7 year resurrection - LOL
Posts by besty
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15Pls help w/info on CO car leasing....PLEASE!
by LDH ini am pasting an email i received here, i do not have the concrete answers.
i know this person is reading the forum, please if you have the answers, post them here!.
hello lisa,.
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37
Jehovah's Witnesses are CASTING A GIANT SHADOW
by Terry infolks are about as happy as they decide to be.. looking on the bright side of life gives you more of a foothold when things go awry.
nurturing hope builds a foundation for you which enables you to save for tomorrow and build toward the future and hang on when things get tough.. people dig their own graves when they become pessimists.
"why bother" replaces "that's worth a try!".
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besty
Great post Terry. Ironic that they get all the tax benefits of a charity for peddling this anti-charitable message.
Still JW's are walking proof that freedom of choice exists for most people - thankfully most people exercise that choice in a more productive way.
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21
Bossert Hotel sold
by Aaac inwatchtower society has found buyer for the famous bossert hotel.
the price was 100 million dollars.
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?aid=/20080505/free/215086780/1059/toc
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besty
source blog here http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2008/05/the_bossert_fin.php
now saying $90m
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Bossert Hotel sold
by Aaac inwatchtower society has found buyer for the famous bossert hotel.
the price was 100 million dollars.
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?aid=/20080505/free/215086780/1059/toc
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16
watchtower fancy dress party
by edmond dantes inwhen the watchtower society eventually folds and shuts up shop.
what will you wear at the celebration fancy dress party?
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besty
Charlie 'T' Russell with a pyramid hat - good to get it all back to where it started from...
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email to my non-JW cousins about our shunning
by besty ini sent a lengthy email to three of my cousins describing how i feel about being shunned by my mum and brother.
this email was prompted by me discovering my cousins are planning to 'shun' my brother - relatively easy since they live in nz and he is in scotland, but him and his wife were/are planning a trip down there sometime.. see what you think - i found out tonight the email has been sent round other parts of the family <result> and that two of my aunties are busy googling charlie russell in their spare time :-)....so any lurker jw's - i say to you your 'worldly' relatives might know all your dirty washing by now.... in terms of the family 'issue' i have, i really appreciate that you are all thinking about us and are supportive of what we have done.
(((((((((((cousins))))))))))))).
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besty
I sent a lengthy email to three of my cousins describing how I feel about being shunned by my mum and brother. This email was prompted by me discovering my cousins are planning to 'shun' my brother - relatively easy since they live in NZ and he is in Scotland, but him and his wife were/are planning a trip down there sometime.
See what you think - I found out tonight the email has been sent round other parts of the family <result> and that two of my aunties are busy Googling Charlie Russell in their spare time :-)....so any lurker JW's - I say to you your 'worldly' relatives might know all your dirty washing by now...
In terms of the family 'issue' I have, I really appreciate that you are all thinking about us and are supportive of what we have done. (((((((((((cousins)))))))))))))
Freedom of thought without retribution is a basic human right as far as I'm concerned and I think that is what you all feel strongly about, and rightly so. It's not really about whether JW's are doctrinally right or wrong - although I have plenty to say on that subject also :-) The question for us with JW's (and other similar high control groups) is how best to deal with the fallout from leaving. There are two big concepts I'd like to bore you with if you'll bear with me....:-)
One of the hallmarks of a cult is black and white thinking. No shades of grey. Good v bad. Us v them. Satan v God. Right v wrong. You get the idea. So for Andrew + Mum anything 'good' that happens is from God and anything 'bad' that happens is the Devil personally persecuting them and thereby proving to them that they are right. So good things prove them right and bad things prove them right - neat trick huh? So us leaving is 'bad' and from the Devil. Because the Devil is persecuting them (ie they do have the normal human emotions of feeling upset at not being able to speak to us, they may in fact have a grieving reaction similar to a death in the family) and persecution by the Devil is a hallmark of Gods favour (!WTF?!) This means to them that they are in fact reinforced in their belief that they are doing the right thing. So my point is that if you decide to shun them this will further re-confirm that they are in the right, and that the Devil is persecuting them because they are doing God's will. Twisted, twisted thinking but there you have it. There is a strategy for dealing with this though.
The second thing to know is that cult members have two personalities (at least two - maybe more if they are also schizo LOL). So you have your Aunty Ann, your mothers sister, born in the Hebrides, Gaelic speaker, good fun, very kind and thoughtful of other people, considerate, took great care over Granny and Grandpa in sickness and in health, wife, mother,aunty etc etc. BUT you also have Sister Morrison - the JW cult member personality. Prepared to totally ignore her son and daughter-in-law for the rest of her natural life. Prepared to commit medical suicide if she needed a 'banned' blood product. Prepared to spend a lifetime of endless hours trying to recruit other people into the same belief system. Same with Andrew, Emma etc. Two personalities each. The challenge for you (and me if I ever get the opportunity) is to engage with the non-cult personality to try and give them the oxygen of normal interaction before they descend back into the murky waters of cult thinking.
One interesting phenomena this dual personality throws up is the psychological concept known as cognitive dissonance. (See you thought I was just a pretty face and now I'm using big words on ya :-) Basically this is the sore head a person gets by trying to hold two opposing beliefs in their mind at the same time. So for example a JW firmly believes that all non-JW's will be destroyed by God at Armageddon - this world-changing event always coming 'soon' of course :-) and they look forward to this event as being the main reason for being alive. However they also have the normal family love and affection feelings hence Andrew + Emma (A&E.... Accident & Emergency? anyways...) wanting to come down and spend time with you all in NZ. Completely normal desire, but in their cult mind they also know that you will all be destroyed by God 'soon'...6 billion innocent men women and children. Anyway, the point is that they can hold both concepts simultaneously, but it does lead to a mental sore head.
They way that they reduce the internal conflict is to hope that you will see the light, become JW's and thus not get destroyed. Also they believe that in the event of your death by natural causes prior to Armageddon you will get a physical resurrection back to earth after Armageddon where you once again will get another chance to become a JW (or, of course, get destroyed by God permanently this time - yes folks... this is all in the Bible - keep up, will ya). This resurrection belief has lead some JW's to wish for an untimely death eg car crash to happen to their ex-JW relatives in the sad belief that a future resurrection is a better outcome than a normal family relationship in this life. Heavy stuff, but true. So far I haven't heard my family expressing such a wish but it wouldn't surprise me if it had crossed their mind.
My point is that if you can find it in your hearts to ignore all the cult wackiness and treat them as victims then I would much appreciate that. I also happen to believe it is the best opportunity to try and hook them out - I don't hold out much hope of that any time soon though. Also remember its Mum and Andrew who are actually being punished here - Sam and I are free to talk to whoever we chose, them included if they would let us. It is they who are being told who they can and can't talk to. Much as they would have you belive it is their choice and it is in the Bible, if the Watchtower said they were now free to talk to us they would pick up the phone in a heartbeat.
The two best weapons you have at your disposal for dealing with this are:
1 - treat the whole thing as irrelevant and unimportant. JW's firmly believe they are Gods chosen people, doing a special work on his behalf to tell the world the end is nigh and that you'd better convert ASAP. Nothing bugs them more than ignoring their specialness. Like I said above, shunning them would be counter-productive - it would 'prove' to them they are special after all.
2 - Humour - cult members have zero -and I mean total, absolute zero - sense of humour when it comes to their belief system. After all they have been chosen by God to live and everybody else is going to die 'soon'. They have THE TRUTH. It is difficult though as its not kind to poke fun at them personally or at their belief system - perhaps I will go into more detail on this in another email....
Well thanks again for all your kind words and thoughts - it means everything to Sam and I - the boys will know about this when they are old enough.
Thanks for reading this far (if you made it)
Love and hugs
PSAB
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12
Investigating Feasability of a Project: Can You Help?
by AuldSoul in(from internal revenue service).
exempt purposes - internal revenue code section 501(c)(3).
the exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3) are charitable, religious, educational, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition, and preventing cruelty to children or animals.
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besty
AS - it depends on the geographical scope of your project but in the UK a 'public benefit' policy has just come into force, meaning that all charities have to prove their contribution is of 'benefit' to the 'public'. Both words are open to debate as to definition.
One aspect of this policy that is attracting some comment is the need to balance any public benefit against any possible harm. See here
Another aspect to consider in your project is the lack of equality for women. Most charities have an equal opportunities policy and government agencies almost always do as well. Not the WTS. No senior managers or leadership positions without at least one bollock.
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Ex-JW's in Telford, Shropshire
by grahammaskill inhello, i am an ex-jw new to this site.
i was wondering if there was anyone from telford in shropshire, or indeed in the county of shropshire itself, that would like to drop me a line.
i have been out of the religion for some years now but even now am having to deal with the emotional repercussions.
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besty
Hi graham
My wife Sam and I are in LA but were in London. Tell us a bit more about yourself and your exit....
PS you might not get many replies tonight as most UK folks will be in bed...
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rangers in the EUFA cup final
by ninja inwooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
i don't expect you non scots to understand but......ninja is so happy.....come on the gers
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besty
CUMOANRAGERS!!!!!!!!!!
I watched the game from the heart of trueblueism in LA - magnificent. Mutu's cousin was there. He got a right doing.
hehhee - lovin the left foot joke - nobody south of Larkhall will get that one....
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12
Finantial Issues of WT
by JWRESEARCH inwt have always been very discreet about their finances.
in the annual totals the sum spent had great increases every year.
however is the evidence is quite clear about the recent fall of contributions - the result was the cut in watchtower and awake.
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besty
I ran a quick spreadsheet on Kingdom Hall Assistance program. Buildings insurance in other words.
The WTS are proud to pay less than 5% of premiums back in claims. (this figure from an ultra-reliable source) Warren Buffett expects to pay 100% back in time - its what he can do with the money in the meantime - float its called - that excites him.
So l assumed 1000 congs in the UK paying £400 per annum each in premiums. The WTS pays back £20k in claims and invests £380k at 7%. Rinse and repeat for 20 years. Money in the bank = £16,000,000 and per annum return is over £1,000,000.
Just one nice little earner.