I go back and forth on this one. Do the Governing Body members or some higher-ups behind the curtain of the wizard really know they are running a scam of a dangerous mind-control cult? Or are they victims of their own cult? Is it a mix? Can it really be a mix?
I was thinking about Japan and how the JW's will run around saying, "See, the end is near." Then I reflected on how WTS loves such disasters. There are so few JW's affected in Japan who actually lost their homes or livelihood. I don't mean to minimize that, but c'mon. How many JW's would have been living in the earthquake zone in Japan? Even if the number is higher than I know, I do know that WTS will turn it into a cash bonanza for themselves, pleading JW's to make cash-only donations to the worldwide work so that WTS can decide how best to help these victims.
By thinking about past disasters and how they have done this (further lining their pockets with people's insurance claims for damage) I figured "They gotta know the scam they are running."
When I think about how they brag on how, during disaster relief, they are the best organized on scene, better than the Red Cross or the National Guard, they gotta know that's a lie. When I think of how they brag at conventions about how they have provided a fine witness in these areas by fixing the roof of non-JW's or comforting people better than their church does, they gotta know the lies they are telling. When they say that loads of studies were started because of such efforts, I figure it's all part of their game.
At conventions, when they brag about how the colliseum loves turning the keys over to JW's and how the mayor of the local town and the hotel owners brag about how great it is to have the JW's in town, they gotta know it's just spin. They gotta know how many hotel owners did not wish to cooperate with their tactics and how many complaints they received about too many guests in a room or disruptive play in the pool area or taking all the continental breakfast items out of the hotel for lunch, etc. etc.
They cannot be that ignorant of their own devices. They gotta know.
The only saving grace for them in my opinion, is the writings of Ray Franz. He never indicates that "they knew." But it might not be the case where all of them know and it might not be the case where Ray knew what others knew. They may keep some in the dark, like Fred Franz, so they can write the doctrine, and Ray seemed to be one primed to inherit Fred's writing job.
Rant over. Share your thoughts or not.