The Future New Lights (jw speak for corrections) Of the Illustrative GB

by frankiespeakin 30 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • frankiespeakin
    frankiespeakin

    The scene of the world is changing and so must the JW religion in order to keep pace and keep losses in currant membership to a minimum and still offer an attractive lure for prospective new converts. This must be done on a regular basis just to keep them afloat as old teachings were actually made by a group of old men with old ideas and old dates that have to give way to the obvious reality of unfulfilled predictions.

    The WT publishing company has sought new blood in the way of younger men appointed to the high ranks of the GB,, some receiving their calling to the anointed latter than 1960 long after the once imposed cutoff date of 1935 for those with the heavenly calling. I remember as an elder back in the 80's being told by the CO not to count some in the congregation who were partaking of the emblems at the memorial, because they were not baptized early enough and the reason given was that they obviously had some emotional problems that caused them to make the claim and that counting them would throw the WT figures out of whack.

    Apparently the WT Corporation's CEOs are on the horns of a dilemma caused by their short sighted predictions and literal interpretations of the #144,000 in Revelation, and adding to the mix of doctrinal problems is also the ever increasing scientific knowledge being taught in grammar, middle, and high schools much to the chagrin of Bible Fundamentalist who are seeking and even demanding equal time for their theory of Intelligent Design Creationism.

    Will the WT go with the flow and learn from the Catholic Church(who at one time tortured and killed heretics) but now accepts the earth is not the center of the universe and who's leader the Pope now claims the fact of evolution is not at odds with the Bible? Time will tell but the seeming trend of accumulated understand of how we got here explained factually by Science and taught in the lower schools does make the WT stand more and more untenable and harder and harder to defend even to the minimally educated as time goes on.

    Will they eventually have to give up demonizing those who left and dropping their cruel shunning practices and become more mainstream like the catholic church who gave up persecuting those not agreeing with them just because it will prolong their existence for how ever longer time will tell.

    Will they be able to make to get more younger and more creative minds making policy or will they stay stuck in the quagmire of old farts with hardening of the arteries only on the GB with slow brains and old uninformed ideas directing the WT ship through these perilous times for religious superstition?

    The old must give way to the new it is a simple fact of nature.

    So what new lights will becoming forth from the WT is any body's guess but one thing is certain there will be new light, but will it be ingenious enough to keep it afloat and for how long?

  • cantleave
    cantleave

    I really hope they don't follow the Catholic Church. A ban on contraception in order to create massive familiees to keep the numbers up would be terrible.

  • journey-on
    journey-on

    I really believe the next Big Bolt of New Light will be a change in the meaning of the number 144,000.

  • frankiespeakin
    frankiespeakin

    Cant,

    With the world population explosion problem that would indeed be a sad New Light.

    Journey,

    I think a big bolt of New Light is forthcoming too with the literal 144,000 especially if they admit newer claimers to the heavenly calling to the ranks of the GB which by sheer necessity is inevitable.

  • Mad Sweeney
    Mad Sweeney

    The only way they can open up the 144k as figurative is if they really open it up to everyone. If they verbally open it up but still try to restrain people from the heavenly hope, A LOT of people will leave. It might end up worse than 1975.

    What they probably should do is keep the 144K as a literal number of co-rulers while changing the definition of the great crowd of Rev 7:9, to place them in heaven as a non-ruling class. They can still have people living forever on earth, just not everyone who has died, and they can also thereafter require everyone to partake in the bread and wine so that nobody knows who's bound for where (it's in Jehovah's hands and not for us to judge).

  • Billy the Ex-Bethelite
    Billy the Ex-Bethelite

    Putting together what I know about the individual members of the GB and what has been coming out of "headquarters" in the way of "teachings", they are stuck in perilous times.

    They already added the new GB members as "young blood". Unfortunately, these 'new boys' got where they are by sticking to the company line. That doesn't prove them as having the capacity to develop new ideas. So, what is left is a bunch of dudes that have the "more of the same" mentality.

    Let's analyze some specifics. What has come through as changes? "Simplify!" They cut the Awake!s to 1 per month, eliminated bethelites, reduced the length of the public talk, reduced to 2 meetings a week, cut to 1 WT public per month. Well, they seem to be pretty good at simplifying, and it certainly makes the R&F happy! Yeah, and discounted tickets for passage on the Titanic makes it a "great deal".

    A different example of change by the new GB has been "this generation". This was a MAJOR teaching since the "Truth" book, after 1975 failed, and hit hard in the 80s. Since '90, it's been changed twice, evidently with yet another change in the works. At the same time, the Reasoning book still has the old "1914 generation" explanation. Here we have a major JW teaching, almost the only "Last Days" straw to grasp, that is floundering without clear meaning or direction. 1914 is left as meaningless, no King of the North, no "Peace and Security" excitement, no destruction of Babylon the Great, if it weren't for "scary news stories" the dubs would have little to point to as signs of the times. Theologically, they are trying to recycle old, failed teachings that simply don't work. Hey GB, you can't call that gash in the side of the Titanic "a drain to let the water out". The band may be playing, but the ship is still sinking.

    Another example has been the change from "presiding overseer" to "coordinator of the body of elders". That's just sematics. It reveals that too many POs have become autocratic dictators that do as they please. The name change is supposed to "humble" them to the level of the others on the BoE. That's a very mixed signal since the same GB that wants the leader humble, arranged for a "special elder school" firstly for the training of the primary autocratic dictator of each congregation. Which is it, "humble" or "special"? Right there is an example of "change" that's as practical as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

    One more example is the Kool-Aid edition of Watchtower. It's no secret to any of us that it's not for public distribution because the level of mind control is too high for public approval. Mostly, it's just rehashing subjects from before, but with extra emphasis on the FDS and especially on the importance of the GB. It proves that the boys in Brooklyn understand that they're pushing things too far. And it proves that the R&F will let them push things pretty far. But, how far and how fast can they go until the Watchtower Titanic smashes into the iceberg of truth?

  • JWoods
    JWoods

    I have been thinking for quite some time that inevitably, the JW may have to just allow everybody to partake of the emblems. After all, they have modified the "generation" and may be ready to modify it yet again. They have pretty much suppressed the "millions now living will never die" idea -

    In fact, now reprinting it to MAY never die.

    The closing of the heavenly class in 1930-1935 may very well be the next of the early 20th century chronology doctrines to fall - after all, this year saw an astonishing increase in number of partakers. It is pretty obvious that hardly anyone will soon be left who were part of the "real" 1935 last of the annointed class - such a person would have to be from 90 to 100 now, or very soon.

    Perhaps if they hid the number of "new" partakers by just letting everybody do so, they could still hold on to a theoretical notion of a literal 144,000. The "closing of the ranks" in 1935 could then just be quietly forgotten. Otherwise, it sill soon be obvious that there really should not be anybody still partaking of the emblems by strict JW doctrine.

    The big question, of course, is whether the isolated GB could stand to give up this very special little symbol of their superiority and control over the R & F...

  • Mad Sweeney
    Mad Sweeney

    Whatever they do, they need to do it before 2014, IMO. The psychological impact of being an entire century late (or early? how about just a century wrong?) is going to be heavy on many long-time JWs. 2010 itself seems to be affecting some of the rank and file. We're talking 96 years since Armageddon invisibly didn't happen. 96 years since the devil has supposedly come down here in great anger, knowing that he has a short period of time. There is no way to spin 96 years as a short period of time to any thinking people, let alone an entire century, and more and more JWs are beginning to think.

  • Olin Moyles Ghost
    Olin Moyles Ghost

    I like Billy's analysis. As has been noted on this board, there has been no "oracle" since Freddy Franz left this mortal coil for his eternal reward. So, there hasn't been much in the way of creative new prophetic interpretation in some time. That's just not what these guys (the current GB) are into. Rather, these guys seem more like Knorr--focused on efficiency and organization.

    Regarding the heavenly hope, even if the WTS decides that the 144k isn't literal, the VAST majority of Witnesses will still profess the earthly hope. Most JWs don't want to go to heaven--I know I didn't--it sounds boring compared to living on earth. Anyone who thinks there's going to be a massive group of JWs who start professing the heavenly hope is mistaken. Fact of the matter is that the JW religion simply doesn't attract people who want to go to heaven. (note that I recognize, and get a chuckle out of, the fact that the memorial partaker number is increasing; but 10-11k is still just a tiny fraction of the 7MM witnesses worldwide; I don't see the partaker number going over 15k...)

    I do think the WTS could change its doctrine and allow everyone to partake at the memorial--whether anointed or those with the "earthly hope." The scriptural support for attending but not partaking at the memorial is nonexistent. But from the vantage point of the WTS, I don't see any pressing need to change this doctrine. Generations of JWs (no pun intended) have sat through the memorial, passing the wine and crackers without partaking. I've never heard any complaints from JWs about this practice. It's just accepted as the way things are. Even if there's little-to-no scriptural support for something, the WTS will err on the side of tradition and maintaining the status quo.

  • frankiespeakin
    frankiespeakin

    They most definitely have to let go of the 1935 was the cutoff date for the anointed simple mathematics dictate the change:

    2010-1935=75 and allowing very young baptisms say 10 years of age we have them at 85 years old.

    So if they hold to that for legit anointed that leaves no legit member on the GB under the age of 85 at this late date so they are going to have to and in fact already been phasing it out but not any New Light announcements yet. Soon they are going to have to do something it can't be very far off.

    This in turn will open the way for young blood with out the fried brains of these old geezers leading the charge on the GB. Shear survival requires it there ain't no way they can get around it unless they just keep going the way they are going and let these old farts run the whole organization into the ground.

    Time is a bitch for the WT old fucks at the helm they are fucked by their own short sightedness.

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