Posts by Balaamsass2

47

Does becoming (or remaining) one of Jehovah's Witnesses result in Poverty? Pew Research results differ from Watchtower claims.

by Balaamsass2 in

"raised in the truth" during the 50s, 60s,and 70s i repeatedly read and heard from the platform how reading the magazines weekly "was the equivalent of a college education" and how many had turned their family economic situation around by being "trustworthy" and giving up expensive bad habits most "worldly people" had.

sounded good.. what is the reality?

how does avoiding higher education, and then spending up to 20 hours a week getting ready for, commuting, and then participating in meetings and field service affect family finances?.

Balaamsass2

During the last few years, my rural California county of almost 200,000 people has had a big influx of Assembly of God, fundamental Pentecostals move in, about 10,000 of them. The majority are strong supporters of Q-anon, and rabidly far right. They speak in tongues and believe "faith" will protect them from Cancer, COVID, and even death. They call their new mega-church "Bethel". lol :)

Yes, most of them are even kookier than even the kookiest JWs. The majority appears to have moved here from "bible belt" communities of the deep south and Appalachia. They are packing up U-Haul vans and leaving areas with a minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, to arrive in their promised land of California with a minimum wage of $15.00 an hour. Their superstitious approach to life is something to behold. :) Their rabid HATE of education and diversity is astounding. It has helped me to better appreciate how "Magical Thinking" can negatively affect personal income and a community in general.

The New York Times and LA Times have covered this religious "circus". https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/us/california-shasta-maga-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=LU6lMgiqRsb1D-0bR_a4-emleltCzvhLJkk_hJg21PXH5t_XJfd7BcioXf-WYpDVOB2o79O1xETkSLUzVbP5veuOln31NhYuXv9IU-mvUOUvGxOuYt2PKjKK17sI0pDhIyjZ2-G9bl5zNUK7zTT3yQvaRE-yLSO1jRj9LoS8R11NTcwyu6BrWDeincurOZO8y5FCeI9SUhK1XZf2LftZwkQQmJlw-zQBuUpe8UlLmosw-JfCD1_QaVwg5qEFJ4-XdTRzjkEyHIedKlse13IHngK-f7U0NCyIlXi_uMOejraTg1OOR_UxBd4Z3-HaKybBodoHWcT6OHeCEGPxd7DYq9E&smid=url-share

27

I miss this from A$$€mb£i€$

by punkofnice in

hellas chocolate bars.

Balaamsass2

As a young man, I enjoyed meeting new sisters.

As a married fading adult, I enjoyed helping my wife out of the Borg by getting a nicer Hotel off the "list", and whisking the Mrs away at the end of the lunch break back to the hotel and sightseeing in San Francisco, lol.

Everyone gets sleepy in the afternoons, and we were never missed by the local congregation. The wife had a great time and learned to not miss afternoon Convention programs, smelly ladies' bathrooms, and bad food.

21

What Is happening to watchtower This days?

by Hellothere in

i'm a believer.

believe in blessed or cursed.

what is happening to watchtower is my question.

Balaamsass2

Welcome to the board Hello There.

If you believe in the Bible and Watchtower still....perhaps Watchtower is following the example of the BAD kings of Isreal. You do remember MOST of the kings of Isreal were BAD..:) Watchtower, like the bad kings of Isreal, has perverted justice, spiritually "killed" any who pointed this out, abused widows and orphans and made false prophecies. Satan is the father of the lie, yet Watchtower calls the bad lie...good "Theocratic strategy". They pervert justice for orphans by protecting and shielding Child rapists. They financially "shear" widows...and the elderly. Perhaps, they have brought reproach on gods name?

Of course, you might come to the conclusion I did that CT Russel was a con man selling books and magazines plagiarising earlier religious writings for money and power, as were his successors.

38

What is your favorite EX- JW You Tube site and why???

by Balaamsass2 in

the mrs (third gen) and i have been on this site for a number of years now.

we appreciate simon's efforts to keep this site active and available.

i find a number of pimo jw friends enjoy youtube for some reason.

Balaamsass2

Are there any former service desk ex-Bethelites on any sites? I had a Bethel buddy on the desk who had great stories, especially after a few cocktails. He could get very depressed with all the Department BS.

72

Prediction of Watchtower in a Few Years

by Foolednomore in

jw
friends

kingdom halls will be the thing of the past.. conventions (mini assembly halls will still be going on) but will charge for attending and parking and always a donation.

elders will play a much smaller role since csa.

cart preaching will replace door to door.

Balaamsass2

I think it depends on how Watchtower will DEFINE what a JW is in the future....and how much they will use a "Theocratic strategy" to lie about membership numbers and activities. The "SPIN".

Are we talking about the number of ACTIVE publishers getting a few hours of REAL service EVERY month? Active literate publishers with the internet, who know enough JW doctrine to answer questions prior to baptism? Watchtower IS seeing most growth in third-world places without internet access, with low literacy, and with little understanding of JW doctrine.

Will Watchtower start counting members like the Catholic Church does...attendees for major holidays, weddings, baptisms, etc. (Humans DO like to socialize and have a "tribe")?

If a group of people who can't read or understand JW dogma/literature, arrange a dozen benches under a big tree, and everyone "partakes" and takes turns talking...is that a NEW JW Congregation? :) ...it is all about who does the counting...is it not?

A number of Adventist groups are gone. The Shakers are gone. Most Christian Scientists are gone. Quakers were BIG at one time. Most of the Russelites are gone.

Most literate Americans and Europeans are becoming less religious. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/22/us-churches-closing-religion-covid-christianity

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Former_Christian_denominations

I think that as long as there are assets to sell, and sheep to fleece, Watchtower will continue to exist in some form, if simply to insure a comfortable retirement for the elite. It will simply look different.

21

What Is happening to watchtower This days?

by Hellothere in

i'm a believer.

believe in blessed or cursed.

what is happening to watchtower is my question.

Balaamsass2

I agree with Beth Sarim and ThomasMore. I love Barbra's views on all things Watchtower. I couldn't find her last interview on 6 screens with the search box. :( Link?

85

Physically in mentally agnostic ie sitting on the fence

by ExBethelitenowPIMA in

hi everyone i’m not pimi or pimo i’m pima.. i don’t think the gb have everything right but i’m sitting on the fence that maybe they do some things.. if the great trib starts i will jump that side of the fence.. this is a definite little sneaky advantage dodging but even by their own doctrine last min some could come in.. i suspect many are like me.. i spent years in bethel and am very disappointed and disillusioned by it all.. but at the end of the day i love the bible and think it is the word of god and i don’t see any other religion that comes as close to what jesus describes his true followers or who are fulfilling mat 24:14..

Balaamsass2

Welcome to the site EXbethelite. Ex- Brooklyn Bethelite from the 70s myself.

You like to read the Bible, right? What did Jesus say the mark of his followers would be? (He said the Pharisees would travel to the ends of the earth to make a disciple...was that the "mark"?)

Fruitage was the key right? "Love among yourselves." Right?

On what planet does financial abuse of seniors and protecting child rapists show "Love" or "truth"? Satan is the father of the lie..right? Lies are wrong...not theocratic strategy..right? We don't need to discuss deep theology when any common felon knows these things are wrong...right? BASIC STUFF.

Remember the multiple talks about how stirring 1% dirt or poison into a 99% clean glass of water ruins it? Or the admonition to "Get out of her my people if you do not want to share in her sins", "Stop touching the unclean thing"?

As far as preaching goes...I had some interesting conversations with GB member Ray Franz and his wife Cynthia while we were both at Bethel. Just how effective is door-to-door ministry? Is that as effective as preaching in the marketplace like in the first century? Where is the "marketplace" today? In the 70s it was TV and Radio. Many churches are far more effective with media (the marketplace) than JWs.

Just a few things to think about. Keep your mind, ears, and heart open. :)

23

Where is Jehovah

by JohnTron7 in

during the massacre of many witnesses at a kingdom hall in germany the other night, where was jehovah's holy spirit ?

.

Balaamsass2

I remember all those experiences various Circuit Overseers gave about Witnesses who survived various disasters simply because THEY were at a meeting when a riot, tornado, flood, etc occurred. Of course, the "bad" JWs (sick, tired, old, etc) who missed meetings died. When something did happen in service or at the hall, some said "perhaps they had a secret sin..like Achan..that blocked god's holy spirit.

38

What is your favorite EX- JW You Tube site and why???

by Balaamsass2 in

the mrs (third gen) and i have been on this site for a number of years now.

we appreciate simon's efforts to keep this site active and available.

i find a number of pimo jw friends enjoy youtube for some reason.

Balaamsass2

The Mrs (third Gen) and I have been on this site for a number of years now. We appreciate Simon's efforts to keep this site active and available. I find a number of PIMO JW friends enjoy YouTube for some reason. I was surprised at just how many young ex-JWs we met at the last aposta-fest had connected through YouTube. Personally, I prefer the free for all nature of threads, and the ability to get to the point with the written word....vs the endless rambling of most amateur YouTube hosts.

The plethora of EX-JW YouTube sites would take DAYS if not weeks to comb through. Are these ex jws holding down jobs AND doing a channel? Are they supporting themselves financially with only these channels? How accurate are most of the sites?

A quick google of the subject showed the average YouTuber only gets .18 cents per view.

Let's imagine someone like tight pants Tony Morris (or another ex-high ranking Bethel Elder) started a Youtube channel, would they be able to support themselves?

53

1975 on the back burner

by Fisherman in

“1975” still marks 6000 years from the creation of adam in wt calendar.

according to “all scriptures inspired” book, there is a gap between the creation of adam and the creation of eve and her marriage to adam.

it was at that point in time when eve was created that marked the end of the 6th creative day and the beginning of god’s rest, the 7th day as recorded in genesis.

Balaamsass2

Obviously, the great Watchtower scholar CT Russel stole from earlier writers and mixed in some Egyptology, Occult, Pyramid measurements, and Masonic beliefs to come up with the initial timelines. Later "Scholar" Fredy Franz (who attended one year of College) built on those and was every bit as wrong. He also stole much of his work from earlier religious Bible "math whizzes" from the 1800s and 1600s.

Basing your life and others' expectations on ancient verbal histories and expecting them to be accurate is foolish.

Was there a "flood" that covered the ENTIRE earth in modern history? NO. Was there a global sea level rise at the end of the last ice age that drowned many coastal civilizations around the earth- especially in the Black Sea area? Yes. And of course, people's grandparents described this as a "global flood". https://animations.geol.ucsb.edu/2_infopgs/IP2IceAge/fBlackSeaFlood.html

Did man (Adam & Eve) appear only 7,000 years ago? Of course not. There are CITIES older than that. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/gobekli-tepe-the-worlds-first-temple-83613665/

We all were forced to sit through boring book studies in the 60s and 70s reciting baloney from "Dr. Strange love".. Fred Franz who perfected his theories with his adoring boy fans in the Bethel Sauna. His bright Red "Life Everlasting" book was studied every week. Watchtower can not escape the fact that so many copies are still floating around.