First thoughts....
When a politician faces trouble of some serious nature and will have to face consequences of an undesirable sort there is a precendent to follow that gets them out of harm's way while maintaining a false front of dignity and integrity which is above the fray.
The politician announces that they are quitting/leaving to "spend more time with their family..." (Cut and run and hide!)
This dodge is transparent because of two things.
1.The trouble they are in is something they don't want to face up to. Diversion is necessary. Deflection is key.
2.The politician has spent their whole political life putting family second and now, suddenly--they are all concerned about "quality" time!
How does this thought apply to the Meeting "adjustment"?
The Watchtower study never changes anything unless events, pressures or crises drags them kicking and screaming into a new mode of operation.
There are three kinds of pressure which kicks Governing Body ass.
1.Legal pressure
2.Letters of complaint/queries about policy
3.Statistical flux (the numbers are alarming (i.e. too many disfellowshipped, field service down, etc.)
I notice in the announcement that the word ARMAGEDDON is replaced by GREAT TRIBULATION. This demonstrates a sensitivity to crying wolf as they've done so many times past.
Cutting back on ANYTHING is stunning in a "push! push! PUSH!" organization like Jehovah's Witnesess. It is quite telling!
What can we logically conclude?
Since the terminology has been changing in recent times (Watchtower Society is becoming extinct) Book Study transformation into Bible Study stands out above the rest.
Let's take a closer look at this.
BOOK STUDY is an admission you are studying one of the Watchtower concoctions and that you really aren't, per se, studying scripture.
This has been the thumping "Tell-tale Heart" throughout the history of this religion. Pastor Russell's writings were said to communicate the Truth much faster and surer than sitting down with your own bible!
The constant sounding of false-porophecy alarms about Armageddon (always exaggerated and always proved wrong!) have made the Chicken Little campagin to urge More! More! More! activity an empty slavery to statistics.
With the advent of the Internet everything became a tight focus by outsiders who could FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME see all the evidence of cult activity brought into sharp view with all the details fully exposed to prying eyes!
Every false move on the part of the Watchtower's Governing Body is trumpeted, examined, discussed and widely publicized now with lightning speed. An accumulation of bad policies has made the rank and file chafe under the yoke like whipped oxen.
I think what we have here is a PERFECT STORM of bad publicity, letter writing, phone calls, questions to travelling elders, and murmurring unrest being DEALT WITH by putting a good face on it.
This crooked politician wants to "spend more quality time with the family" and is stepping down, so to speak.
What is the real message?
Here is what I think it actually is:
"We, the Evil Slave, have been beating you for a long time now and we've been caught doing it! This is embarassing!
To insure that we shake off this bad publicity---we are going to appear to back off from thrashing you and urging you ever onward to the cartoon climax of End Times carrot and stick persuasion.
We are going to put on our sheep's clothing even though we remain the ravenous wolves we always were.
Our Book Study obviously screams "Apologetics"---so, we are going to pretend we only teach the Bible.
Stop complaining, moaning and groaning. This empty gesture of mercy on our part is all you are ever going to get from us as we find a new and more subtle way to continue the beatings."
I think that is closer to the bull's eye.
