Posts by ackack

42

Is it me or has the WTS gotten worse?

by Lady Lee in

i've been out of the jws for the last 20 years.

i remember when...the wts prided its self on having khs that were humble, practical and were't a showy displaythe wts was as militant as they are now.the elders weren't as cruel to their ownthe wts wasn't always puttong their hands in the r&f's pocket and demanding money.the conventions actually cared about the needs of the r&f by providing food and not making a bunch of rules about where they could eat and what they could put under the seat.. am i remembering things differently?

has the society gotten worse?

ackack

It has prolly lost some of its joy. I don't know if its more controlling per se. I've heard a lot of stories from the "old days" and it sounded to me as though one congregation servant could really set the tone for what could and couldn't go on.

In sense, it seems to have gotten more drab. No food at assemblies, very little special or new. No real new light. Ambigious blood doctrine. Book study is studying the same ol' over and over. Perhaps I'm just not old enough to really compare it properly.

I guess, a better question would be, what metrics would you use to say its gotten better or worse? Just some ideas on that line.

Are there more rules? Probably not. We have lost a lot of crazy rules/opinions (can i play chess? can i use a pinata?) but the effect of having set those rules in the past is a kind of living memory of them. Many still remember and frown on those who don't follow.
Are people happier? Probably not. A lot of resentment around failed expectations. Too many comments about how they didn't expect to get old in the system. Increase in articles on the ressurection.
Is the WTBS becoming less dogmatic? I'm not sure. Thats a tough question.

There seems a failure to try something new, do something new. But at this rate I think we'll start to a) see decline in numbers overall b) lies in the stats :)

ackack

18

easy proof jw's are on the decline

by ackack in

in canada, at least, there is a trend that more and more seats are being reserved for the elderly.

first it started with the ice level.

then the first two rows around the ice level.

ackack

Well, thats just it. I would expect the rural areas (that is to say, NON-Toronto areas :) ) to have a much higher rate of older jws because of the lack of conversions. (vs Toronto which is prolly driving huge amounts of JW growth in Canada)

So Toronto's numbers would prolly look better than the rest of Canadas in terms of a population distribution.

ackack

p.s. yes, i know. Toronto *is* the greatest city to live in. :)

18

easy proof jw's are on the decline

by ackack in

in canada, at least, there is a trend that more and more seats are being reserved for the elderly.

first it started with the ice level.

then the first two rows around the ice level.

ackack

I wonder what exactly jw population pyramid looks like. I think I could make one for Toronto if I put my mind to it. :) Would involve some theivery and other unkind acts.

ackack

18

easy proof jw's are on the decline

by ackack in

in canada, at least, there is a trend that more and more seats are being reserved for the elderly.

first it started with the ice level.

then the first two rows around the ice level.

ackack

The overall numbers are prolly down. Not a whole lot.

Interesting though, the JW population is aging. I guess a more pertinent question is:
Is the JW population aging faster than the general population?

ackack

18

easy proof jw's are on the decline

by ackack in

in canada, at least, there is a trend that more and more seats are being reserved for the elderly.

first it started with the ice level.

then the first two rows around the ice level.

ackack

In Canada, at least, there is a trend that more and more seats are being reserved for the elderly. First it started with the ice level. Then the first two rows around the ice level. It kept going up and up, until they got to what? 8 rows around ice level.

Seeing as Canada has not really grown much, but the rate at which the elderly population has grown considerably, I think its fair to say, there is a definite decline in Canada (and prolly most western countries)

ackack

13

"Jehovahs Witnesses" on Wikipedia the online encyclopedia

by JustTickledPink in

jw
friends

for those of you familiar with wikipedia, you can get the answer to almost any question.

it's the greatest online encyclopedia and reference.. for curiosity sake, i looked up "jehovah's witnesses" and came up with this link.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/jehovas_witnesses.

not only does it do a pretty good job of outlining what jws are about, it also mentions they are suffering from a decline in numbers in developed lands.

ackack

your changes seem to have taken. good for you!

ackack

31

Comments You Will Not Hear at the 10-16-05 WT Study (Normal Life)

by blondie in

we shall walk in the name of jehovah our god.

" you will note that the new world translation of the holy scriptures says that they were "by divine providence called christians.

they were just living "normal" lives!

ackack

ColdRedRain: how so?

ackack

13

"Jehovahs Witnesses" on Wikipedia the online encyclopedia

by JustTickledPink in

jw
friends

for those of you familiar with wikipedia, you can get the answer to almost any question.

it's the greatest online encyclopedia and reference.. for curiosity sake, i looked up "jehovah's witnesses" and came up with this link.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/jehovas_witnesses.

not only does it do a pretty good job of outlining what jws are about, it also mentions they are suffering from a decline in numbers in developed lands.

ackack

There are editors to make sure the article isn't "taken over" by any special group. You can see in the history numerous defacement attempts. Wikipedia rocks. :)

ackack

ps. what about thanksgiving??

21

1914How Is It Arrived At? (Daniel 4)

by AuldSoul in

the only chronology in the bible tying anything to 1914, according to jehovah's witnesses, is found in daniel 4.. 1914how is it arrived at?.

assumption #1: luke 21:24 is referring to nebuchadnezzars dream as related in daniel 4, and that indicates a future fulfillment of daniel 4.. assumption #2: the second fulfillment of nebuchadnezzars dream relates to something entirely different than the initial fulfillment.. assumption #3: the seven times of daniel 4 means seven years.. assumption #4: the seven years dont mean seven years, they mean seven years of years, where each day of each year equals one year.. assumption #5: the seven years of years dont mean seven years of years, they mean seven years of prophetic years, where each day equals 360 days.. assumption #6: jerusalem was destroyed in 607 b.c.e.. assumption #7: we should add (7 times x 360 years of 365 (or 366) days each) 2,520 years to 607 b.c.e.

to arrive at 1914 c.e.

ackack

Blondie: Miller got to it by virtue of the fact that many others before him had done the same thing. Not really sure how the practice arose, but there have always been number nuts looking through the Bible and attempting to make some sense of it that way. I suppose its not all that significant that someone did it for this particular time period. It was bound to happen.

ackack

13

"Jehovahs Witnesses" on Wikipedia the online encyclopedia

by JustTickledPink in

jw
friends

for those of you familiar with wikipedia, you can get the answer to almost any question.

it's the greatest online encyclopedia and reference.. for curiosity sake, i looked up "jehovah's witnesses" and came up with this link.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/jehovas_witnesses.

not only does it do a pretty good job of outlining what jws are about, it also mentions they are suffering from a decline in numbers in developed lands.

ackack

Funny that you mention this... I've made a couple of contributions to the article.

There was one point in particular I was wondering about.

Are JWs specifically disallowed from celebrating Thanksgiving? I heard it was a conscience matter (at least in the states) Is that still true?

But back on the wikipedia article... EVERYONE go OVER there! contribute more to it. Make sure its complete and factual!

ackack