The Hubris of the Governing Body

by cofty 32 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Ding

  Well said, Cofty.

  The use of the third person / first person pronouns in the literature disguises the grandiose nature of the hubris of the top leadership.

  Unfortunately, JWs can't see that.

  I'm not sure the GB even see it themselves.

  I seem to recall that in Crisis of Conscience, Ray Franz said that GB members view the organization as having a separate existence from them as its leaders.

  If so, the GB see claims such as the ones Cofty quoted as coming from "Jehovah's organization" or "the faithful and discreet slave," not from themselves as individuals.

  If that's true, their self-delusion insulates them from responsibility for the claims they are constantly making and blinds them to their own hubris and arrogance.

  It's as if the man behind the curtain really doesn't realize that he is the Wizard of Oz.

  No, no.

  He's just a humble servant of the Wizard, pulling levers and talking into the microphone.
  
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  Ding

  I'm reminded of the recent video in which a GB member (I think it was Lett) said something like, "Since Jehovah and Jesus trust the faithful and discreet slave, shouldn't we?"

  What he really meant was, "Aren't you ashamed that you don't trust us as much as Jehovah and Jesus do? How disgusted they must be with you!"
  
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  Beth Sarim

  The Borg will always use 3rd person narrative in order to confuse it's followers. It's a way to interchange the Borg with God.
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  Atlantis

  Credit goes to Cofty:

  
  

  Remember that every word that is published is first approved by members of the GB.

  
  

  Watchtower/1987/3/1/pg.14/par.16

  Click image to enlarge.

  https://postimg.cc/MnPRGMh4
  

  
  

  
  

  Atlantis!
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  cofty

  Great reference Atlantis!
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  the-MadJW

  I hate to agree with you- but I DO.

  Nonetheless, they are helping people teach the Truth of the Bible.

  (Minus their own beliefs)
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  FedUpJW

  The use of the third person / first person pronouns in the literature disguises the grandiose nature of the hubris of the top leadership. Unfortunately, JWs can't see that.

  There were quite a few who took vocal exception to my use of "governing body" and said I shouldn't use "governing body" in place of "the slave". My answer was to refer them to *** w13 7/15 pp. 21-22 “Who Really Is the Faithful and Discreet Slave?” *** 10 Who, then, is the faithful and discreet slave? In recent decades, that slave has been closely identified with the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

  They just couldn't abide replacing "the slave" with "governing body" as it placed to much emphasis on elevating eight specific men above the rest of the organization.
  
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  Phizzy

  This hubris, this crowing about how they "got 1914 right", the COMMAND to obey THEM, not be guided by Scripture, all that added to an already building Cognitive Dissonance in me, which culminated in my waking up, and after about a year, leaving for good.

  Thank you Cofty, this may help J.W's reading here, once seen, never forgotten with things like this. I remember too, when I was first alerted, after leaving actually, to the "Loaded Language" they use generally i.e "Honest hearted ones will......... " and dozens more phrases like that, again, once seen, it jumps out of the page at you !

  Good Thread.
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  BluesBrother

  One of the common definitions of a cult is that it looks to one man as the supreme leader. Well, the WTS has no single man as a leader but it does have this entity that governs everything, the Governing Body , calling itself the “ Faithful and Discreet Slave” .

  They are beyond reproach , beyond criticism or any disagreement. To do so is to become “Apostate “ and to disagree with God himself.

  Same difference!
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  TonusOH

  And always remember- when they have to explain why they got something wrong, they will claim to be mere fallible men who never claimed to be more than that, and that sometimes people read too much into what is written. And the rank and file will accept this, because the penalty for talking back is to get dragged into a room by the elders and warned that you are skating on some very thin ice.