What are some of the biggest changes in the org?

My Struggle

There have been some big changes over the past few years. What do you think are the most important?

Personally..

1.No Bookstudy

2.Generation Doctrine changed

3.A study edition for the watchtower

4.A tightening up on the college rule

OnTheWayOut

"This Generation"

"Anointed born after 1935" is okay.

Blood fractions- a bit older but starting to catch on

The biggest change I have seen since 1950 is the Watch Tower Society becoming a religion.

The second biggest change I have seen was the disassociation of the Governing Body members from the Watch Tower Society corporations in 2000.

The third biggest change I have seen is the allowing blood medical treatment by the cell saver scavenger method as well as the approval of the use of all fractions of all blood components.

The fourth biggest change was seeing the Watch Tower Society admit in print they have a clergy.

The fifth biggest change was the change of the generation of 1914 prediction in 1995.

Jeremy C

Putting aside doctrinal issues, I believe that the most significant structural change to have the greatest long-term effects was the decision to stop charging for literature in 1990. At least this is the case in my life time.

This change had some huge implications. It meant that a substantial financial burden would shift to the publishers. Prior to the donation arrangement, publishers paid for literature; and then kept the money that they charged the householder. Now, the publishers pay for the literature production twice. They not only give contributions to the World Wide Work, but they put donations in the box when they obtain the literature. The difference is that now, they do not keep any of the donations obtained for the literature as reimbursement.

It is no secret that the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society is not doing as well financially with this arrangement. The shifts from hardcover to softcover books, the elimination of subscription services, the elimination of any food services at conventions, and other cuts make this clear.

We now see the Society putting more pressure on individual congregations to send them more of their funds instead of keeping those reserves. This in turn will create more centralized control over the finances of the individual congregations.

independent_tre

public talk being reduced to 30 mins.... that was kind of big for me

Body

Hoi Garybuss,

<<<< The fourth biggest change was seeing the Watch Tower Society admit in print they have a clergy. >>>>

Can you show me the article were the Watch Tower Society admit they have a clergy. Thx.

darth frosty

Lets not forget the KM that says, they should not do bible research outside of WT publications.

garybuss

You wrote: Can you show me the article were the Watch Tower Society admit they have a clergy. Thx.
Yes! Get the Barbara Anderson CD and read it. It's in a court case where the Society claims the elders don't have to confess knowledge of pedophile activity because they are "clergy". Very good CD by the way.

********************

For conscientious cussedness on the grand scale, no other aggregation of Americans is a match for Jehovah?s Witnesses. Stanley High, The Saturday Evening Post, September 14, 1940 The Way I See it http://www.freeminds.org/buss/buss.htm

WTWizard

I have noticed the restriction on entertainment becoming stricter lately. Back in the 1980s, they did have some get-togethers. I remember times when we would rent space in a park for a picnic and some recreational sports. Somewhere around 1995, that was done away with. Gatherings were phased out in the 1990s, too.

I have watched the religion go from stagnating to extremely stagnating.

james_woods

All the things mentioned are big deals for the current witnesses...of the recent things, probably the confused redo of "generation of 1914" is the biggest for me doctrinally.

Of ancient history (before WW2 for JW land) - I would put these: Changes from the C.T.Russell Bible Students Era -

1* reworked 1914 to mean some kind of "invisible rule" rather than the real thing to avoid false prophecy.

2* Society essentially took over the independent congregations and eliminated the elected elders - central control

3* Name <Jehovah's Witnesses> invented to replace the simpler and more modest "Bible Students". Bible Students was at least an honest enough name - they did kind of study the bible. But what did any JW ever actually witness "Jehovah" to do?

4* Great Crowd invented, again a power elite effort - rank & file are now underlings - the annointed (from before 1931-1935) are filled and will rule over the masses.

It is interesting to note that both number 1 and number 4 have already been modified. (Generation gone now, Annointed still being selected)

What are some of the biggest changes in the org?

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