TheListener

Joined

• started 210 topics
• posted 3,839 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by TheListener

• 
  50

  Good news: No longer an elder; Bad news: Disappointed wife

  by doinmypart in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my wife & i have a good relationship except when it comes to things dealing with the wts.

  over the past few years we've both made concessions, and i even made some headway in getting her to think about some things.

  but from time-to-time we would end up arguing about something wts-related and there would be days of tension between us.. well, a few weeks ago we were having a casual conversation about wildlife in our area, she mentioned something about jehovah ruining those who ruin the earth.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TheListener

  You have a pm.

  Also,

  The advice you've received is excellent. The people on this board continue to impress me.

  Work your hardest on becoming the husband you want or need to be for her. She deserves it. There will be times that she is angry with you and nothing you do or say will help that. The anger comes from an inner place that isn't caused by you but by her perceptions of your spirituality. There are wives/husbands that will not seek marriage counseling. The reason? Unless the marriage counselor can convince you to go back to the truth what point is there. That's the only thing wrong that needs fixing in their opinion.

  Good luck. Please feel free to pm me any time. I've been through this and I still am going through it.
• 
  33

  I have a question(s)

  by I.Wonder in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am new to the site, although i have been a lurker for quite some time.

  i was very nervous to create an account.

  all of the people i work for and with are jw's and we are all family.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TheListener

  Welcome I wonder.

  I was right where you are now not that long ago.

  I went out once a month. That seems just often enough to keep of the "let's bother the publishers" list. Hopefully that will also be enough to keep some peace with your husband. When I went in service I offered the tract "what do jehovah's witnesses believe" and offered to read a scripture. I would read something about Jesus and say how important it is to have faith in him and what his life and death meant for us. Trust me, I never got very far at all. Most people wouldn't even take the little tract much less let me read them a scripture.

  Good luck. The further out your mind becomes the more dificult it will be to force your body to go.
• 
  59

  Statistical effect of disassociating the inactive

  by AuldSoul in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it has been tossed around several times on the forum, and invariably someone pipes up that the wts will never do it because of the adverse effects on the numbers.

  there is a glaring flaw in that reasoning.. the inactive are never counted as publishers.

  the numbers that are reported are of active, reporting publishers.. if they disassociate every single person who is inactive and refuses to reactivate themselves, the numbers will not be negatively affected at all.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TheListener

  Perhaps, rather than it being some set in stone directive handed down from on high it will be more insidious.

  The WTS could harp on the subject for 3-6 months or even a year. Bringing up those that have faded and refused the help of the local congregation. How it would be better if the congregation let elders handle spiritual topics with them. They could subtly make it known that having spiritual discussions with these persons would be similar to doing so with a DF'd person. Currently many friends feel it is their duty to convince the fader or inactive the correctness of the WTS teachings which opens the way for 2-way communication which can prove dangerous to the helpful JW.

  With this method they avoid making some sort of announcement and instead let the information be hammered in slowly over the course of time.

  Witnesses with a heart and those with faded family will be soothed because they'll know that as long as they don't discuss anything spiritual they won't get in trouble. The WTS is happy because if spiritual discussions aren't had then there is much less chance of their flock being infected with reality.
• 
  59

  Statistical effect of disassociating the inactive

  by AuldSoul in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it has been tossed around several times on the forum, and invariably someone pipes up that the wts will never do it because of the adverse effects on the numbers.

  there is a glaring flaw in that reasoning.. the inactive are never counted as publishers.

  the numbers that are reported are of active, reporting publishers.. if they disassociate every single person who is inactive and refuses to reactivate themselves, the numbers will not be negatively affected at all.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TheListener

  Just some points of clarification. 1. If you don't report time for a one month period you are considered irregular. 2. If you don't report time in a six month period (consecutively) you are inactive. These are established criteria by the WTS. I would say that the WTS is constantly warning the friends about worldly 'leaven'. That includes family members. The WTS doesn't need to go out and hunt down inactive witnesses to DA them. They simply need to make a mention that if someone who was a baptized witness in good standing is no longer among us, and hasn't listened to the good counsel provided by the spiritual shepherds then ----poof. you know the rest. The WTS doesn't care if you, the inactive person, knows about your standing or not. They can't control you. They control the congregation members. They control their thoughts and actions. As far as current elders and witnesses who associate with DF'd relatives. Yes, that has always happened. It sometimes causes contention in the congregation. However, it is wrong according to the WTS. If the those ones break the DF rules then they will probably break the inactive rules too. That doesn't mean the WTS wouldn't make those rules though. Someone who is weak and in need of tender loving care won't get DA'd. Someone who is staunchly refusing to have a bible study or attend meetings or meet with the brothers for shepherding would be the primary target. The WTS has to find a way to keep faders from infecting their flock.
• 
  59

  Statistical effect of disassociating the inactive

  by AuldSoul in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it has been tossed around several times on the forum, and invariably someone pipes up that the wts will never do it because of the adverse effects on the numbers.

  there is a glaring flaw in that reasoning.. the inactive are never counted as publishers.

  the numbers that are reported are of active, reporting publishers.. if they disassociate every single person who is inactive and refuses to reactivate themselves, the numbers will not be negatively affected at all.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TheListener

  Unfortunately I agree with you Auld Soul.

  I believe they have been setting the stage for this over the past couple years.

  The only downside I see, as you already mentioned, is the compassion and love some of the friends have for those who are weak.

  They will go along with it, I don't believe this would cause a mass exodus or anything. In fact I agree with your comment that initially their numbers will improve.

  Over the long haul though this could bite them.

  We've always said that the WTS would probably prefer a small hard core following than a large freethinking following. This would be a major step in that direction.

  But, they would risk having their hard core members be even more disconnected from society and thus more unable to properly preach and bring in new ones.
• 
  90

  I'm new and nervous!

  by kitten whiskers in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am new here and have been "lurking" for several months.

  the discussions have helped me tremendously to break free from the society.

  i want to thank you all for your help and heartfelt posts.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TheListener

  This is just a wonderful thread. Welcome to all new ones. I am so glad you took the step of posting. I lurked for a couple years before I had the courage to post. I wish I had begun posting sooner. The love and support I've received from this board has saved my sanity.

  Welcome and enjoy. I look forward to hearing your stories and reading your input on various scriptural topics.
• 
  49

  "Store up... treasures in heaven." 2007 Circuit Assembly review

  by Zico in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i had my circuit assembly last weekend.

  it was absolutely mind numbing, but i took extensive notes, and i thought i'd share the key points with everyone here for your reading pleasure.. .

  i feel i'd made a lot of progress since my convention in june.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TheListener

  Thank you Zico. I really appreciate your thoroughness. Your posting this will help many of us better understand where our loved one's minds are at.
• 
  36

  NWT inserting Jehovah in the NT (discussing the "J" references)

  by AuldSoul in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i wrote most of this in response to drew sagan, in a thread that wasn't really about this issue.

  when i read back over it, i figured it need a thread of its own.. the first part of the puzzle is in appendix 1d of the nwt reference bible.

  they list all "237 places where the name jehovah occurs in the main text of the new world translation of the christian greek scriptures.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TheListener

  I believe there are also several instances where the 'j documents' use YHWH where the society doesn't quote them. I'm pretty sure JSchwem (spelling?) posted some about this a year or two ago. I will look for his posts and link the thread, if I can figure it out.

  This is one of those things that blew me away when I first learned it. I went from high and mighty and smarter than thou to embarrassed, duped and foolish.
• 
  1

  Why are KMs no longer posted?

  by TheListener in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the board used to have a lot of the information from the kingdom ministry's posted and reexamine.org had scans of the actual kms.. why aren't they scanned or posted any longer?

  anyone who has access to the latest kms please, if possible, post them.. for those of us who have faded away or otherwise left but still need to be aware of what's happening in our jw family's lives (and the kms play a big part in that) it would be so very useful.. currently on reexamine.org the july 2006 km is posted.

  but, the august, september and this week or next the october 2006 kms could be on there too.. .

  1. 
• 

  TheListener

  The board used to have a lot of the information from the Kingdom Ministry's posted and reexamine.org had scans of the actual KMs.

  Why aren't they scanned or posted any longer? Anyone who has access to the latest KMs please, if possible, post them.

  For those of us who have faded away or otherwise left but still need to be aware of what's happening in our jw family's lives (and the KMs play a big part in that) it would be so very useful.

  Currently on reexamine.org the July 2006 KM is posted. But, the August, September and this week or next the October 2006 KMs could be on there too.
• 
  5

  Publisher figures for U.S.

  by TheListener in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  does anyone have the latest publisher figures for the u.s.?

  i haven't had access to a km for awhile and was wondering how the service year was progressing.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TheListener

  Anyone? pretty please?