Posts by OrphanCrow

46

Some apostates are coming across as crazed psychopaths

by jambon1 in

jw
friends

i'm not sure whether or not my view on this is correct so please leave your input.

in recent months i've been viewing youtube videos.

again, it might just be my view but there has been an increased amount of random people grabbing a camera and doing vlogs.

OrphanCrow

TheRebel: It's all part of the healing that's the way I view it.

Me too. I agree with you Rebel.

I would be surprised if some people didn't react in the manner that Jambon described in the OP. Those who behave irrationally are only a reflection of the irrational place that they have been put in because of a crazed, psychopathic religion.

Those people who act out publicly against JWs aren't engaging in activism per se - they are making visible the pain and frustration they have experienced.

Is it good to see? No...viewing other people's pain is uncomfortable and we often will react with disgust and condemnation when that pain is thrown in our face. We don't like it. It would be nice if everyone could behave rationally and in an upright manner. But that isn't what being human is all about.

The org has taken these people's power away and the resulting rage demonstrates the intense need that some people have to take their power back.

I only hope that when that rage is spent, that they find a healthier way to get and maintain their personal power.

Rage on, rage on and scream to the sky. If that is what you need to do - just do it. I don't care if you do. It is how the healing starts.

49

How do you categorise the Society - Cult or High control religion

by UnshackleTheChains in

i have often seen many categorise the organisation in different ways.

some say cult, some say high control religion.

cult or high control religion?.

OrphanCrow

unshacklethechains: How do you categorise the Society - Cult or High control religion

There is no "or".

The Society is both.

They fit into the category of "totalitarian organization". It doesn't matter if you want to call it a high control religion or a cult, those are just labels that are stuck on it - it doesn't change what it actually is

39

...It Belongs to the Society

by Lostandfound in

way back in the 70s around the time when the elders arrangement was new i recall a particular co who tried to replace all the circuit arrangement with young pioneers, in fact he tried to infest all of circuit with youth.

my father in law was removed by this person from his circuit position and that added to the complete disdain even contempt my fil had for him.

my fil was one of a small group that had formed congregation , built the kh with their own funds and where very loyal to the organisation, never commenting or expressing dissent in any form.

OrphanCrow

Richard, the congregations in Canada are registered as 'charities'. They must abide by the laws governing charities. You have formulated your questions based on your understanding of a for profit corporation.

Unfortunately, in Canada at least, if a congregation is dissolved, the money that is realized as a result of holding assets, would, by law, only be able to be transferred to a "qualified donee". In Canada, that qualified donee is the WTS.

The only way for a congregation to avert the funds realized from a sale of a KH, would be to not register as a charity to begin with.

26

Data for Partakers from 1935-2016. Latest number wasn´t this high since 1954!

by ILoveTTATT2 in

jw
friends

i gathered the data for the memorial partakers every year since 1935 (the first year they had data) until now.. the latest figures haven't been that high since 1954!.

this stat looks very bad in watchtower land because the decreasing # of partakers was given, for decades, as proof that the end was near!.

.

OrphanCrow

The increase in partakers coincides with the appointment to the GB of men who could not have been around when "the door closed" to the heavens in 1935.

When Tony and Goofery got their appointments in 2005, followed by the the baby, Mark Sanderson, in 2012, the org had to come up with a way to leave the door open a crack

Once that door cracked open...people who felt they were special, started to sip the blood of Christ

*to add - expect a doctrine change. Maybe 144,000 will come from each generation...the overlapping ones. Or the number will be declared to be metaphorical/symbolic

39

...It Belongs to the Society

by Lostandfound in

way back in the 70s around the time when the elders arrangement was new i recall a particular co who tried to replace all the circuit arrangement with young pioneers, in fact he tried to infest all of circuit with youth.

my father in law was removed by this person from his circuit position and that added to the complete disdain even contempt my fil had for him.

my fil was one of a small group that had formed congregation , built the kh with their own funds and where very loyal to the organisation, never commenting or expressing dissent in any form.

OrphanCrow

richard: The way you make it sound like is so easy

It is easy.

Each congregation is incorporated and must abide by the rules set down for that. Dispersal of assets, and who gets a vote on board decisions, if dissolved, would be covered under those rules

23

Clearly, they're hunting down irregular publishers

by ILoveTTATT2 in

jw
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.

OrphanCrow

ILoveTTATT: What the graph tells us is that there is a clear trend towards hunting down inactive and/or irregular publishers.

Keeping the faithful flock active and still part of the "official" count has always been an ongoing problem for the org. The push to keep people active has been documented in their yearbooks.

For example, the 1967 yearbook (page 35) says this about inactive ones:

It is evident from the year's report that a number
of persons who used to be Jehovah's witnesses
found reasons sufficient to convince themselves
that they need no longer worship and serve Jehovah
and attend meetings at the house of their
God. Such ones drifted away. However, there
is still an opportunity before one dies to ask for
forgiveness and share in God's goodness by returning
to the ministry.
If all those who dedicated their lives to the
Most High God Jehovah in former years had
stayed in his organization right up to and during
the year 1966, there would have been a greater
increase in the number of regular publishers than
we have had. While the final report shows there
were 1,058,675 regular Kingdom publishers engaging
in the field ministry each month of the past
service year, still this is an increase of only 24,407
over last year. But 58,904 were baptized. 'Where
were the other 34,497 that cannot be accounted
for? Allowing for one percent of the population
dying in a year's time would mean a drop of
about 10,000 persons. But where are the others?
Has materialism attracted them? Has the loose
living and immoral conduct of the world ensnared
some of them? Where is that love for Jehovah's
organization and his service that they once had?
As we analyze the report for the world, as
set forth in the chart on pages 36-43, you will
see that some countries had no increase at all.
Are we to believe that the harvest is over in such
countries? No! Because there were some persons
being baptized...

The presentation and interpretation of the stats in that '67 yearbook are rather skewed, but, the intent remains - the JWs were experiencing a slow down at that time (according to the "official" count) and they were due for a dressing down for their negligence to the org.

The slowing down of increase and/or registering a decrease has, in the past, been the force that determined doctrine. In 1967, the org was geared up for an Armageddon scare to get those inactive ones out in service. In later years, the hourly requirement and form of service has been adapted to make it easier to 'get counted' to keep those precious numbers up.

I wonder what strategy the org will use this time to keep those numbers up. Good thing for internet witnessing or the publisher number would be even harder to keep on an even keel

41

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

by ILoveTTATT2 in

jw
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????.

OrphanCrow

richard: How is my reasoning off?

Because percentage increase is the only accurate way to measure increase. Not numerical like you proposed in your previous post

You said: "You cannot just look at percentage as the only number you look at."

That is wrong. Of course percentage is the only way to measure increase accurately. That is why what you said after makes no sense. None. Not in terms of measuring increase. Percentage of increase is just that - a measurement of increase

41

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

by ILoveTTATT2 in

jw
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????.

OrphanCrow

richard: You cannot just look at percentage as the only number you look at. Think about it this way, if you get a raise of $1 per hour each year. If you start at $15 dollars an hour the raise equals about 7% but the next year when you get the raise because the starting point is now $16 dollars an hour the increase is now less percentage wise it is now only 6%, then the next year the percentage increase is even lower is only 5% and so on and so on. So Yes in the 40s and 50s the percentage increase for Watchtower was greater because they had a smaller starting number, but as that starting number gets bigger, unless the amount of people you add gets bigger at the same rate the percentage is still the same.
I am not saying that Watchtower doesn't have a increase problem, but you cannot solely look at the percentage increase.

Huh?

I thought you had an understanding of stats.

Your reasoning is off on this, Richard

27

More congregations? One of the strategies they used to inflate the numbers in my city.

by Tempest in a Teacup in

jw
friends

i looked at the 2017 yearbook figures this morning, and it reminded me of something which happened in my former congregation 2 years ago.

it was a tiny foreign language congregation with at most 25-30 publishers.

comes and splits a 30 member congregation into....three.

OrphanCrow

Richard, the piling up of congregations into one Kingdom Hall isn't necessarily connected to language groups (you know that, don't you?).

Selling off KH's and showing an increase in congregations is entirely plausible.

For example, in Barrie, Ontario, there are 3 Kingdom Halls and 9 congregations.

https://infobarrie.cioc.ca/record/BAR2793

11

Trump names son-in-law as Chief White House advisor.

by AFRIKANMAN in

donald trump on monday named son-in-law jared kushner as senior white house advisor, rewarding the man widely credited as the brains behind his election but courting serious legal and ethical concerns..

the baby-faced real estate developer and magazine publisher who turns 36 on tuesday, will be the youngest top member of the administration, working closely with chief of staff reince priebus and chief strategist steve bannon..

"jared has been a tremendous asset and trusted advisor throughout the campaign and transition and i am proud to have him in a key leadership role in my administration," announced the republican president-elect..

OrphanCrow

DD: The WTBTS Real Estate business loves Kushner!

Oh yeah. They sure do. Kushner was the focus of the documentary that landed the WTS in the position to buy a Telly Award.

Interesting to note that the video that gained them that award, the one that featured Kushner, is no longer on the org's website:

https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/6029292683132928/removed-from-jw-org-interview-w-jared-kushner?page=1&size=10

Was the org asked to take the video down? Did they decide to remove it on their own initiative or was the removal a request from the org's friend, Kushner, to remove it in anticipation for this appointment?

*the article in the OP is no longer available - this link has the story:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/us-elections-2016/donald-trump-names-son-in-law-as-senior-presidential-adviser/articleshow/56433529.cms