Village Idiot

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Posts by Village Idiot

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  20

  How Many Disfellowshipped Are There In The US?

  by Village Idiot in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i've read in the watchtower, as well as observed personally, that 1% of the congregation gets disfellowshipped every year.

  i'm not good at the math but i figure that it's 40% since 1975 (yes i know, they're growing).

  i know that quite a few return but still, there must be a large percentage of disfellowshipped jws who will never return.

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  Village Idiot

  @ Giordano: "...so for one reason or another 50% or so have left"

  Just what I'm thinking, "leavers" (fallen out of the truth) make up a substantial number equaling those still in. And I wonder how many undercover apostates are still in.
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  20

  How Many Disfellowshipped Are There In The US?

  by Village Idiot in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i've read in the watchtower, as well as observed personally, that 1% of the congregation gets disfellowshipped every year.

  i'm not good at the math but i figure that it's 40% since 1975 (yes i know, they're growing).

  i know that quite a few return but still, there must be a large percentage of disfellowshipped jws who will never return.

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  Village Idiot

  Interesting website OrphanCrow. But I think that those modern day splinter groups are too small to make an impact. The original hemorrhage, back in Rutherford's day was more dramatic. It's what led Rutherford to come up with a different name for those remaining under him.
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  80

  Ayn Rand - Opinions?

  by cappytan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for those of you familiar with ayn rand and her ideas on morality, rationality and reason, what is your opinion of those ideas?.

  i'm talking about her actual ideas, not the ideals that libertarianism has adopted and, in some cases, perverted.

  do you think she's a charlatan?

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  Village Idiot

  cappytan: "Personally, I wouldn't say evil but I would say misguided and naïve."

  Not her.

  As for teaching a person to fish that is fine if there are any fish available. In this outsourced economy even good jobs like tool die makers are no longer needed in the US (I know two in that predicament). We cannot compete with China.
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  20

  How Many Disfellowshipped Are There In The US?

  by Village Idiot in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i've read in the watchtower, as well as observed personally, that 1% of the congregation gets disfellowshipped every year.

  i'm not good at the math but i figure that it's 40% since 1975 (yes i know, they're growing).

  i know that quite a few return but still, there must be a large percentage of disfellowshipped jws who will never return.

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  2. 
  3. 
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  Village Idiot

  OrphanCrow, "I have often thought that it is possible that there are far more ex-JWs than there are JWs."

  That's what I'm beginning to think. I'm seeing signs of a hemorrhage in JWdom.
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  80

  Ayn Rand - Opinions?

  by cappytan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for those of you familiar with ayn rand and her ideas on morality, rationality and reason, what is your opinion of those ideas?.

  i'm talking about her actual ideas, not the ideals that libertarianism has adopted and, in some cases, perverted.

  do you think she's a charlatan?

  1. 
  2. 
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  Village Idiot

  Evil, without a social conscience. People would starve and go homeless in her utopia simply because there would not be enough jobs.

  Hypocrite, she was a chain smoker who suffered from lung cancer and had surgery paid for by Social Security.
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  20

  How Many Disfellowshipped Are There In The US?

  by Village Idiot in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i've read in the watchtower, as well as observed personally, that 1% of the congregation gets disfellowshipped every year.

  i'm not good at the math but i figure that it's 40% since 1975 (yes i know, they're growing).

  i know that quite a few return but still, there must be a large percentage of disfellowshipped jws who will never return.

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  2. 
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  Village Idiot

  sir82, sounds good although I wonder how the US is doing.

  One thing that I didn't think of was Memorial attendance which are double the number of publishers. They are not likely to attract many "worldly" people but do attract the faithful inactives who only visit once a year.
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  20

  How Many Disfellowshipped Are There In The US?

  by Village Idiot in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i've read in the watchtower, as well as observed personally, that 1% of the congregation gets disfellowshipped every year.

  i'm not good at the math but i figure that it's 40% since 1975 (yes i know, they're growing).

  i know that quite a few return but still, there must be a large percentage of disfellowshipped jws who will never return.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Village Idiot

  I've read in the Watchtower, as well as observed personally, that 1% of the congregation gets disfellowshipped every year. I'm not good at the math but I figure that it's 40% since 1975 (Yes I know, they're growing). I know that quite a few return but still, there must be a large percentage of disfellowshipped JWs who will never return. Many are still mentally in but quite a few remain, out for ever, seeing it for what it is.

  One thing that gives me a clue is my apartment complex. It has 120 some units and a JW manager who, of course, put mostly JWs in. There are 21 buildings of six units each. In there I have counted 1 disfellowshipped person per building! That would make it 16% compared to inactives and active JWs.

  Also, I ask what percentage of a regular congregation is mentally out for sure but are still physically in for obvious reasons.

  In brief, how many disfellowshipped + inactive + active non-believers?

  I ask this question because it seems to me that one of these days (If it hasn't happened yet) disfellowshipped, inactive and mentally out people will outnumber the active Witnesses.

  Any clues or facts?
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  25

  My Mission is over!

  by abiather in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  when i understood, jws are wrong in some vital areas [eg.

  woman being viewed secondary, refusal to greet those differing with them ....], but right in other vital areas [such as their teaching that human rule is doomed, and will be replaced by gods rule], i began a diligent search for the right organization.

  my search ended with brahmakumaris.

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  Village Idiot

  @ Simon: "Funny - seeing the name "Village Idiot" and Bush ... it just fits, LOL"

  Double LOL! I would not have noticed that.
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  55

  Are we pro-shunning or against it?

  by Simon in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  just to continue my theme about religious freedom and how we approach criticizing the wts, i've also been thinking about 'shunning'.. i think shunning is the most unifying complaint that most ex-members of religious groups that practice it have in common.

  it is the layer that runs under every other complaint - whatever the reason for leaving it seems "... and i was shunned" can be added to it as the final rap on the charge sheet.. of course it seems like a no-brainer to many of us and we hardly ever stop to really think about it - shunning is bad, the watchtower believes in shunning therefore the watchtower is bad.

  they need to stop it.

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  Village Idiot

  @ DesirousOfChange: "His "mistake" was not telling them to FUCK OFF and that they have no control over him."

  What DesirousOfChange said.

  I myself have been in issues where I did not stand up to others in matters that affected me. I am an introvert by nature and I tend to avoid events that could lead to conflict but I regret not having stood up in those moments of truth.

  If I were in his shoes I would have challenged the elders and told them to try throwing him out and if they did he would call the cops.
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  25

  My Mission is over!

  by abiather in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  when i understood, jws are wrong in some vital areas [eg.

  woman being viewed secondary, refusal to greet those differing with them ....], but right in other vital areas [such as their teaching that human rule is doomed, and will be replaced by gods rule], i began a diligent search for the right organization.

  my search ended with brahmakumaris.

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  Village Idiot