I've read that story, yes. I'm still not sure whether or not whatever money they are able to collect through donations (scandalous or not) puts them in the black. The costs of renting those venues must be massive.
AvailableLight
JoinedPosts by AvailableLight
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When Will District Conventions Be Abolished?
by AvailableLight inthe thread on cutting back the number of weekly meetings to two got me thinking:.
do you think the jw organization will continue to hold district conventions for very long?.
i wonder, how many people *really* feel upbuilt after attending a dc?
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# of weekly meetings-down to 2?
by Quandary inwe recently had the visit of the co, during the elders meeting he addressed his concern over the decline in meeting attendance, especially for the tms & sm.
our particular congregation saw a decline of 30% from his last visit 6 months ago.
in a private conversation with him i asked if our congregation was unique in this regard and he said no, some congregations have seen a much higher percentage of decline, 50-60%.
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AvailableLight
During the winter months, I used to pray for snowstorms every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.
I know the feeling of waiting all day in anticipation for those wonderful cancellation phone calls.
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When Will District Conventions Be Abolished?
by AvailableLight inthe thread on cutting back the number of weekly meetings to two got me thinking:.
do you think the jw organization will continue to hold district conventions for very long?.
i wonder, how many people *really* feel upbuilt after attending a dc?
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AvailableLight
Actually when I wrote "upbuilt" I meant it in the way JWs would use it - full of spiritual joy; spiritually refreshed.
Personally I always felt very upbuilt while saying the final "Amen" on the last day of the DC weekend and knowing it was done and over with.
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When Will District Conventions Be Abolished?
by AvailableLight inthe thread on cutting back the number of weekly meetings to two got me thinking:.
do you think the jw organization will continue to hold district conventions for very long?.
i wonder, how many people *really* feel upbuilt after attending a dc?
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AvailableLight
The thread on cutting back the number of weekly meetings to two got me thinking:
Do you think the JW organization will continue to hold District Conventions for very long?
I wonder, how many people *really* feel upbuilt after attending a DC? How many people would rather take a *real* vacation as opposed to sitting in dingy building for 7 or 8 hours a day? Is there anything a DC accomplishes that could not be accomplished at a local KH meeting? Couldn't financial resources be put to far better use by putting an end to all the costs associated with holding DCs and printing "new light" solely in the WT, or communicating any necessary information via letters to the congregations?
Or, have I wrongly evaluated the situation? Does the WTS actually profit from the DCs through contributions and other potential deals with convention site associates?
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# of weekly meetings-down to 2?
by Quandary inwe recently had the visit of the co, during the elders meeting he addressed his concern over the decline in meeting attendance, especially for the tms & sm.
our particular congregation saw a decline of 30% from his last visit 6 months ago.
in a private conversation with him i asked if our congregation was unique in this regard and he said no, some congregations have seen a much higher percentage of decline, 50-60%.
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AvailableLight
I've often thought about this. If they were to reduce the number of meetings, what would the cut out?
They just completely revised the way the ministry school will run. R&F are getting the revised guidebook, the changes go into effect in '03. Not likely they'll get rid of that.
Service Meeting - Not at all likely. This is where members are guilted into doing more in the ministry, exploring alternative forms of ministry, instructed in how to do the house-to-house ministry and harassed or bored to tears with local needs talks. I wonder if the ministry would even go on without the pressure of the service meeting...
Bookstudy - A possibility, maybe, but still, hard to imagine. R&F are often told that when the time of tribulation arrives, they will be forced to meet in small groups - and so they should get to know those in their bookstudy groups. In reality, this meeting allows the elders to more closely observe the members of a congregation.
Public Talk - Usually the most boring meeting of the week; occasionally an interesting speaker comes along. Though I'm not sure if others would agree, I've often found the public talks to be quite repetitious and very generalized. The congregation members daydream while looking up scriptures on autopilot. Those "worldly" individuals attending for the first time are given a mild introduction to JWs.
Watchtower Study - The primary modern source of spiritual nourishment. This is the meat and potatoes meeting; Christianity according to the Govering Body of Jehovah's Witnesses 101. It's hard to imagine JW life without a question and answer WT study.
Logically, I believe that the public talk would be the best candidate for a pink slip. However, since it is so traditional for a church to have some sort of a Sunday sermon, and since the public talk fits this religous tradition so well, I can't imagine them doing away with it.
But then again, you never know...
I started a related thread:
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=24869&site=3 -
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A *MUST WATCH* Short Film
by AvailableLight infor everyone w/ high-speed connections:.
check this out:.
http://64.152.216.82:80/7/1275/6955/3c8cf24a/rshort.download.akamai.com/1589/windows/t/the_parlor_l_dsl.wmv.
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AvailableLight
For everyone w/ high-speed connections:
Check this out:
http://64.152.216.82:80/7/1275/6955/3c8cf24a/rshort.download.akamai.com/1589/windows/t/the_parlor_L_dsl.wmvThere is little here that could be visually offensive, however, the language could definitely get you in trouble in the workplace, so use headphones.
I don't want to give too much away, but let's just say it deals with the realities of anonymous communication in a very original way. Well written, acted, and directed.
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The Real Meaning of Bethel/1971
by metatron innew boy posted information about an event at bethel that occured.
many years ago - that you won't read about in any publication -.
an internal reform movement led by three ex-circuit overseers.
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AvailableLight
I love this stuff. Very believable and fascinating at the same time.
What becomes painfully apparent is that those running the organization have absolutely zero business sense whatsoever. That's why things are so inefficient there and why people can be treated so poorly.
Imagine if the leaders of IBM were chosen for their "spiritual qualifications?"
It's true, any witness will tell you that profitability is not a concern for "God's Organization" and that it is not at all a business.
That may be a valid point. Regardless, Bethel could stand to learn a thing or two by taking a serious look at how successful coroporations keep employees happy *for the long-term* and getting those in positions of oversight some real managerial training.
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Do you believe in fate?
by butalbee indo you believe that two people are just meant to be, no matter the circumstances involved, or the differences that keep them apart?
this has been a question that i have been living with for some time.
actually, i guess it's been what i have been living for--the dogma, i guess, i'll call it, that i have hoping for: "if two people are meant to be together, they will find their way back to one another.".
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AvailableLight
Fate. Absolutely not. I can't deal with the idea that some unseen or unknown force is in control of my life. I'll make my own decisions, and live with them, even if they turn out sour - at least *I* made them. I don't need fate as a scapegoat for my fuck-ups. JMHOs.
The lyrics to this song sum up my feelings on the topic perfectly:
http://www.r-u-s-h.com/nmsmirror.com/RUSH/17.rtb.html#ghost
Ghost Of A Chance
Like a million little doorways
All the choices we made
All the stages we passed through
All the roles we playedFor so many different directions
Our separate paths might have turned
With every door that we opened
Every bridge that we burnedSomehow we find each other
Through all that masquerade
Somehow we found each other
Somehow we have stayed
In a state of graceI DON'T BELIEVE IN DESTINY
OR THE GUIDING HAND OF FATE
I DON'T BELIEVE IN FOREVER
OR LOVE AS A MYSTICAL STATEI DON'T BELIEVE IN THE STARS OR THE PLANETS
OR ANGELS WATCHING FROM ABOVE
BUT I BELIEVE THERE'S A GHOST OF A CHANCE
WE CAN FIND SOMEONE TO LOVE
AND MAKE IT LASTLike a million little crossroads
Through the backstreets of youth
Each time we turn a new corner
A tiny moment of truth[For] so many different connections
Our separate paths might have made
With every door that we opened
Every game we played -
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What should I do??? Help!!
by Delite2k ini'm a non-jw dating a jw male ( for three months now) and he treats me like a woman should be treated.
he's the best i've ever been with...ya know what i mean?
!......we have sex when and where we can (receintly at the job
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AvailableLight
Butalbee-
How do you pronounce your username, anyway?
I want to say two things in response to your post: 1.) I appreciate and empathize with what you have been through. 2.) "Active" witnesses are very capable of leading a double life, i.e. having sex outside of marriage and keeping it a secret. There most definitely are differing degrees of religious conviction among JWs. From an outsider's perspective this may be difficult to accept because they all *seem* so indoctrinated. But believe me, many of the kids I grew up with and many others I have known over the years had sex before they were married.
In some of their cases, they simply got caught up in the heat of the moment, and as you mention, felt tremendous guilt afterwards. Some others on the other hand have sought non-JW sexual partners and kept it secret.
I would not say the the above examples are extremely common, as they are not. But it does indeed happen.
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What should I do??? Help!!
by Delite2k ini'm a non-jw dating a jw male ( for three months now) and he treats me like a woman should be treated.
he's the best i've ever been with...ya know what i mean?
!......we have sex when and where we can (receintly at the job
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AvailableLight
How active are you as a baptist? How important are your religious beliefs to you? Do you believe the doctrines of your religion or do you simply carry the label as family tradition?
These questions are important to ask. The JW religion is different than many other Christian religions with regard to how strictly it enforces its rules - especially with regard to sexual relationships outside of marriage.
Go back and *memorize* Abaddon's post. It is dead-on accurate. Be careful about attacking the JW religion. Generally, JWs are pre-conditioned to view such attacks as coming directly from Satan. If your boyfriend buys into this idea and you attack, you may alienate him from communicating honestly with you.
Instead, try to ask sincere questions - just as you have here. Try to find out where he stands within the three scenarios Abaddon outlined.
If he does intend to continue his life as a JW, then he will likely try to keep his relationship with you a secret. Will you be able to handle this?
If you do sincerely love him and begin to think long-term, you need to be aware of the issues that lay ahead if he decides to remain a JW: How will you handle birthdays and holidays? If you had children, how would you raise them? It may seem completely premature to think about these possibilities at this point in your relationship, but it is better to start thinking about them now before your emotional attachment to this person becomes too great.
One last thing: I don't know what your or his age is, but it would be helpful to know if he is baptized or not. If he is, then all comments made in this thread apply as is. If he is not, then things change a little bit. Baptized JWs do not consider individuals who have not been baptized as JWs true members, even if such individuals call themselves JWs. Unbaptized individuals are not subject to the same level of discipline as baptized JWs, and cannot be disfellowshipped, even for fornication or adultery. However, some may treat them as disfellowshipped if such behavior becomes known.
I wish you happiness.