Today the 130th Annual Meeting of the Watch Tower Society was convened at the Jersey City assembly hall, or “Stanley Theater” as it is otherwise known.
There once was a time when these were run-of-the-mill business meetings to keep Society members updated on organizational progress and administrative matters.
But especially over the past few years these events have morphed into an opportunity for the Governing Body to embrace the limelight by heralding “new light,” or sharing news of big changes or literature releases in front of an audience that is guaranteed to give them the adulation they seemingly crave.
This year has proved to be no different. According to multiple sources, a new website (believed to be “tv.jw.org”) has been announced that will feature “on demand” videos, including morning worship sessions from New York bethel and special Governing Body talks, to be broadcast once per month.
Sources are telling me the website will be available from Monday (6th October) onwards. The following images purportedly show what the studio of the website’s news bulletin will look like…
Other announcements from the annual meeting are said to have included the following…
- New song books are to be released that will be the same color as the “silver sword.” They will feature 15 new songs, some of which have already been leaked. All new songs are to be made available on JW.org until the new songbooks are in circulation.
- Psalm 106:1 will be the new year text.
- More audio bible readings are to be released.
- A pocket version of the “silver sword” revised new world translation has been released.
- A new app “JW Language” will be released on Monday to help Witnesses learn a new language.
- New light: Gog of Magog is no longer considered to be Satan, but a coalition of nations yet to reveal itself.
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There was also reportedly an on-stage sing-along by bethelites to demonstrate how some of the new songs are to be sung. All seven Governing Body members are said to have taken to the stage and chimed in on the final verse.
But undoubtedly the most intriguing development concerned the new “on demand” video website, which marks yet another step in the Governing Body’s path to increasing prominence following their 2012 revelation that they alone are the “faithful slave.”
I for one welcome the change, because if there is one thing I can be certain of, it is that the more Witnesses hear these men speak for themselves, the more obvious it will become that they are nothing more than proud, deluded men – far from worthy of the adoration they receive.
I leave you with some wisdom from Anthony Morris III (from the 2012 special convention in Dublin) as a sneak preview of what the new video website may well have in store…
Related video…
Please also check out the Friendly Atheist’s blog post on jw.tv.org!
And from a scriptural point of view then. They have to accept that they have taught what is false . . Is that acceptable from a scriptural point of view? Is it acceptable to be faithful to them over faithfulness to what is true?
Why is it so significant when Jehovah’s witnesses change their teachings? Simply because they have excommunicated persons for disagreeing with the false teaching. Their authority is greater than that of the Bible. They, because of their false teachings, have had famalies shun each other and lives lost. Not only have they taught what is false but, in some case’s, been guilty of spiritual murder. So, if, Christ is going to inspect his household would he find that acceptable? As Chirst asked. . Who really is the faithful slave? The control from a secular, spiritual, Christian point of view is neither faithful or discrete and is downright unacceptable. And just for the
Watchtower ears . . If the judgement begins with Gods house why do you describe yourselfs as faithful. A presumption that is likely to be your undoing. . . GOOD.
its not that jehovah’s witneses they are changing their teachings guys… its only the shining of sun and the truth is going on from wat waz to wat is.. thats it
You can spin it however you like but they are changing their beliefs. A thirteen year old’s voice was squeeky and now its deep. What do they say happenned? His voice what? It went from what was:squeeky to what is:deep. You can spin it however you like but his voice CHANGED!
This religion is not a trail blazer. The great chariot is not ahead of the times. It seems to be trying to keep up with every other religion and they are way behind. These changes are forced changes because if they dont they will become very, very outdated. Before, they were happy being singled out and unique among the religions. Crazy biblical interpretations, scary apocalyptic imagery, numbers, dates and in your face preaching battles. It reveled in that spot. Now however they are slowly trying to shed that image while still holding on to the cult control of its people.
They will find out eventually that you cant have both.
OMG! The website is up! And I’ve started scrolling through Stephen Lett’s talk. Get this (to paraphrase): The Caleb and Sophia series are “evidence of Jehovah’s….AND THE GOVERNING BODY’S love”….
O. M. G. … Does he here himself?
That guy in the beard that gave his life for us doesn’t even get second billing.
*hear not here
Nothing like putting a huge red target on your face, is there? Hopefully, more JWs will be able to see how insane these men are…
Did I really see inspiring movies? I just watched the commercial for tv.jw.org. I can not wait to see how this develops. Maybe at some point people will no longer have to go to the KH, people will be able to sit in their own homes on Sundays and Tuesday and just get the information.
700 Club anyone? Is it just me or does every Televangelist sound creepy? Good grief. Wow. I can’t imagine what the R&F think.
Just been watching tv.jw.org hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha (intake of breath) hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
On the above comment under the name innocent, I clicked on that poster and it took me directly to JW live streaming on what this article is about. I watched and listened to it for a while and that live streaming makes the Society seem so innocent. I listened to Lett and another man who became a Witness in his late 80’s and is a regular pioneer. Then it went to a music video with a song I never heard before. That live streaming makes the Society seem so innocent with their practiced voice-overs. That live streaming seems like it was very expensive to bring about. I wonder how much this is costing all those rank and file who have to wash windows to support? Or is it coming from the stock market or their secret bank accounts over seas? This couldn’t have been cheap to do.
I think the rank and file who are watching this now will think to themselves “those who don’t want to come to meetings anymore, don’t know what they are missing”. They want us to feel like we are missing out on all this. The thing is though, that we can watch that too if we want to.
All it does to me is make them seem evil because of their motives behind it. They aren’t honest with the rank and file. If they would get rid of their disfellowshipping policy for disassociation, I’d have a more lenient view of them. It’s the disfellowshipping to keep us all trapped and their cover-ups and lies is why I have no trust in them at all, no matter how innocent these videos may seem.
It is unacceptable to teach what is false and then punish people for not accepting it. That’s wrong on two counts.
It is unacceptable for a spokesman to get the message wrong and then punish its listener’s with its authority. That is neither faithful or discrete.
The majority of these messages were given when the slave had been appointed over all the master’s belongings which itself was wrong.
The Gog of Magog is no longer considered to be Satan, but a coalition of nations yet to reveal itself? There have been so many talks about the Gog of Magog and the end of this system of things … and now it’s really about a coalition of nations that has not revealed itself. Thanks for this post and helping me to wake up.
It is not acceptable that the slave is greater than the master.
They are changing stuff rapid fire now. I think the change for Gog of Magog is to prepare for when this system doesn’t end like they keep saying and they can use it as an excuse to keep this lie going longer…
I’m in the same acting boat as you. I’d be long gone by now if my wife wasn’t born and raised as a JW and is very attached that I risk losing her if I jump ship.
Had Christ been an imperfect person and had taught what was false he would have first repented before God and then to his listener’s. Show me one apology from the Watchtower. The slave has an attitude greater than that of the Master.
So many, many, changes to the “Truth” it would be
completely alien to C,T, Russell if he returned.
It would be like Charlton Heston in “Planet of the
Apes” – Returning after many years to find the
place was run by Monkeys.
That last one was for George…
I was thinking the 700 Club as well! lol. Stephen Lett came off as such a phony. Love his pinky ring!
Hi Excelsior
We as ex-JWs with JW family seem to be in a no-win situation. From experience when I have spoken out I am confronted with histrionics as though I am the Devil incarnate; or I say nothing and they believe they are in the right.
Unfortunately in order to preserve any fragile contact I have had to remain silent – the hysteria over my comment on Birthdays being no big deal was as bad as if I had just condoned human sacrifice. I learnt from that.
The more I hear of this Organisation the more loathing I feel towards it, and I keep wondering what the heck is wrong with my supposedly intelligent family that they can’t see how conned they are.
Your relationship with your mum is so important – don’t jeopardise it over this horrible little Cult. The smug GB and Organisational leaders will surely face their comeuppance soon enough!
No matter how much “frosting” they put on that turd, it’s still a turd.
JW has changed tactics. They are now promoting happiness in THIS LIFE, in the available existence. This is a big difference to my part time jw childhood in the sixties. We were happy in the congregation but the leaders in Brooklyn never exploited that happiness, they never made the internal happiness a motive to become a JW. The motive at that time was the proximity to Harmageddon ( and even IRL it was Close, with the Third World War constantly looming ). The proximity to happiness is no longer the main issue – the issue is the happiness here and now. Join us and you will be happy right now – that is the message I detect from the new films. I had hoped for at least animations of the future paradise, that would have been interesting and perhaps they will come. But this gloryfying of the p r e s e n t Life as a JW, that is something new. Something has happened in the JW board rooms. Someone has persuaded the others to abandon the copying of the Tupperware sales concept as the one and only concept. Now they have started copying Coca Cola, that Company also shows how happy and Beautiful you get if you buy their Product.
With this first video, I think they are trying to skip the parents entirely who have their doubts about some of the the double speak that been going on for quite some time, and are trying to convince our next generation to come on board. They have little experience with the decades of teaching changes and the theatrics of disagreement. I like Brother Lett, but his first part does not come across as genuine, too mesmerizing for my consumption. I am not knocking them for their beliefs, I have been disfellowshipped and reproved multiple times, however you reap what you sow, and now they have discord with no one to blame but God, Jesus, or themselves. I know which I would pick. I was let back in when I was sorry, so honestly if they were to come out with something like an apology that would be of some measure of sincerity, in place of this cocooned revisionism that seems to be necessary to perpetuate their need to be all understanding. They have made it hard on themselves and many are slipping away only because of the falsehoods that they have ingrained into so many that they find it hard to believe it, let alone reconcile it. For myself, it boils down to mind control, thought crime, and freedom of speech. Who has placed these stumbling blocks at my feet? I have no axe to grind here, only questions that need to be answered truthfully. It is as simple as that. If that makes me evil, so be it. I would rather my children not have to be faced with these issues and live in a measure of internal peace than with the lifetime of internal conflict that will never rectified, because someone is always moving the furniture around.
Wow, what a post, many thanks for the real truth, maybe we can miss meatings now & just tune in, or tune out.
Gog of Magog flip flop, i supose this will come out at the international assemblies, whoops not going sorry. they cannot continue to change major doctrine, but as is always the case the older generation is slowly dying of & the newer generation are not being brought in learning doctrine, they spent countless years condeming the tele evangerlists & now this, holy whiteman batman.
My daughter just turned 18, guess what we have bithday cards up on the mantle, hahahahahahahaha,
TV Evangelism—God’s Way?
If Jesus Christ were on earth today, asserted TV evangelist Jim Bakker, “he’d have to be on TV.” Why television? Because, according to Bakker, “that would be the only way he could reach the people he loves.” Like Bakker, an increasing number of fundamentalist preachers in the United States feel that television is the best medium for spreading the Word of God. Yet, a 1984 study showed that, for the most part, TV evangelists “reinforce people already committed to evangelical religion.”
Interestingly, in a letter to the editor of the magazine Ministry, one reader wrote: “You said they [television sets] are the church’s most powerful gospel seed-sowing tools, and yet God says the most essential work is house-to-house visitation—soul hunting. . . . Our Saviour loved to get away from the multitude, and then He went from house to house—soul hunting. The one-soul audience was His delight. . . . Can we not do the same?”
According to Jesus Christ, the purpose of the Christian ministry was not just to ‘spread the Word’ but to “make disciples.” (Matthew 28:19, 20) He directed his followers to go to people’s homes. (Matthew 10:7, 11-13) The apostle Paul accepted this preaching method and said regarding his ministry: “I did not hold back from telling you any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching you publicly and from house to house.” The personalized house-to-house ministry of the disciples reaped good results.—Acts 5:42; 20:20.
If Jesus laid such emphasis on this method of preaching in order to make disciples, why do many evangelists prefer TV as their medium? The Courier-Mail of Brisbane, Australia, notes that TV evangelists “make up to $120 million a year selling salvation. They appear in a blaze of electrified power and glory on 300 TV stations, and are worshipped like pop idols. . . . For all their tactics
1986 Nove 15th WT Insight on news
Is it not true that it is the governing body are the ones introducing false teachings into the Christian congregation? Perhaps they should be disfellowshipped for apostasy.
The reality is control , submission, authority & power.
Like the Pharasee’s they are a law unto themselves, they don’t seem to have a fear of God, instead of admitting their errors, they have done their best to try and hide them, or cover them up, but everything is revealed in its own time, be prepared for more goofy teachings, it just can’t be fixed no matter how hard they try.
Have to say John:-). I watched your response over breakfast this morning. It put a smile on my face and made me chuckle:-) I’ve started the day on a positive note:-)
Having watched the Watchtowers video I get this sensation of nausea every time I hear them speak. ‘Jehovah blessed every decision’ etc.so a thanks for redressing the balance:-)
Lol:-) giving Anthony Morris the opportunity to appear on tv is equivalent to giving a monkey a gun:-) your right John this is going to be hugely entertaining:-)
@Velvia Blue
Oooh, you’ve just transported me back in time.
Wasn’t that the Zone talk where Schroeder referred to he and his wife being like a “couple of snowballs” in the congregation and territory they were assigned to? Greeted with much laughter from the sheeple in the audience.
That’s all I remember of that talk, except that like any zone talk it was very long and dull.
What a waste of a few precious hours of my life.
“New light: Gog of Magog is no longer considered to be Satan, but a coalition of nations yet to reveal itself.”
Seriously? They’re really copying what *George Bush* claimed in 2003?!
If I ever find out that only have a day left to live, I will tune into the GB streaming media, because 10 minutes of that drool seems like an eternity.
Tiger 123 :-) fantastic:-)
OMG eternity does exist.
Who are these meddalers?
G.B.T.V.
Do you think they might start doing commercials.
Did anyone else notice Ray Franz in the “Highlights of the 1963 International Assemblies” video @ 1:09?