dubs are working the housing estate where i live.
i was outside my house, applying some tlc to my old jag (worshiping worldly things?)..
one old guy, half a dozen middle-aged and upwards ladies.
Has anyone reviewed the data to see whether there has been any sort of measurable % increase in Memorial attendance since this concerted invitation business (including "pioneer-lite") started several years back?
Memorial attendance only just surpassed the previous peak in 2011 last year, so if it's doing anything it's only disguising the decline.
please pardon if this a repeated topic.
i have had virtually no contact with any witnesses beside my mother for the past few years.
she watches tv constantly and claims she has never seen anything on the watchtower abuse cases.
i learned this past week that my wife is now awake.
i just shared the pbs newshour segment with her with no comment other than something along the lines of, "jw story on pbs.".
she is furious at the arrogance of these men.. thats what happens when you get a momma angry!.
guys,.
don't tell the elders, buuuuut, i sorta kinda maybe never contributed money....ever..... i always thought - hey, i give a lot of my time and energy to the org, so that's how i contribute.
i was also pretty stinkin poor for most of my life and didn't really have the money to give.. anyone else like me?.
I used to only contribute at conventions/assemblies (but I definitely contributed WAAAAY too much there) and maybe like once a year I'd drop a $20 in the box at the hall. The congregation I was in was always well off and constantly giving money to the branch so I didn't feel like they needed it. I'm ashamed to say I was sucked in by the perpetual deficit at the assemblies though.
About 4-5 years ago, though, they simultaneously did a huge (unnecessary) reno of the assembly hall and rolled out the credit card machines. Either one of those individually would've been enough to make me stop contributing. Never gave a dime since. I figured if they're just blowing the money on useless crap, I might as well blow it on useless crap for me!
at our assembly in alabama, no one got baptized, even though we added 3 congregations to our side in the circuit.
just looked at my wife and said wow.. yet ironically, the regular pioneer ranks have increased 45% in the last 5 years!.
i was just invited.
i thanked my old elder friend and he left.
(i'm not going).
Jesus wont be there, why should I?
You'll both be invisibly present!
i was just invited.
i thanked my old elder friend and he left.
(i'm not going).
years ago, the insinuation was often presented, that those who were inactive were actually not witnesses at all.
the point being made was that ''...winesses is a verb, not a noun...''.
i know there were published assertions to this end in the older books and magazines, with possibly even quotes from the likes of rutherford or knorr ,.
In such a case, they would make a record of the person's questionable conduct for the congregation file. When the individual again shows interest in returning to the congregation, they can clarify these matters
You just gotta love that. Even from the perspective of a believing JW this has to seem a little insane - wait until they demonstrate repentance (by coming back to the congregation) and then punish them!
I also love the assumption that they make that the person will eventually want to return!
can anyone confirm they seem to be having disagreement writing dept and service dept some feel that df ok as long as you do not add wholesale across the board shunning regardless of the sin ..
They talk out of both sides of their mouth. They'll do an article about loyalty to the cult and go on and on about how your DF'd relatives are similar to those who have been killed by jehovah and you need to show your firm resolve not to associate with them, then the next day they'll do an article about helping weak ones and they'll tell you to show love to DF'd people.
I would guess it's more about having something to point to to show outsiders that they don't shun, while still enforcing the shunning policy internally. They love to use loaded language and dog whistles to get their message across to the R/F while not setting off alarm bells when outsiders see it.
