daniel-p

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Posts by daniel-p

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  8

  Do Bethelites and Governing body members live longer due to less work/life stress and not having kids?

  by Witness 007 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  some bethelites and governing body members are amazingly well "preserved" for their age.

  so if you had no mortgage, no kids to worry about, didn't have a stressful job with bills to balance....does bethel extend lifespans?.

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  daniel-p

  Bethel is NOT stress free. It is a most hectic existence, and for those higher up, there is a lot of politics to deal with. I couldn't imagine the level of stress at the GB level.

  There are sick people at Bethel, chronic illnesses, depression, cancer, etc, so I don't think being at Bethel necessarily enhances your lifespan. However, that perception could be from the fact that the old timers are able to get comfortably old because they have great health coverage and assisted living facilities (e.g. the "D-Res" at Wallkill) in a perceived spiritually nurturing environment, and there are a lack of younger sick people simply because Bethel doesn't take them or finds a way to get rid of them. If you grow old and are able to go about your work and life productively, you can last a long time at Bethel. But if you start breaking down, Bethel will most likely look to divest itself of you, and send you out into the world, unless you've spent 25+ years there and they wouldn't be able to get rid of you without looking really bad.

  [What I say is from experience as a Bethelite, not just off-the-cuff speculation like some comments above.]
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  260

  Who Are Your Past Circuit Overseers? It's a small world..

  by mentallyfree31 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  who were your past circuit overseers?

  i'm sure a lot of us actually know mutual people, as the co's relocate all over the country.. here's a few from the southeast us: (let me know if you recognize any names and post yours too please...).

  ellwood johnson (new york/philadelphia area for several years also).

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  daniel-p

  Michaelson

  Palfi

  Billy Ray Something
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  24

  How Many Apostates Are At Bethel?

  by mentallyfree31 in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  does anybody personally know people at bethel that are "apostate" but still undercover?

  surely there has to be a handul at least.

  perhaps they are still there, until they can get things in order to leave...

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  daniel-p

  There are far more critical-thinking JWs at Bethel than many people realize. When you are on the "inside" and so "spiritually strong" you trust yourself to ask hard questions, thinking yourself above the influence of petty doubts. You are hyper-alert to organizational changes and are also hyper-sensitive, since you are involved in its day-to-day workings. In fact, I'd guess that Bethelites are inherently more susceptible to apostacy just due to those facts. If R&F JWs knew as much about the organization there would be a lot more unrest.
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  36

  District Assembly Dramas - where the heck do they come from?

  by babygirl30 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  despite growing up a jw i was always curious where this corny plays came from?

  my best memories of them were when they used to turn the lights out in the convention center - cause that meant i could sleep!!!

  but seriously, who writes them?

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  daniel-p

  They are written at Bethel, with Bethel choreographers, and mostly Bethel voice-actors, thus reflecting the distinctly narrow and naive world-view of those closely ensconsed individuals. The highly-detailed scripts are then disseminated to certain elders in charge of gathering a cast from local congregations and then they spend weeks and weeks rehearsing their pantomime absurdities.
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  5

  Ex-Gilead Graduates: How could I qualify to go to that prestigious school?

  by african GB Member in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  please advice on how many years in service, how many years as a pioneer or elder or ms?.

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  daniel-p

  You have to get married first. To do that, you have to get a life, or find a woman who also has no life.
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  18

  Now that's a sink hole! (Guatemala City)

  by Think About It in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  sink hole in guatemala city caused by the tropical storm.

  i seen a view from the top and you couldn't see the bottom.

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  daniel-p

  Thanks for the explanation. I know how sinkholes work. Underground erosion of the limestone takes thousands of years, especially when you're looking at the depths we see here. They aren't created by a single storm.

  No, but storms hasten erosion.
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  18

  Now that's a sink hole! (Guatemala City)

  by Think About It in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  sink hole in guatemala city caused by the tropical storm.

  i seen a view from the top and you couldn't see the bottom.

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  daniel-p

  How did they explain that a tropical storm could cause a sinkhole? I'd love to read the geology behind that theory.

  Tropical storm releases water. Water falls on earth. Water trickles and rushes throuch channels and streams, and percolates into the earth. Earth destabalizes and dirt is carried away with water. Where a cave exists underground, dirt washes away beneath and leaves a depression or hole on the surface. Where towns are built on rock that dissolves by water (e.g. limestone), sinkholes are common.
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  41

  The one thing that might bring down the Watchtower

  by Cagefighter in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  revealing the finances and financial position of those at the top.. look every organization makes money and it usually goes to the top.

  the brothers and sisters could not ignore the hypocrisy if exactly how much was floating around was revealed.

  think about it's like a corporation where only the ceo gets paid.

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  daniel-p

  The GB members lead comfortable lives and are pampered by rich JWs and have enough money to meet their needs. But they simply do not have the time, room, or inclination to lead a life of opulence like a top CEO would have.

  For a top CEO, there is an end-game, exit scenario where their money would come into play. The GB members are in this for life, and every one of them expects to die doing what he is doing now. There is no exit scenario for them. There is no Mediterranean island to which they will retreat in their old age, sitting next to the Neptune pool with marble statues and topless women handing them cocktails. Just meetings, walking down hallways, sitting at desks, more meetings, and passing the soggy eggs at Morning Worship.
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  53

  How Many Crazy People Are On This Here Forum?

  by snowbird in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  *raises hand*.

  syl.

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  daniel-p

  I am only crazy when I get on JWD.
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  50

  MOST DRAMATIC MOMENT in Science Fiction History?

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  something old, nothing new: count zarth arn, watch out!

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  daniel-p

  Burns, don't be so sour. I like Heinlein, as I like Rand and Huxley. And a writer being successful has no bearing whatsoever on this, or any other important conversation about literature. Heinlein was a great author, but his "point" was very often ahead of the story itself, unlike Asimov or Clarke. Sorry to hurt your feelings, little guy!

  

  If you want, you can fill out this: