OrphanCrow

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Posts by OrphanCrow

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  23

  How to wind up a JW

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  tell him that jesus probably didn't get married or it would have mentioned it in the bible, but at the same time we can't be 100% sure he didn't get married because it doesn't specifically say he didn't get married.

  stand back watch fireworks.. i thought it was a pretty reasonable thing to say.

  pop.

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  OrphanCrow

  Outlaw!!!!!

  Hahahahahaaaaaaa.......!!!

  I can't stop laughing...my cheeks are hurting
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  7

  Filipino man claims death threats from members of powerful Christian church - Iglesia Ni Cristo

  by OrphanCrow in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  lowell menorca says he fears persecution from the iglesia ni cristo.

  they say his claims are 'fabrications''.

  by eric rankin, gavin fisher, cbc news posted: jun 14, 2016 2:00 am pt last updated: jun 14, 2016 10:52 am pt.

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  OrphanCrow

  Watchtowerfree: The founder of this cult studied with the Bible Students around 1914.

  I have read that claim before but I haven't found confirmation of it. When I researched the founder, all I could find was that he studied with the Seventh Day Adventists around that time. Do you have a source for his studying with the Bible Students?

  It totally makes sense that he did study with the Bible Students because the doctrines overlap so much. But, that could also be because of the SDA connection.
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  7

  Filipino man claims death threats from members of powerful Christian church - Iglesia Ni Cristo

  by OrphanCrow in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  lowell menorca says he fears persecution from the iglesia ni cristo.

  they say his claims are 'fabrications''.

  by eric rankin, gavin fisher, cbc news posted: jun 14, 2016 2:00 am pt last updated: jun 14, 2016 10:52 am pt.

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  OrphanCrow

  Lowell Menorca says he fears persecution from the Iglesia Ni Cristo. They say his claims are 'fabrications''

  By Eric Rankin, Gavin Fisher, CBC News Posted: Jun 14, 2016 2:00 AM PT Last Updated: Jun 14, 2016 10:52 AM PT

  A Filipino man has applied for refugee status in Canada claiming the lives of his young family have been threatened by members of what he calls a "cult-like" Christian church in the Philippines — and he alleges to CBC News he's still being stalked in Metro Vancouver.

  Lowell Menorca, 39, a former un-ordained minister in the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), or Church of Christ, brought his allegations to the CBC in his first major English language interview.

  His case has generated headline news coverage in the Philippines.

  Iglesia Ni Cristo is the third largest faith in the Philippines after Catholicism and Islam, and it has hundreds of churches around the world, including many in Canada.

  The INC preaches these are "the last days," and only its members will be saved. According to the church's doctrines, to be expelled means losing your salvation.

  Menorca says the INC expelled him after a split developed among descendants of the man who founded the church. He says he was suspected of being an anonymous blogger who had accused INC leaders of overspending and corruption.

  Menorca believes the leadership has wasted vast amounts of money on things such as a private Airbus jetliner (since sold) and the construction of the Philippine Arena, the biggest covered stadium in the world, built to celebrate the INC's centennial in 2014.

  He alleges he was illegally detained by Church officials, arrested by police and then hit with more than 40 lawsuits for libel for speaking out about his alleged treatment from the church.

  "This is an orchestrated effort by the church to intimidate me," says Menorca, "to put me behind bars, ultimately to silence me."

  Read full story here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/filipino-man-claims-death-threats-from-members-of-powerful-christian-church-1.3590301

  It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Claiming religious persecution is often the basis for refugee status and this time, that persecution is coming from a church that claims to be Christian and of course, denies being a cult.
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  19

  Question about 1940s Watchtower history

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i was studying this fascinating composite graph of jw growth.

  lots of interesting things there.

  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/demographics_of_jehovah%27s_witnesses#/media/file%3ajwstats1931-2015.png.

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  OrphanCrow

  slimfatboy: But you raise an interesting point about the cut off for the anointed being moved from 1931 to 1935. I've never gotten to the bottom of why that changed or what the reason for either date really was.

  Rutherford probably made some alliances after 1931 that necessitated a 'flexible' cut-off. He had one or more 'pets' that needed to be bestowed with authority. Sort of like it is now with up and comin' GB potentiates.

  Terry:

  
  Knorr
  1935
  Watchtower 2007 May 1 p.30
  In 1935. After this announcement, the number of memorial partakers steadily declined. This was presented as proof that the end would be soon.

  Terry, I am not sure what this reference means...Knorr didn't hold power until da Judge kicked the turtle in '42.
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  28

  Has Robert Ciranko replaced Don Adams as president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania ?

  by EdenOne in

  1. social
  2. current

  robert ciranko has been a "helper" of the governing body in the writing department.. don adams (born 1925, presumably 91 years old now) has been president of the wtbts since 2000. .

  however, in recent official posts (april 2016), robert ciranko is identified as "president of the watch tower".

  does anybody know what happened and if this is an official change?.

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  OrphanCrow

  They were totally loyal to Jehovah and his organization.

  (As Millie said, this sentence applies to Bob's 4 annointed grandparents.)

  
  Trranslation: they gave a lot of money to the WT
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  28

  Has Robert Ciranko replaced Don Adams as president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania ?

  by EdenOne in

  1. social
  2. current

  robert ciranko has been a "helper" of the governing body in the writing department.. don adams (born 1925, presumably 91 years old now) has been president of the wtbts since 2000. .

  however, in recent official posts (april 2016), robert ciranko is identified as "president of the watch tower".

  does anybody know what happened and if this is an official change?.

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  OrphanCrow

  millie: I also found it noteworthy that they are both described as making the truth their own at a later time after baptism - years after.
  Since they write nothing randomly and everything is written to create the desired response in the reader, I wonder what they are saying with that?

  I think it means that you are supposed to just fake it until you make it. The attitude is that "well....even if things don't feel quite right...I just have to keep on keeping on and someday...someday...I might be like good ol' Bob and his lovely wife."

  In other words, if you are having doubts, don't worry...you will 'get it' someday. Someday. Maybe.
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  29

  Major fail on last convention video

  by ILoveTTATT2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as noted on reddit,.

  the last convention video,.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d43eygztxl4plagiarized the sound from this album:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2udtlqwtjd4 .

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  OrphanCrow

  ILoveTTAT: I uploaded the last convention video onto Youtube, got a "copyright claim" from Audiomachine, which I happily obliged to.

  Does that suggest that the WTS didn't purchase the rights to use the song?
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  28

  Has Robert Ciranko replaced Don Adams as president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania ?

  by EdenOne in

  1. social
  2. current

  robert ciranko has been a "helper" of the governing body in the writing department.. don adams (born 1925, presumably 91 years old now) has been president of the wtbts since 2000. .

  however, in recent official posts (april 2016), robert ciranko is identified as "president of the watch tower".

  does anybody know what happened and if this is an official change?.

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  OrphanCrow

  A bio for Robert Ciranko and his wife, Ketra can be found in the write up for the 2010 Annual Meeting.

  http://www.extj.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9779d=1288002844

  (document downloads automatically if you click the link)

  Robert Ciranko & Ketra.
  
  Bob is a third generation Witness, raised by Witness parents. All of his four grandparents were anointed. They were humble Hungarian immigrants who learned the truth in Ohio from Bible Students. They were totally loyal to Jehovah and his organization. In 1955 his father took the family to Europe on a tour of international conventions. What stood out in his eight-year-old mind was Nuremberg where an assembly was held on Hitler’s parade grounds. Hitler had vowed to annihilate Jehovah’s Witnesses but we were 100,000 in mass. The 1958 assembly in New York City had ¼ of a million in attendance. These large gatherings showed that the truth was much bigger than himself or his hometown congregation. In 1965 when he was at the end of his schooling, the Vietnam War was still going on and he faced the draft board. He could get an exemption if he was serious about service, otherwise he could get a three year prison sentence. He had to put on paper how he really felt, his Bible based beliefs, the reasons for being a conscientious objector, etc. He had been baptized when he was eleven, but the truth became his own when he filled out that form. Every year for six years the draft board checked up on him to see that he was still pioneering. He was invited to serve in the circuit work in 1975 as a young, single man. But he wanted to get married so he prayed long and hard about this and in 1978 he met and married Ketra. Jehovah helped him find a good mate. They have served 32 years together in circuit and district work and at Bethel. To stay in full time service they put off having children, which was a sacrifice. But they hope this desire will be filled in the New World.

  
  
  Ketra: She grew up in a small congregation in central Illinois where it was common to only have eight at a meeting. She was the only Witness in school and would have to take her stand alone. She saw clearly the difference between true and false religion early and that the truth gave her a hope that others did not have. She was baptized when she was 13. She made the truth her own when she began pioneering at a larger congregation where it was apparent some things were just not right. Eventually apostasy came to light. Some did not like field service, and especially pioneers. After serious prayer she reaffirmed in her heart that this was Jehovah’s organization and the need to be loyal. She applied to be a special pioneer, which was possible at that time, and was assigned to another congregation in Minnesota. This congregation was a spiritual paradise, and her faith was strengthened. There was a fine body of elders and peace in the congregation, yet she was alone and also praying for a mate. Circuit and District work was challenging, but she found out what a blessed people we are to belong to a wonderful brotherhood. They have fond memories of living with friends in their homes. They would give them a key to their homes and they made friendships that could last forever. In 1994 they came to Bethel and since she is an only child, they faced the challenge of caring for her parents’ who had lingering illnesses. They used vacation time and leaves of absence to travel to Illinois to care for them. They didn’t have to give up their treasured Bethel service.

  
  
  · What excites you about the direction the Governing Body is going?

  
  
  Bob Ciranko: “They are feeding us the best spiritual food we have ever received. It is that Jehovah is in charge of the work and in complete control. The new Jeremiah book, page 119 says, “His will is going to take place in the way and at the pace he knows is best. This is guaranteed; we have no reason to doubt it.” As Zech. 8:23 describes, it is clear that God is using these men in a mighty way. If we hold on tightly to the skirt of a spiritual Jew they will lead us to the New World.”
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  19

  Question about 1940s Watchtower history

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i was studying this fascinating composite graph of jw growth.

  lots of interesting things there.

  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/demographics_of_jehovah%27s_witnesses#/media/file%3ajwstats1931-2015.png.

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  OrphanCrow

  sfb: According to this graph the anointed figures increased from around 1944 to around 1948, despite the fact that the numbers were falling dramatically before and after this brief window of growth. Does anyone have any plausible explanation for this?

  It could have been related to the "changing of the guard" or the amount (and type) of converts following the end of WW2.

  Rutherford died in December 1942.

  And then the war ended in 1945. Maybe the spike is related to the claim of the WT that there were many prisoners and German SS guards that converted because of the JWs' 'good witness' during the war. The elitism of being selected as a special group to 'reign with Christ' would likely be appealing to an SS officer - all they would have to do is exchange the "1000 year reign of the Third Reich" with the "1000 year reign of Christ".

  Ha! How is that for Godwin's Law? Lol! only 2* posts in...

  *edit - "3" posts

  
  
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  7

  Geoffrey jackson quote on fading/ leaving with no sanction

  by Tornintwo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  can anyone help me find geoffrey jacksons quote about people deciding to walk away from the religion and not facing sanctions, i need it to cope with some busybody elders.

  please xxx.

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  OrphanCrow

  stuckinarut: The branch overseer Terry O'Brien also was questioned on this by the ARC.
  Perhaps someone can post the section of video where he was questioned?

  Maybe this one?

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbvHwEMH2DM