secrecy adds mystery and magic to their status. Familiarity breeds contempt. Do they feel anyone with similar competencies could advance or was there divine selection?

thetrueone

Once the WTS. and its apparent leaders self identified themselves as god's chosen organization the cat

was out of the bag and let lose to wander wherever it wanted to go.

The power of god was theirs now removed from all religious organizations and just like any other organized

structures of power, they wanted more. A small portion of the general public gave it to them and the rest is history.

Dogpatch

Persons who have charisma like Russell will go through stages, a life cycle of its own, like an aging child star.

It's not pretty.

In the beginning, most of their motives are noble, but compromises that must be made along the way cripple the purity of their spirit and mission. All that's left is to make it a big business. I have seen it happen in a few evangelical organizations as well. In the end, the egocentrists go for the fame and money.

But most pastors are good-hearted people who give most of all they have, in spite of some of their kookiy beliefs. These are the UNDERRATED OF AMERICA. Being a pastor (as was often being an elder) is a very selfless job, and all the returns are measured in one's spirit. I will always deeply respect all my pastor friends of so many denominations. [Hey, I was a Foursquare pastor for several years!]

Many religions today remind me of mutilevel marketing schemes. :-))

I know. The last church I was part of (as a young child of 13) was the Garden Grove Community Church, now the Crystal Cathedral. It was the world's first drive-in church (with window speakers and tithing plates passed among the cars).

My mother worked as an editor on Schuller's first book in the Tower of Power. I was out of there very soon, the last traditional church to ever set foot in for the next 20 years. :-))

Band on the Run

A bit like Citizen Kane.

Magwitch

After reading A. Macmillon's Faith on the March, I was (and am) truly convinced that the founding fathers of this religion were 100% sincere and had a real thirst for truth and an incredible love for their Creator.

My personal opinion is that when Rutherford was imprisoned and then exonerated, he learned quickly that being persecuted was a great means to having a blind following.

Aussie Oz

IT is still something that puzzles me at times...

surely, somewhere one of them must have been sincere? Russell is a maybe, rutherford a fraudster, knorr i suspect was a believer and franz deluded.

The rest since then? some maybe were/are...but nobody can get thet high up without smelling the stink of the skeletons in the closets.

so the GB 1.0 and 2.0 musy know they are rotten cads themselves for perpetuating the myth, can they sleep at night? I'm sure Goebells did so...

Oz

Motives for starting the lie of Watchtower Authority.

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