SAHS

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Posts by SAHS

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  39

  Poignant Statistics Summary for Comment at This Sunday WT Study! (Aug. 3, 2014)

  by SAHS in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the watchtower study to be considered this sunday, august 3, 2014 (using the magazine dated may 15, 2014), titled are you moving ahead with jehovahs organization?, in paragraph seven (on pages 27-28), talks about the number of people baptized in recent years:.

  7 where do those making up the great crowd come from?

  they are being brought together because of what jesus foretold as part of the sign of his presence.

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  SAHS

  “factfinder”: “. . . the baptism figure can't be added to the previous publisher figure. . . . you could not ADD that years baptisms to the publisher figure because those getting baptized were already included in the publisher figure. Otherwise you are counting baptized publishers twice.”

  “AndDontCallMeShirley”: “You are correct. WT does count the same person twice.”

  That’s an interesting point, guys! (It all gets rather confusing, and I’m certainly not very good in the math department – I think I’m more right-brained than left-brained, thus better at linguistic creativity than numerical problem-solving.)

  Anyway, as I am guessing, the issue here is the distinction between newly baptized versus new or old publishers. And as you pointed out, “factfinder,” often prospective full-fledged members (baptized publishers) first began reporting their time as “unbaptized publishers” before they were added to the actual baptized membership roll (i.e., increase in baptized publishers) – therein the double counting.

  Others, though, perhaps may have wished to wait until their baptism before starting to report time, in which case their increase as a baptism and as a new publisher would be under one and the same single count, although this may be the exception.
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  39

  Poignant Statistics Summary for Comment at This Sunday WT Study! (Aug. 3, 2014)

  by SAHS in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the watchtower study to be considered this sunday, august 3, 2014 (using the magazine dated may 15, 2014), titled are you moving ahead with jehovahs organization?, in paragraph seven (on pages 27-28), talks about the number of people baptized in recent years:.

  7 where do those making up the great crowd come from?

  they are being brought together because of what jesus foretold as part of the sign of his presence.

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  SAHS

  The Watchtower Study to be considered this Sunday, August 3, 2014 (using the magazine dated May 15, 2014), titled “Are You Moving Ahead With Jehovah’s Organization?,” in paragraph seven (on pages 27-28), talks about the number of people baptized in recent years:

  7 Where do those making up the great crowd come from? They are being brought together because of what Jesus foretold as part of the sign of his presence. He said: “This good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matt. 24:14) In these last days, this is the chief work of God’s organization. Because of the global preaching and teaching activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses, millions of people have learned to worship God “with spirit and truth.” (John 4:23, 24) For example, in a recent ten-year period—during the service years of 2003 through 2012—more than 2,707,000 individuals were baptized in symbol of their dedication to God. Worldwide, there are now well over 7,900,000 Witnesses, with millions more associating with them, especially during the annual observance of the Memorial. We do not boast in numbers, for it is ‘God who keeps making things grow.’ (1 Cor. 3:5-7) Nevertheless, it is evident that the great crowd is growing and becoming greater with each passing year.

  Now, I plan to give a comment on that paragraph seven and provide some expanded and poignant statistics which I have gathered from the Web page “http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/statistics.php” – it should be an interesting Sunday meeting, considering that I will be sitting with my strongly-JW parents! (They are pioneering this month, and my dad is a longtime, well-known elder in our area.) I’ll let you know how it went afterward. Here is my little summary which I will use in my comment:

  WITHIN JW COMMUNITY

  TOTAL MISSING (average):

  1986 to 1995: 12%/yr.

  1996 to 2005: 41%/yr.

  Number Baptized Who Stop Publishing/Inactive

  (baptism minus increase):

  1981 to 2013: 80,000/yr.

  Disfellowshipped:

  1992: ≈1%/yr. (avg.) (Watchtower, 1992, July 1, p. 19)

  1985: 1.28%/yr. (Watchtower, 1986, Jan. 1, p. 13)

  Reinstated: 0.33%/yr. (avg.) (Watchtower, 1974, Aug. 1, p. 466;

  Watchtower, 1960, Dec. 1, p. 728)

  WORLD POPULATION

  World Population Growth: 1.2%/yr. (200,000 born per day)

  World Average Death Rate: 0.85%/yr.
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  37

  New BOE Letter Re. Elders/MS Appointments and Deletions

  by XBEHERE in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  from the wording of the letter it seems that the co has been given carte blanche with appointments and deletions.

  nowhere in the letter does it indicate that any records are sent to and from the co to the branch office.

  even if a body wants to delete an appointed brother and he disagrees his only recourse would be to write a "brief" letter to the service dept.

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  SAHS

  More local autonomy = less central liability/culpability.

  When it comes to a crunch, the little guys always lose.
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  52

  Stagnant JW growth at international convention

  by kneehighmiah in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so at the international convention 235 were baptized.

  the attendance was 34k.

  that's resents less than 1% its about .6%.

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  SAHS

  “Magnum”: “Just think about it. A 15-year-old is not old enough to clean bathrooms on his own, yet he's old enough to have the knowledge, experience, understanding, reasoning ability, discernment, etc. necessary to make the important decision to get baptized and sign his life away to an organization.”

  That certainly puts things into perspective. And just think how important age is in consent, especially sexual consent. Think of how much trouble a person could get into for having any kind of sexual activity with a minor who is even just a year or two under the legal age of consent. People take that so seriously, along with the legal age for driving, voting, smoking, getting tattooed, or have someone’s ears pierced. No, no, no. . . . But, making a decision which could ultimately end up severing the child’s ties to their own freekin’ family, well, they’re still just dunking those wee ones just as fast as they can – I suppose to show the world how JWs are such a progressive and thriving organization!
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  29

  WTS one step closer to "1984" - JW literature rewritten in online versions

  by sir82 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  likely everyone here is familar with the novel "1984" - "he who controls the past, controls the future.

  he who controls the present, controls the past".. take a look at wol.jw.org, insight book, topic "faithful and discreet slave".. current online wording: http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200001485.

  jesus trained the apostles for the role they would have after pentecost 33 c.e.

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  SAHS

  The WTS has probably programmed and implemented a new software system to deal with this. First they developed “MEPS” (Multi-language Electronic Phototypesetting System) for graphics compositing. Now they are probably using another electronic system, something like “ABSAUS” – Automatic Bullshit Sanitization and Update System (also known as the “wipe-away” system), which senses the particular bullshit of today, compares it with the old bullshit of yesterday, and “sanitizes” (modifies/updates) it so that the shit doesn’t hit the fan tomorrow.

  Aren’t we so lucky fortunate that the Mother Organization is so backwards-forward-thinking!
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  37

  New BOE Letter Re. Elders/MS Appointments and Deletions

  by XBEHERE in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  from the wording of the letter it seems that the co has been given carte blanche with appointments and deletions.

  nowhere in the letter does it indicate that any records are sent to and from the co to the branch office.

  even if a body wants to delete an appointed brother and he disagrees his only recourse would be to write a "brief" letter to the service dept.

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  SAHS

  “zed is dead”: “It is all about liability in legal cases.”

  True. It seems that there is now a lot of awareness on the part of the WTS that it certainly needs to listen to its legal teem and cover their old butts, especially with all the new laws to make organizations more accountable and to protect the safety and integrity of the general public.

  Now if it hits the fan with any lawsuits over policy as applied on an individual basis, the WTS will think that probably they can just say, “Oh, that really wasn’t our idea. I guess that Brother Circuit Overseer was kind of out on a limb there. You should go after him. Oh, and we should probably delete that Brother Circuit Overseer for misrepresenting us, just to be on the safe side.”
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  32

  Would You Care If You Were Disfellowshipped?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just curious.

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  SAHS

  “minimus”: “I don't like the stigma.”

  Actually, considering all the contrived nonesense which is the WTS, I would consider it really a “badge of honor” to be disfellowshipped. It would show that someone is exercising their right to be a thinking and independent individual. Instead of denoting any kind of failure, it really just confirms a successful growth for the individual – a growth which is personal and even spiritual.

  The WTS claims to be “progressive” (you know, moving ahead, light gets brighter). But daring to make the decision to stand up to them and become disfellowshipped, either through standing your ground or through sending an actual disassociation letter, I believe, builds character and shows an honest personal integrity.

  Don’t fret over the perceived “stigma,” minimus. Instead of a stigma, it’s really something to be held up in high esteem as a “badge of honor.”
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  52

  Stagnant JW growth at international convention

  by kneehighmiah in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so at the international convention 235 were baptized.

  the attendance was 34k.

  that's resents less than 1% its about .6%.

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  SAHS

  Apparently only about 36% of born-ins stay in the JWs.

  ‘The little one himself will become a mighty nation’ – ya, right, a nation where they’re risking everything to jump over the fence to get out.

  The ‘modern-day Israelites’ (JWs) are marching around the modern city of Jericho seven times on this last day in the time of the end – but they’ve evidently™ been drinking beer all day, so by the seven-time marching day, they’re all just dizzy and pooped.
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  34

  If You Can Get Out Of The Jehovah's Witness Religion---DO IT!

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i realize some people feel they can't just leave the religion.

  they have family, friends, position.. some elders mistakenly believe that they might be able to reform the cult from within.

  the truth is, the religion is never really going to change.

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  SAHS

  “Captain Obvious”: “Is it better for me to continue loosely affiliated, hoping she starts to research? Do I push the issue more? Or do I quit going altogether, lose my one remaining (good) JW friend . . .”

  Unfortunately, this classic dilemma is really not so obvious as to what to do. There are different factors for either side of the coin, and the solution is as deeply personal for the individual as it is unique in relation to his own circumstances and goals. This is definitely one area where one needs to literally “sleep on it” and “follow their heart,” doing what really “feels” best for them.

  Perhaps one night you will end up having a dream where you see yourself dressed up in the formal “Hotels.com Captain Obvious” suit (like on the commercials) and actually tell yourself the answer in a nonchalant manner. It could be the eureka moment you need.

  Take care, and all the best.
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  29

  FROM FEET TO FINGERS: THE WATCHTOWER EVOLVES INTO JW.ORG

  by steve2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  with the official letter from the gb to all bodies of elders, a stylized jw.org banner can now be appended to kingdom hall signage.. what an auspicious year this will turn out to be for the organization!!.

  among other outcomes, the "link" with the old, baggage-ridden "watchtower bible & tract society" recedes into the background.

  furthermore, now you don't pretend to need feet trudging door-to-door - your worker is done at the press of a few directed fingers.

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  SAHS

  “steve2”: “. . . the organisation is trying to shed its past and morph into something more clean-lined and aimed at the internet age . . .”

  There will always be many “parts” to the Internet which will ensure that the WTS will never be able to shed all that ridiculous and sh^tty past of theirs; for example, sites such as “http://www.a2z.org/wtarchive/archive.htm,” “http://jwleaks.org,” “http://jwsurvey.org,” “http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk,” “http://www.jwfacts.com,” etc., etc.

  “steve2”: “. . . I'd guess that at some stage the curious householder will widen the search at the touch of a few buttons. Uh-oh for the organization!”

  Exactly! And whether or not people are in or out of the JWs, and whether or not people are strongly warned/told not to, people will nevertheless sneak some “widened” searches and “secret” perusals, because, of course, that’s just the way people are – especially in private.