Question: Where's The Doctrinal "Component" Behind Recent Changes?

metatron

I just wanted to toss this out there: is there any noticeable doctrinal backdrop or expressed scriptural component behind recent changes?

Now, there are many opinions about recent changes - ranging from complete and utter cynicism motivating the Governing Body to naive belief in their own bullsh*t. Also, are they just reacting to sudden developments or is there any coherent long term plan?

I would think that if they truly expect to 'trim down' the Organization by laying off publishers (in addition to Bethelites, DO's, Branch members) then the Watchtower magazine and various assembly talks should reflect that. We should reading or hearing about 'numbers don't count' or 'don't give up on the truth just because your Kingdom Hall is sold off' or other warnings such as that.

Such warnings or emphasis would be new or emerge as different than the usual bleatings about 'endure to the end'.

I can't say I recall anything such as the above popping up. Should we conclude that they're just naive idiots reeling from one potential disaster to the next, actually believing that Jehovah will NEVER let them REALLY fail? Is that the most reasonable conclusion?

metatron

cultBgone

Interesting question...following this

metatron

To use a boxing analogy, don't they always "telegraph their punches"?

Aside from some counsel to the elders to obey even you think they're wrong, I'm not seein' it.

metatron

dozy

I personally think that virtually all changes are motivated for legal or financial reasons or just tinkering around for administration purposes.

This is an organisation that has spent 135 years supposedly studying the bible for new light - there isn't anything new that is going to come out the GB or their helpers studying the bible. What few scholars they had have long since died off. Anyway by nature they are conservative and resistant to any doctrine that differs to existing ones.

The modus operandi was illustrated in the change a few years ago to giving out the literature free. At the time this was flagged up as a "new thought" and more in line with the bible pattern of "you received free , give free". Comments were made about how Jehovah was "blessing the new arrangement." In truth - this was nonsense - it was simply prompted by the USA government putting a tax on religious literature which the WTBTS resisted. Exactly the same happened with other "new thoughts" such as the WTBTS "change of thought" on alternative service and the change from Dfing people who take blood transfusions to defining them as disassociating themselves.

This shows that even though the public justification for changes is the light getting brighter , in practice it simply happens as a result of changing legal pressures and financial requirements.

Vidiot

metatron - "I would think that if they truly expect to 'trim down' the Organization by laying off publishers (in addition to Bethelites, DO's, Branch members) then the Watchtower magazine and various assembly talks should reflect that."

Unlikely... proselytizing (particularly door-to-door) is one of the defining, if not the defining characteristic of JWs.

Pull the plug on that, and they arguably wouldn't even be JWs anymore.

metatron - "Should we conclude that they're just naive idiots reeling from one potential disaster to the next, actually believing that Jehovah will NEVER let them REALLY fail?"

Naive idiots?

Not so sure, but it is a surprisingly easy habit to fall into when you surround yourself only with people who are never allowed to disagree with you.

Acutally believing that God's got the WTS's back and that it's "too big to fail"?

Absolutely, whilst simultaneously (and paradoxically) fearing that inevitable fail (because, let's face it, it would be an epic fail).

Too many of their recent decisions are the kind that could only be made by full-on True Believers who are nontheless desperate and terrified of it all coming to an end, because - let's face it - the failure of the WTS would be the most compelling evidence yet that all its claims about itself are false, and that those hated "apostates" were right all along.

Which is completely unacceptable to them.

metatron

OK, I get that and I was very observant of the 'voluntary donation arrangement' at the time. They did NOT anticipate the drop in donations that occured. They freaked out - after thinking that it would cause donations to go up!

It sounds like your conclusions lead to the thought that they are almost hopelessly reactionary - that they have few long term plans and are mostly just "winging it".

If true, so much the better. It would also comport well (IMO) with these mass layoffs as to their effect: the experienced, stable people are tossed into unemployment and, instead, they rely on consultants and 'experts' who may have no long term plan or even commitment to the survival of the Organization.

metatron

a bit of a follow-up: I was watching a PBS series on Nazi weapons and DID notice this sort of desperate, hell-bent, nearly fantasy-driven behavior in these totalitarians as they tried to fend off abject defeat. In particular, they got much nastier...

so, maybe.....

metatron

Vidiot

metatron - "It would also comport well (IMO) with these mass layoffs as to their effect: the experienced, stable people are tossed into unemployment and, instead, they rely on consultants and 'experts' who may have no long term plan or even commitment to the survival of the Organization."

That brain drain has already been well under way with the purging of liberals, artistic types, and other out-of-the-box thinkers, beginning with the apostate witch-hunts in the early 80s and ending with Jaracz's iron-fisted and paranoid reign.

Giving the boot to experienced and stable individuals who would have otherwise been a vital voice of reason wouldn't have been far behind.

Phizzy

As to the Thread Title question, they no longer feel the need to give a seemingly Scriptural spin to what they do.

As with most Totalitarian regimes, as soon as they feel their authority is no longer questioned, they feel free to perpetrate any excesses they choose.

JW's are now so under the thumb that the WT can get away with anything, no questions asked.

Questions are suppressed by the JW brain before they fully form within it.

Ding

When your followers trust that you speak for God, you don't have to give reasons for what you do.

If need be, the GB can always quote a Bible verse or two out of context to make it sound convincing.

They've been doing it for over 100 years.

Question: Where's The Doctrinal "Component" Behind Recent Changes?

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