Athanasius

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Posts by Athanasius

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  21

  Did you Have One " Power Controlling " Elder in your Congregations ?

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i believe many congregations had one, if not 90 % of the congregations i attended.

  there seemed to always be one elder that dominated over the other elders and incredibly - in spite of the arrangement being called a " body of elders " many times it seemed that one elder would arise and take control over the other elders.

  the other elders would roll over and bow essentially to these power elders.

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  Athanasius

  I served on a BOE that had a controlling elder. His brother-in-law was a CO and he had friends back at the Vatican and was always calling the service desk to back him up if an issue arose in which he didn't get his way. All the other elders would give in to him so he got his way most of the time. One time he tried to interfere with a JC on which he didn't serve. I had served on that JC and we had been compassionate in our decision regarding a young couple that had got into trouble with JW rules. He complained that we had been too lenient in our decision and tried to overturn it for a harsh sentence. We stood firm and let the couple off lightly. He complained to the CO but still wasn't able to get his way.

  The last two years I served as an elder our BOE became polarized with him as the reactionary and myself and two other elders as the liberals. The rest of the BOE tended to be moderates who could go either way. Later one of the liberal elders was forced off the BOE. However, after reading Crisis of Conscience, I realized the JW religion was hopeless and resigned from the BOE and faded away.
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  97

  The Worst Thing About Being in your 40's

  by Robdar in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the worst thing about being in your 40's is your friends start to die.

  it's the first year anniversary of the passing of my friend, john kessler.

  he was so tall, so blonde, so loving and so goofy.

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  Athanasius

  Good to see you too Robyn. We did have some great times together. Bet the JWs at the congregation we visited that time are still wondering when we will be back. I'm sure the JWs reported at least 5 hours for the time they spent love bombing us.
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  97

  The Worst Thing About Being in your 40's

  by Robdar in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the worst thing about being in your 40's is your friends start to die.

  it's the first year anniversary of the passing of my friend, john kessler.

  he was so tall, so blonde, so loving and so goofy.

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  Athanasius

  Sorry to hear about your loss, Robyn. Unfortunately as we age we lose friends and family. But we should be thankful that we are still here to remember the happy times we shared with those we have lost.
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  11

  if the GB was female....?

  by highdose in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just a wandering thought, what kind of religon would the jw's be if the situation was reversed and the gb was all female, only women could hold postions of power in the cong etc....?.

  over to you my freinds....

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  Athanasius

  "Power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutly." So it doesn't matter which gender controls the JW Governing Body. The problem is the Watchtower power structure which is a dictatorship.
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  37

  2010: What next for Jehovahs Witnesses?

  by truthseeker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in the last two years we have seen many changes in the watchtower - a few are listed below.

  what are your thoughts concerning the movement and direction of jehovah's witnesses for 2010 and beyond?.

  doctrinal changes:.

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  Athanasius

  Right on Fark. Though Freddy Franz was a little unbalanced, still his strange theology was somewhat original. With the passing of Freddy the Organization is left with bland party hacks, men who got their positions because they followed orders, not because they had ideas.

  The young are leaving in droves. So we will continue to see the greying of the JWs in developed countries and a decline in contributions. The growth in Third World countries will further drain the Watchtower's declining funds. In time without new ideas the growth will slow in developing countries. The JWs won't disappear, but they will decline in numbers and become an insignificant sect.
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  41

  When Was The Last Time You Read From The Bible?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i can't remember.

  i don't think about it .

  what a difference a few years make!.

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  Athanasius

  I try to read a chapter or two of the Bible every day. Right now I am reading 2 Kings. I've actually done more Bible reading and study since leaving the Watchtower than all the years I served as an elder.
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  10

  Had fun today

  by iknowall558 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  today i went into a charity shop near where i live.

  it was the cancer research shop.

  when i was there i noticed a nwt , (the new softback version), sitting on the shelf amongst the bric-a-brac.

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  Athanasius

  Last week there was a NWT for sale at the St. Vincent DePaul Thrift store. They sell their hardcovers for $1.00. Since I already have a copy I left it there. It will probably be still there the next time I visit. However, I did buy a copy of "A Catholic's Answer To the Jehovah's Witnesses."
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  71

  Discouragement

  by asilentone in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i sense that you are pro-jw.

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  Athanasius

  Hi Phil. Check your private message box. I sent you a message in which the names of your possible relatives are mentioned.
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  71

  Discouragement

  by asilentone in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i sense that you are pro-jw.

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  Athanasius

  Welcome Pjschipper. I may have gone to school with a couple of your relatives. Hope that you enjoy the forum.
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  48

  Poll: Who Left Whilst Still Believing?

  by brinjen in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this is for an upcoming youtube project.

  i would love to do this on a mass scale... think there might be something "big" in the results.. 1. were you a born-in (including those who's parents converted while they were still children) or did you convert as an adult?.

  2. when you left, did you still (a) fully believe in the truthtm, (b) partially believe or (c) realise it was all a load of crap?.

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  Athanasius

  1. Born in.

  2. C.

  3. C.

  4. I didn't fear Armageddon as a JW, why would I fear it now?

  5. A. Catholic Christian.