governing body

by bavman 12 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

bavman

hi,
we know from ray franz's writing's how the gb used to work-but how does it work now? who's really in charge?
bavman
Nathan Natas

With THANKS to ALanF's work at http://www.geocities.com/osarsif/gb.htm, I believe today the Governing Body is:
Carey W. Barber (1905-)
Born on the 4th of July 1905, in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England. On April 18, 1921, when he was 16 years old, he is baptized in a small assembly of the International Bible Students Association, in Winniped, Canada. In April 1923 starts working at Bethel, together with his twin brother Norman. In 1948 is appointed traveling overseer. In 1955 enters the 26th Gilead class, where he found Sydney Lee Brewer, a pioneer from Canada, with whom he marries on February 18, 1956. Appointed to circuit service in the Chicago Area, U.S.A. After 29 years as circuit and district overseer, he is called to the Brooklyn Bethel, to be a Governing Body member in the autumn of 1977.
John E. Barr (1913-)
Born in 1913, in Aberdeen (Scotland), in a family of Bible Students. His grandmother Émilie Jewell was baptized in 1908 and the father was baptized in 1912. John Barr has a brother called James and a sister called Louie who are older than himself. They were the only Bible Students family in North Scotland. Sometimes Van Amburgh and A. H. Macmillan came from the headquarters in Brooklyn to visit them and stayed as hosts in the house of John's family. Shortly after the end of the World War I, John's mother and sister are the first Bible Students in that area who went from house to house. In 1927, John tells his father that he wants to go with him in the preaching work from house to house. Finishes school in 1932 and is baptized as Jehovah's Witness shortly after that. Becomes member of the Bethel family in April 1939. After that serves 3 years as circuit overseer and returns to Bethel in April 1946. On October 29, 1960 marries with Mildred Willett, a long time pioneer who had belonged to the 11th Gilead class and who was in Ireland. In September 1977 is called to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses and from then on lives in the headquarters of the organization, in Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.
Samuel Herd (1935-)
Samuel Herd was elder in a small congregation of Arkansas, U.S.A., and started as pioneer in 1958. From 1965 to 1997 was circuit and district overseer. Shortly after, he and his wife, Gloria, entered Brooklyn Bethel, where he worked in the Service Department and in the Service Committee. On October 2, 1999, Samuel Herd was appointed to the Governing Body. He is the only Afro-American in the Governing Body.
Theodore Jaracz (1925-)
Theodore Jaracz was born in 1925. He was baptized sometime in the 40s. He frequented the Gilead school of the Watchtower (missionary school of Jehovah's Witnesses) and then was sent to Australia, where he was circuit and district overseer. In 1951 Jaracz was appointed branch overseer of Australia. Sometime in 1955/1956, after having been in Australia for 5 years, he returned to the United States, where he made the circuit overseer service. On November 28, 1974, he was appointed to the Governing Body.
Steve Lett (1949-)
Started as pioneer on December, 1966. From 1967 to 1971 served in Brooklyn Bethel. In October 1971 married to Susan and entered in the special pioneer service. From 1979 to 1998 served as circuit overseer. In April 1998 was called to Brooklyn Bethel. On October 2, 1999 was appointed to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Gerritt Lösch (1941-)
Gerrit Lösch was born in 1941 (in Austria?). He was pioneer since November 1, 1961 and was circuit and district overseer in Austria between 1963 and 1976. In 1965/1966 he was invited to the 41th Gilead class. In 1967 he married to Merete and sometime after that they entered to the Bethel in Vienna, Austria, where he stayed 14 years. In 1993/1994 was called to the world headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses in Brooklyn, where he worked for the Executive Committee and Service Committee. Lösch knows well the Watchtower activities in Europe and speaks German, English, Rumanian and Italian. On July 1, 1994 he was appointed to the Governing Body.
Guy Pierce (1934-)
Guy and his wife, Penny, started working as pioneers in April 1982, after they raised their children. Between 1986 and 1997, Pierce was circuit overseer. In 1997 Pierce and his wife were invited to come to the Brooklyn Bethel, where he worked as assistant of the Personal Committee. On October 2, 1999, Guy Pierce was appointed to the Governing Body.
Albert Schroeder (1911-)
Albert D. Schroeder was born around 1911 in Saginaw, Michigan. His maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Darger, used to associate with the Bible Students during World War I. In 1923 Schroeder found the publications of the Bible Students. First he had the "earthly hope", but after his baptism, in July 24, 1932, in Vandercook Lake, he decided he wanted to be of the "anointed". On September 13, 1932 he enters to Brooklyn Bethel. In 1937, when he was only 26 years old, Schroeder is sent by Rutherford to England, to 'put order in the house' among the Jehovah's Witnesses. On May 6, 1942, the English government declared him persona non grata and expulsed him from the country.He then returns to the U.S.A., and Nathan H. Knorr, third president of the Jehovah's Witnesses, appoints him as secretary and president of the Committee that will organize the Gilead Biblical School (training of missionaries of Jehovah's Witnesses). The school is inaugurated in February of 1943. In 1955, at an assembly of Jehovah's Witnesses in Europe, Schroeder met Charlotte Bowin (born 1920), who had belonged to the 1st Gilead class in 1943 and had been missionary in Mexico and El Salvador. They married in August of 1956 and had a son called Judah in February of 1958. On December 18, 1974 Schroeder was appointed to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses.
David Splane (1944-)
David Splane started as pioneer in September 1963. Belonged to the 42nd Gilead class and was missionary of Jehovah's Witnesses in Senegal. After that, he was circuit overseer in Canada during 19 years. In 1990, David and his wife, Linda, went to the Brooklyn Bethel, where he worked at the Service and Writing Departments. In 1998 he was appointed "helper" of the Writing Committee. On October 2, 1999 he was appointed to the Governing Body.
Daniel Sydlik (1919-)
Daniel Sydlik was born in February 1919, near Belleville, Michigan, where his family lived in a farm. Sydlik had a difficult childhood: his father, who belonged to the Bible Students, died when he was 3 years old and his mother had to raise the 6 children. At the end of the 1930s, Sydlik started to show interest for the Jehovah's Witnesses. In September of 1941 he became pioneer and in 1942 became special pioneer in San Pedro, California and in Richmond, California. In the Second World War, the government refused to give him the status of Christian minister. Sydlik is judged and in 1944 is condemned to 3 years of forced labor. He is freed in 1946 and goes to Hollywood as a pioneer. Sometime after that, Milton G. Henschel (at the time secretary of President Nathan H. Knorr) invites him to Bethel. Sydlik accepts and starts service on October 20, 1946. At Bethel, he helps in the writing service for 20 years. He is appointed member of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York and Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Sydlik is married to Marina, a young girl from Hebburn, England. On November 28, 1974, he was appointed to the Governing Body.
The sociopath (in my opinion) Theodore "Ted" Jaracz is the present ringleader.
Previous members, recently deceased, include: Karl F. Klein (1906-2001), Lyman A. Swingle (1910-2001) and Milton G. Henschel (1920-2003).
garybuss

My questions have been this: Since the Governing Body resigned from their positions of "governing" the Publishing Corporation(s) in 2000, what do they now govern? And if they are still "governing" the corporations(s), what are the current governors (directors) governing?

If the Governing Body are not directors and do not govern, and the current directors take orders from the Governing Body, who does not govern, and they do not govern either, who governs what? I need clarification.

Who is doing the writing now? and who has sole responsibility? and if the governing body is doing the writing, do they do ALL the writing? do they have veto power over the current directors? are the current directors just puppets? or do they have real power? If they have real power, what is that real power? How is is applied? to what?

It looks to me like the Witnesses are not a religion, but a government without a country, a government in exile. Now, a government without a country to govern, and without an official governor. The former Governing Body is officially un-official. It can not be a theocracy, because the deity is missing (has always been missing) and they admit (at times) that they do not have access to the deity. The current doctrine is the Watch Tower Publishing and Real Estate Development Corporation is NON inspired, is divinely directed, sort of, and is a spirit directed organization, unable to show ANY evidence of any spirit contacts. Nor can they say who it is the *spirit* is in contact with, or describe the nature of the spirit contact.

The Watch Tower Publishing and Real Estate Development Corporation is a political party. The reason they have a problem with flag salutes, and voting, and military service, is political jealousy. The reason they have a problem paying tax is political jealousy. They are a political party wanting to overthrow all "Other" governments and govern the world. They make their money by printing books and soliciting donations, free labor, and gifts from the members.

In 2000 the Watch Tower Publishing and Real Estate Development Corporation, disassociated the Jehovah's Witnesses from their organization and made them form their own corporation in the USA. I understand they did not disassociate the Canadian Witnesses (yet). The Governing Body officially is not associated with the new corporation in USA either.

If I am in error on any of these points someone please correct me with the facts. Thanks, GaryB
bavman

hi,
hey gary, that sure did give me a headache. but i guess it's the gb that did that-not u. i e-mailed ray franz on the subject @commentarypress. maybe he'll have some insight. i'll let u know if he responds. i asked my dad about this(he's an elder). he said (in his angry voice) 'i dont know why your asking but i dont think it really matters' i asked my uncle(who's a s.a. branch comm. member)-he said 'i don't think anything really changed' our secretary who was at patterson since the beginning gave insight on how some things are written. he said 'they basically pick out a bethelite they think is doing well & say 'here's everything we have written on this subject, here's some bible commentaries, go write an article.
bav
stichione

Sorry Nathan, the link you provided does not work.
stichione

According to the list Nathan posted, of the 10 governing Body members, 3 were born much after the alleged 1935 cut-off date by God for choosing the annointed, and two others were born at around that time.
There is no better better proof of the myth propegated by the WTS in this teaching.
jst2laws

Hello Bavman and welcome to the board,
I don't have any new info but there is little reason to think the GB operates any differently, except that they are more paranoid then two decades ago. It seems to be true that Jaracz has control by stacking the GB with his own yes men in the past few years.
I wish you had a more flattering picture of Ray. If you would like I might be able to send you one. However that one probably has great personal value to you as it looks like a current personal snapshot possibly taken in Ray's home.
Jst2laws
Nathan Natas

Hi stichione,
The link is fixed now.
It didn't work because the comma, space and "I" were included as part of the link.
confusedjw

Samuel Herd (1935-)
Samuel Herd was elder in a small congregation of Arkansas, U.S.A., and started as pioneer in 1958. From 1965 to 1997 was circuit and district overseer. Shortly after, he and his wife, Gloria, entered Brooklyn Bethel, where he worked in the Service Department and in the Service Committee. On October 2, 1999, Samuel Herd was appointed to the Governing Body. He is the only Afro-American in the Governing Body.

When I was an elder he spoke to the elders in the circuit as the D.O. always does.
He gave a wonderful illustration using Larry Bird - the point being not everyone can be the star
and
One about racism, in which the upshot was he thought one of the fatcats at bethel was racist and it turns out this brother's wife was black. So he had to conclude maybe the brother just didn't like him that much or he read too much into the matter.
bavman

hi,
ray franz recently answered my e-mail. his reply was that the recent move of corporation officers was certainly done by the gb. he sees no evidence of anyone other than the gb being in charge(same as always). the corp. meeting pretty much is a "rubber stamp". there is no discussion of policy & everyone just says yes to the decisions already made.
bavman

governing body

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