CONFIRMATION new watchtower mag arrangement

by yesidid 56 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  undercover

  It could backfire on them...maybe...

  What is the purpose of the Watchtower magazine? To announce Jehovah's Kingdom. Now, if you're printing half of the magazines only for member consumption, how is that "announcing" anything?

  I'm hoping to get some family members to think about that when they bring up the subject of how the new arrangement will work.

  Most dubs will be all excited about this change (face it...any change is enough to create pandimonium, they live such dull lives) and they will buy all the rhetoric from the stage about what a blessing it is. Think about how they will have to stop and ponder when someone questions why they feel the need to hide half of their "good news" from people. Isn't that the whole purpose of going to door to door? To share the "good news"?

  It's been mentioned that this could be the precursor to declaring the preaching work completed...but that is a risky move. To promote the end of the preaching is basically declaring the "end" any moment...and we've seen how those predictions have worked out. To declare the preaching work complete might boost the numbers initially (kinda like 9/11) but in time it will be shown up as yet another missed prediction of how close the end was.

  I can see it twenty years from now when a dub is talking about the good ole days of having to go door to door and the young children will marvel at the stories of the field service work...but what will be lost on many of them is that the end still hasn't come...but to some it could be just the nudge needed to push some of them into thinking for themselves when they see the system not ending as expected.
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  TSOF, I was thinking they need to shore up first, too.
  They have to improve retention and focus on that instead of recruitment.

  There's more money in faithful witnesses than there is in chasing after
  people who aren't interested, and can learn better about JW's now that
  the information highway is available to most all people.

  This really is a stroke of intelligence. Without saying a word (as if they
  would resist) they could just let the rank and file build up the
  excitement over this (otherwise negative) developement.

  They won't actually say the door to the ark has closed- just imply that
  it's swinging toward "shut." If they mention the Great tribulation has
  started, it will only be an "interesting possibility." Perhaps they can
  speculate on the King of the North at the DC this year.
• 

  LittleToe

  This is actually reasonable "change management".

  What you now will effectively have (assuming this is bonafide) is three "monthly" magazines. Eventually they will drop the "public" Watchtower and have just a members Watchtower with study articles and an Awake! for the public, being published monthly. They will also either be able to downsize the printing runs or more likely consolidate the printing presses (laying off more Bethel boys).

  Watch this space - you saw it here first
• 

  Virgochik

  If this is a money saving strategy, why would they wait till January of 2008? Why not start sooner?
• 

  LittleToe

  They like to build anticipation. Its what they do. It is less disconcerting for the troops, who feel "in the loop" and privileged. Like I said before - good change management!
• 

  truthsetsonefree

  Remember to that these idiots have to come up with something, anything will do for a while. They are dying, desperate. Further they believe their own s**t. So it is not that far a cry to go for broke. WT leaders to come will hsave a mess to clean up, but the GB won't have to deal with that. Of course the more desperate they are, the more ridiculous their claims will appear, but only to the public. That will cause decline in baptisms. But haven't they predicted that? Aren't those "saved" few?

  tsof
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  TSOF could be right.

  go for broke

  WT leaders to come will hsave a mess to clean up, but the GB won't have to deal with that.

  I could have underestimated the cult influence on the GB itself. I figured only a small
  percentage of them truly felt the end was going to arrive (Armageddon- not the end of WTS).

  Perhaps a majority still are captive to the concept that they receive God's instruction
  via a two-thirds vote. Those that don't feel the influence just fake it and assume the others
  are not faking it.

  NAH- perhaps a bunch of old men just don't care about 30 or 40 years from now. They just
  want the limelight on them and their doctrines now, they will save the day for the publishing
  giant & the next generation will be the ones who failed.
• 

  VanillaMocha73

  Well, figure the KMs are for members only. And the Bookstudy conductor has to like you in order to get one too. (They stopped giving my mom one, well, because she is my mom.) We never questioned that - so I guess the R&F will get used to this too. Just as fishy, huh?
• 

  sandy

  Re: the KM . . . What was up with the elders holding tightly to them? Are they instructed to give them to active dubs only? I don't remember any rules about that.

  I do remember one elder in particular hesitating to give me one. It could have been in my not so regular days. I can't really remember. Were they always short or something?
• 

  truthsetsonefree

  KMs are for active publishers. They can use discretion with kids of active pubs. But even then, this is one of those rites of passage into the cult. You know km, om book, makes you feel special. And now this new rag called the "non-public" WT will be similar. And just like the KM they can really browbeat the "flock." Isn't it interesting that this comment was in a KM?

  ***

  km5/74pp.3-4HowAreYouUsingYourLife?***

  By carefully and prayerfully examining our own circumstances, we also may find that we can spend more time and energy in preaching during this final period before the present system ends. Many of our brothers and sisters are doing just that. This is evident from the rapidly increasing number of pioneers.

  Yes, since the summer of 1973 there have been new peaks in pioneers every month. Now there are 20,394 regular and special pioneers in the United States, an all-time peak. That is 5,190 more than there were in February 1973! A 34-percent increase! Does that not warm our hearts? Reports are heard of brothers selling their homes and property and planning to finish out the rest of their days in this old system in the pioneer service. Certainly this is a fine way to spend the short time remaining before the wicked world’s end.—1 John 2:17.

  Circumstances such as poor health or responsibilities in connection with your family may limit what you can do in the field ministry. And yet, the pioneer ranks include many who have health limitations, as well as some persons with families. But these brothers and sisters are able to regulate their lives so that they can care for their responsibilities and still put in the 1,200 hours a year, an average of 100 hours a month in the field ministry, required of pioneers.

  tsof