skin

Joined

• started 25 topics
• posted 775 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by skin

• 
  28

  Baptism statistics from CO

  by neat blue dog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  just went to the assembly yesterday and during the final talk the circuit overseer said:.

  'sure, there are some adults baptised here and there, but do you want to know something wonderful?

  the vast majority of those getting baptized are teens and preteens!

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  skin

  Same has Steve2 above, I went to the Christchurch New Zealand convention, 3000 in attendance about 15 baptized, 20 plus years ago the baptism numbers at this convention were always 60+.

  When the attendance announcement of 2960 was made on the first day, there was an obvious pause before the traditional clapping started, I believe most people were shocked to hear a sub 3000 attendant figure, all these years we keep getting told that Jehovahs organization is on the increase, but our conventions just keep decreasing in attendance.
  
• 
  11

  Is this a World Wide Pattern?

  by Slidin Fast in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hundreds baptized at jehovah's witness convention.

  at first sight this afican rc looks as though it's acheiving the quantity of baptisms of another era.

  348 is a substantilal number and impressive until you see the sunday attendance 28,300. so a baptism rate of 1.2%, in africa.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  skin

  20 years ago at our conventions there were 3500 + in attendance with more than 60 getting baptized. The last convention attendance had dropped to under 3000 and only 13 baptized. No change in territory boundaries.
  
• 
  114

  JW Stumper Questions - List You Best Here

  by pale.emperor in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  hi guys.

  sooner or later we're going to get a jw knocking on our door.

  just like when we were jw's doing the knocking, it's good to have a question prepared to get them thinking about their own beliefs.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  skin

  History lesson:

  Can you please tell me, in about what year did the organization first start proclaiming that the year 1914 was the start of the last days?

  or a more leading question could be.
  

  Leading up to 1914, how many years before 1914 had Charles Russell and the International Bible Students been teaching that the heavenly kingdom was going to be established in 1914?
• 
  35

  Be loyal when a relative is disfellowshipped

  by UnshackleTheChains in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  well.....they showed that shunning video again.

  you know...the one where goldilocks gets disfellowshipped- and the parents look across the hall at her with disdain.....yeah that video.. i was interested to see what kind of answers would be given during the discussion after the video and some of the reactions.

  everyone sat there gormlessly staring at the video.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  skin

  With all this shunning taking place toward her. At one point Sonia says something like "I almost blamed my parents or God for my situation".

  Why would she not include blaming the GB for her situation? That's right, the GB wrote this video, and they can't have them suggesting that they themselves are the cause. But writing into the script that God could be blamed? even suggesting that God could be to blamed is pretty rude.
  
• 
  20

  Sunday's W.T angered me + I found an ironic scripture

  by Isambard Crater in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  during the "do you love me more than these" watchtower study on sunday, i got so angry on many occasions, hearing people make comments like "if you enjoy your job, you're an enemy of jehovah" and "the only reason we're here is to preach.

  work and relaxation only exist to help us to preach".. the paragraph talking about the "do more!

  " attitude in the world getting people down really got me down just reading it, as it applies so much to the borg.. i also found the ecclesiastes scripture quoted to be ironic, as the rest of the article tells is that nothing is better or more of a priority than to preach;.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  skin

  This whole WT study was based on this verse, “‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat
  and you will find some fish.’ So they cast it, but they were not able
  to haul it in because of the large number of fish.”—John 21:1-6. Next Jesus says “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” To what was Jesus referring? Peter was quite attached to fishing. So it seems that Jesus was asking him where his true affection lay. Did he have greater affection for
  the fish and the fishing business than for Jesus and the things
  that he taught?

  So this whole anti work study is based around these fish symbolizing time wasting activities?
• 
  12

  JW Definition of "Apostate"

  by Saename in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so recently, after having a conversation with a jehovah's witness, i started wondering about how jws define the term "apostate.

  " officially, every elder would tell you that an apostate is one who leaves the jehovah's witness faith.

  but did anyone else notice that this is not how they use the word colloquially—that they're sort of dishonest about it?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  skin

  A search for the word Apostate in the Bible shows that where the word “Godless” is used, a footnote for meaning apostate has been added, ie Pro 11:9, Job 36:13.

  The word apostate isn’t found in the Greek Scriptures and only found 4 times in the Hebrew Scriptures.
• 
  50

  Jehovah's people are not happy people

  by Phoebe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i finally stopped attending the meetings about 4 months go.

  i won't be going back - ever.. but i've decided the best reply to the watchtower is to be happy and i do try to be happy every day even thought i wasted my entire life on this religion.

  i cherish every day, practice mindfulness and do my best to be content with the life i have.. it is only now that i see that most jws i know are deeply unhappy people.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  skin

  Being told at the meetings that Jehovah's people are the happiest people on earth, then look around the hall at everyone and realize that there is no happiness showing on their faces. Being told at the meetings that worldly people are the unhappy ones, (we have to believe that because the GB say so), but then everyday experience's outside JWs show worldly people to be mostly very happy with their life's.
• 
  62

  Russian Ban upheld - JWs lose appeal

  by OrphanCrow in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the supreme court of russia has rejected the jehovah's witnesses' appeal.. https://jw-russia.org/news/17071719-195.html.

  july 17, 2017 the supreme court of russia has missed the last chance to restore law and justice for the 175,000 russian citizens professing the religion of jehovah's witnesses.

  it took less than an hour of the meeting a panel of three supreme court judges, to leave unchanged the decision taken earlier by the judge yuri ivanenko, the liquidation and ban any and all registered organizations of the religion.since there is no more effective domestic remedies, the believers will appeal to the european court of human rights and other international organizations.. *note: as reported by the jworg source, jw-russia.org.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  skin

  I thought all those letters addressed to Putin were supposed to prevent this?
  

  Jehovah has warned us about getting politically involved with the Governments of this world, trying to manipulate the out come of a Governmental decision via letter writing (petition) is an act that true Christians avoid. Unless Watchtower say its OK to get politically involved.
  
• 
  29

  Have you ever come across someone on this site or other exjw site that you knew?

  by karter in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  2 for me 1 from my old congro in the 80's and another that was in the same circle of friends.. karter..

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  skin

  No one that I know of. South Is, NZ here. In case there are others from this area.
• 
  28

  Another JW Urban Legend Thread

  by Funchback in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  threads about jw urban legends are nothing new on this forum.

  they are loads of fun to read.

  how many of you remember the one about the teenager who skipped the meeting and decided to get into a car with his worldly friends and they worldly guys decided to rob a store and the jw didn't know they were going to do so but he was arrested simply for being with them?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  skin

  Who as heard the one about a JW Dad who wants to show his son why gambling is wrong and a waste of money, so he takes his son into a casino, puts his one piece of money into a machine and hits jackpot. Moral is that Satan will temp you and catch you even with your best intentions.