Posts by blondie

30

wt and money

by zeb in

jw
friends

well she went off to the big convention this morning.

as she left i ventured a bare tiny 'dont give them money' 'they have millions.

' she spun back, (we are on pensions.).

blondie

There is a real culture developing in the US, if the news is not to your liking, just call it "fake news" and move on. The WTS and its members had that developed already and has made it an art form.

24

Jehovah's Witnesses Came to My Neighborhood

by Juan Viejo2 in

for nearly two years i have not seen any jehovah's witnesses going door to door in my neighborhood.

that was not the case when my wife and i first moved here (north central oregon).

in fact, our neighborhood was visited at least once every 4 to 5 months - even in the coldest winter months.

blondie

@sir82,

I love that too, "apathy carts" and the jws faces at those carts proves it.

When I was "regular pioneering" I learned all the tricks of the trade from older jws how to stretch my reporting time. I figured that one morning my time spent was really

1) meeting with the group and waiting 1/2 hour for jws that were perennially late.

2) after the late ones showed, still standing around talking socially for another 1/2 hour before anyone went out to get in the vehicles

3) taking 20 minutes to give out blocks for each pair to call on

4) 10 minutes before knocking on the first door

5) because the territory was made up of people who were never at home I spent 1 hour talking to no one except my partner

6) Everyone decided it was time for a break, went to the local cafe where we met 2 other groups also stopping for "coffee" which was really a big breakfast. 45 minutes later everyone said it was time to go home saying they would be stopping to talk to someone that were on their "magazine route" "to keep their time going."

Everyone else reported the time from the moment they walked out their door to when they walked back into through their door. I was uncomfortable with that but I realized I would never reach the hour quota each month unless I did.

I once told an elder that if jws worked on a commission like most sales people did, were only paid based on the real results they showed (payment: everlasting life on a paradise earth), and had to report real converts each month to get paid, jws might be more productive/effective.

Fake it until you make it (your time) was a phrase I adapted to this situation.

Even the WTS tells its members not to be discouraged if they never make a convert, that the important is to be out there. But now the WTS is giving detailed instructions in the WT study articles on how to be more effective. More jws dying (boomer generation) and few coming in, mostly next generation children, and more of those are leaving as they reach the age of majority. Less numbers = less money coming in; less men to do the admin stuff in the congregation.

18

Anyone have someone move in and take over the congergation?

by rickroll in

i have been in two congregations where someone moved in from the big city and took over with the attitude of the northerners when they go south, i come from where they do it right.

like bulls in china shops they remove people and do the house cleaning like the political org cult it is.

.

blondie

@smiddy3

Good point, I'll edit that saying to "toad" from now on.

Moving into spring now by you? Autumn has finally come to my area, that means winter cannot be far behind.

14

question about KH finance

by peacefulpete in

i've been free of the jws for many years now and have a question about kh finance.. 1. is it true that all khs belong to the wt now?

2. when remodeling is done who pays for it?.

3. how are utilities paid?

blondie

Incognito, I guess it was not clear that I was only talking about laws in the US, that I did not know what congregations in other countries laws were.

I pointed to the IRS tax laws in the US regarding religious non-profits not saying they were valid in other countries.

30

We pray for the governing body

by StephaneLaliberte in

since when has it become cool to pray for the gb?

i noticed that at the begining of my fade back in 2015, it had already been there for a good while and was already getting on my nerves.

i means, i grew up in it, but can't remember much further than the 90s and i don't remember this being always in the payers.

blondie

I noticed when searching the WOL, that the WTS comments do not specifically say to pray for the GB in a public prayer, but rather seems to leave the door open to individual jws to include prayers for the GB in their personal prayers. Thus the GB seems to be implying or opening the door to doing so in public prayers by not specifically mentioning public prayers.

Prayers at conventions/assemblies are not just random thoughts, but the prayer givers are "guided" as to what they should say. That is why public prayers sound like the one praying is saying the prayer for the audience's benefit.

16

retrospect on yesterday's wt "study" 29.

by waton in

go- teach.

par.1 : marching orders given to 500 attendees, none of them anointed, but 11 partakers, jesus taught and served people with an "earthly hope" and the commission to go was not as wt now claims a mandate to the gb members; the os only being supposed supporters.

4) new disciple stops drinking.

blondie

I can't speak to the thinking of the WTS for making this one time application of the 12 tribes being non-anointed people. But note the buzz word "evidently" which the WTS uses to leave an opening for changing this statement later on in their publications. (Matthew 19:28, see also Luke 22:30) If you can figure out this out-of-both-sides of their mouths teaching, let me know.

But I did find this in 2008 (before 2011 quote in my post above)

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2008049#h=16:0-16:693

19:28—What is represented by “the twelve tribes of Israel” that will be judged? They do not represent the 12 tribes of spiritual Israel. (Gal. 6:16; Rev. 7:4-8) The apostles to whom Jesus was speaking were going to be part of spiritual Israel, not judges of its members. Jesus made ‘a covenant with them for a kingdom,’ and they were to be ‘a kingdom and priests to God.’ (Luke 22:28-30; Rev. 5:10) Those of spiritual Israel are to “judge the world.” (1 Cor. 6:2) Hence, “the twelve tribes of Israel,” whom those on the heavenly thrones judge, evidently represent the world of mankind who are outside that royal, priestly class, as pictured by the 12 tribes on Atonement Day.—Lev., chap. 16.

Also in 1987, the WTS gave this very convoluted explanation that probably went over the heads of the jw readers.

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/pc/r1/lp-e/1200271355/227/8

Why Aren`t Active JW`s concerned about WT/JW`s /GB`s ,Revisions of their Own Early History Of C.T.Russell ?

by smiddy3 in

i was just thinking about a couple of jw`s who came to my door a few weeks ago and they had no idea who charles taze russell was one woman was in her 40`s and the other was in her late 20`s if i`m any judge of female ages.. and neither of them had any idea of the religions early history or what they taught and what they believed in back then.. and one of the main reasons for that i believe is because the wt?jw religion continually revise their past history according to whatever the current beliefs are held.. if you compare what was believed and taught back in the 1880`s with what is believed and taught today you would find no comparison.. it has completely changed ,sometimes in a subtle way,but no the less changed.. the excuse of "the light is getting brighter and brighter as the day draws near " doesn`t cut it when you consider they stick to the i.b.s.a.

not the jehovah`s witnesses , were chosen as approved by jesus christ as the "faithful and discreet slave class" in 1919 for what they believed and taught back then as the i.b.s.a.

and not the jehovah`s witnesses.. and now the jehovah`s witnesses today do not believe what the international bible students association taught and believed back then in 1919... so how could jehovah`s witnesses today be approved by jehovah / christ jesus as the faithful and discreet slave class when they reject what was approved in 1919 ?

blondie

smiddy3, in a WT study article in 2017 the WTS said the following. This is proof that jws do not really read, study or listen at the weekly WT study. The WTS mentions Russell, several times each year, I checked only back to 2006. When the history book Proclaimers was published in 1993, required readings from the book were scheduled on the theocratic ministry school each week. Since then, there is no incentive for jws to read that book. (Most jws today cannot explain the WT teaching of 1914 or overlapping generations. History has even less meaning to them.

2017

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2017283?q=taze&p=sen

8 In the late 19th century, Charles Taze Russell and some of his associates endeavored to reestablish true Christian worship. To help them disseminate Bible truth in various languages, Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society was legally incorporated in 1884, with Brother Russell as president.* He was an outstanding student of the Bible, and he fearlessly exposed as false such doctrines as the Trinity and the immortality of the soul. He discerned that Christ would return invisibly and that “the appointed times of the nations” would end in 1914. (Luke 21:24) Brother Russell devoted his time, energy, and money unsparingly to share these truths with others. Clearly, at that pivotal time, Brother Russell was used by Jehovah and the head of the congregation.

9 Brother Russell did not seek glory from humans. In 1896, he wrote: “We want no homage, no reverence, for ourselves or our writings; nor do we wish to be called Reverend or Rabbi. Nor do we wish that any should be called by our name.” He later stated: “This is not man’s work.”

10. (a) When did Jesus appoint “the faithful and discreet slave”? (b) Relate how the Governing Body has been progressively distinguished from the Watch Tower Society.

10 In 1919, three years after Brother Russell’s death, Jesus appointed “the faithful and discreet slave.” For what purpose? To give his domestics “food at the proper time.” (Matt. 24:45) Even in those early years, a small group of anointed brothers who served at headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, prepared and distributed spiritual food to Jesus’ followers

4

SHAMGAR, THE INVICIBLE

by peacefulpete in

many moons ago i posted a thread about the need for superheroes.

today they dominate the movie industry but at they have always been top sellers.

in that earlier thread i mentioned my love of the hulk as a boy, he dealt with seemingly unstoppable foes with sheer determination and superhuman strength, kinda like shamgar of the book of judges.

blondie

peacefulpete,

This illustrates how jws and other people accept what is said in the bible. Why, because the bible is inspired of god. And how do we know that the bible is inspired of god. Because the bible says it is.

I appreciate the research you do to show how unreliable historical records can be depending on who is writing it.

History written by the people who were writing about their own history

History written by people who were enemies of those people

History written long after those events when no one is left alive who lived or witnessed them or to confirm them.

Historians trying to find any harmony between the two

History has be rewritten over time as well.

It would hard to be a historian living under the rule of the king they are writing about.

A related point, Galileo find out why writing about the scientific things he discovered about the solar system, was not well received the the Catholic Church who had their own unscientific ideas. As time passed and the hold the Catholic Church had on science waned and other people confirmed his findings, things started moving forward with more accuracy. But history cannot be proved in the way science can.

Thus, those examining historical records, have to read a great deal of information from many sources and determine what is reliable based on other historical records.

PS People today are woefully ignorant of current history that they lived through let alone the history from 100 years ago or thousands of years ago.

14

question about KH finance

by peacefulpete in

i've been free of the jws for many years now and have a question about kh finance.. 1. is it true that all khs belong to the wt now?

2. when remodeling is done who pays for it?.

3. how are utilities paid?

blondie

incognito, thanks for sharing that. That is the requirement for religious non-profits that the local congregation does not retain the funds received and the "ownership" ultimately lay with the WTS. The parent corporation, the WTS, must though follow the IRS rules regarding how the WTS handles assets etc., or lose their tax-free status.

Although KH ownership was initially under control of 3 local trustees, usually elders, I understand WT has long required specific wording in each congregation' incorporation documents that specified ownership of each KH is to be transferred to WT if the owning congregation is deleted or otherwise ceases to exist.

30

We pray for the governing body

by StephaneLaliberte in

since when has it become cool to pray for the gb?

i noticed that at the begining of my fade back in 2015, it had already been there for a good while and was already getting on my nerves.

i means, i grew up in it, but can't remember much further than the 90s and i don't remember this being always in the payers.

blondie

jws tend to copy what they see or hear being done at the assemblies/conventions. Almost always the prayers have something regarding their god blessing the GB. jws want to be seem as holy as the GB and their representatives so ape what they do. I remember when the CO used to put a table off to the side of the stage at the circuit assembly facing the ministry school students, so he could give counsel face to face rather than from the row in the front.

Then ministry school overseers starting aping/copying that by putting a table off the the side of the stage in the KH, giving counsel from there (no direction from the GB to do that, just started doing it on their own). Finally, the GB had the COs tell each congregation not to do that any more.

Monkey see, monkey do.