jw's are not known for laughter.
there are the rare exceptions.
they are more known for their fear mongering and doomsday scenarios where "the dead shall come to be as manure on the surface of the ground from one end of the earth clear to the other".
Years ago the meetings were not so scripted, speakers felt free to research own material and we always tried to personalise a talk so it was not boringly the same as they had heard before..
Congregations differed but frequently, especially midweek, the hall would see gales of laughter at something someone had said. It was a lot more relaxed.
Today they seem afraid of saying’ the wrong thing’ ….. They have lost more than they will ever know.
https://youtu.be/1skm8riz7qc?si=ww3ej9orl_91db4w.
the construction of a new jehovah’s witnesses kingdom hall in cybinka, poland, has once again shed light on the watchtower organization’s relentless drive to expand its real estate empire on the backs of unpaid, vulnerable volunteers.
every day, around 40 jehovah’s witnesses show up at the construction site, some traveling long distances, not for pay or proper protection, but to fulfill a sense of “spiritual duty” instilled by the organization.
The article above is written from a terribly biased view. As someone said, accidents can happen anywhere.
I know the workers are less experienced but they are very strongly motivated to do it , they love doing so. It is certainly not “guilt”. I met a dub the other day who is going abroad on a build . The comradery and fun is amazing .
I am sorry for the “sister” who was injured but note that she wanted to straight back.
I do hope though that safety is a first responsibility of those planning it.
i am looking for any information given to elders during the early to mid 1960s on how to deal with child sexual abuse within the congregation.
.
it could be in letters or in some version of an elder's handbook or a letter to the elders that specifies how elder were to deal with the issue of sexual abuse within the congregation; not going to elders, silence about the issue, how to handle it with the minor and the accused.. if there was any direction to the elders that precedes this time period that would work too..
I have only got my memory to go on , but I believe there was very little on the subject bar the criticism of other churches where it was reported.
The first I heard was a letter to elders between 1995/1997 where the subject was discussed and we were told to send up to Bethel the details of any cases we had handled. I gather that was the origin of the infamous “ secret list of pedos”
We were shocked to think that such things could happen “ in God’s organisation “
https://youtu.be/6ga9v7ffrwk?si=0lor5qquapmq8ck4.
what you are about to watch is another leaked instalment from the recent annual meeting delivered by kenneth cook with the theme "help to tear down and build up" and highlights tge new take o disfellowshipping that will from now concentrate on major wrongdoing whereas minor wrongdoing will be dealt with kind and love.so the watchtower's at it again, rewriting the narrative like an old tv show that conveniently forgets a character's past.
for decades, the organization has been the ultimate gatekeeper, quick to kick out members for even minor missteps—let's not forget how jehovah's witnesses have had to grovel and practically beg to be reinstated.
Sorry if I missed this but did they say when this AGM will appear on their own website ?
https://youtu.be/uxqqyrrffow?si=wo0jotyvjg76oljk.
well that's sort of related to the next talk on our program brother jeffrey jackson will discuss the theme don't be surprised by sudden changes, brother jeff you have our.
attention well i'm sure we all agree with this fact in recent years there have been a lot of changes even since the last annual meeting there have been many changes some of them perhaps are a little surprising or may seem to be sudden but you know brothers and sisters when we look back on how these changes have come we can see that jehovah has gradually prepared us for each of these adjustments and changes let's review some of the recent changes we've had what changes have we seen with regard to our understand understanding of bible teachings at the 2021 annual meeting we received an adjusted understanding of john 529 it was explained that the resurrection of judgment will not be a judgment of condemnation rather it will be more like a period of probation the unrighteous mentioned at acts 24:15 will have an opportunity to gain everlasting life but their names will not be written wr in the book of life at the time of their resurrection to have their names eventually written in that book these ones will need to respond positively to the great educational work that will take place during the thousand-year reign then at the annual meeting in 2023 we gained enhanced insight into what we do know and what we don't know concerning jehovah's judgments we learned that the door of opportunity for people to take a stand for the kingdom does not shut when the great tribulation starts with the destruction of false religion at that time perhaps some will be like the egyptians in moses day who took a last minute stand and joined the exodus of god's people at the same annual meeting we adjusted our views with regard to jehovah's judgments of those who died in the flood and those who were destroyed in sodom and gomorrah also at that annual meeting an adjustment was made regarding the reporting of our time and activity in our preaching work instead of focusing on reports we try to make good use of every opportunity to witness then we receive the 2024 governing body update number two in that update we saw the need to adjust how we interact with those who have committed serious sins and have been removed from the congregation what other major adjustments have we recently seen in our preaching work the emphasis now is on studing bible studies and making disciples not on distributing literature to that end the focus is on studying meaningful conversations not just on using memorized presentations were you surprised by these adjustments perhaps so but as we look back we see how one adjustment in understanding gradually helped us with the next adjustment isn't it true that gradually jehovah has prepared us and when we look back on it we see how logical this training has been to refine our understanding but events in the world likewise have changed it's true sometimes in the world you have sudden changes for example the pandemic but often times change in the world is gradual isn't it true with regard to the view of morality homosexuality abortion even what's acceptable and not acceptable with regard to conduct all of that has happened gradually in the world and it's not until you look back and see how different the world is today with regard to those matters that we see that there have been a lot of changes but this can be dangerous because as things gradually change we may get used to gradual change and forget that there are some sudden changes about to occur uh let's take our bibles please and if you turn with me to the book of luke chap 21 now this is an example of sudden change in luke chap 21 uh notice there in verse 34 the words of our lord jesus are recorded and he said in verse 34 but pay attention to yourselves that your hearts never become weighed down with oving and heavy drinking and anxieties of life and suddenly suddenly that they be instantly instantly upon you it's interesting to note that jesus had already said that this day he was referring to would occur at a time that we don't think is likely so what lesson do we learn from what jesus said it's a warning isn't it that we can't just sit back and think well things are gradually going to develop we know which way it's going and maybe it's not going to happen yet you know got a little bit more wiggle room there with regard to the schedule but you see that's dangerous thinking now what we're going to do is consider two examples of areas where perhaps we could be a little guilty with regard to that for example our view as with regard to the number of anointed ones remaining on the earth now for many years what did we think we thought well that number would go down and down and down and down now i don't know about you but me i you when that report came out just how many how many partakers and and what were we thinking we probably you maybe we didn't say it but we were thinking you know the number will go down down down down and there'll be just a couple of old guys in a wheelchair who will get their reward well i'm exaggerating but that was sort of the feeling wasn't it but now what have we seen in recent years those numbers have gone up and up and not only that younger brothers have been appointed on the governing body now i know what you're all thinking two new ones how old are they we know you're not googling now but you will be but you see we need to be careful about what we're thinking with regard to the number of anointed ones left on earth you see 19 years ago i was appointed on the governing body even i thought i was too young now they tell me i'm not so young anymore but do we see the point what does the bible actually tell us with regard to this well it doesn't say the number would just dwindle down to just having a few uh older ones left no the great crowd of other sheep will be judged on the basis of how they deal with
Thanks raymond frantz for your original post , very helpful
can i call you friends, i think so after 23 years posting here.
i am dismayed how jwn is being "dominated" or taken over by a few posters, peppering the comments.
in the past, the admin did not approve of this and did remove some posters from jwn.
As another old timer, although not as long as Blondie, I do share her sadness wren this board descends into meaningless arguments.
You know it is not the religious stuff that offends me but the political. There is a place here for political comment , I know but it should not overwhelm the Ex JW reason for being.
Anyway despite an occasional grumble this place is invaluable for the the nuggets of information I learn … long may it continue!
please give us news of him as soon as you can.
atlantis has done so much that it would be too ungrateful to forget him.
i am so indebted to him.
Likewise. Any news will be gratefully received.
https://youtu.be/xhpnp8xtsk4?si=kq55iap5anhlehgd.
so on the 17th of september the european court of human rights (echr) condemned spain over a case involving a jehovah’s witness who was given a blood transfusion during emergency surgery, against her will, this case was well documented earlier last year as a victory for the exjw community and a sign that european countries are turning on the watchtower, unfortunately this was a shortlived victory since the finally authority are no longer countries and their courts but nefarious organizations like the echr that over rule their decisions, and i'm afraid this is the same way is going to go if the victory in norway ends up in strasburg in the hands of the echr.. the case involved an ecuadorian national residing in spain, who was given a transfusion despite her religious objections.
spain found itself in a difficult position when confronted with this case.
I quite agree with the court’s ruling …. An adult has the right to accept or deny any treatment they wish ,without judgement on the reason.
thinking sometimes about my youth days and the stories my grandfather told me about our jw congregation.
do you recognize that your congregation was full of somehowe strange folks, very low educated, poor and simple?.
the po was an elder with some distance, with some personality acting intelligent and following the rules strict.. there was always a kind of scandal.
Congregation had its full share of eccentrics … nutty people with hearts of gold. You could not help liking them….
Apart from childhood when the overseer was anointed, rather like an old fashioned vicar, the elders were ordinary men , unschooled but decent men , often builders , with unusual amounts of management ability… It was better in the old days !
the hospital liaison committee (hlc) for jehovah’s witnesses does not pressure members to refuse blood transfusions.
rather, their role is to support jehovah’s witnesses in adhering to their pre-existing religious beliefs, which include a strict prohibition against accepting blood transfusions based on their interpretation of biblical scriptures.. jehovah’s witnesses are well-informed about their stance on blood from an early age, and refusing blood is a deeply ingrained religious conviction, not something imposed during a medical crisis.
the hlc’s purpose is to provide assistance in accessing bloodless treatment options, facilitating communication with healthcare providers, and helping ensure that the patient’s choices are respected.. while the hlc strongly supports adherence to the beliefs of jehovah’s witnesses, the ultimate decision remains with the individual.
I am sure that the official line is that the HLC are not there to force anyone…… but all the HLC reps are experienced elders who are themselves committed to ‘ no blood’ . The mere fact that they are there , giving spiritual support and encouragement is a powerful reason to keep the patient committed to the ‘right’ thing to do.
