by pale.emperor 51 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Hopefully they arent planning on a mass suicide saying it's what Jehovah has directed for them to do to be resurrected in the new system and not see the billions being destroyed during Armageddon. Saves their reputation to their followers too apart from those who have the sense not to listen.
Another option is GB telling everyone to sell everything they have and give it to the society and then they'll just disappear with the money
I don't expect that there will be any huge changes (though I guess we could argue over what constitutes a huge change....we've seen big changes in the last several years, but I don't think anything has been on the order of what the OP is talking about) To me their pattern seems to be big talk and then small actions - they prep people with sweeping statements like that and then the changes are relatively small. The reaction they seem to aim for is something like "Oh they don't want us to kill ourselves ala jonestown, they just want us to sell a kingdom hall and merge a few congregations, I was silly to have even worried about it."
The no-blood policy is even like this in a lot of ways - granted tens of thousands have died from it, but for most JWs it's a big ask that never actually comes to fruition. Then they're more likely to yield on smaller things since they've already implicitly yielded on something big (even if they never actually have to act in most cases).
The "adjust your thinking" type phrases have been around forever in the cult...that's standard cult fare - putting on the new personality, training your conscience, model yourself after Jesus (and the GB/CO/pioneers) etc etc.
While they thrive on the doomsday connection, there's also been a push toward the whole "best life ever" movement and "Christian Life" (CLAM meeting). I could easily see a distancing from the dates of 1914 to a simple but general "look how bad the world is, we give you the 'real life', and a promise of better things to come". They don't need 1914 to keep the end in mind, they have this false hope contrasted with their twisted portrayal of the "wicked world" and I think waiting for their "deliverance" would be enough. They can even still keep the doomsday in mind, but let go of dates. Heck, they've predicted it over and over and successfully moved the goalposts every time to something more vague. They don't need dates to keep the contrast with doom and false hope.
Of course, none of us can do anything but speculate, but losing 1914 would be hard for many older ones. I bet they can be "adjusted" though. That's just how I can see it going down. From what I understand they don't talk about it much anymore, and they've erased their doom and gloom history. Now they can just focus on hating the gays and apostates.
I think, like others have said, its about trying to keep the R&F in "check". The GB are VERY worried. They know people are questioning things, murmuring, grumbling, and checking out both physically and mentally.
Its a way for them to "inject" a little shot of "wait maybe we should start listening again". Kinda like the bunker videos, and the like. Its not really saying anything, but it keeps the R&F "interested", and tuned in.
I really do think that the specifics are about the eventual merging of many congregations, and saying for the R&F to just "deal with it", don't question a thing. If you are inconvenienced, so what, we need the money we get from selling YOUR beloved Hall, who cares about your 40 mile drive.
I have seen this merging of congregations, firsthand. Its not even happening in rural areas. My old cong, which is in a borough of NYC, was merged BACK with the cong it split from over 30 years ago. 30 yrs ago the cong was bursting at the seems, fast forward to now and they had to merge them back together due to NOT having enough publishers in BOTH congs.
People were pissed and upset, and they barely had to drive much further. I can only imagine how people feel when they have to drive 40 miles or more. This is about keeping these people quiet and not complaining about whats to come.
At least, I really hope it is just this. Its very true that this can have MUCH more dire consequences. Forcing your R&F to just swallow whatever is said, and do whatever is asked no matter what, is scary. This is high mind control at its worst. Do what we say, no matter what, even if it makes no sense from a HUMAN standpoint, or else YOU are wrong, is fanaticism on a large scale.
What if the GB told the R&F to never talk to people that are "worldly" again. Or turn their backs on worldly people if they need help. Or what if the next step is to harm evil worldly people, as Christian warriors. Would that be something they should follow, even if it doesn't make sense from a HUMAN standpoint.
While its true, it most likely will NOT ever get to that, but the consequences could be very scary. Having complete control over others, especially when they don't have those same ones best interests at heart, can have dire consequences.
I dont think we're to expect a Jonestown type suicide (although the blood doctrine is pretty close to suicide). And considering that we read the elders letters and convention outlines before they do we'd have ample time to act if it was going that way.
Lets see... what things "wouldn't appear sound from a human standpoint" to me?
Right now, none of the above would surprise me at all. Hell, i could pull scriptures out my ass to make anything sound legit.
Deuteronomy 13: 6 “If your brother, the son of your mother, your son or your daughter, the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers, 7 of the gods of the people which are all around you, near to you or far off from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth, 8 you shall not consent to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him; 9 but you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. 10 And you shall stone him with stones until he dies, because he sought to entice you away from the Lord your God....
Great thread Pale Emperor - thanks for posting it. I agree with you that in so many different ways this direction from the WT Society leaders to JW's to turn off their critical thinking is extremely dangerous.
I feel the WT Society has already accomplished this objective by telling JW's to " donate to the worldwide fund or kingdom interests " . Like Freedom Rocks said at the top of the page, " Another option is GB telling everyone to sell everything they have and give it to the society and then they'll just disappear with the money . "
I do believe that's a more likely scenario because there's just no transparency whatsoever from the WT Society as to where and what exactly all these JW " donations " are being used for. " Worldwide fund or kingdom interests " could easily be used for the legal defense fund against lawsuits for JW child abuse lawsuits. And not one JW would be made aware of that.
Imagine you are a JW contributing funds for the Puerto Rico hurricane victims , and later unknown to you these funds are used to defend and protect the WT organization's child molesters. Or your funds are unknown to you- put in some offshore bank accounts for a rainy day fund on the Cayman Islands to protect the WT Society.
Deception has been a part of this WT organization since 1879. It's part of their mode of operation, not with just failed predictions of " end times " - but snake oil salesmen like C.T. Russell selling " miracle wheat " - which once again caused International Bible students to turn off their critical thinking. Unfortunately mind control cults are as old as the history of man. Governments, religions, marketing of those and of businesses - all zero in on the unsuspecting consumer who get's duped. Very sad, but it's reality. One reason threads like this are great- to make people aware and wake the hell up
Reminds me of an old pioneer sister who said "If the Organization tells me to plant cabbage upside down, I'll plant cabbage upside down!"
As I've said before, the latest message in publications and videos has been a lot of 'see what the kingdom is doing NOW!' so more emphasis on better life now, less on when if ever the end is coming (although that will probably stay a selling point).
All we are seeing is a tightening of the boundary between JW organization (when it suits - massive property sales and deals aside) and “the world”.
All the tightening “proves” is that unknown numbers of JWs keep testing that boundary which elicits more organisational attempts to tighten the boundary.
Speculation is understandable but probably consists of more heat than light. This is an organization that keeps seeking ways to stem the breaches and the exodus - all of which stay well within secular law. Reference to Jonestown is ridiculous.
BTW, I think they will quietly reduce the focus on 1914 without fanfare or comment, rather than come up with some official position on it.
