Posts by binadub

44

Who was the Gilead Student that jumped overboard?

by VM44 in

a gilead student from thailand.

a young thai girl who came to new york to attend the gilead school in upstate south lansing, new york, had a mental breakdown.

staff members pleaded with president knorr to send her home by plane, under supervision.

binadub

You can get a pdf of Barbara Grizzuti Harrison's book, Visions of Glory, on Randy's Freeminds Store for $6.

http://www.freeminds-store.com/downloads/visions-of-glory.html

~Binadub

150

They will be DFing me soon for apostasy...

by RayPublisher in

well i figured i should give you all an update.

they will be dfing me soon for apostasy.

it is not a huge surprise and i am not afraid nor "shaking in my boots", however i will admit it is stressful right now.

Congratulations on your freedom. I have thought of you from time to time since we corresponded; didn't see much of you here.
Well you will have much better friends out here in the real world.
I didn't realize you were JWStruggle. A couple of closet xJWs I am in communication with from Germany and Brazil frequent that site.

Well wishes,
~Binadub (aka Ros)

131

Let's Discuss Ray Franz's Books

by Recovery in

i have been repeatedly pleaded with to read the books of ray franz in my short stay on this board.

apparently these are all the all-powerful, wt crushing arguments, that lead so many to leave jw's and become ruthless opposers of god's people.

we can discuss any claims/statements/scriptural arguments presented in either of his books, as long as it somehow proves jehovah's witnesses are not god's people.

binadub

Franz's second book, "In Search of Christian Freedom" is the one that refutes JW doctrines.

~Binadub

52

Jehovah's Witnesses: Fastest Growing Christian Group in the US

by davidl7 in

the yearbook of american and canadian churches statistics listed the jehovah's witnesses as the fastest growing christian group in the us for 4 years in a row (the 2008-2011 yearbooks).

the 2011 yearbook reported a 4.37% growth rate (based on 2010 membership figures).

according to the 2012 yearbook, the growth of the jehovah's witnesses was 1.85%, falling into 4th place.

binadub

This thread got me curious, so I went Googling.

Here were some of my findings:

Statistics for JWs did have them the fastest growing denomination in the U.S. in 2008.

GLTirebiter made a good point that the numbers reported in the NCC Report are numbers reported by the denominations, not an independent survey. An ABC news analysis of that report for 2011 (which was numbers from 2009 reported in 2010) said the figure for Jehovah's Witnesses was misleading because they only report "active" members rather than attendance. They said a more accurate indication growth would be a comparison of attendees to their annual Memorial observance.

Also, the report stated that 10 of the 25 top denominations (of which JWs are listed as 20th) do not report.

So the report appears to be numbers from 2009-2010.

The latest reports from 2011 figures say that the fastest growing denominationin the U.S. is LDS, followed by Islam. (Some reports have it the other way around.) And the fastest Christian religion in the U.S. is "non-denominational" churches, away from mainstream religions.

Here's the link:

http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/05/04/religion-census-lds-church-fastest-growing-group-us

All in all, from this rudimentary Google search, it appeared that JWs were the fastest growing denomination in the world in the mid-1960s, faring well in 2008, but nothing apparent for 2011 to the present. The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life did report the numbers from the NCC report, but also stated in the most recent report that JWs have the lowest retention rate of all groups.

I guess people can find stats to support any agenda they want to support.

Cedars: Thanks for your comment above. Just thought I might be confused. :-)

~Binadub

52

Jehovah's Witnesses: Fastest Growing Christian Group in the US

by davidl7 in

the yearbook of american and canadian churches statistics listed the jehovah's witnesses as the fastest growing christian group in the us for 4 years in a row (the 2008-2011 yearbooks).

the 2011 yearbook reported a 4.37% growth rate (based on 2010 membership figures).

according to the 2012 yearbook, the growth of the jehovah's witnesses was 1.85%, falling into 4th place.

binadub

SBF:
Does this conflict with the stats that show that 2/3s leave the JWs. From what I've read, converts are increasingly rare.

~Binadub

52

Jehovah's Witnesses: Fastest Growing Christian Group in the US

by davidl7 in

the yearbook of american and canadian churches statistics listed the jehovah's witnesses as the fastest growing christian group in the us for 4 years in a row (the 2008-2011 yearbooks).

the 2011 yearbook reported a 4.37% growth rate (based on 2010 membership figures).

according to the 2012 yearbook, the growth of the jehovah's witnesses was 1.85%, falling into 4th place.

binadub

David17:

When adding all percentage figures in the last 4 years, the fastest growing Christian church is the Jehovah's Witnesses with a 10.37% growth rate increase, . . .

Why are you totalling the percentages? That creates a false conclusion.

That total should be divided by 4 (years) to get the correct average (10.37 ÷ 4 = 2.59%) per year.
Most of that could be from their own children growing of age to get baptized.

Or am I missing something--anyone?

~Binadub

131

Let's Discuss Ray Franz's Books

by Recovery in

i have been repeatedly pleaded with to read the books of ray franz in my short stay on this board.

apparently these are all the all-powerful, wt crushing arguments, that lead so many to leave jw's and become ruthless opposers of god's people.

we can discuss any claims/statements/scriptural arguments presented in either of his books, as long as it somehow proves jehovah's witnesses are not god's people.

binadub

Recovery:

as long as it somehow proves Jehovah's Witnesses are not God's people.

It is not for us to prove the negative, it is for you to prove Jehovah's Witnesses ARE God's people.
Most JW doctrines can be disproved with simply proving what IS true (proving the positive).

Why do YOU believe Jehovah's Witnesses ARE God's people?That is what I would like to know and what I would be interested in discussing.

I personally do not believe you are ready for Franz's books. I would suggest you read Steve Hassan's book "Combatting Cult Mind Control", which has nothing whatsoever to do with Jehovah's Witnesses. It's about the Moonies. If you understand that treatise, then perhaps Ray Franz's books would mean something to you.

P.S.: You didn't respond to my particular comments about the meaning of "Who Is the Wise Servant if it's not JWs" that pointed out it is simply another parable about wise servants versus evil servants--not a prophecy as the WT teaches--so I'll be surprised if you respond to me here. ;-)

~Binadub

14

Is "Gog of Magog" Satan?

by leaving_quietly in

for as long as i can remember, eze 38 was, and still is, an end-times prophecy about how satan would come up against jws because jws would be "dwelling in security" (ez.

38:14) after all the other religions are destroyed.

this is pretty much the most terrifying chapter in the bible for me, understanding it as jws do.

binadub

Thanks for this information, Leolaia. Interesting.

~Binadub

15

GIVE IT women

by Marvin Shilmer in

jw
friends

give it women... .

today i added a new article to my blog addressing the watchtower mindset regarding woman, and particularly of married women.

pictures are telling!!!.

binadub

I remember that study in the '70s, I think it was the first one--by a student at Berkley on "Who is the happiest person."

The results were in this order:
1) Single woman (most happy)
2) Married man
3) Married woman
4) Single man (least happy)

The study was by a claimed-to-be happily married woman.

~Binadub

15

GIVE IT women

by Marvin Shilmer in

jw
friends

give it women... .

today i added a new article to my blog addressing the watchtower mindset regarding woman, and particularly of married women.

pictures are telling!!!.

binadub

TweetieBird:

This would have been a good item for "Watchtower Quotes" imo:

21 Before the man (adám) ever asked for a human companion, God his Creator knew what was good for him. Of course, the man’s having a human companion could influence him for good or for bad, for obedience toward God or for disobedience toward God, for everlasting life or for everlasting death. But the “God of faithfulness” would provide a companion for Adam for good, toward his obedience, toward everlasting life. The Creation account makes all that plain, for, in Genesis 2:18, it reads: “And Jehovah God went on to say: ‘It is not good for the man [adám] to continue by himself. I am going to make a helper for him, as a complement of him.’”
22 Before God created anything new, a woman, God left the man free to determine whether there was a suitable companion for him among all the lower animals. He did not oblige the man to go seeking a companion among them, thus requiring the use of much time on the man’s part, but Jehovah God brought the various beasts of the earth and the flying creatures of the heavens before the man. God gave the man the freedom to name these creatures. But the perfect man, created in God’s image and according to God’s likeness, was not inclined to bestiality. He merely acquainted himself, unafraid, with them and named them, but he found among them no suitable companion for himself. As a lone human on earth he continued to worship his God and Creator, not lower animals. He needed no command from God against animal worship. He had just the one law against improper eating.—Genesis 2:19, 20.
23 After the man fully exercised his freedom to reject any of the lower creatures as a companion and helper for him, God acted. "Hence Jehovah God had a deep sleep fall upon the man and, while he was sleeping, he took one of his ribs and then closed up the flesh over it place. And Jehovah’s God proceeded to build the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman and to bring her to the man. Then the man said: ‘This is at last bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. This one will be called Woman [Ishsháh], because from man [ish] this one was taken.’"—Genesis 2:21-23.
24 This reveals that God told the man just how the woman had been created, to show to the man that she was related to him in flesh and bone, for she was a part of him. Adam’s words on accepting the woman as his wife make plain that he exercised his free choice to have this woman as his helper and companion. She was the last one of the creatures that God brought to Adam to see which creature he would choose as his life-long companion. Then to show that they would have children who, in turn, would marry, God went on to say: “That is why a man [ish] will leave his father and his mother and he must stick to his wife and they must become one flesh.”—Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4, 5.
25 It was after the man accepted his perfect wife at God’s hands that God blessed them and told them to be fruitful . . . .

================

~Binadub