The Governing Body and the Battle of the Bulge

by metatron 18 Replies latest jw friends

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  metatron

  I once read an excellent history of the Battle of the Bulge. It pointed out that Hitler took a huge gamble because he knew his forces would be ground down otherwise by advancing Allies. He saw what was coming and rolled the dice............

  Which may explain what the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses is doing: demanding loyalty, attacking college, and trying to intensify shunning.

  On the surface, growth looks OK but I believe these numbers are a self deceiving illusion. Sure, you have ever more publishers and baptismsbut where are the donations? where are the younger brothers 'reaching out'? why are Branches being shut down? why have magazines and literature and printing facilities been cut? why are Bethelites being dumped?

  And on top of that - if Facebook/the Internet somehow leads to massive DF'ings across multiple states and Circuits, in some linked fashion, what does this tell you about the REAL "LOYALTY" and devotion of young Witnesses? It's as good as a survey!

  These sick, twisted old men are facing the End, not of the 'World' but the decline and fall of the cult they worship. They are desperately trying to control a situation that is slipping from their grasp. They don't have a choice anymore as events are moving quickly. They are beginning to understand that they 'lord it over' a facade of mass compliance - and they are starting to panic.

  metatron
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  wobble

  "They are starting to panic" What is your proof for that ?

  I rather get the impression that they are so much in an Ivory Tower that they believe their measures, tightening control etc. will be sufficient ,as they have been in the past.

  That they are wrong in that , I don't doubt, but I would think that the are such "Captives of a Concept" that they believe they will weather the present storm.

  They probably believe their own hype too, like the annual figures for growth, I doubt they give more than a passing thought to the fact that the gains are in areas where $ are few, and donations insufficient for much to trickle back to support their lifestyle, they do not have that kind of analytical thinking, they are clueless.

  Panic may not be far away though, when property sales etc. are not sufficient to plug the revenue gap. Then you will see some reaction.
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  minimus

  I'm with wobble. 100%.
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  LostGeneration

  The first step is trying to get everyone in line and increase cash flow without changing their printing business. That of course will fail over the next few years as they lose the battle to the internet. Posters coming on here and telling how they are stopping their study is evidence of this losing battle. In a few years, they will have to really look for ways to save money.

  There are a few cost cutting measures that will really show the panic.

  Cutting the Awake

  Cutting the public WT (and just going with tract distribution)

  These would lead to massive layoffs as much less need for labor (and more branch closures)

  Trying to institute tithing would be the last resort
• 

  Sayswho

  I am a born-in and over 50...I would of bet my life that I had the "truth", was in the "truth"...I even said how sad it was that people of the "world" could not see or believe the "truth".

  • How could they not see, why are they not able to, what is wrong with them...why is Jehovah not letting them see.
  • Why am I able to see...oh how grateful I was to be counted so worthy of knowing the "truth" to be one of the "lucky ones" to accept it and not be destroyed at Armageddon...This is how I now see it below...

  ---

  1. The longer Armageddon takes to come...the more that will leave and the less that will join.
  2. The longer Armageddon takes to come...the less creditable (worthy of belief) they will become.
  3. The longer Armageddon takes to come...and the more beliefs that are changed the greater the likelihood of the demise of the WT.

  • Power to the Internet and the information that is available through it...

  • THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST FEARS FOR ALL WHO CONTROL PEOPLE: READILY AVAILABLE UNCENSORED INFORMATION

  It helped me and continues to be the greatest "TRUTH" DETERMINER!!!......The truth WILL set you FREE!!!

  Sw
• 

  Mad Sweeney

  Information is the key, Sayswho, you're right.

  The BITE model of cult mind control lists control of Behavior, Information, Thoughts, Emotions as the four categories of control a cult focuses on.

  Information is only one of the four that has the power to feed the other three.

  Behavior control is used to solidify thoughts and emotions. Thought control is used to feed emotions and behavior. Emotional control is used to influence cult-approved thoughts and behaviors. Information control (and conversely Information Freedom) feeds thoughts, emotions, and behavior.

  These control methods used by cults are so simple to understand; no psychology degree is required. The information needs to be spread and publicized. We need to NEVER stop talking about it. Information about the REAL truth is the key to ending the tyrrany of the Borg.
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  sd-7

  There are people leaving, but there are still more than enough loyalists to keep the Society in the black for the foreseeable future. I doubt they're going anywhere anytime soon. The thought of the whole structure crumbling is a pipe dream. Even if the entire Governing Body got arrested for murder-one, the religion would still survive. The ideas themselves have made it possible to survive so long as even ONE person still believes it wholeheartedly. --sd-7
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  Mickey mouse

  In 40 years it will be a shadow of it's current state but it won't happen overnight.
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  Juan Viejo2

  I there is a god, maybe he created the Internet to provide Jehovah's Witnesses access to free porn and apostate websites in the comfort and privacy of their own homes.

  If all the Internet offered was educational and critical websites discussing the teachings and history of the Watchtower, probably no one would ever bother to search for them.

  On the other hand, put free porn on the Internet and untold numbers of JWs (especially elders and Bethelites) would check them out. But after their needs have been met and they are physically exhausted, there are now ex-JW sites and educational sites like TED.com to visit. While their bodily functions recover they can actually be exposed to some of the truths and scandals that they would not see otherwise.

  God works in mysterious ways. Maybe some of those elders who go hunting for members of their flocks on Facebook (and to a lesser extent, MySpace), may also note how many they thought were true believers are actually getting exposure to facts about the Watchtower. Maybe by doing that, they too will get some exposure and take the first steps to leaving.

  On the other hand, I think that some see the local Kingdom Hall as their only resource for self-glory and control over others. They won't leave no matter what the Watchtower teaches. They probably don't care that it's all bull poopy, irrational, and unsupportable. As long as they actually can be bosses over a group of people they will continue to support the Borg and its worthless religion. The Internet will only be a tool for them to harass and torment their flocks.
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  Mad Sweeney

  There are people leaving, but there are still more than enough loyalists to keep the Society in the black for the foreseeable future. I doubt they're going anywhere anytime soon. The thought of the whole structure crumbling is a pipe dream. Even if the entire Governing Body got arrested for murder-one, the religion would still survive. The ideas themselves have made it possible to survive so long as even ONE person still believes it wholeheartedly. --sd-7 I don't think any reasonable poster thinks the END of the Borg is imminent. What I would consider a victory is very close to already happening: negative growth and negative cash flow. Many western lands have flat growth and their branches are only staying in the black financially through massive austerity arrangements. The growth in poor countries seems to be leveling off with the spread of information and Internet access. Within a decade we may have real, visible success on both the growth and cash flow fronts. Within several decades there is a solid chance of decline. I would love to see the total number of JWs decrease to around 5 million in my lifetime. I have a dream.