Posts by sir82

15

Clergy Penitent Privilege

by lastmanstanding in

this privilege is not biblical.. neither is it supported is any jw teaching or publication.. the catholic church invented it, and its primary use is.... drum roll please.... to grant absolution.. do jehovah’s witness elders, who seek the same invented privilege, also grant absolution?.

if a jw elder hears “a sacred confession” then he must also grant absolution, absolving the sinner of his crimes.... er... sin..

sir82

Not to mention, when a JW "penitent" "confesses" to a member of the JW "clergy" about child abuse, the intimate details are shared with

-- All others on the local body of elders

-- the CO

-- An unknown number of members of Bethel's service department

-- An unknown number of members of Bethel' legal department

-- An unknown number of attorneys at any outside law firm the WTS may choose to enlist

-- And last but not least, at least 50% of the wives of all of these "unknown numbers"

I.e., JW "confessions" are potentially known and freely discussed by possibly dozens, possibly many dozens, of persons.

26

Algebra

by HappyDad in

jw
friends

what the hell?

it's after 4 am here in minnesota and my brain just won't shut down.

of all things....in the middle of the night,algebra is bugging me.

sir82

Have you ever used algebra in your life?

Constantly. What an odd question.

23

Will Armageddon Survivors Be Able to Marry?

by Expanded-Mind in

jw
friends

hi blondie!.

thirteen years ago you commented on an idea circulating among some jws prior to 1975, that there was a possibility that armageddon survivors might not be able to marry.. "these vows that honor god are used—not from the bible but the only ones sanctioned by the wts.. for as long as we both shall live together on earth according to god's marital arrangement.. when i was in my 20’s, many jws interpreted this to mean that at some point in the 'new system' marriage would end.

since this was shortly before 1975, many jws rushed to get married worried that they would never have the chance (and never have the chance to have sex.

sir82

”Is there sound reason for hoping that resurrected ones will be able to marry? Put simply, the answer is that we ~~cannot say~~ are too weaselly to say what we really think. If we say 'yes', that pisses off the old-time hardliners and they won't include us in their wills. If we say 'no', that pisses off the little old blue-haired widows, and they won't include us in their wills. So best to just shrug out shoulders and let you believe what you want.”

Fixed it for ya.

38

Dumb things JWs believed

by JimmyYoung in

i am not talking about the usual crap from the cult writings, but rather things idiots believed on their own.

maybe even helped on by the cult but not directly taught.

i knew an old man now long gone kunde in michigan.

sir82

the purpose of dinos was to flatten the earth

No, no, no - the JWs told me that the purpose of the dinosaurs was to reproduce in great numbers, then die, then get covered with dirt, then [insert magic box here] they get turned into petroleum for humans to use thousands of years later.

16

How the hell did Tony Morris get to be a GB member.

by JimmyYoung in

this guy was not a born in and did not really work his way up from the very bottom.

he kind of got some kind of fast track.

its a bit strange.

sir82

How does anyone get to be a GB member?

Same basic formula - the 30 year plan:

-- Be an "organization man" through and through. The organization is by far more important to you than anything else in your life, including family. Sign up for every "privilege" possible - pioneering is just the first baby step. Get on the fact track to be a CO.

-- Start partaking of the emblems at a relatively young age, and this next part is crucial - keep your head down for 10-15 years as you do so, to appear to be "humble" in the face of inevitable side-eyes and even outright criticism - don't rock the boat, but still maintain your stance as a "company man".

-- Be noticed by someone already in power. One example of how to do this is handling a tough & infamous judicial (disfellowshipping) case with utter loyalty to organization norms (the crueler the decision the better you will be viewed).

-- Get invited to Bethel, demonstrate again and again over many years that you put Organization ahead of all, literally, ALL, else. Make sure current GB members see you as "valuable".

-- Wait for someone on the current GB to die.

33

Special meeting next month (February 2020)

by Jofi_Wofo in

jw
friends

it was announced today that we will have a special weekend meeting next month.

it will be 3 hours long and will include some streamed content.. no explanation was given as to what the meeting will be about, only that it will be exciting and we will not want to miss it..

sir82

I'm going to make a wild stab in the dark here....

They need your money! And it will take them 3 hours to convince you of this.

45

The end is so close now....

by punkofnice in

aren't they tiring out from saying this now?.

a jobo pimi-lite i know has a terminal illness (no names, no pack drill), was told, 'hold on, the end is so close.

the pimi-lite said they will need to hold on to their 'go bags(tm), then!.

sir82

I mean, after so many sad years of saying that the end is so close, haven't they got tired, worn out,
fatigued at saying it?

It has to be terrible for JW's mental health.

On the one hand, you are expecting it "any moment now, soon, very soon, did we say soon? sooner than soon, the soonest" which is stressful.

On the other hand, now matter how many times you hear at a meeting, an assembly, a broadcast "soon, soon, SOON", soon never comes. Which is depressing & disappointing.

So you have constant cycle of psychological stress compounded by unending disappointment. Meanwhile, "Sister Iron Lung pioneered for decades while lying on her back, what's YOUR excuse? Why aren't YOU doing more?"

No wonder JWs hit the bottle.

12

The Governing Body Doesn't Wait On Jehovah

by Afterburn in

have you ever been told that humility requires waiting on jehovah?i have.

lots of times.

for decades.

sir82

Weird how "Jehovah reveals the new light" to them only after:

-- The composition of the governing body changes due to deaths and/or additions

-- there is a fresh vote on the topic and a 2/3 majority changes the previous understanding

Why it's almost as if "Jehovah's holy spirit" has nothing to do with any of this, and it's all just the fevered imagination of wanna-be prophets.

Nah, surely that couldn't be it. Must be holy spirit after all.

15

2019 Annual Meeting: more F.O.G.

by neat blue dog in

after the new construction project is announced, anthony morris the turd gives a talk where he arrogantly tells the audience to 'get over it' and get to work.

he says relaxing is fine and 'im not trying to put a guilt trip on you' but you all need to get busy.

no graciousness at all for the endless volunteer labor they demand for whatever new projects they dream up.

sir82

Anthony Morris III gave a remarkable speech

Well that's one way to describe it.

It seemed like he was completely unprepared, that he had just scribbled 4 or 5 phrases on an index card 15 minutes before going on stage and "winged it".

He's never been a dynamic speaker, but he usually appears better prepared. He sounded like somebody's drunk grandpa after he'd been hitting the hip flask all afternoon at the family reunion.

28

How many here believe the WTS really has has 8.5 million followers / 8.5. million members

by Hotpepper in

i think it's closer to 5 million with all the selling of kingdom hells and branch bethel's all over the world.

it's even hard to get a hard copy of the lastest craptower or afake mag now in new york city..

sir82

The numbers don’t add up where I live.

The 8.5 million is the global number.

I don't see how you can determine whether there is still growth in Brazil, Botswana, or Bolivia because attendance is down at the 3 or 4 Kingdom Halls you are familiar with in your small corner of Canada.

The WTS is scrupulous with their numbers. There are definitely 8.5 million persons who "turn in a time report" every month, which is what the number represents.

How many of them "really" believe it? How many of them are engaged in "secret wrongdoing" that would get them disfellowshiped if exposed? How many are trapped and just going along because they don't want to lose family, friends, business contacts, or pretty much the only way of life they have ever known?

Those are different questions, of course. "True believing" JWs are certainly much less than 8.5 million, but there is no accurate way to measure what that number would be.

But 8.5 million "turning in a field service report"? Certainly true.