Awake! Watching the World "Studies on Sex Abuse by Priests"

by ezekiel3 30 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

• 

  fleaman uk

  As you probably know, Service Department can't stand Writing Department: they consider them a bunch of left-wing 'softies' without the backbone to manage a mutinational corporation, errrrm, organisation.

  By the same token, Writing can't stand Service, viewing them as a bunch of hard-line Pharisees who wouldn't know the "love of the Christ" if it slapped them in the face. Writing are as concerned about the child abuse situation as many of us are (after all, it's not any of their guys in the dock, the whole mess is Service's baby

  Eh?Where on Earth did you find this out?Political in-fighting in Brooklyn?I find it hard to believe.
• 

  IT Support

  fleaman,

  Eh?Where on Earth did you find this out?Political in-fighting in Brooklyn?I find it hard to believe.

  I know, I felt the same myself when I first learned about it.

  How did I find out? I used to be in Bethel, plus I still have friends there who continue to be concerned about what's going on.

  They know my feelings and so are able to chat about things that worry them: they can tell me things they'd never dare to discuss openly with their Bethel 'brothers.'

  Regards,

  Ken
• 

  Big Tex

  And Writing more determined to bring them down a peg or two.

  God I truly hope you are right. Oh I know it won't actually change anything, but still so many innocents being hurt and no one in charge really gives a damn. I can understand why the concept of torture in the afterlife was invented. Some crimes, and the people who allow them, well to those who suffered tremendous pain for years and years, all I can say is I understand why hell was invented.

  Ken, forgive me, but I was thinking that lawyers have a great say in what's going on now. I've noticed how the Society has toned down certain doctrines or de-emphasized somethings like for example, all talk of Satanic government control has vanished. It seems like the lawyers, or however Legal is represented, seems to have a tremendous affect on how the commands from Brooklyn are delivered. It is from that base that I was wondering if perhaps Legal/lawyers have as much influence as Service does. Don't know, just wondering.

  Chris
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  IT Support

  Chris,

  no one in charge really gives a damn

  I think this is very true. I think Writing are only really concerned because they hope this will be the issue that will cause a number of the GB to be removed and replaced with others more in tune with their way of thinking.

  In other words, they don't really care about the kids, they're simply the pawns to achieve their own ends.

  Ken, forgive me, but I was thinking that lawyers have a great say in what's going on now.

  As many others have commented, their greatest fear is not litigation itself, but its effect on their bottom line. Yes, they have toned down some things, but usually only because they've lost cases and it cost them lots of dollars. (It used to be half-jokingly referred to as 'litigation theology'!)

  Also, Brumley is considered a Bethel 'lite-weight' in the WT hierarchy.

  Incidentally, irrespective of their 'softer, gentler' approach to doctrine, I've no sympathy whatsoever for Writing. Their lies and deception are available for all to read: their culpability is just as great as Service's, even though they may wear a velvet glove over their iron fist.

  Regards,

  Ken
• 

  candidlynuts

  you all edgykate me.. i know what the writing dept does.. but what does the service dept do?
• 

  IT Support

  candidlynuts,

  what does the service dept do?

  This is the original announcement of the GB committees:

  To facilitate its work, six committees of the Governing Body have now been formed. Each will have its chairman, who will serve for a period of one year. These committees are supervisory in nature and it is not intended that they will handle all the details and routine work? These six committees, which began functioning on January 1, 1976, are as follows: Service Committee; Writing Committee; Publishing Committee; Teaching Committee; Personnel Committee; Chairman?s Committee. *** w76 2/1 p. 96 Governing Body Adjustments ***

  Then the 1977 Yearbook gave further details:

  Early in December 1975, the entire Governing Body of Jehovah?s Witnesses met in Brooklyn, New York, for the purpose of considering recommendations relative to organization and procedure. Two different committees had for many months given consideration to organizational adjustments. And so, on December 4, 1975, the Governing Body unanimously accepted the recommendations, and on Friday, December 12, 1975, the chairman of the Governing Body read a letter to the Bethel family explaining the adjustments.

  Letters were also sent to all branches throughout the world explaining the procedures and in the Watchtower magazine of February 1, 1976, there, was an article headed ?Governing Body Adjustments,? which explained that, to facilitate its work, six committees of the Governing Body had been formed and that these six committees began functioning on January 1, 1976. Each committee has its chairman, who serves for a period of one year.

  CHAIRMAN?S COMMITTEE: This committee is composed of the current chairman of the Governing Body, the previous chairman and the one next in line to be chairman. The current chairman serves as coordinator and expedites matters for the Governing Body. Reports on major emergencies, disasters or campaigns of persecution or any other urgent matters affecting Jehovah?s Witnesses come immediately to the Chairman?s Committee so that they can be taken up with the Governing Body.

  WRITING COMMITTEE: This committee supervises the putting of spiritual food into written and recorded form for publication and distribution to Jehovah?s Witnesses and the public in general. Since it deals with the publications, it also supervises translation work done throughout the earth.

  TEACHING COMMITTEE: This committee?s responsibility is to supervise schools and assemblies for the spiritual education of Jehovah?s people, also Bethel family instruction. Additionally, it supervises outlining the material to be used in teaching and takes oversight of radio and television programs and assembly programs.

  SERVICE COMMITTEE: This committee supervises all areas of the evangelizing work, and has the responsibility of taking the lead in further developing these. The committee is interested in the activities of the congregations, circuit and district overseers, missionaries, Branch Committees and the periodic visits of the zone overseers.

  PUBLISHING COMMITTEE: This committee supervises the printing, publishing and shipping of literature throughout the world. Therefore, it has responsibility for oversight of factories and properties owned and operated by the various corporations used by Jehovah?s Witnesses, as well as financial operations, legal and business matters connected with publishing the good news of the Kingdom in all the earth.

  PERSONNEL COMMITTEE: This committee has oversight of the arrangements made for personal and spiritual assistance to members of the Bethel families, and it is responsible for inviting new members to serve in the Bethel and Farm families around the world. *** yb77 pp. 258-259 The Governing Body of Jehovah?s Witnesses ***

  So the Service Committee are in charge of field service. This includes all congregations and judicial matters. They also have sole control over what goes into the Kingdom Ministry, which is why it can sometimes say things rather differently to what's in the Watchtower or Awake! magazines.

  Hope this helps.

  Regards,

  Ken
• 

  Room 215

  From what I understandfrom the few friends I still have there, the biggest obstacle to meaningful reform or liberalisation is ``Boss" Jaracz, the hardest ass on the GB and also head of the service dept. Most of the other GB are doddering geezers or too newly appointed and lack the self-assurance to really assert themselves. Sydlik, for one, can hardly stand being in the same room with Jaracz.
• 

  codeblue

  Talk about the WTBS being in DENIAL about their own pedophile problem.

  It is upsetting that they write articles and point the finger at the Catholic Church......very upsetting how pious they are....

  I think that Dateline should do another segment about the WTBS again!!!
• 

  fleaman uk

  Thanks for the info Ken.

  This stuff (the Bethel infighting) absolutely fascinates me!

  I have a few bud,s in the London bethel but they either dont see anything of any import,or are reluctant to spill the beans.
• 

  IT Support

  Room 215,

  the biggest obstacle to meaningful reform or liberalisation is ``Boss" Jaracz, the hardest ass on the GB

  LOFL

  The wierdest part is that some of my friends in Writing attribute TJ's power today to Ray Franz and, in a sense, 'blame' RVF for TJ's ascendancy. Almost from the beginning of the present GB, there have been 'liberal' and 'conservative' factions within the body. Before RVF left, TJ was a nobody on the GB. Many in Writing feel that RVF tried pushing his liberalisation too fast, and this made the rest of the GB uneasy. (I'm not sure whether or not that's accurate, but it's how they see things, anyway.)

  So, according to them, TJ saw an opportunity and took it, becoming the most conservative of the 'conservatives,' leading the movement to 'undo' all RVF's previous good work and promptly accusing any GB member who tried to display even a shred of humanity of "trying to do another Ray."

  fleaman,

  I have a few bud,s in the London bethel but they either dont see anything of any import,or are reluctant to spill the beans.

  If they've been there a while, they probably know things but are in denial. In other words, they know somethings wrong, but they constantly make excuses that silence their inner nagging doubts.

  When I was there, we used expressions like, "It's a perfect organisation run by imperfect humans" (which, when you think about it, is pretty dumb because any organisation is the sum of the humans running it!) and, in a similar vein, "The work gets done in spite of us, not because of us." What these expressions really did, though, is they allowed us to laugh off and joke about things we knew weren't right, but years of indoctrination had prevented us from thinking about seriously, never mind 'spilling the beans.'

  Regards,

  Ken