Posts by careful

according to statistics supplied by jehovah’s witnesses canada, about 85 jehovah’s witnesses live in flin flon, with around 100 people coming to each of the group’s biweekly meetings.. “we needed a new hall because the congregation has outgrown the old hall,” said congregation elder kelly flodell in a press release..

careful

Yes, let me add my thanks, newsheep, for the info on Mark Sanderson.

As for new KHs being built, don't you think that if they are going to keep up the line that all those being sold are for building new ones, they had better publicize the few new ones that apear? Otherwise, some of the "faithful" might start using their heads and start thinking some UN-faithful things!

24

Jehovah's Witnesses Came to My Neighborhood

by Juan Viejo2 in

for nearly two years i have not seen any jehovah's witnesses going door to door in my neighborhood.

that was not the case when my wife and i first moved here (north central oregon).

in fact, our neighborhood was visited at least once every 4 to 5 months - even in the coldest winter months.

careful

JV, so good to hear from you! I've missed your posts and comments, and esp. the good info you have shared from contacts still in the org or your own past experience.

As to this post of yours, that's quite a mindful. Things really have gone downhill in multiple ways. The org has become a shadow of what it used to be. As you document here, the non-preaching, non-disciple-making work shows this as do the financial crisis, the CSA issue, the adoption of church-like practices of popular music and entertainment, the glitzy monthly broadcast, and the putting up of a "Bible museum." The org and its leadership are suffering greatly on multiple fronts, largely due to their own stupid decision-making.

Please drop more often and share info with us. Your ongoing projects sound interesting and should prove fruitful.

8

Article: Fresno, California JW elder sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl

by AndersonsInfo in

subject: fresno, ca jw elder sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl sept. 20, 2019 https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article235306577.html.

fresno, ca church elder makes plea deal in sex abuse case | the fresno bee.

a 45-year-old fresno man, who worked as a police dispatcher in madera, pleaded no contest on friday to charges he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl from his church.

careful

Thanks for the ref. and comments. Hecce and Vidiot: spot on!

52

Ruin those Ruining th Earth

by peacefulpete in

it has been mentioned before but since we have been discussing environmental issues on another thread, i thought it might be timely to discuss rev 11:18 which has recently become a popular text for those christians concerned about environmental threats of pollution and climate change.

is this passage being interpreted correctly?

did the writer somehow anticipate the modern environmental situation, or did he intend something more in keeping with the bible's general concerns of morality and sin?.

careful

As any good NT lexicon points out, the Greek word diaphtheiro (διαφθείρω) can have either a physical or moral meaning (BDAG, 239; Grimm-Thayer, 143). At Luke 12:33 it is found in the first sense; at 1 Tim 6:5, the second.

SBF, your comment “It’s fair to point out that JWs probably interpret Rev 11:18 in a way the author didn’t intend. It’s also fair to point out that this is not at all uncommon, and indeed NT writers do the same with the OT” is good. However, I would add that in the Johannine writings the author(s) very frequently employed intentional ambiguity. Indeed he/they seem to delight in it. Thus to say that the author of Rev “didn’t intend” a certain meaning can be problematic on its face.

17

The serpent in the Garden can’t be secretly Satan

by Doug Mason in

we know that the serpent in the garden can’t be secretly satan, because the first time satan is mentioned by name is in a story chronologically after this one, and in that, he is said to be walking.

remember that the serpent was cursed to crawl on his belly all the rest of his days, but in the book of job, satan is still walking around and chatting with god as if they’d never had a falling out.

this is when god had to ask satan where he’s been, because his infallible omniscience obviously didn’t know.. so if he had to ask that of satan, who is later described as the lord of lies, then why would god believe him?

careful

One way to look at the overall matter is to understand that that at the rough time of the writing of NT books, there was and had been much conjectural thought about the accounts in the OT, especially in Genesis, that are tantalizingly brief and leave lots of questions unanswered. Jews had been running all kinds of ideas into discussion on these topics, and their thoughts are often found in the Apocrypha, the Pseudepigrapha, Josephus, and the philosopher Philo, as well as writings from Qumran/the Dead Sea Scrolls. Sometimes they are even found in classical sources of the Greeks and Romans.

On the issue of the role of the angels on the one hand and Adam and Eve on the other, there are statements in 1 Enoch (2nd cent. BC and later) that a sinful angel named Gaderel (or Gadeel) "misled Eve" and was responsible for revealing to humans how to make weapons of war (69.6). In the Wisdom of Solomon 2.23-24 (perhaps slightly earlier, 3rd-2nd cent. BC) there is found the statement that God had made humans in his image, "but through the devil's envy death entered into the world." If we accept that many Jews viewed death as the result of Adam and/or Eve's actions, then the connection with the snake in Eden is not far off.

Therefore, the statement in Rev 12 is not out of place, given what was happening in the Judaism of the time. Viewing it as "secret" is indicative of not understanding the historical issues going on at the time of the NT writings.

BTW, the fact that 1 Enoch's writer(s) does (do) not agree with the "name" Satan means nothing. Those responsible for that book loved to assign names, even contradictory ones, to all sorts of angels and demons.

17

2019--Two New Documents Arrived!

by Atlantis in

jw
friends

2019 congregation field service and meeting attendance report-s-1-e. https://docdro.id/tosesq0.

2019 elders meet with regular pioneers--special pioneers-and field missionaries.-s-211-20-e. https://docdro.id/or4rg4l.

what is the teaching toolbox mentioned in above elders meeting documents?

careful

So they're still turning in return visits, even in EU lands? What about the GDPR-inspired directive to longer write down the addresses of "interested persons"? Isn't that how a person becomes an RV?

As always, thanks Atlantis.

7

I speculate many Japanese PIMI are visiting apostate websites to collect information

by yoko N in

i run a japanese blog which exposes jw's hidden scandals.

child abuse issues, court cases which are never to be published on jw official website.

it is a very serious blog.

careful

Thanks for the post and info. You will get a better response here and in general if you can provide an English translation (maybe in subtitles?) of your work. For example, what did you say in pic of Ted Jaracz? Right now, most us can only wonder and glean a few points from your video.

32

District convention to be held in assembly hall instead of stadium

by NikL in

jw
friends

last night they announced that this summers district convention will be held at an assembly hall.. this is the first time i've seen this happen.

there are a couple of congregations in the same hall here and they aren't going to the same ones.

they are having multiple dates.. the hall they are going to use can only hold 1500 people max.. just wondering if maybe they just couldnt get anything bigger this year or if the falling numbers are playing a part in this decision.

careful

This is an informative thread—thanks. And thanks for the various thoughts by posters.

It sounds like this is another money move. 1. They don't have to shell out the money and resources to set up the DC in the traditional, bigger venues. 2. They can make more money by keeping it small and can continue to lie about expenses at the Ass. Hall, just like have done for years at circuit assemblies, making the faithful feel guilty and cough up more money that isn't really needed to run the assembly/convention.

They will likely keep the Intl. Convs. going for the high profile PR as the only big meetings. The DC/RC small turnouts the past two decades must look embarrassing to all. It may be easier to hide the small numbers of newly baptized in smaller venues too.