In time, any closed totalitarian system that suppresses dissent and free inquiry will fall apart. When you remove
the checks and balances of contrary opinion, the resulting organization will eventually ooze deception at every pore.
Even the leadership will be unable to know what internal information is accurate or not.
History is loaded with this fatal flaw of tyrants, repeated again and again. Saddam Hussein may have believed he held
weapons of mass destruction that never existed. It is said that he once shot dead a cabinet minister who presented negative
statistics. His successor presented cheerier numbers. Was it any great wonder that he was deceived on countless matters?
Hitler proclaimed that the Nazis were invincible. He then BELIEVED HIS OWN lie and defeated himself by attacking
Russia. Catherine the Great wanted to see prosperity in her land so one of her ministers set up fake villages in the Ukraine
and Crimea , filled with fake happy peasants. This fiction ( now called a "Potemkin Village") served to impress the Empress.
Tyrants must be kept happy, true or not.
In the modern day, Nixon surprized the world by going to China. What was truly surprizing , however, was that the Chinese
government requested the help of the CIA thereafter to offer statistics on their economy. Why? BECAUSE THE LEADERSHIP
COULDN'T TRUST THEIR OWN PEOPLE to give them accuracy! - and these tyrants were smart enough to realize it!
Now that you've digested the above, consider the evolving structure of the Watchtower Society. Would you say that
it has become more honest, more forthright, more internally truthful in recent years? Do you really think its leaders
get an accurate picture of what's really going on? ... and...
MORE THAN THIS, do you think that the Watchtower leaders will likely end up being fooled into believing the deceptions
that they themselves maintain? Does the Bible refer to "impostors misleading and being misled"? ( 2 Tim 3).
They proclaim a quarter million baptisms worldwide a year. Do they ever reason that much of this is fake because
of the huge percentage of Witness kids dunked - only to please their parents and eagerly awaiting their ability to
leave the "truth", AS THEY DO IN GREAT NUMBER?
They publish increases in publishers - after elders 'strong-arm' the inactive and commit to counting 15 publishers.
Throw in countless fake publishers ( like me) and .... Who's building a "Potemkin Village" here?
They proclaim that they have no paid clergy - but fund Circuit Overseers and pay for their cars and insurance and expenses,
while their lawyers fight for "clerical privilege" for elders in court. Does one Department talk to another?
They believed in their own strength and invented the "voluntary donation" arrangement. Afterwards, contributions
plummeted like a rock and today --- we have minimal literature, paperback books, no mailed subscriptions and no assembly
food service. Do they ever feel like Hitler invading Russia? Did they need to bring in outside consultants to assess their
financial state recently because they can't trust their own structure?
I can think of no greater emotional example of this conceit born out of self-deception than the day - many years ago-
when the Society "freed the slaves". Bethel was full of suppressed anger and dissent as countless brothers refused
to stay "four full years" as Knorr demanded. After years of ranting and raving - and dismissal of complaint,
they announced that all such were free to go, without punishment or sanction. The reaction at the Bethel was incredible-
with tears streaming down some faces - and complete repudiation of everything Knorr had been ranting about. When
they announce that the "End is Soon!" at a district assembly and don't get the immediate clapping they expected,
do they worry a little?
Sadly, I can never recall any incident in which any Circuit or District Overseer ever asked for a truly honest opinion
of any situation in any congregation I served in. There ALWAYS was some ulterior motive or unannounced plan or
immediate reaction by happy sycophants who discerned What He Really Wanted To Hear. I couldn't agree with you more,
Brother Saddam.......
I bring up this subject - of self deception amidst tyrants - because after reading recent magazines and Kingdom Ministries
I believe that they are intensifying their deceptions. Far from seeking ethical reform, they seem fated to live out some
sort of Greek tragedy, bound to deeper and deeper untruths, told with greater fierceness and frequency. Perhaps they'll
find another Russia to invade.....
metatron