maksutov

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Posts by maksutov

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  113

  I just found out that my youngest brother committed suicide

  by SnakesInTheTower in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my middle brother called me a couple of hours ago.

  our youngest brother, josh, who was 38, was found by his friends in his apartment.

  he hung himself.

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  maksutov

  How tragic. Condolences.
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  19

  The fraud that is the WT member numbers

  by Crazyguy in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  ok i'm just thinking out load here so to speak.

  but let say in the year 2000 the wt says they have 1 million publishers and at the end of the year they say they had 300,000 people get baptized so in the beginning of the year 2001 they show 1,300,000 publishers.

  then in this new year they state another 300,000 get baptized but with 50,000 deaths and 50,000 disfellowshippings they stated at the end of year 2001 a total of 1,500,000 total members.

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  maksutov

  Fraud in the numbers certain occurs at publisher and congregation level - publishers report time that they never did, and congregation secretaries insert 'estimated' reports for those who never actually turned in a report (I have seen both of these things occur, and I am quite confident it is very common). Once the numbers make it to the branch office though, does the trend continue? Possibly. But I highly doubt they count publishers twice if they get baptised. The baptism figure is not included in any of the other figures. Average pubs and peak pubs are the number of individuals who report time, regardless of whether they are baptised or not.

  Assuming a trend of growth, the number baptised will lag behind the increase in number of publishers. That being the case, 2015-2016 should see a reduction in baptisms (due to the reduction in publisher growth for 2014/2015). If there is no drastic drop in baptisms in next year's figures, that could be due to people taking longer to get baptised after they start reporting time, or it could be due to an increase in the number of people leaving. There are also those who remain perpetual publishers or on/off publishers and never get baptised. So the best we can do is a very rough estimate as per the chart above (which is nevertheless, very interesting).
  
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  51

  My first post

  by thewalker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi, i just joined the board and wanted to present myself.. i'm active, in fact very active in congregation activities serving "where the need is great" in a foreign language congregation somewhere in western europe.

  as a young brother, i'm seen as an example as i'm doing all a good witness should do.. i had doubts years ago but i decided just to ignore them and move to another congregation to preach more.

  that worked for some years but i'm now at the exact same point.

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  maksutov

  Hi Walker (my surname is Walker!), nice to meet you. As you have no doubt discovered, you are not alone - we can all identify with your situation. Like you, I suppressed my doubts vigorously for many years, and was often held up as exemplary. I joined a Portuguese group so that I could get busy learning the language and focus on that rather than my doubts. It worked for a while, but eventually I had to just stop and admit to myself that I just didn't buy it any more. It is a very difficult thing to admit you may have been wrong and wasted so much time, but it is definitely worth it. My life has been much happier since I started being truly honest with myself and following the evidence wherever it leads, not filtering it through what the Watchtower organisation says is possible. Take your time, do lots of research, learn about critical thinking and logical fallacies, and above all, be honest with yourself. Good luck!
  
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  36

  Do you need Art and Music in your life?

  by The Rebel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  music and art have been a big part of my life since i was a little boy, and although i was never able to play a decent guitar, i can paint.

  my art teacher from college said " i was the most imaginative and constructive pupil she had ever had.

  " i loved that comment, because in translation i realised it meant i had to work harder than other more naturally talented students, but the effort was always worth it.

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  maksutov

  I also like to draw and play guitar. I don't know how I would cope without my guitar.

  Here's me doing both:

  https://youtu.be/wvmnNECYJd8
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  20

  Verify the Audit Checklist/Destruction of Files!

  by Atlantis in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  several people have asked if the audit checklist boe/destruction of files/ can be verified.

  atlantis said that if the previous information was not enough evidence, then i should send you the boe letter where the watchtower admits to sending out the annual audit inspection checklist.. .. write these down:.

  .please see: page 2, number 5. please see: last paragraph on page 3.. please see: page 4 annual audit of files.

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  maksutov

  I love a good list of logical fallacies. :D
  
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  40

  What is the org’s view on extraterrestrial life?

  by My Name is of No Consequence in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am sure that it has been discussed before.

  but just out of curiosity, what is the orgs view on extraterrestrial life?

  the org certainly agrees that the universe is infinitely large.

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  maksutov

  *** g00 8/8 p. 28 Watching the World ***
  Extraterrestrials Unlikely
  “In the last few decades, a growing number of astronomers have promulgated the view that alien civilizations are likely to be scattered among the stars,” states The New York Times. “This extraterrestrial credo has fueled not only countless books, movies and television shows . . . but a long scientific hunt that uses huge dish antennas to scan the sky for faint radio signals from intelligent aliens.” That search will most likely fail, say two prominent scientists, Dr. Peter D. Ward and Dr. Donald C. Brownlee, authors of the book Rare Earth. New findings in astronomy, paleontology, and geology, they say, show “that Earth’s composition and stability are extraordinarily rare” and that conditions elsewhere are unsuitable for complex life-forms. “We have finally said out loud what so many have thought for so long—that complex life, at least, is rare,” said Dr. Ward. Adds Dr. Brownlee: “People say the Sun is a typical star. That’s not true. Almost all environments in the universe are terrible for life. It’s only Garden of Eden places like Earth where it can exist.”
  

  *** g90 4/8 p. 8 Extraterrestrials—Where Are They? ***
  SETI astronomers blithely assume that life must have originated by chance all over the universe. Gene Bylinsky, in his book Life in Darwin’s Universe, speculates on the various paths evolution might have taken on alien worlds. He suggests that intelligent octopuses, marsupial men with pouches on their stomachs, and bat-people who make musical instruments are not at all farfetched. Renowned scientists have praised his book. However, other scientists, such as Feinberg and Shapiro, see the gaping flaw in such reasoning. They decry the “weakness in the basic experimental foundations” of scientists’ theories about how life got started on earth. They note, though, that scientists nonetheless “have used these foundations to erect towers that extend to the end of the Universe.”
  The Wrong Religion
  ‘Why,’ you may wonder, ‘do so many scientists take the impossible for granted?’ The answer is simple and rather sad. People tend to believe what they want to believe. Scientists, for all their claims of objectivity, are not exempt from this human failing. ...
  So in answer to the question, “Is anyone out there?” science clearly gives no grounds for belief in life on other planets. In fact, as the years pass and the silence from the stars continues, SETI is a growing embarrassment to scientists who believe in evolution. If various types of life evolve readily from nonlife, then why do we not hear from them in this vast universe? Where are they?
  
  

  *** g90 4/8 p. 9 Extraterrestrials—Finding the Answer ***
  Some influential religious figures have insisted that God would not create any world without purpose and that all habitable worlds must therefore be inhabited. Is that what the Bible says? No. The Bible indicates that it is very unlikely that God at this point has created intelligent physical creatures on any planets other than our own.
  
  
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  32

  Being interviewed by police tomorrow

  by moley in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  well tomorrow is a big day for me.

  i'm finally going to be interviewed by the police about what happened to me as a kid.. im running the whole gamut of emotions at the moment.

  sad, anxious, angry, guilt, fear and many more that cannot be quantified.. i feel physically sick, cannot sleep, have lost my appetite and i am desperately trying not to self harm.. i've got my sister to thank for getting this far.

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  maksutov

  Best wishes.
  
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  11

  Took my 11 yr old trick or treating this year. saw first hand his cognitive dissonance. had to show him nothing is wrong with halloween

  by goingthruthemotions in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i know there was another thread about halloween, and i was going to post on it.

  but, thought i wanted to make a couple of points on mine.

  so.... here it is.. i took my 11 year old trick or treating this year.

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  maksutov

  Yay! Good for you - it will do your son a lot of good to see things how they really are as opposed to the nonsense he's been taught at the hall. I took my daughter (8) trick-or-treating for the first time yesterday too (with her cousin and a few others). It was great fun, and we met some really nice people (my wife is still in, and it seems unlikely she will ever leave). It felt great to knock on doors without a Watchtower or Awake, lol.
  
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  137

  Something interesting!

  by John Aquila in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i was invited to a small get-together by a long time friend.

  we both served as elders for years.

  he is in his late 70s.

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  maksutov

  Cool. Any idea what they think about shunning / blood?
  
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  6

  MOTO-GP the Rossi vs Marquez controversy

  by wozza in

  1. social
  2. current

  if you've watched the race what do you think about the stoush on the track.. i've always been a rossi fan but after what happened in the race i'm really disappointed.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2div26-jqs.

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  maksutov

  Just seen the race. Rossi looked very dirty - what a disappointment. I'm now rooting for Lorenzo to win the championship.