The Biggest Mistake The GB Have Made In The Last 10 Years

by pale.emperor 38 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  pale.emperor

  I think the single biggest mistake the Governing Body have made in the last 10 years has to be creating JW Broadcasting and putting their GB members on there... on a weekly basis too.

  When i was a kid, i had no idea who the Governing Body were, what their names were or what they looked like. There was one or two long term pioneers that knew the names of two of them but that was about it.

  When i was about 10yo i imagined they looked something like this:

  

  Ahh.... those learned men with a lifetime of bible knowledge just oozing out of their very hearts. They cant help but speak every sentence a pearl of wisdom. Guided by Jehovah's holy spirit, living simple, honest lives and always looking out for our welfare and spirituality - making sure we have the "proper food at the proper time".
  

  So you can imagine my disappointment when JW Broadcasting is released and shows me that they actually look more like this:

  

  We have a narcissist, a clown, a token black guy, a German guy who contradicts the other guys in his talks, a virgin, a liar and guy who makes up stories about an overlapping generation with a "simple chart".

  They would have done a lot better stating behind the scenes and keeping the mystery alive. Also, how much has setting up the studio, the shiny tables, background and squeaky new flooring cost? Those pro cameras and sound equipment aren't cheap you know. For a publishing cult that has child abuse victim claims to pay out on you'd think they would be more frugal.
  
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  LisaRose

  I agree, the worst move ever. Like you, I never knew who these people were and imagined they were deep, spiritual men. It's shocking to see the reality, just a bunch of simpletons with an inflated sense of their own worth. They have obviously had been treated like virtual gods for so long they lost perspective and simply couldn't imagine that the rank and file would not be dazzled by their brilliance.

  I can only imagine what is going through the minds of current JWs as they watch the monthly dog and pony show. If I were still a JW I'd have to be asking myself some hard questions.
• 

  notsurewheretogo

  I was in 16 years and then came out 4 years ago...

  The biggest thing they have done is simply change too many doctrines which alerted me that what they previously taught was not "the truth".

  The change to "generation" being the most significant...it literally destroyed a lot of old timers belief that they would see "the end".

  But it cannot be the GB's fault, they HAD to change things otherwise even more people would "wake up" given that the passge of time has proved their understanding was not correct.

  And this will be true in the future as they have to change the "1914" doctrine, along with who the anointed are and of course the "generation" again as the current "understanding" will not survive another ten years or so.

  Thus, if you/we think that the GB have done it wrong by changing a lot of doctrines in the last ten years then I'd say the dubs are in for more of a shock as they will have to change a lot more in the future than they have done in the past!
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  blondie

  I found the WT Index helpful in finding out who the GB were present and past. My family always seemed to know and socialized with quite a few, especially GB members who were at the conventions.

  Hearing them give a talk was educational in their personalities. Some were dry, some flamboyant, some who went off script often, some who were always overtime, some that were grandfatherly. I attended congregations where they were visitors, hard to pick out without any prior info....just some old brother surrounded by the sycophants. Not all of them enjoyed the ring kissing.
  
• 

  sir82

  I dunno, I kind of think it was brilliant.

  Their (the GB's) primary drug of choice is adulation and power. Power is a drug far more intoxicating and enticing than the purest heroin.

  By putting themselves out there on TV, they are now even more "famous". People associate a name, a face, even a personality, with "the governing body". They see they are "people just like us". This, I think, makes the R&F JWs far more likely to give them the obedience and adulation they crave.

  Have you read pro-JW forums on the topic of the broadcasts? People love, love, LOVE them. And they write glowing letters of praise to the GB, which of course are passed thru the various Bethel filters and actually are read by the GB. Which in turn strokes their egos even more.

  Normal people, including never-JWs, on-the-way-out JWs, and already-out JWs, look at these bozos and we laugh our heads off.

  But "normal people" (99.9% of the human race) are not their target audience.

  They are targeting the 3 or 4 million ( out of 8 million total) "true believer" JWs, whose obedience and adulation (and money) they crave with the power of addiction.

  JW Broadcasting is succeeding beyond their expectations at making true-believers even more willing to obey, obey, OBEY regardless of personal cost, because it humanizes the "dear leaders".

  Kim Jong-Un does not hide behind his palace walls. He is out front & center every day.

  JWs have merely borrowed a page from his (and his father's) playbook.
  
• 

  ToesUp

  Yes...JW Broadcasting was the "proper food at the proper time."

  I believe Anthony Morris' talk about a year and a half ago woke a lot of people up. EVERYONE got to see what these guys really are. Your picture of the Three Stooges was spot on. Tony Morris' talk really showed the male listeners were actually told if they did not reach out for a position they really weren't worth spit. I would like to personally thank Tony for this talk. It helped us put that final nail in the coffin with WT. Thanks Tony!

  As for Lett...well I don't think I need to point anything out there. His videos say it all. lol
• 

  Tallon

  ... 'I can only imagine what is going through the minds of current JWs as they watch the monthly dog and pony show. If I were still a JW I'd have to be asking myself some hard questions' .... LisaRose

  Comment of the week ^^^^^
  

  Good point regarding the JW Org website. The Org initially condemned the World Wide Web (WWW) as it could distract one from service, personal study, meetings and field service etc. If that was the case, why the about turn and implement the JW Org website ?
  
  
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  sir82

  I can only imagine what is going through the minds of current JWs as they watch the monthly dog and pony show. If I were still a JW I'd have to be asking myself some hard questions.

  JWs are specifically and repeatedly trained to NEVER ask questions, not even of themselves.

  Well I take that back - they are trained to grill themselves on "why aren't I doing more?"

  They are trained that whenever there is a problem or a discrepancy, the problem is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS the fault of the individual JW.

  Jehovah is NEVER to blame. The elders are NEVER to blame. The organization is NEVER to blame. The GB is NEVER to blame. IT IS ALL YOUR FAULT, YOU DESPICABLE WORM.
  

  JWs are trained to think along this line:

  "Boy this month's broadcasting sure is stupid...what a bunch of bozos....WAIT A MINUTE....what am I saying? Jehovah is supplying this spiritual food....if Jehovah provides it, who am I to ridicule it.....oh what is wrong with me,,,,,,this month's broadcast is WONDERFUL, I lack appreciation....oh forgive me Jehovah.....I'll just have to pray more and study more and preach more....now where is my checkbook so I can honor Jehovah with my valuable things...."

  I can virtually guarantee you that at some point soon, there will be a demo at a circuit assembly with a monologue quite similar, only very slightly toned down, from the paragraph just above.

  Y'all are writing from the perspective of ex-JWs. Of course it looks stupid to you. It would look stupid to any of 8 billion + people who see it.

  The GB doesn't care what you think.

  What do brain-dead uber-loyal JWs think?

  They love it.
  
• 

  freddo

  But Sir 82 don't forget lack of enthusiasm in North Korea can mean the death penalty. The folks there are even more captive than jw's are.

  Back to the GB. If 3 million believing jw's adore them then 3 million range from WTF? through disappointment to despair and back to WTF?

  And that's not counting the disgusted "awakening class" and the "in but under the radar for family class" which must count somewhere in the hundreds of thousands?

  And like a venn diagram the overlapping third in most congregations in the west that apathetically put in/report less than 5 hours is probably increasing through 40% now.
• 

  sir82

  If 3 million believing jw's adore them then 3 million range from WTF? through disappointment to despair and back to WTF?

  Again, (from the perspective of the GB) so what?

  Those 3 million non-GB-adoring JWs don't contribute, aren't pioneers, aren't elders, or if they are, well, we're better off without them anyway.

  The GB is pushing fence-sitters out. They'd rather have 3 million fiercely loyal than 8 million wishy-washy.