I knew many Bible Students (later jws in 1931) during that period, my grandparents were Bible Students and left in 1932, didn't like Rutherford and the name change in 1931. I also knew those who stayed and never mentioned this. but then perhaps it has faded in time. How many jws know that before 1970, at the WT Study, the questions were asked first, answers given, and then the paragraph was read (to "sum up"). It seems the conductor would look out and see the audience frantically reading the paragraph looking for an answer, seemed few had pre-studied perhaps did not even read the article. So the WTS adjusted and had the paragraph read first, then question asked. Based on what one older woman told me, the few public speakers they had, had no real training and the talks were so bad. As well, as prayers. Probably reciting the Lord's Prayer was so much better. "Yearbook South Africa: "In 1933 the branch office moved to larger rented premises in Cape Town and remained there until 1952. By then the Bethel family had grown to 21 members. Those early Bethelites had accommodations in brothers’ homes and traveled to the office and printery every day. Before work each morning, they met in the changing room of the printery to discuss the daily text. After that, they recited the Lord’s Prayer in unison." 2007 Yearbook, p. 84.
Posts by blondie
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26When did JWs stop reciting the Lord’s Prayer together?
by slimboyfat indoes anyone know what year?
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32
Can you list the positive points of being a JW as against the negative points of being a JW in your experience ?
by smiddy3 ini was a twenty y/old when i converted to the jw religion and was a problem drinker and i was a chain smoker .when i was baptized at a circuit assembly a year later , my conversion and change in lifestyle was given as an example of the effectiveness of incidental witnessing to the audience.. so i can point to the 2 positives becoming a jw .. 1.i gave up smoking.
2.i gave up drinking for a while ,but because i still had association with my wife`s and my family who were not jw`s ,i learnt to control my social drinking when i started again.. and i have been a responsible drinker ever since ,even though i left the religion 29 years ago.. the negative points of being a jw in my 32 years of being one ?
are far too great to list here .. love to hear your thoughts..
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blondie
Anything good I seemed to have learned during my tenure with the WTS, could easily have been learned elsewhere. But the bad stuff I was indoctrinated with over almost 50 years is hard to get rid of and the negative effects that I experienced during childhood and adulthood. Don't kid yourselves.
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My Favorite Book About Bethel by Randy Watters
by Dogpatch inmy favorite bethel bookrandy watters.
vignettes of this famous author's life, as reviewed from her out-of-print book, "visions of glory--a history and a memory of jehovah's witnesses" (new york: simon and schuster, 1978).
barbara gave exclusive rights to her book to randy just months before she passed away in 2002. the whole book is available as a pdf download from the free minds store.. .
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blondie
According to what I know Randy is about 69 and lives in California. I did a search and confirmed that to some degree. He was quite ill the last time he posted here but seems to still be living. I am almost sure this is accurate because my info lists his old website. I hope he is reading this and tries to make contact somehow if he wants to.
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Will the next James Bond be........
by BoogerMan in.......a disabled black, non-binary, homosexual, transsexual, environmentalist vegan?
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all bases need to be covered.
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blondie
I doubt it...nothing to be afraid of.
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Date a JW student
by Renee86 incan a witness date and court a jw student if he intends to get baptized?
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blondie
Can a Witness date and court a JW student if he intends to get baptized?
Renee, this is it, until you are baptized, jws considered you are not a jw, even if you are studying. Thus dating an unbaptized person even if they are studying with jws, is really dating a non-jw, which is frowned up and can result in a general talk given to the congregation during the mid-week meeting, that talks about that kind of dating and why it is not something others in the congregation should imitate. In a Watchtower in 2004, it said this: " A person who is studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses and who is making fine spiritual progress is to be commended. However, he has not yet dedicated himself to Jehovah and committed himself to a life of service and sacrifice. He is still making necessary changes. He needs to complete the major changes involved in becoming a dedicated, baptized Christian before contemplating another major life change, such as marriage.
Would it be advisable for a Christian to pursue courtship with someone who seems to be making good progress in his Bible study—perhaps with the intention of waiting until he gets baptized before marrying him? No. The motives of a Bible student could well become confused if he is aware that a dedicated Christian wants to marry him but will not do so until he is baptized."
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Is it difficult to believe in a loving God?
by Kosonen inis it difficult to believe in a loving god?.
if yes, i understand you.
it has been difficult to me too.
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blondie
The reason I stopped associating with jws is that after over 40 years, I never saw real love shown but by a few jws. Not the public relations stuff, but what really went on behind closed doors or behind people's backs. The jws talk the talk, but they don't walk the walk. "If you say that someone talks the talk but does not walk the walk, you mean that they do not act in a way that agrees with the things they say"
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2022-April-Elder Manual and Addendum--12 Files!
by Atlantis inseveral files in the folder including:.
2022-april-elders manual.. 2022 april addendum.
working together safely12 files total.
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blondie
I'm posting here again, Atlantis, thanks to your help. I still received the new letters, publications, etc., from you for the last 2 years. I will bring some homemade chocolate chip cookies, we reward our neighbors with them when they help us with some task. One asks us, "Is there anything we can help you with, those cookies are great and the kids are asking for them?"
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The Sanitizing of David
by Doug Mason inthe bible depicts king david as a deeply flawed, unsavory character, the perpetrator of evil acts including: murder, insurrection, adultery, banditry, and extortion.
the sanitizing of david’s character during the following centuries and millennia created an image that idolizes him as the paragon of virtue, closely associated with the promised messiah.
my study identifies the davidic sanitizing process.. https://www.academia.edu/s/390a7ba170?source=link .
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blondie
Yes, the sanitizing of David was one of the top ten questions that made me wonder who really wrote the bible and why David got special treatment, I don't remember the clause in the ten commandments where being "merciful to others" was a escape for adulterers under the law code. "David and Bath-sheba were accountable to Jehovah God for their wrongdoing. Though they could have been put to death for their sins, God had mercy on them. Especially was he merciful to David because of the Kingdom covenant." So why did not god have mercy on David and Bathsheba as he could have for other adulterers in the national of Israel. Besides which David had committed murder deliberately sending Bathsheba's husband to the front of the battle almost ensuring the husband would die.????
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When did JWs stop reciting the Lord’s Prayer together?
by slimboyfat indoes anyone know what year?
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blondie
Perhaps, with Rutherford gone, many things changed that were quirks of him alone and others followed blindly either believing or worried they would get the boot. Knorr was a different type evidently and seemed to back off many things from Rutherford's time. It wouldn't be the first time the WTS has flip-flopped on a belief/doctrine even changing it and then changing back to the older teaching.https://jwfacts.com/pdf/flip-flops-watchtower-teachings.pdf
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Pimo's walking out
by Foolednomore inis it possible that jw's would get so worn out by watchtower 's bullshit that they would stand up gather their stuff and walk out of a meeting or a convention.
i can see a small number doing it..
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blondie
I have said this before on JWN, but it has been awhile, I walked out during a circuit assembly after the public talk (done in the late am) because of 3 comments said up till then. The proverbial last straws. Told my husband if he stayed at the assembly, I was taking the car and he could get a ride home. He came with me. I never went to another event with jws at it, weddings, funerals, baby showers, special talk, memorial, any conventions/assemblies, etc., nada. I woke up the next morning like a 5,000 pound weight had been lifted off. I woke up Saturday and felt so wonderful not having to go out "in the ministry" just sleep in, eat a leisurely breakfast, and read the newspaper.