Posted by J.H. [JH] on March 29, 1999 at 11:38:05 {HR5JhS9/hcXuRp0hvUg2MWsHSG.vl05do}:
In Reply to: Re: Elder's manual posted by Harold on March 28, 1999 at 21:56:39:
Harold,
: Could anyone tell me what is the reason that the WTS doesn't want anyone but elders to know the contents of the elder's manual?
It cuts the crap, so to say. Normally, JWs are fed the insane ideas of the WTS leadership through huge portions of suger-coated candy. Typically, twho whole Watchtower articles lists an enormous number number of more or less relevant Biblical examples, many nice-sounded vague arguments and wishy-washy reasoning before getting to the point. The point is, typically, that You Must Be Loyal To The ORGANISATION, or, that All Churches Suck (Except Us).
The elder manual just states the rules in unambiguous terms. Much of it will shock a new convert.
Even worse, the WTS has learned that stating its policies and teachings frankly in literature has had a devastating effect when these statements have been used against them. Ex-members generally have a massive arsenal of insane WT statements, many from the 50s and 60s, that state frankly what the WTS will clearly want a potential convert to be ignorant about.
The elder manual, of course, is a good source of such statements. Journalists writing pieces about e.g. the shunning policies can
ask a WTS representative about it, quote their lies, and then they quote the elder manual saying the opposite. Oops.