When Did the Strangulation Begin?

by XJW4EVR 15 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  juni

  Heh Aude,

  You're right. The monies fell off after everything went to contribution basis. They wanted you to pay for stuff at the lit counter and also turn over any money the h.holder gave you. Yeah right. They wanted to double dip.

  The last mtg. my husband and daughter attended was in ' 91 when they read a letter from the Society telling people that they HAVE to start giving so that they could complete the Patterson Hotel and Spa (hee hee). Actually the Patterson Educational Center.

  That was the final straw for my husband. Now they're more money hungry. He always said that if they don't have the money right now to complete their projects then they have to wait until they do have money just like the rest of us with our finances.

  Really that's what appealed to so many - the fact that the JW didn't ask for money like the churches. They prided themselves in the fact that you had to really look for the Contribution Box. Now it has all changed. They are no different. Maybe worse.

  Juni
• 

  garybuss

  Lol @ Mary

  :-)
• 

  sass_my_frass

  The 81 shake-and-bake public talk repertoire is a good call.
• 

  greendawn

  It began gradually when Rutherford took over, Russell was a lot more democratic despite his many faults. He began developing the FDS concept and applied it to himself but never talked about to the public, only in private.
  
  Rutherford did away with the local election of elders and imposed everywhere elders that were in line with him, in a process that eventually concentrated all power in his hands. He said the FDS were all the JWs but in practice he was the only one preparing spiritual food (or poison as the case may be).
  
  Knorr and Franz carried on as the FDS until the GB took power in the 1970's who then became the new FDS. I don't know when they got really tough with the so called apostates expelling anyone that disagreed them but cretainly this policy was in place from the early 1980's.
  
  However I am sure Rsselll had mot authority in hi hands being by far the majo shareholder in the corporatin.
• 

  Confession

  While I agree that the "strangulation" began when Rutherford took over, it's clear to me that the grip tightened when the events of 1975 did not occur in the way the WTS seemed to indicate they would. The Governing Body became paranoid. Growth halted in the U.S. and Bethelites began discovering problems with WTS teachings during their personal Bible studies. The paranoia increased.

  Read all about it in Randy Watters', "What Happened at the World Headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Spring of 1980."

  http://www.freeminds.org/history/whathapp.htm

  I've spoken with Bethelites (maybe some of you are here) who've said that prior to this shakedown, they had relative freedom to speak as they wished. One told me that they'd often joke openly about "spooky" Fred Franz. After the events of 1980, things tightened up a lot.
• 

  greendawn

  That's right with many Bethelites beginning to study the Bible without the org's publications in the wolve's lair itself, the GB felt their power was being fundamentally challenged and went beserk. They send out articles that signaled a much tougher approach on all dissenters everywhere.
  
  They were to be basically completely cut off and even within families no spiritual conversation was to be allowed and family members were not to talk to "apostate" parents, spouses, or children in the house of another JW.