The GB know it's all lies and wants to dismantle the WTS ... then what?

by Simon 31 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Simon

  So imagine the GB have a sudden attack of honesty and realize "crap, this whole thing is lies - we're not god's spokespeople at all !". But then what?

  How do you dismantle a religion that has +8 million members in a responsible way? You can't just publish a Watchtower saying "we were wrong" because that would be irresponsible - you need to let people down gently, put people off gradually. Besides, if you announce your sudden lack of belief then there's a good chance you'll be booted and someone else installed as leadership before the WTS in question ever gets into the hands of publishers.

  So what do you do? Do you gradually introduce policies to turn the screws to make it less attractive or loosen them to make people less devoted and zealous?

  If it was you at the top, how would you dismantle things and how long would it take? A decade? Several decades? Is it even possible?
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  eyewitness

  It's not responsible to carry on a lie to shield believers emotion response. I would have to end it as quick as possible. As for the legality's of dismantling and where the funds would go, I have no clue.
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  stuckinarut2

  With the last few years of strange teachings, one has to wonder whether they are simply trying to test out the flock?

  I picture them sitting in a meeting laughing saying " okay let's try this. They can't believe that surely !?"
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  DesirousOfChange

  I don't think it can be done from the inside.

  I thought that possible when I was still an elder. I thought if even a few of us could influence things for positive change.

  Nope. Won't happen.

  DOC

  "Doubtful of Change"
  
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  Island Man

  Pull off a Worldwide Church of God apology and reformation?
  
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  Village Idiot

  I've thought of this before and I believe that a Watchtower should be written in definitive terms without any gradual "illumination". It's not likely that there will be an attempt to install a new leadership. They are so interlinked with the Governing Body that without it they would just fall apart without them.

  The practical necessities of running an organization that size will also serve as a deterrence to restarting the organization. Who owns the properties and equipment that are necessary to communicate with the rank and file? Part of the process of dissolution will involve divesting themselves of all properties that are used in that regards (Printing presses and Internet equipment). Nothing left for any would be inheritors.
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  OUTLAW

  If it was you at the top, how would you dismantle things and how long would it take? A decade? Several decades? Is it even possible?

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  Simon

  It's not likely that there will be an attempt to install a new leadership. They are so interlinked with the Governing Body that without it they would just fall apart without them.

  So no group of people that have spent their entire lives climbing the corporate ladder and are just one step away from being at the top? That wouldn't oust the leaders as disloyal / turned to the dark-side or whatever? That would mean a mass awakening all at the same time - I just don't buy it as at all possible.

  So back to the guts of the question: even if the leadership wanted to, could they pack up shop and dismantle the WTS in an orderly manner without it simply splintering into different groups or, more likely, different people taking over the group.

  This is a large organization with assets and followers that can't just all evaporate overnight.

  So how could it end? Imagine it is a business corporation (not really a stretch / hard to picture) ... they only end in one of three ways:

  1. Enron style implosion - overnight, they are gone.

  2. Slow decline into irrelevance until someone says "whatever happened to Tandy?"

  3. Corporate takeover - because even while declining as in #2, they are still "something" (think AOL)

  
  
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  Wild_Thing

  During the centuries of organized religion that humans have had on Earth, has anything close to this ever happened? Not to my knowledge.

  That kind of scenario is so outlandish, I would only be able to contemplate it while I was high.
• 

  Simon

  During the centuries of organized religion that humans have had on Earth, has anything close to this ever happened? Not to my knowledge.

  Mine neither. I know the Worldwide Church of God "apology" thing but that was really just a power-struggle with the original founder dying and with a relatively small group who, it should be noted, still continued (although they lost 50% of their ~100k membership).

  It seems a religion, past a certain size, becomes almost indestructible. Only the Shakers managed to go extinct ... but then they did forbid having children and didn't proselytize.

  Now, given that it's unthinkable / unimaginable for a religion to disappear even if the leaders themselves wanted to destroy it then why does anyone imagine that the WTS is going to be destroyed?

  Well, maybe we should add one more reason for corporations to cease to exist:

  4. Government intervention

  A government may step in to stop a corporation that is breaking regulations or behaving in a criminal way. It may not break it up per-se but it could put it out of business due to fines and destroying it's business model.

  This seems to be the only way that the WTS will go down but given that it's a majority US religion where religion is completely untouchable (more so even than guns!) then it doesn't seem likely. The best that can happen is that they suffer serious financial setbacks due to fines and damages imposed on them.