TheListener

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Posts by TheListener

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  37

  Are Bethelites Buying and Preparing their own Food?

  by TakeOffTheCrown in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  samuel herd made the following statement at the 2015 annual meeting regarding the reduction of services at bethel.. we will be reducing personnel at bethel.

  some bethel family members will be invited to serve in the field.

  in addition to their regular work, bethel family members will be caring for many of the services that were previously provided by fellow bethelites.. .

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  TheListener

  We always had a buffet style breakfast on Sunday mornings where we would go down to the dining room and grab bread, lunch meat, cheese, pickles, condiments, whatever we needed to make a lunch for between meetings and field service. Those of us young single brothers who were lucky enough to have a mini fridge would grab extra and store it away for snacks.
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  91

  Is the Watchtower organisation facing the biggest crisis of its history?

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  recent developments make me think they might be.

  the problems they are facing are not just lack of funds but also draining authority, and the two could be a heady and explosive mix.

  one of the best analyses ever written of the watchtower was a book called "trumpet of prophecy" by sociologist james beckford in the 1970s.

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  TheListener

  I agree JWDaughter, the buildings sales provide income now but they won't get an infusion of cash like that again and if donation remain low they'll have to spend their principal and not live on the interest.

  That's if if if they haven't already mortgaged those buildings in Brooklyn which means selling them only clears their debts and doesn't make them any real money.
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  5

  January 2016 CLAM Videos

  by wifibandit in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  january 2016 sample 1. january 2016 sample 2. january 2016 good news.

  january 2016 skills.

  annual meeting 2015 overview.

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  TheListener

  Those videos seem very childish. I guess they need to be very clear with their words and phrasing but it didn't sound natural or comfortable at all.

  What a much weirder organization they've become.
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  20

  Are JW's allowed to have close non JW friends?

  by 007DB1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am a non-participating christian who is fully respectful of but never had anything to do with jw.. i have a jw friend who seems to closely follow his jw belief's.

  i have met most of his family and friends who all are also jw's.

  he says i am his only non-jw good friend.. he is getting married this year to his long time gf and with our recent growing more guarded and distant friendship, i am wondering what is going on?.

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  TheListener

  Your friend won't be able to get married in the kingdom hall if he has any "worldly" people in the wedding, in fact a lot of elders (priests) won't perform the ceremony if a "worldly" person is in the wedding party. Maybe he's distancing himself to keep from hurting you about your lack of involvement in the wedding.

  Maybe his fiance is also encouraging him to get stronger "in the truth" so he can be a ministerial servant (priest assistant). Having "worldly" friend or friends would make being a ministerial servant less likely.

  It's not unheard of for a witness to have a "worldly" friend. It's just not encouraged. If you don't present a spiritual problem (i.e. lack of what Witnesses consider morality) then they won't have a big problem with you. But, as he progresses spiritually, or if you say anything even remotely anti-JW your friendship will begin to wither away.
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  152

  If YOU had to make the decision, would you respect a JW relatives wish to refuse a blood transfusion?

  by nicolaou in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  a few years after i quit the meetings my mum needed her medical directive signed and witnessed and she asked if i'd do it.

  i was surprised to say the least!.

  i think she was just angling to include me and maybe find some lever to get me involved again.

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  TheListener

  For an adult - I would let them know beforehand that if the decision is mine I will allow a blood transfusion. If the decision was out of my hands I probably wouldn't campaign and fight for them to get a transfusion.

  Child - I explained to my wife when I faded that our kids would have whatever medical treatment they needed. Regardless of her wishes. I told her, if the transfusion or medical procedure was successful, that she could curse me silently every time she hugged our living children.
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  49

  Slightly different approach - JW my tradition

  by closed in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  hello everybody :) i have been visiting this forum for some time.

  i noticed that many can't really free from the past in the org despite many years outside of jw.

  i was awaken with a bang.

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  TheListener

  Welcome Closed. I'm glad you posted. I agree that wasting time on harboring bad feelings is a waste. Although, there are times when I just can't help it.

  Quick question, what is the meaning behind your username?
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  6

  My Bethel Experience Part 9

  by new boy in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  the worst thing, someone could call you at bethel, was a "jack.

  " as in "that guy is a real jack, he doesn't work at all".

  the other term not used very much anymore, was "pot licker" used basically the same way.

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  TheListener

  PotLicker - ahhh the memories
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  47

  Hello, this is my first post

  by noralee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello, this is my first post, i would like to introduce myself and say thank you to every one on this forum, you have been a lifeline to me these last few years.. i had been a jw for 30 years when i walked away a few years ago disgusted by the treatment victims of child abuse, domestic abuse and rape receive from the wtbts.. at first i thought it was a local problem, elders personal opinions, the way they handled the situations, imperfect men etc., until i checked out jehovahs witnesses and child abuse/domestic abuse online.

  that's when i realized they had the same modus operandi worldwide.

  that led me here, tbuo this forum, and then to crisis of conscience, jw facts, watchtower documents, jw survey, old watchtower literature and cd s, reading a couple of steve hassans books, and more recently exiting the jw cult.. the feelings of shock, betrayal, anger at the wtbts, angry with myself for being so gullible, depression, reflection, loneliness, have taken their toll.

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  TheListener

  Welcome Noralee. Glad you found the site and posted. Also really glad your family is out too. Forgive yourself and move forward. Life is too short to waste with regrets.
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  41

  If JWs were to change their name what would they change it to?

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  was it 1931 when they adopted jehovah's witnesses?

  (at the time with lower case w) isn't it about time now they changed name again?

  i mean everything else is changing why not the name!

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  TheListener

  Jehovah's Christian Witnesses
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  91

  Is the Watchtower organisation facing the biggest crisis of its history?

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  recent developments make me think they might be.

  the problems they are facing are not just lack of funds but also draining authority, and the two could be a heady and explosive mix.

  one of the best analyses ever written of the watchtower was a book called "trumpet of prophecy" by sociologist james beckford in the 1970s.

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  TheListener

  What a great thread. I started a thread a couple weeks ago where I asked the question whether the time may be right for a charismatic leader to take control of the organization. Whether that new leader is a GB helper, GB member or someone unknown.

  
  dubs-ripe-charismatic-leader-cause-division

  (the thread wasn't too popular and I hesitate to resurrect it)

  I can only state what I know from my wife, a few associates I maintain from my bethel days and extended family:

  -they don't contribute for literature anymore because it's mostly electronic

  -they used to donate for literature and local KH expenses. Now it's local KH expenses that they donate to. They seem to equate worldwide work donations with literature donations. Maybe that's why donations are drying up.

  -the technology is a two edged sword. They are proud to use it and feel advanced, but the older ones and those not tech savvy are constantly having issues. they are always looking for a better app to use for studying and synching multiple devices. they also get frustrated about running out of memory for the material they've studied on their device.

  -When more than a couple dubs are together in a group it's all positive. Positive they are right, positive the end is coming immediately. The various changes in the teachings and the world news all prove to them that the end is nigh.

  -When I'm alone with one of them, only the ones I know pretty well, they will admit to feeling tired, stressed and hopeful (not convinced) that the end is coming soon or that it must come soon because they can't hold on much longer and Jehovah wouldn't let that happen to his people.

  These are just regular average dubs from different economic backgrounds and areas of the the USA.

  The rank and file seem to confuse changes and revisions with a heightened expectation of the end. I don't know how it will affect the majority of witnesses when it doesn't come.