sparrowdown

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Posts by sparrowdown

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  39

  In praise of Randall Watters

  by nicolaou in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  exjw's of a certain age will remember randy's site well.

  freeminds was instrumental in waking me up along with ray franz's books.

  if net soup and armageddon okies mean nothing to you you're probably under 30.. whatever caused randy to post what he did recently is something i can only guess at but it won't be what i remember him for.. randy, i wish you well and thank you for all you've done over the years .

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  sparrowdown

  I only started waking up a few years ago but Randy's experience was one of the first I read on the internet it helped greatly because as an asleep dub I thought rather naively that bethelites had some sort of blessed existence. Randy's experience helped me see there is no such thing as a blessed existence no matter how far up the JW ladder you happen to be. I also watched a great interview he did with Steven Hassan.

  For me it was never one thing or one person that woke me up it was many things and many people over time. Even OUTLAW with his jokes helped wake me up. WT chews people up and spits them out regardless of the how hard they worked because it is a thankless org so as an ex-jw I would like to thank Randy also.

  Thanks to you too Nicolaou for posting this.
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  130

  Not a sympathizer

  by Richard Oliver in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i think everyone here is under the impression that i am a watchtower sympathizer, i am not.

  i just like facts and when people say things, which are their opinions but that facts point out as not being true, than that is when i get so motivated to make a comment.

  i have read posts here, listened to six screens and read jwsurvey and seen things that people say, which are opinion, but pass them off as fact.. there are legitimate things that people on here and former jws have concerns over without manipulating what is said or trying to pass off opinion as a fact.

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  sparrowdown

  I have found most people on here to be clear when they are spouting opinion and clear when they are stating facts and are happy to provide clarification if there is any confusion between the two.

  No examination of WT can be made without at least some speculation simply because WT is not a very transparent organization, their elder's rule book is secret from members and so are their finances.

  As far as jokes, irony, hyperbole, sarcasm and parody directed at WT is concerned it helps let off steam - so what?
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  23

  Clearly, they're hunting down irregular publishers

  by ILoveTTATT2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  look at this graph:.

  it has the % difference between the peak number of publishers and the average number of publishers for that year.

  this number can only be positive.. what the graph tells us is that there is a clear trend towards hunting down inactive and/or irregular publishers.

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  sparrowdown

  Remember also that their bar for being counted as a publisher is set pretty low. You can be in a nursing home and count 15 minutes a month or invalid and write a couple of letters an be counted as a publisher.
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  41

  Numbers don't lie... and these numbers are beautiful!!

  by ILoveTTATT2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the numbers don't lie... definitely slowing down!!.

  in the 40´s the average growth per year was 20%in the 50´s it was about 10%they had four decades of solid 5% per yearnow the average for the past 16 years has been 2%.

  maybe in the future it will be 1% or 0 or even negative????.

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  sparrowdown

  Going by the emphasis on shunning and loyalty over the past year the GB believes it's shrinking publisher stats and knows exactly the reason for them - it's members are waking up and walking/fading for some time and the effect has caused an insidious erosion of the overall number of publishers. My guess is they (GB) just don't want the numbers to fall too low before they have fully transitioned into a primarily internet based religion.
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  41

  Numbers don't lie... and these numbers are beautiful!!

  by ILoveTTATT2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the numbers don't lie... definitely slowing down!!.

  in the 40´s the average growth per year was 20%in the 50´s it was about 10%they had four decades of solid 5% per yearnow the average for the past 16 years has been 2%.

  maybe in the future it will be 1% or 0 or even negative????.

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  sparrowdown

  I have a feeling that in the future "publishers" will be replaced by "views" "hits" and "subs."
• 
  41

  Numbers don't lie... and these numbers are beautiful!!

  by ILoveTTATT2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the numbers don't lie... definitely slowing down!!.

  in the 40´s the average growth per year was 20%in the 50´s it was about 10%they had four decades of solid 5% per yearnow the average for the past 16 years has been 2%.

  maybe in the future it will be 1% or 0 or even negative????.

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  sparrowdown

  This figure could also explain the theocratic "CPR" being performed over the last couple of years in the form of shunning talks/videos and apostate warnings and general demonizing of anyone not loyal.
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  14

  elders are leaving me alone. what to make of this?

  by nowwhat? in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am a born in that goes back to the 1960's i am in a very zealous congregation with super dub elders.

  i have been inactive for 3 years and only go to about 2 meetings a month.

  i made my displeasure known about the overlapping generation b.s.

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  sparrowdown

  I find many elders are just indifferent. They neither encourage nor admonish could be a few reasons for this.

  They don't care enough about the borg or individuals to be bothered chasing people.

  They do not want to jeopardize their position as elder by getting involved in a potential apostasy trial.

  They are tired, burned out and have no time to harrass grown-ass men about personal decisions.

  Either way it's probably preferable than them hounding you but doesn't help much if knowing where you stand with them is important to your frame of mind - as sometimes the not knowing can be hard to deal with. It's like perpetually wondering if today will be the day some zealous elder decides to give fuck about your absence.
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  32

  Finally, after almost 3 years, they want to visit with me

  by StarTrekAngel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so i ended up going to the meeting yesterday.

  i have been absent for almost 2 months.

  my wife was also absent as long but mostly out of chance.

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  sparrowdown

  STA - You seem to be on the right track with not talking about your "spiritual report card" just don't go there if you want to remain under the radar. This is a fishing expedition for sure. Remember to smile and talk about the price of eggs and the weather.
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  15

  Injustice In India Over National Anthem

  by Iown Mylife in

  1. social
  2. current

  jehovah’s witnesses will seek to overturn the apex court’s order .

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  sparrowdown

  Of all the injustices worth going into battle for all over the globe like human rights etc and WT is bleeting over a song .... I mean a song FFS!

  I've said it before and I'll say it again it's as if the whole JW religion was concocted as a massive ongoing social experiment.
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  33

  Leaving the jws is a "lifestyle choice" according to a counsellor

  by purrpurr in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i had my first appointment with a counsellor, of course i explained about being a born in jw, mentally leaving, the penalty of doing so and therefore the mental strain of pretending to be someone i'm not.

  her response was that she couldn't help me with that because leaving a cult was a "lifestyle choice".

  i tried to say to her that its a cult not a religion and how it brain washed me but no.

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  sparrowdown

  Unfortunately many psychologists and counselors haven't got a clue about high control groups.

  Maybe she needs to read Combatting Cult Mind Control.