Wishing that You Could Make it all Go Away

by NotFormer 3 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  NotFormer

  There're always things we did in the past that we wish had never happened or that we could make them all go away.

  The WT actually can do this, to a certain extent. Speculation about Tony? They command the R&F to stop doing it, and it goes away. They change a stance on something heavily embedded in the culture in a way that the JWs might feel resentful about? The GB commands them not to resent anything, nor to hold them responsible. And it goes away.

  They seem to have a charmed existence. Perhaps they are some sort of magical group that doesn't have to conform to the realities of existence on this planet.

  Or have they just been extraordinarily lucky?

  And is the luck running out?
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  DesirousOfChange

  And is the luck running out?

  The R&F JW may fall in line on command, but WT is finding out that the prosecutors, attorneys, and policy makers do not.
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  Vidiot

  They tried controlling the narrative in Norway, and the court saw right through it.
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  TonusOH

  The closed, secretive, and controlling approach can work for some time. But it requires a lot of effort and the ability to react quickly to anything that might threaten that control. And the control has to go almost all the way to the top.

  The internet has made it tougher to keep unwanted information from the rank-and-file. Even if they do not look for it, others can, and can confront them with it. The attention they are getting from courts and governments around the world for issues like CSA and shunning makes it harder to shield the rank-and-file from it. You don't have to seek out 'apostate sources' in order to learn about these cases; mainstream media is covering them, and you can read these reports from around the world from the comfort of your home PC.

  Government pressure on the organization is nothing new. But now, it is much harder to control the narrative. What do you do when a congregation member gets the real story from a regular news site? Do you distrust the 'worldly media' when you are changing policies in response to their discoveries and claims? Do you demand that rank-and-file JWs only get their info from jw.org?