Posts by Axelspeed

307

SERVICE REPORT 2005 : WATCHTOWER FEB 1ST 2006

by BluesBrother in

i have had a quick look and found no references to this, so - here goes..as in the mag we picked up on sunday.. worldwide % increase over 2004 = 1.3%.

memorial partakers 8524 (compared to 8570 in 2004).

most european and nth american lands show pretty static figs - britain 1% increase, canada 0%, germany 0%, france 1%, usa 0%... but spare a thought for the inhabitants of zambia where 1 person in 90 is a reporting witness, must be hell going down to the local market!

Axelspeed

They got rid of food service at assemblies

A little off topic, but I think this was one of their first mistakes. Somehow they forgot the little things that made it at least a little fun to be a jw...or at least bearable.

In any business, there are expenses that you just know you will incur. In other words you have to give the people at least something to keep them happy. Somehow, some beancounter started slashing everything, thinking that it was the spiritual food that made being a jw a fun thing.

There are many things I regret about being a jw. But the fun times I do remember as a jw kid, were the assembly breaks with my friends, scouring for the hoagies danishes chips shasta colas and whatever else and running around the corridors.

Fast forward to today...shorter lunch breaks and people bring there own food. The result: People stay at their seats during breaks, roam and mix less, kids dont run and play as much. People dont mix and laugh as much.

This is only one example. If the people arent happy, a lot of them will ultimately leave.

They have forgotten that you have to keep people at least somewhat happy...you have to give them something. What exactly do they offer besides more meetings, fieldservice and personal study. They have succeeded in ripping all things fun from this religion.

Axel

76

Is the Watchtower Society strong enough to win this war with the internet?

by jack w in

jw
friends

could it be that the wts actually thinks it can win this war?

i mean, they are forcing sites to close down, suing the people that run them etc.

i wonder if this is the way they want to "handle" the internet problem.

Axelspeed

No, they seemingly do not understand it yet, much less have the ability to defeat it. Unless they already know its a losing battle and are simply trying to hang on.

I could possibly see that the more technical savvy (lawyers and financial people) already know this and are simply doing what they are told by those who are not so internet savvy but who are the powerbrokers and doctrine enforcers, and have the power. Being that this is and has been their life, they simply play out the string...perhaps just hoping to get an education, live well and safe on the WT's dime in the meantime, and then leave ultimately for other pastures in the future if necessary. Obviously this is only speculation.

Back to the question though - the internet is here to stay for the foreseeable future, and the changes so far are only the beginning. For though who are kids now, you simply will not be able to function well without the internet. Yes people have gotten by without college. It will be much much more difficult without the internet. It will simply become a way of life.

People research everything now. Before we step, we look...on the internet. Those looking to join the WT will be no different. Kids of jws will search the moment they log on.

They are showing that their achilles heel is the internet. If it wasn't, every piece of nonprofit, lifesaving, and inspired literature they have should be online.

This is not the Dark Ages when information found in books had to be tediously written or printed on presses that were difficult to move or hide, and then when found could simply be burned. This is digital information that once on the web, can be simutaneously downloaded and saved.

Even we are still learning...once a new quote site goes up, we zip it and save it. You can't burn digital information, much less stop it.

Most corporations have already seen this and reacted accordingly for their own survival. The problem for the WT is there past. They refuse to acknowledge past mistakes openly, ...cut their losses and move forward. They simply do not have it within themselves to do this. Nor do they have anyone with the charisma and clout to take the reins and do what needs to be done.

When the WT failed to embrace the internet, they lost.

Axel

26

Quotes Mirror Sites: Attempt at Making a Single Place to Report Sites

by Check_Your_Premises in

it appears that the work around for the quotes site will be a long term effort.

as the wt plays whack-a-mole with the new sites that pop up, we need to know where the new ones pop up.. so here is my attempt to bring some order to this process.

let's make this a running thread where we put all our links to the mirror sites.. the downside is that the wt will know where to go to find out where the new sites are they have to squash.. the upside is that it is alot easier to put a site up then it is for the wt to take them down!!!.

Axelspeed

The downside is that the WT will know where to go to find out where the new sites are they have to squash.

I think that your downside might outweigh the upside.

If there are more sites out there than I know about or can even find, I consider that a good thing. I understand your premise though.

Axel

36

Wow, new website! Pay Attention book, WT 2004 CD, Quotes all online

by kwintestal in

auld soul posted about a mirror site at www.reexamine.org/quotes/index.htm and so i checked it out.

i went onto the homepage www.reexamine.org and surfed around a bit and clicked onto the "community portal" and found a download section: .

http://www.reexamine.org/index.php/reexamine:community_portal:publication_downloads:secret_publications .

Axelspeed

while this may true, it is going to be like killing roaches- they just live on

I don't see how the WT could not see this coming based on the past history of the revolving door of the organization. The door has revolved so much, and couple that with the walk-aways and df'd, and it is easy to see that they have made many enemies.

Well actually I can see how. As progressive/creative as they are in some areas, in others they are still living in the past, and believe and expect that others do so too.

They have not really cared about this (the internet) or former members...until now. They didn't see the internet coming, and it is becoming increasingly evident that they still have not grasped the scope of its reach, power and the implications.

Did they really believe that requiring Quotes to destroy his copies would be the end of this information? If so, they really do not have a clue about this internet thing. If anything, it has now increased exponentially. This is not 1950. This is the information age! If it can be known, it will be.

Congrats to all the new mirrors! and Thank You Quotes!

Axel

50

College deletions?

by Collegegurl in

jw
friends

according to our new co, elders nor their children are allowed to go to college.

my dad is being deleted.

evidently new material was presented at the elder school.

Axelspeed

Welcome Collegegurl!

AA, I believe the wt had a recent study on education a few weeks ago. The latest is that 2yr degree = good, 4yr degree = bad especially anything technically related.

I wonder if this type of action is an isolated event or standard policy now?

Axelspeed

78

WTS Letter to Congregations re. HLC

by doinmypart in

.

the christian congregation of jw sent a letter to all congregations regarding hospital liaison committees.

this letter will be read the week of january 30, 2006. i can email a pdf of the letter to someone willing to post it here.

Axelspeed

8. Can any doctor or hospital give complete assurance that blood or blood fractions will not be used in treatment of a minor?
Okay, that's confusing. I thought blood fractions were okay? Have they backtracked on that?

The expression "thin edge of the wedge" comes to mind. Axel

25

Is Blood Now 'The Tail Wagging The Dog'?

by metatron in

jw
friends

a few years ago, the organization seemed to be drifting towards reason.

the knowledge book downplayed holidays and blood.. witness kids were told they could go to college.

the new worship book - as a re-edited "united" book - removed all mention of.

Axelspeed

Ques: How did they get themselves into this conundrum in the first place and why? Just lack of foresight?

Just my opinion...

I believe they seriously had/have a timetable to shed the blood doctrine. I think there have been definite signs of this happening over the last few years. But they would/will have a hard time saving face or preventing lawsuits. What happened? The internet. Information about the fallacies and problems with this doctrine began to surface and be circulated faster than they could shed the doctrine. The WT likes to control the amount and manner of information being released or changed so that the org can always be seen as the one at the forefront of the light. They must save face. I have in a previous post stated my belief about their embarassment about some of the old light, ...and about some of the current light that they can't shed fast enough. Since the internet puts them under a very scrutinizing eye, and pressures change on terms that are not there own terms...then all cards are pulled off the table.

Axel

25

Is Blood Now 'The Tail Wagging The Dog'?

by metatron in

jw
friends

a few years ago, the organization seemed to be drifting towards reason.

the knowledge book downplayed holidays and blood.. witness kids were told they could go to college.

the new worship book - as a re-edited "united" book - removed all mention of.

Axelspeed

I have always believed that this is their most critical issue,

The UN issue, while an important one ciuld be explained away, and if necessary, could be tagged on a couple of bros. as using extremely poor judgement. Many are accepting the library card excuse...(I thought they could come up with something better myself)

The molestation issue, while extremely sensitive, can be explained away as a few bad apples. And while the policy is extremely flawed, few dubs actually believe that the WT support and promote the idea of molestation. Most dubs dont engage in it, and so are able to justify in their own minds that these are real but isolated incidents. I even realize that the WT defends this position and policy more to preserve their image as god's channel above all else...not necessarily to protect the perpetrator and definitely not to protect the victim.

The blood issue though, is a cornerstone doctrine. No excuses...they taught it, they pushed it, they rationalized it, the df'd on the basis of it...as a matter of organizational policy. Lives, many lives have been lost. It would be the unforgiveable sin in the eyes of too many to have lost so many lives from a policy now considered 'old light.' They can not let it go. The cost would be too great.

In fact, in hindsight and at this point, I believe that if could they would retract the use of fractions at this point, as it is too vague and raises too many questions. Strategically, it would have been better for them if blood was an all or nothing proposition, based solely on their misguided scriptual application. They are trying to get Pandora back into the box...but it may be too late.

Axel

92

Brand New Blood Card

by PoppyR in

hubby has just come back from the service meeting where they have been handed out brand new style blood cards, now called 'advance decision to refuse specified medical treatment' .

it's quite a bit different.

and has the line on it about giving permission to the hospital liason committee to see your notes and medical records.. very scary stuff i think, and i certainly wont be filling one in.. i'm really short of time tonight, but will scan it in, along with the notes that go with it and try and post it some time over the next day or so if someone else doesn't beat me to it!.

Axelspeed

If this is true that the request is that they can view a patient's notes and medical records, and then that photocopies be made and given to those that sign, I would be very interested in the rate of compliance.

Obviously, there is a lot of delusion at work here.

Delusion and arrogance on the part of the WT in even making this request.

Delusion on the part of those who sign that their medical record will not get out...and into the gossip mill. (How far can they go into your records? Will they find out about those depression meds, those erectile dysfuntion meds, treatment for something that you could be df'd for...take your pick)

Delusion on the part of the elders involved, that they won't eventually be on the receiving end of a lawsuit.

I really do not understand the reasoning behind this, other than to say that perhaps there are competing forces at work in WT-land, some of who are attempting to exert more of an influence.

For those who sign without question, I would have one message: Stay. There is obviously a need you have, deeper than even this issue, that is being met.

Axelspeed

328

Journal of Church and State: WT NO-BLOOD EXPOSE'

by AndersonsInfo in

(baylor university, waco, tx) an essay entitled, "jehovah's witnesses, blood transfusions, and the tort of misrepresentation," found in the autumn issue of baylor universitys prestigious journal of church and state, published december 13, 2005, exposes the vulnerability of jehovahs witnesses religious organization to massive claims for compensation because of the religions misrepresentation of the medical risks of blood transfusions.

this milestone essay critically examines one of the religions main publications for teaching their children and new recruits about their blood beliefs, how can blood save your life?

the peer-reviewed essay details many misrepresentations of medical facts, which the religion partly relies on to support its blood prohibition, thus denying its members from making fully informed medical decisions.

Axelspeed

oh lord...it's the legal equivalent of AWAKE!

LOL....interesting is my thought exactly though.

Axel