by hamsterbait 28 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
A born-in who is in his 40s or older is an "old timer" in this religion.
LOLz...... I was saying something to this effect the other day!
Granted I am few years under 40....but I can say I knew life before the 'GB' had any authority.....and from what I can tell the whole plan went BUST!
Now days I am thinking a presidency would be far more efficient in getting things done!
I doubt that they want to get rid of old-timers because they have an economic incentive to hold on to them. These are the people who contribute money regularily, who support meeting attendance and, finally, those that leave estates to the Watchtower Society.
That said, I have little doubt that they view them with condescending contempt, as the generation issue shows.
Oh, and one famous C.O. who removed a huge number of old timers in the New England area was Jerry Crana. He was (is) an emotionally sick fanatic who NEVER should have been given authority over anything.
metatron
The "older ones" may be, as you say, "deeply invested" but it seems to me that with each passing year, they're taking some of their chips off the table, tuning out the latest rhetoric, treating the latest radical directives with "benign neglect" and using the KH much as nominal churchgoers do, as a social insitution.....
Okay, I thought about it and I got it all figured out in a Freddy Franz sort of way.
The pre-1975 "generation" of the leaders saw all the excitement and buzz of building up the organization. It was a real euphoria for the leaders. It came to an end, but many of those guys are still around.
Nobody understood their 1995 explanation of "generation" and they were losing members. They knew they needed a definite end limit to the end of the last days. But jumping right to an explanation that suggested an overlap was something they were not prepared for.
They decided to do it in stages. They broke the 1935 sealing of the anointed (but will now try to insist that the thrust of the work was switched to the other sheep- having their cake and eating it too), they switched the understanding of "generation" to the anointed in general instead of the wicked people in general (a big step toward the current understanding), they prepared the members to expect some major changes and not to question the "slave" if they received odd requests. Right before their goofy new overlap doctrine, they tell members not to copy talks and share them, then they have a typical article where incredible new light is just slipped in. The real thrust of the change will come in talks at assemblies and by Circuit Overseers. They hope to keep this out of youtube- the latest attack on WTComments shows that is true.
I think they remembered that the members will believe what the leaders tell them to believe as long as they cannot put 2 and 2 together. They are attempting to make the work urgent with stupid doctrine and attempting to keep the members from discerning that it is stupid. "Just don't question us." It is a last stand from a bunch of old codgers that want to regain that 1975 excitement before they go away to die. They see Brooklyn being sold off and they just cannot stand it. When this is stretched out to the maximum, they will be dead. But they hope it stops the organization from sinking.
They are not trying to get rid of any old timers. They are trying to retain them, if only them, until they pass away. They want their green handshakes and their rock-star status along with near-worship from the members. If they have to shake out some members that start waking up, they hope the ones that remain are that much more loyal unquestioningly.
Oh, and one famous C.O. who removed a huge number of old timers in the New England area was Jerry Crana. He was (is) an emotionally sick fanatic who NEVER should have been given authority over anything.
No way! Jerry Crana, was a 'plain' old Elder in a congregation I am very familar with. It was one congregation at one point (Yonkers East) and then later became too big (I believe peaked 180+). The congregation split into two - Crestwood and Yonkers East. Crana went with Yonkers East. Years later that kingdom hall which used to house those two congregations, later took on an Italian congregation, along with the 'original' founding congregation, Dobbs Ferry...There were four congreations meeting at that hall on Jackson Avenue off Central Avenue one point.
Yonkers East moved on to a hall close to Saunders HS off Palmer Ave./Rd. Jerry and his wife Chrissy were (are?) still a part from it. Story I was told, was he became 'burnt out/depressed' over the circuit work and had to leave it for medical reasons. Never knew or heard of the removals - although I guess that wouldn't be something to bring up...lol. He seemed like an ok guy, his wife was really sweet/nice. But I could always tell something was 'off' with him. WOW...I can't believe he performed those removal of Elder appointments to so many.
I would expect something like that from a Paul Colinari....although I don't believe he was a CO, but did 'decide' he was of the annointed 'later' in life, after marrying his wife Nina. They moved to Mexico to go where 'the need is great'.
End note to story, from as far as my most recent knowledge of the KH situation, the original KH which at one time housed the aforementioned four congregations became flooded one too many times, the last time it flooded did it in for sure, taking out the CO apartment as well which was attached. They lost most things to the flood. The Society declined funding building a Hall elsewhere, and the Crestwood congregation started going to that same Hall on Palmer as well. Not sure what happened to Dobbs Ferry and the Italian congreation.
Again WOW, just wow over the whole Crana thing...LOL!
They have been doing this for years. If you know where the bodies are buried, they will find a way to get rid of you. Nice to see someone say it on a public board .
I just read over Blondie's comments again:
"I do know that about 9 years ago, a hot-shot young CO came through and removed about 20 old-time elders."
The Jerry Crana I know (from the New England area) was already a couple (or several) years no longer a C.O. back in 1990's. He is at least in his mid to late 50's now. He doesn't fit this description or scenario. Unless Blondie is mistaken about the time frame (Maybe more like 19 years ago?)
Some of the older jw will be disillustioned, but they will feel that there is nowhere else to go.
The younger jw will not know of the past statements of the WTS to be concerned about. For example I ran into a younger jw who told me that the WTS never set any dates for the time of the end. I told him to research the WT Lib for 1975 and Armageddon. He told me that I was bordering on apostate thoughts and that he did not need to do further research.
Of course the WTS will always emphasize the need for LOYALTY to keep the flock in line.
It would not surprise me if they were. When you think about it, who needs eyewitnesses around who remember all the stupid teachings going to way back when? Yeah, these 'old timers' were the ones who wrapped their brains around all the stupid new light that was dispensed over the years. Now, these old timers are presented with yet another nugget of so-called new light which is rather hard to swallow.
The religion faces a dilemma: These 'old timers' they don't want around are usually the ones with the most disposable income to contribute to this so-called religion. What happens when they are gone? Do these pipe-dreamers think that they are going to get much from younger adults struggling to take care of a family in an economic depression??
