by NiceDream 29 Replies latest jw friends
Yes, the Gubberning Body had me 100%. I used to tell my bible studies that the GB is "faithful and discreet" and they give us exactly what we need at just the right time. And that they have always done what is in our best interests.
As you can see, I was seriously deluded!
LOL
-mentallyfree31-
They controlled me 100%. It's embarrasing and I have forgiven myself. I would now like to invite the GB to kiss my lily white apostate rear.
Hi NiceDream, You may find this post of mind useful where I discussed a similar question:
From studying in 1987 to baptism in 1988 up until making elder, I accepted that they were virtually always right and accepted their "imperfect men" with "the light getting brighter" excuse. In other words, I assumed there were minor errors being ironed out as the end got closer. I suppose I leaned more the way you saw it than your husband, that they were 100% right.
Once they changed the "generation" doctrine, I realized they had major shortcomings and still accepted it, but it led to me eventually being able to see them as just humans without guidance.
I think expecting near perfection from them allows one to get disillusioned sooner than allowing for mistakes.
By the way, I now realize that "spirit-directed" really should mean the same thing as "inspired." If one is "inspired," the spirit is directing them. If a spirit-directed one makes a mistake in spiritual understanding, the spirit is not doing a good job.
It was always a bad fit for me (born in). I was never a religous exclusivist, doubted the math of only 144,000, didn't believe the heavenly calling was done, openly questioned 1975 (and got into a lot of trouble), actually did the math about 8 years ago proving to myself that population growth was far outstripping the preaching...I even averaged how many people per hour were dying for every hour Jehovah delayed Armageddon (assuming only JWs survived), etc.
So...no...I didn't think the GB was very correct about much of anything.
The deception that I never noticed was that not one of the GB ever said publicly (that I have been able to determine), "I am one of the F&DS"- I just assumed they were because the literature implied they were - evidently, as the WT likes to say, there is no evidence to back up that assertion of a spirit-directed F&DS class.
I was reading Dogpatch's thread on Ray Franz and his days at bethel and he reminded me of something I knew but that often gets overlooked.
THE GOVERNING BODY DID NOT COME INTO EXISTANCE TILL THE MID 70's?!?
Up till than the president had all the power. The governing body thing really came about as a way to make the ruling powers authority seem biblically inspired especially after the '75 fiasco.
Yes, when I was a devout, fully-believing, undoubting JW, I fully believed the GB were the only ones being directed by Jehovah and 100% correct.
I was a hook, line and sinker born-in.
how could the only thing
I knew be wrong.
Personally......
I remember when they took power, the joy and hope my Elders professed.....
It was short lived....
By 1983 I was a die-reformist.......assuming the GB had been swayed or their ears tickled by Satan's usual bag of tricks (Wealth, Influence and Power).
By 1985 I was really excited (such corruption should surely signal Armageddon's arrival by the end of the century---- all those years of Armageddon readiness to be used in a manner that would make my Elders proud) and terrified at the same time........ for those of blindfaith........vivid pictures from my childhood of JWs in concentration camps, heading for the gas chambers.
(Matthew 6:24) 24 “No one can slave for two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other. YOU cannot slave for God and for Riches.
