The commission is comprised of just a small group of people, and it took at least a couple years between the formulation of this idea and the draft we have now. But just at least week’s Zoom meeting, there were 200 people attending – mostly delegates it seems – surely representing many thousands of congregants. Larger groups take longer to communicate, give feedback and find consensus. Thousands or even hundreds of people cannot possibly respond in a few months, especially when most people, delegates included, have limited time in their week to participate. It’s not practical for people with obligations to read and discuss >450 amendments in a matter of weeks.
There are a few aspects of being rushed that feel manipulative to me. My experience is that when someone wants me to make a decision urgently for their own deadline, it’s because they want a blind agreement under pressure. The fact that the first draft was published with little publicity reminds me of laws that congressional representatives try to slip in without people noticing. I don’t think any of this was intentional, but I think it adds unneeded friction either way.