During a dinner conversation with a loyal JW, he mentioned that the society seems to be making stronger statements to JW's. He mentioned the "Keep On The Watch" brochure, and how it seemed to be for JW's as well as the public. He acknowledged the "personal questions" the Society were asking us, in the brochure - how pointed and direct they are, even asking you to rank your physical and spiritual activities on a scale of 1 to 10.
Of course, this JW thinks this is a sign that the end is near.
But with the "godly obedience" assembly theme for 2005, the new OM book, the relatively new brochure aimed at waking up sleeping dubs, it seems that as the cult is getting more negative exposure, they are responding to this exposure by instituting a new tyrannical crackdown on dissidents and dissident thoughts.
Having read Steve Hassans book on cults, it seems that after a major prophetic failure, a cult will get more aggressive with its members and more tyrannical and expect them to do and believe just about anything.
I feel that the Society is making its own scorched earth policy - better that we ALL go down together, then just us old men in Brooklyn.
The devotion the die hard dubs are giving the Society has gone over the border of fanatical - it's frightening to just speculate on how far a dub would go to prove his loyalty to "Jehovah's Organization"
The Watchtower has been crippled, and I say that again - crippled - by the Internet. The truth IS out there, for all believing dubs, if they would just look at it - and they are.
Elders, MS's, CO's and even DO's - men who were intensely loyal to the organization, are quitting and "preaching the word as never before."
As developing lands get computers and net connections from people like Bill Gates, it's only a matter of time before the illiterate become literate.
How can the Society respond to the biggest threat in their 126 year existence? You would have thought by now, there would have been some attempt at reform?
Of course not! These leaders are not softies - reform hurts them and hurts membership. Lightening the load for the friends is unthinkable.
Did you know anyone whose Boss asked them to do less?
Profits hurt when people are slacking - placements and donations hurt when witnesses tire of the same old repetitive life in the JW world, with very little, if any, variation.
The Society, it seems, is going to respond to these threats by doing the only thing it can do best - kill the messenger, make the loads heavier and keep that carrot spinning.
They will get malicious, even evil to get their members fanatical attention.
Those who have sold their soul to this cult have nothing to lose. They will nod their head, say, "Yes sir, three bags full sir", and "How high" when the Society tells them to do something.
A cults way of defending itself is to make life as miserble and as strict as possible. Could this be to root out those who are not true blue believers? It could well be the case.
Thus, the talks and articles you may read and hear about, will be more focused on Jehovah's Organization, than anything else.
And the litmus test for obedience for fanatical JW's, is those who are willing to terminate friendships with those who have doubts, and turn them in.
The Society is facing a war on two fronts - those who want reform and those who want things to stay the way they are.
Their message and empty rhetoric will get stronger, more pointed and will put all members on the spot.
Can you say fascist?