wiegel

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Posts by wiegel

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  19

  former bethelites get paid

  by dvw in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  apparently the c.o.

  told the cong.

  during his visit that the bethelites who got shite canned are receiving $450 per month as an allowance.

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  wiegel

  thanks, nuts, I would love to see it. trudy
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  19

  former bethelites get paid

  by dvw in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  apparently the c.o.

  told the cong.

  during his visit that the bethelites who got shite canned are receiving $450 per month as an allowance.

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  wiegel

  I know this has been asked here before, but isn't there some way to compel the society to give an accounting for where all the money goes. The congregation "Accounts Report" is useless information that makes some "think" they are being given this information. Because beyond that level, why would you even think of questioning it?
  
  For the past few years, I have been working with different non-profit, some faith-based (very loose designation), groups who actively DO SOMETHING for people in need. They post their annual reports and pie-charts for public examination - how much to infrastructure, how much for advertising, how much for fund-raising, etc, and finally HOW MUCH TO HELP THE PEOPLE, and HOW they helped. Why isn't the WT subjected to similar scrutiny? How can they possibly be considered a non-profit charitable organization? They only take care of their own, and that only as long as it suits the group. Their concern and care for any others only goes so far as trying to get them to join the "group".
  
  During Katrina, the report was that the most assistance came from church groups, NOT JWs only, but from OTHER church groups too. The rebuilding in many devasted and impoverished parts of the world is done by volunteer groups, like Habitat Humanity and the Salvation Army. They help to give people back their dignity and a hope for tomorrow, not of a nebulous paradise earth someday, but of believing they will have a roof over their heads and food to eat. NOW.
  
  So, don't tell me about them paying the Bethelites they defrauded. There is no amount of money that can ever compensate any of us for what they took from us. Those people who were promised a lifetime of room and board should get just that and nothing less. A class action lawsuit might be just the thing to get them to start dumping some of their precious real estate and making some restitution.
  
  I know that JR Brown recently said (I heard it myself) that they do not believe that they are inspired by God - makes me wonder if those guys ever "talk to each other". But, having heard that, it might not be too preposterous to imagine that someday they may also say "We're sorry". NOT.
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  120

  September KM - 70 alterations in Revelation Climax Book

  by dozy in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i can't find a thread on this subject yet - if there is one , please delete this one.. the september kingdom ministry has a 4 page insert detailing the 70 alterations in the revelation climax book which is due to be studied at the book study shortly.

  i'll provide scans if anyone is interested.. i will leave it up to more experienced analysts to examine the reasons for specific changes , but just a few brief observations for now:.

  p32 box - "they were completely exonerated" changed to "charges against them were dropped" - interesting change of terminology for the 1918 watchtower eight.

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  wiegel

  Thank you for posting this information - it makes one think, but I can't understand it. I know that when we started to study the "Proclaimers" book, I started to see how things had changed doctrinally over the years. I read about the infighting (the WT version anyway) in the early years, the spats betweens egos, and the what seemed like whims for making changes. Yes, one of their own publications started me on my journey "out". I felt tricked already at that point, and wondered how much of what was controlling my life and my decisions would be changed one day when I was too old to care anymore, and when life had really passed me by. That was about 10 years ago. It took a few years before my witness roommate ordered "Crisis of Conscience" (I thought the house was going to catch on fire because of it). We started reading it together in the morning with coffee and within a couple of days, the bonds were broken, the truth had set us both free!

  The "Revelation" book played a big part in adding to the cognitive dissonance that had plagued me for decades (I was baptized at 21 in 1972. I just could NOT believe that the were applying the ENTIRE book of revelation to activities of JWs, I still remember the magazines were the locusts?????? WTF?? I started having flashbacks to when I first went to a book study. They were studying the Ezekiel book and talking about dried bones getting up and dancing, and what that meant for our day. I wasn't studying then, just went with a friend who was, and I thought "what a bunch of total whackos", but I still had my sense of reason intact at that time.

  Now they are making 70 changes and I wonder how many of them have been "suggested" by apostates. It seems that so many of their "adjustments" in thinking have not been a result of the holy spirit (poor "guy" gets a bad rap) but rather a reaction to outside criticism. This makes me sick and it makes me angry, but it also makes me so happy to BE OUT OF THERE.

  So, who could possible remain and swallow this swill? In my opinion, 3 basic groups:
  
  1. the mentally ill - we all know how many of them there are and WHO many of them are (and how many were of of the "annointed")
  2. the ones who have nothing else in their lives and can not make a decision by themselves bc they have no reasoning "muscles" left
  3. the ones who are "stuck" for one reason or another, I believe I have family in this group, or who love the "glory" of their different positions in the congregation - these may be the last to leave, not because of love but because of pride
  
  So, a long-overdue thank you to all of you on this forum. I have been reading for 5 years but not commenting much. This has been my lifeline to clearer thinking, helping me to sort things out with the support of all of your wisdoms and comments and experiences. xo
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  18

  NOW AVAILABLE! Live With Jehovah's Day in Mind - in PDF file format

  by drew sagan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i don't know how long i'll be able to make this available, so get it while you can and start sharing!

  it's a hefty 37mb so it may take a while to download.

  download it here.

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  wiegel

  Drew - Thank you for posting this!
  You have to wonder sometimes, just what audience are they seeking? If it's a study book, it's going to be a good litmus test to weed people out at the very start who won't buy the b/s. my 2 cents
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  145

  Cannabis vs Alchohol and Other Man Made Pharmacuticals

  by OpenFireGlass in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well for starters i do have a prescription for cannabis (insomnia / depression).... why would i want to take pharmacuticals for insomnia/depression?

  i mean, what if i get prescribed/addicted to a pill, that one day i might not be able to afford?

  (if you/i grow cannabis it's more/less free)... now the moral issue... who is more likely to beat the shit out of their kids?

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  wiegel

  what?
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  24

  I AM THE BIG 4-O;40 TODAY!

  by badboy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  anyone wish to congratulate me!

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  wiegel

  hey badboy! have a great birthday - oh, to be 40 again..... ;-) trudy
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  10

  Was it a ghost I saw last night?

  by ButtLight in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i came downstairs last night, cause i kept hearing loud banging noises.

  so, as i'm coming down the steps, i see a male figure standing by the computer.

  i said hello, heard nothing in return.

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  wiegel

  Butt - I am ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!! I would have been TERRIFIED! trudy
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  15

  The tale of two(x2) sisters and the Around the World Tour

  by james_woods in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in oklahoma city, back in the buildup to 1975 (lets say about 68 or 69), there were four very special older jw ladies who had a great influence on my life.

  i would like to say something nice about each one.. starting with lois & marie...(lois vandoren & marie salyer for those old enough to remember).

  lois & marie were probably the most kind and faithful jw ladies i have ever met.

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  wiegel

  Thanks, James, it made me think of a some of the dear old sisters I knew back then. trudy
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  29

  Big WT article this week!

  by 5thGeneration in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  i believe that this weeks coming wt is an indictment of all active jw publishers.. in my opinion, it seems to imply that growth in the organization has been stymied by the lackadaisical attitude in the congregations.. they refer to the "token" service of the jews and how it affected true worship and god's spirit.. will discuss further....

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  wiegel

  "Is it no wonder that most JWs identify so strongly with the Jews rather than the Christians...Why doesn't the WTS realize why they can't find Christian examples of the issues they wish to beat the flock with?"

  Thanks, Blondie, excellent perspective on that whole new/old testament mingleness.
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  15

  my heart is breaking

  by joanne_ in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  hi all, just feeling kind of down.

  breaking up with my boyfriend, i thought i knew him and could count on him...saw his true colors the other nite...

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  wiegel

  {{{{{joanne}}}}}}}