I asked my best friend how the GB makes its decsions last night...

by dontplaceliterature 29 Replies latest jw friends

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  dontplaceliterature

  My best friend does not know about my recent mental defection from The Watchtower, but I am having trouble keeping my feelings from him completely....So, last night, I asked my him if he thought the Governing Body was always in 100% agreement about every policy/doctrine decision they make. He said, "no." I asked him how he thought they went about making those decisions and he said that, "they probably discuss it as a group, research it, read the Bible together, and discuss it some more until they come to a conclusion...just like a BOE would when deciding a judicial matter." I said: "Don't you think that if they were Jehovah's 'mouth-piece' and they are indeed being guided by Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit, that there would be NO DOUBT about what the right course of action is? Shouldn't they be in 100% agreement about everything?" He just shrugged. I said to him: "Wait...we are told that the 'anointed class' are chosen and directed by that same spirit, so that there is no doubt in their minds as to their special relationship with Jehovah, right? Don't you think Jehovah would give an extra portion of that spirit to the 'faithful-slave' so that there would be NO DOUBT as to what course of action they should take?"

  After some more exchange, he just said that he "think(s) it's Jehovah's Organization, and even if they change their mind about things, we need to follow them."

  I could see that I was making him uncomfortable, so I just changed the subject.

  I was very careful not to tell him that I thought the Governing Body was NOT Jehovah's instrument for Earthly direction. I just tried to ask thought-provoking questions. It amazes me, though, how quickly a Witness will defect to the standard respone: "Well...it's Jehovah's Organization, and we just have to listen to them..." The more I hear it, the more cult-like this organization seems to me. Even my wife responded this way when we talked about the blood issue last night. (She does not understand the Witness' position on this topic, but goes along with it anyway.) We are scheduled to consider this issue in our Family Worship next week (since there is THE SAME EXACT part on the Service Meeting Thursday night that we have EVERY YEAR) and I can't bring myself to pressure her into accepting the Witness doctrine on blood, when I don't fully agree with it.
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  passwordprotected

  The Governing Body can't even make its mind up who appoints the elders.
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  ThomasCovenant

  ''I can't bring myself to pressure her into accepting the Witness doctrine on blood, when I don't fully agree with it.''

  Now imagine her about to go into an emergency operation and refusing a transfusion.

  Nice.
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  dontplaceliterature

  We are about to have a baby, and it's been on my mind a lot, ThomasCovenant. Neither one of us has a DPA filled out.
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  moshe

  Blood? Q1-why do Jews and Jewish hospitals see no problem with blood transfusions? Q2- Will a blood transfusion save the life of a starving man? (no)-

  So then, a blood transfusion does not break the old testament prohibition to, not eat blood, does it?

  These are two questions that the WT CD will not have any answers for-
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  bohm

  DPL: have you read the Jensen blood letters? http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk/blood_-_jensen_letters.html

  some ideas for questions to your friend http://www.freeminds.org/psychology/cults/opening-the-closed-mind.html

  keep us posted. using family worship night to get loved ones out is a strategy others have had success with.
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  dontplaceliterature

  I would rather my wife feel like leaving is her idea, rather than mine, if it comes to that. So, I'm going to be very subtle going forward. I don't want her to ever look back after the fact and accuse me of "poisoning" her mind or anything. I feel like she has a lot of the same thoughts, I'm just working hard to create an environment where she feels comfortable talking about them. We'll see where it leads...
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  sabastious

  Hello DPL and welcome to the forum,

  Although your point deserves consideration it is only a small matter when concerning evidence that the GB are God's "mouthpiece." The fact that they have different opinions on what should go down in the Org is not necessarily damning. The damning evidence is not how they make decisions but what those decisions end up being. When you sift through all of their decisions past and present you will see the clear truth that they are just men and only men.

  That's the secret that they are so afraid of getting out (and to an extent, it already has), and they go to great lengths to conceal the fact that they are merely human men no different from anyone else on this planet.

  -Sab
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  bohm

  DPL, i didnt mean you to show her mr. jensens letters -- that would be a disaster! but they contain good talking points. like: "what is blood", "what does it mean to abstain from blood". The last elder i talked to agreed with me the blood doctrine was not based on the bible alone, but rather that faithfull witness must do what the GB says.

  your job should never be to proove the witness wrong, but just to open her mind up a bit so she begin to consider the question "are the GB right" herself like she would consider any other question. she will leave on her own accord then.
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  ThomasCovenant

  dontplaceliterature, I wish you all the best in trying to get your wife to see the light. I was very lucky as mine took what I knew all in her stride, and accepted it all. I feel sorry for any in 'divided households'. To not believe in the Watchtower Society but have a partner that still does would be a living nightmare for me.

  The stress of the blood issue is the iron girder that broke my camel's back

  All the best with the birth.