Is Tony's position on the Governing Body now more of a hindrance than a help?
Is Tony’s position on the Governing Body now more of a hindrance than a help?

It seems almost unthinkable that Tony Morris should be forced to stand down from the Governing Body, but stranger things have happened.

Ewart Chitty and Leo Greenlees were removed from the Governing Body in 1979 and 1984 respectively, albeit under very different circumstances. Raymond Franz resigned in 1980 amid Watchtower’s frenzied purge of “apostates.”

If Anthony Morris III ends up becoming the fourth Governing Body member to be stripped of his lofty position, it would likely be for a very different reason than his ignominious predecessors – because his outspokenness is making him a liability to the organization.

Those who follow his exploits closely enough on YouTube are only too familiar with his arrogant, eccentric streak on the platform. Until recently, his outrageous musings on such topics as scorched Armageddon victims, child baptism, “thinkingest” people, tight pants, and the nature of eternity were known only to select audiences of Witnesses, such as those attending a particular convention or zone visit.

But the organization is changing, and pushing Governing Body members increasingly to the fore. JW Broadcasting promises to do this on a scale never before seen. And Tony’s embarrassing performance on Saturday at the “special meeting” for the U.S. branch visit demonstrated perfectly why introducing Witnesses to their dear leaders “warts and all” is a monumental error that could seriously backfire.

At Saturday’s special meeting, an audience of well over a million Jehovah’s Witnesses in the branch territory of United States were subjected to an avalanche of stupidity from Tony’s lips.

Sisters were told that they cannot marry a man older than 23 if he is not by that age a ministerial servant. They were also instructed that they cannot go jogging wearing “spanx” – which one assumes is any tight-fitting spandex or lycra. Families were informed that it is inexcusable for them to visit an amusement park rather than visit bethel if it is within their means to do so.

And once again, “Tight Pants Tony” shared his bizarre clothing obsession – reiterating his belief that tight pants are part of a conspiracy by homosexual fashion designers whose sole aim in life is to drool over the contours of the male figure.

Speaking for myself, the only real surprise in all of the above was the brazen and unguarded manner with which Tony aired his clearly ridiculous views. I have known for some time that he is more than capable of unleashing such madness on an audience. I just had no idea he was brave enough to indulge himself to this extent in front of every single congregation in the United States branch territory.

The whole thing was made only more awkward by Tony’s promise at the start of his talk that he would support all “things that could ignite a controversy” with references from the publications. Unless there is a Watchtower somewhere that prescribes what jogging apparel Witnesses may or may not wear, or whether non-Ministerial Servants over 23 are eligible as marriage partners, Tony utterly failed to do this.

But it was precisely Tony’s arrogance that led him to insist that everything he said was backed up by God himself, even if so many of his absurd views are notable in the publications only by their absence.

Consider the following video clip, taken from the recording of the 2014 Annual Meeting Program on JW Broadcasting, where Tony speaks of how Witnesses in a certain branch territory where he “wasn’t treated too well” ought to be in fear of his “big brother.”

It’s easy to imagine how a religious leader with this level of narcissism could believe his expressions are automatically rubber-stamped by the Almighty.

Though it would be almost unthinkable for the Governing Body to go so far as to eject Tony from their circle of power, the fact remains that the more he is allowed to spout forth such silly, arrogant ramblings to bewildered audiences, the more the veil of awe and respect surrounding the Governing Body will evaporate.

I certainly hope the Governing Body doesn’t do the smart thing by dispensing with Tony’s services now before it is too late. It is in my interests for the organization to implode sooner rather than later to prevent more lives being ruined, and few things would better facilitate this than for Tony Morris to continue his eyebrow-raising performances until he departs to meet his “big brother.”

But in the unlikely event that the Governing Body spoils my fun and orders a taxi for Mr Morris, I can at least celebrate the fact that a million or so Witnesses in the U.S. now have the awkward but indelible realization that one of the members of their revered “faithful slave” is a monstrous prude who is fixated with tight clothing, and sees his opinions and God’s as more-or-less the same thing.

 

new-cedars-signature2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Further reading…

Related videos…

205 thoughts on “After his branch visit performance, is “Tight Pants Tony” now a liability for the Governing Body?

  • November 12, 2014 at 12:34 am
    Permalink

    In reply to Mike
    I’ve read your comments mike closely.
    Guilt produces depression. Fear and worry produce stress.
    We all at some point have experienced this. It is normal in a high control group even many years after leaving as the seed has been put in there.
    If you can equate the Watchtowers teachings against the bible this will help. Simply put is it truthful? Freedom can take a little while to grasp. x

  • November 12, 2014 at 12:48 am
    Permalink

    To Mike.
    You are absolutely in your right to ‘test the inspired expression’ without guilt or fear as the Watchtower is not above the Bible.
    With that freedom you can now examine what you truly believe. :-) it’s quite exciting.

  • November 12, 2014 at 12:49 am
    Permalink

    This man is Bonkers.

  • November 12, 2014 at 1:49 am
    Permalink

    Since Tony goes around asking all these sisters what they think of tight pants, I wonder if it ever occurs to him to ask them what they think of pinky rings????

  • November 12, 2014 at 3:46 am
    Permalink

    Fantastic Tony has told me what I can wear in my own home :-). . Tight pants a snorkel and wellies. . Marvellous. Don’t knock. Busy.

  • November 12, 2014 at 4:10 am
    Permalink

    Your conscience sisters is your own. What! You answer to a crippled prune who’s righteousness is his own?
    Be yourself.

  • November 12, 2014 at 4:14 am
    Permalink

    A decent bother would never look.Tony.

  • November 12, 2014 at 4:28 am
    Permalink

    Or at kids. Now f off

  • November 12, 2014 at 4:35 am
    Permalink

    The slipper men is a song about moral corruption (English history) Genesis.
    A Morris is not a child molester but his 8 man team control their policies.

  • November 12, 2014 at 5:06 am
    Permalink

    Given that 1.2 million watched this I would hope some HD video will become available. Problem is with these audio only records that people (eg my wife) will just say its fake.. i would love to see this uncut in full glorious HD! Then there is no hiding.

    Why isn’t this on JWTV? afterall its all from God.. what is there to hide?

  • November 12, 2014 at 5:08 am
    Permalink

    Yeah.. Fear leads to hate, hate leads to anger, anger leads to the darkside – Yoda

  • November 12, 2014 at 7:00 am
    Permalink

    If tight pants Tony was a corporate executive for a for profit company the corporation would be slapped with a multi million sexual harrasment lawsuit

  • November 12, 2014 at 7:52 am
    Permalink

    Now he’s made it public what his topic of conversation is,
    when out in the service with sisters , he’ll have to find a new
    subject.– Tell me sister what do you think of oral sex between
    married couples.?

    Ridiculous,!! I know,, but what spiritually minded man would
    ask a woman ( Not his Wife,) any kind of intimate question,
    There-by giving the impression he was coming on to her.
    Not many men would embarrass even their OWN sister with
    the question he “Claims” to have put.

    It’s an invention, another Lie to add to a long list of lies.

  • November 12, 2014 at 8:26 am
    Permalink

    @Married to a JW. You made a good point.

    Personally I don’t think Tony is a spiritual man,
    but maybe he would have the the “Cunning”
    not to get slapped with a lawsuit. Another
    indication that he lied about his conversations
    with sisters.

  • November 12, 2014 at 10:48 am
    Permalink

    What a blowhard this Anthony Morris is! He’s as much a blowhard as Russell, Rutherford, and Fred Franz!

    Unfortunately, the greater majority of 1.2m listening believe that is imaginary ‘big brother’ is God himself.

  • November 12, 2014 at 11:33 am
    Permalink

    @Searcher. I too feel sorry for the 1.2-million listeners.

    It does create problems, when the garbage disposal unit
    stops working.

  • November 12, 2014 at 1:31 pm
    Permalink

    Folks,

    We need to raise our heads up and praise sense and reason, for our deliverance is at hand!

    Our greatest recruiting sergeant is back! Anthony Morris III!

    Dear Tony has so many opinions on so many topics- simply hand him a microphone and a captive audience and watch him go! He’ll tell you fictional scenarios and claim they actually happened! He’ll ask random sisters what they really feel about tight pants! He’ll blame a father of seven for two not being complete slaves to the WTBTS!

    Oh, the joy just keeps on flowing, doesn’t it?

    I wonder if dear Tony dresses in regal purple Spanx when he is in his cosy apartment at Bethel? Really feels that Spanx hugging his saggy old sack of a body? Luxuriates in the closeness to his skin? Look out Mrs Morris! Tomcat Tony has got his Spanx on!!!

    Now I’ve left you with such a charming mental image I shall say adeu!

    Peace be with you,

    Excelsior!

  • November 12, 2014 at 1:42 pm
    Permalink

    Man this Branch Visit really has me thinking…

    Just to revisit the 23 year old MS thing again from a different angle.

    I often like to use experiences in my talks as well. However I am very judicious with them especially if I’m going to use them to make a negative point. All the more so if I have reason to believe that the persons in the experience are in the audience. The fact is I probably would not use the experience in such a case.

    So it just struck me to think how unloving it was on his part to air this experience regarding this sister. Could she have been in the audience? Quite possibly. And what is she was disfellowshiped and trying return? Would hearing her experience aired to 1 million + publishers benefit her?

    Let’s just play the proponent and say… It did fair badly for her to marry this particular brother. Things are better for her now and she wanted her experience shared so that others could be warned about marrying non-MS brothers. (Yes. I just bent the spectrum of reality to formulate an entirely hypothetical scenario. But let’s just say it is so.) What then? Is the audience to know that? No. They would left only to think that she is still not doing well and weak spiritually.

    In public speaking terms this undermines the impact of the experience and the effect on listeners. I for one immediately rebuffed it in my mind.

    In shepherding terms his flippant off the cuff manner was rash and ill concieved while betraying the trust of someone he counseled in private.

    Errr…. This has me aggitated.

  • November 12, 2014 at 3:09 pm
    Permalink

    AM3 is like the gift that keeps on giving :) I Love this guy. An entertaining boob like him comes only once and a while. ☺

  • November 12, 2014 at 3:15 pm
    Permalink

    I spoke to my sister earlier today. I asked her what she thought of the talk given by Br. Morris on Saturday. She replied, ” the governing body members are really quite funny guys. They like to joke around, which is good. They’re not as serious as I thought they would be.” I asked if there was any new light, and she said that she would have to go over her notes. It was a real let-down for me. It didn’t create any doubts in her…it was actually quite the opposite. I’m tied of trying to prove points to her (and my other brothers and sisters in the Org.) In fact, now I am backing off again. I do not want to risk my family seeing me as apostate (sometimes I come on extremely strong). I do not want to loose my relationship with some of them. I was disfellowshipped for 18 years, and missed some of my family members severely. When my JW mom came down with cancer, I faked coming back. I was reinstated in 7 months…went to a few meetings after that, and then just never went back. I am SO glad I did that. They know I don’t go to KH, but they don’t bug me about it, and I can talk to them freely.

  • November 12, 2014 at 3:17 pm
    Permalink

    No where in the new or Old Testament do any of the prophets dictate dress code e.g. Tight fitting work out pants. The Governing Body needs to learn they are not infallible and since when can’t a human be questioned. Governing Body Members please wake up

  • November 12, 2014 at 3:52 pm
    Permalink

    Eating meals together is easy to be a good point, which everybody already knows anyway. When it comes to the rest of his talk, it seems like he just says the same things over and over again, whenever he has a talk to give with the tight pants and praying and taking kids in service and blood guilt for not being a pioneer in service. When I gave talks in the ministry school, I tried really hard to make them interesting in that it wasn’t stuff they would have heard over and over again a thousand times like Tony’s talks. I don’t think he talk took much work at all. Just the same old, same old. He’s lazy in every way. The most exercise that guy gets, is exercising his mouth. I’d love to see him jogging in his suit. Probably the reason those guys of the Governing Body don’t pitch in and do any physical labor, is because they don’t want to get their suits dirty.

  • November 12, 2014 at 4:20 pm
    Permalink

    @Wade channel.
    It’s a sound point you make, about not using real life experiences
    to make a negative application, especially if the persons are in the
    audience.
    I think it’s something any seasoned speaker would try to avoid.
    This strongly suggests to me that they were fabricated, contrived,
    lies.

    Jesus used fictitious people in parables such as, “The Prodigal son”,
    “The Good Samaritan”. They were vivid pictures of people and
    situations that one could identify with, they were powerful and
    stayed in the mind.

    Tony doesn’t have that ability, so he tries to add the power to his
    illustrations, experiences, by claiming they are real.

  • November 12, 2014 at 4:29 pm
    Permalink

    I want to know which branch treated ” tight pants” so badly, so i can give em all an electronic HIGH FIVE…woo hoo ! !

  • November 12, 2014 at 6:40 pm
    Permalink

    @Wade,
    You make an excellent point. I did not think of the second scenario, but it clearly is as bad as the first one. It reminds me of a Circuit Overseer, back when I was in Colombia, who made a very insulting comment about a brother in one of his talks. After the meeting I had the guts to call him to the back room to ask him ‘something important’: “would you tell the same story if the person is present in the audience?”, and to my surprise he went: “OF COURSE NOT”. Then, isn’t that hypocresy? He said he took it well…. but I am sure he kept telling the story to get the same reaction from the audience.

  • November 12, 2014 at 7:34 pm
    Permalink

    Well Tony, I am not giving up my “spanx”.
    Hard to take this joker seriously

  • November 13, 2014 at 1:35 am
    Permalink

    @unhollyroller. Thank you for posting this video of Herd again and reminding me how really stupid Watchtower advice is and destructive.

    Watchtower advice is to never demean the husband in front of the children. You are to pretend the husband is right, no matter whether he’s wrong or not. That is what Herd said and the Watchtower will agree with that.

    This is real life. Many men don’t really want children. They want all the attention from the wife. They resent their children because the wife’s attention goes to the children and not him. He punishes the children wrongly but in the Watchtower household, the wife pretends the husband’s punishment is correct in order for her husband to continue to love her. That is what Herd said. He will love her for not standing up for the husband. She is putting herself and her husband in first place. She is more concerned about her husband loving her than she is about how the child was punished wrongly and how hurt the child is from that. She is selfish. These children will grow up hating how they were raised and most likely hate the religion because this woman was stupid and selfish and craved the love of her husband over her love for her children.

    In real life, if you are married to a man who really loves his children, she will see it and will stand up for him and the children will also feel the love from him and forgive him for it and realize that we all make mistakes. But in the Watchtower household, no matter how abusive and unloving the husband is, the wife is not to make him feel bad. It’s all about the man in this organization.

  • November 13, 2014 at 1:48 am
    Permalink

    From Tony’s talk, you would think that it’s a “trend” for young brothers to wear tight pants in service. I don’t think he’s watching these young brothers any other place than when they go out in service. I think he’s making the whole thing up and this is why: Say, you are in a congregation and you see a young fellow showing up for service, the elder conducting the meeting for service would tell the young brother that his pants were too tight for service and probably tell the brother personally and not embarrass him publicly. If the brother kept showing up for service wearing the same tight pants, then I would think the brothers would not assign him to a group. It’s all up the one conducting the meeting unless the brother isn’t a baptized brother yet and the one conducting the meeting for service is a sister (with her head covered). I really think he’s making the whole thing up. The only other scenario that I could see for a branch talk on “tight pants” is if the elders are wearing tight pants and it’s the sisters who are complaining to the branch about it and nothing can be done because it’s the elders setting the example for the younger ones.

    This is what I think he’s really trying to say without offending anybody: Men, are your pants too tight? Maybe you should get a bigger size because you have outgrown your pants. Women don’t have to worry about that because they don’t wear pants in service.

  • November 13, 2014 at 5:03 am
    Permalink

    I think it’s possible that the Governing Body members are certifiably insane. Let me explain why:

    Last night (Nov. 12), on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow talked about pinky rings at the end of her show. She said she couldn’t figure out why it would be considered masculine but today, it shows either toughness or power and then she went on to explain the origin of them. The pinky ring was called the signet ring because a ruler of a country would dip his signet ring (engraved) into hot wax and stamp his signature onto a document, signifying that it was really from the king. Rachel Maddow then showed a picture of Frank Sinatra (mob connections; power) and Prince Charles of England (power, kingship).

    You don’t see very many men wearing pinky rings today but you do see pinky rings on the Governing Body’s fingers, which seems unusual, especially since there has been seen more than one of the Governing Body members wearing pinky rings.

    If it’s really true that today, when a man wears a pinky ring, it either signifies toughness or power, why would these men wear them???? I can’t imagine that the Governing Body members would wear them to signify toughness but what about power???? Have the Governing Body members already decided that they have been appointed by Jesus as kings????? Aren’t they supposed to have lived their entire lives faithful to the end and die and be resurrected to heaven before they receive their crowns??? If they think they have already been appointed as kings, is it possible that they think they are some kind of spirit creatures like Jesus was after his resurrection? I think they think they are spirit creatures because after all, Ray Franz got disfellowshipped before he died.

    Think about it……

  • November 13, 2014 at 5:47 am
    Permalink

    If you go to Wikipedia and look up Psychopathy checklist, this is some of the signs of this disorder:

    Superficial charm
    Grandiose sense of self-worth
    pathological lying
    manipulative
    lack of remorse
    emotionally shallow
    callus/lack of empathy
    failure to accept responsibility for his own actions
    parasitic lifestyle
    narcissistic
    low anxiety
    sensation seeking

    On research, psychopaths come to top when it comes to businesses because of their superficial charm and glibness and willing to step on toes and lie to get to the top and no conscience.

    If you listen to that talk of Tony’s, you can tell he’s making up these stories. Listen real closely to when he starts talking about that sister who he supposedly told her this and that about not marrying somebody who isn’t a ministerial servant by the age of 23. At first, he starts off by saying what’s this story……and then by the time he gets into it, he starts saying how “he” told her this and that. If this really happened to him, he would not have started out by saying and “what’s this story”….

    He’s a liar and psychopaths pathological liars. It is not uncommon for them to have a “God complex” either. Also, psychopaths are narcissists. They care a lot about how they look and that would explain his narcissistic obsession about men wearing tight pants. What normal man is so obsessed about other men wearing tight pants????

  • November 13, 2014 at 6:02 am
    Permalink

    Rachel Maddow showed pictures of Frank Sinatra and Prince Charles wearing pinky rings. I left that out of my above comment.

  • November 13, 2014 at 6:40 am
    Permalink

    Poor kids, No Birthday party, or Christmas, can’t join in
    National Celebrations, isolated at school, dissuaded from
    any pursuits that would take them away from what’s perceived
    to be Theocratic activity, made to sit for hours at K,H, and
    assemblies, etc, etc, etc.

    Now families stigmatised, made to feel delinquent, guilty.
    if they’ve taken the children to a theme park, but not to one
    Of the their printing factories.

    They just want to own, and control, from cradle to the grave.
    That’s been the fate of one whole generation, now we’re well
    on to another. Wake up parents stop your children from
    being “Groomed”.

  • November 13, 2014 at 8:36 am
    Permalink

    The witness kids that I grew up with were definitely groomed to think that by not celebrating holidays, birthdays, etc. that somehow they were special and above the other children who were all infidels and would be destroyed at Armaghedon. I remember looking at “worldly kids” and thinking how bad they were and how they were “bad association” for me. What I learned was that the bad association was actually most of the kids from the KH who would secretly lead double lives. Drinking, partying, was all keep very secret and there was a code of silence among the young ones in the Hall. Young brother wearing tight pants is really the least of the worries that should be on the mind of the gb.

    But really isn’t this religion all about appearances? As long as the young brother is at the meetings and in service dressed properly, what happened the night before (as long as it is kept secret) will not matter.

    Not sure how many people on this forum knew of kids that lead double lives, and never got caught, but I sure remember many many young ones who were less than stellar in their secret lives and are now married and still go in service and put in their hours and go to the meetings, and regarded as good witnesses.

    Not sure how God would bless all of this?

  • November 13, 2014 at 10:21 am
    Permalink

    I was at a rebroadcast of this visit on sunday. It was truly an eye opener, at one point Tony was foaming at the mouth! I asked a friend in the audience and she confirmed that he had some frothy saliva build-up at the sides of his mouth. It was a perfect visual for the crap he was spewing. You know as Jesus Christ said, what comes from a man’s mouth truly reveals his level of corruption; not what he eats or for that matter how tight his pants are! Also, during the international convention, the video of the brother with the pinky ring was truly amazing. I grew up a JW, and we have alot of very composed well spoken orators. I guess the top dogs are not to be questioned…just like any other hierarchial, high control organazition.

  • November 13, 2014 at 11:06 am
    Permalink

    So Tony the Great! Thinks a father failed because only 5 sons were appointed men and the last 2 over the age of 23 were not!!! Oh what great spiritual insight????well Jesus chose Judas and taught him intensively for 3 whole years and Jehovah taught the angel that became Satan for probably millions of years up in heaven before Adam was created yet Hezekiah had the most Evil Father in King Manasseh who sacrificed his children in the fire to false gods!!King Tony or is that High priest Anthony stop being holier than thou in blaming poor parents & making them feel riddled with guilt .Jesus wants Love & mercy!!! Life is a struggle enough bringing up Children without adding to their emotional turmoil!!

  • November 13, 2014 at 11:39 am
    Permalink

    Appearances is right. The kids get up to stuff in secret,
    this makes them sly and deceitful, I know it, I brought
    a family up in this religion.

    A good few years ago, there was a stabbing at the local
    school, – I thought, Wow!! the W,T’s, right, things are going
    to the dogs. It turned out, it was a J,W, kid that had done
    the stabbing.

    My kids didn’t turn out too bad, it was the endless restrictions
    that caused them to be secretive, the youngsters are constantly
    under scrutiny. Brothers tale-bearing to elders about them.
    Again, I know this from experience.

    Rob, is correct, “Appearances”– The young brother, takes off
    the “Tight Pants” for field service, and puts them on again at
    night to go clubbing.

    They’re just normal kids, that are not allowed to grow up
    “Normally”.

  • November 13, 2014 at 12:27 pm
    Permalink

    Ted, that is my point exactly. If witness kids were allowed to lead normal lives and interact with other children and young adults, and get involved with sports and other extra curricular activities, most probably, they would not do things in secret. Making everything taboo, including wearing tight pants just makes it all the more appealing for the witness kids. I witnessed so many kids whose parents were completely obsessed with their children being perfect witnesses, as portrayed on the stage at assemblies, and their children were so frustrated that they led double lives.
    Having someone from the gb talk about tight pants being bad, just strains the relationship that a child has with his parents even more, because most witness parents take everything that the gb says as gospel. And the pressure that witness parents will get from other witnesses to ensure that their children conform, is ridiculous.
    Strained family relations and kids who act up or act in secret is the result of all of this nonsense.

    To me, this religion and its man made rules and eccentric leaders, and people who follow blindly, is simply a place that no one should ever tread.

  • November 13, 2014 at 2:20 pm
    Permalink

    I remember, a number of times , sat in the the KH and feeling alone. It can be a very lonely place. Hey you. . Pink Floyd.
    It’s absolutely true.

Comments are closed.