Question:
Would it be appropriate to arrange yard sales or other fund raising events to help the congregation?
Answer:
It is common for religious organizations to sponsor fund-raising events, such as dinners, sales, or festivals. While some may feel that these are for a good cause, the events amount to forms of solicitation. Jehovah's Witnesses do not obtain financial support in that way.
The second issue of the WatchTower, August 1879, said this about our refusal to imitate the churches and solicit funds: "'Zion's Watch Tower' has, we believe JEHOVAH for its backer, and while this is the case it will never beg nor petition men for support. When He who says: 'All the gold and silver of the mountains are mine,' fails to provide necessary funds, we will understand it to be time to suspend the publication."
We continue to follow the scriptural principle: "Let each one do just as he has resolved in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Cor. 9:7) Contribution boxes are kept in the Kingdom Hall so that individuals can make voluntary donations if they wish. (2 Ki. 12:9)
Contributions are not solicited; neither are they given with the idea of obtaining something in return. End
More blatant hypocrisy and micro-managing on the part of the wts. Condemn the churches for raising money, but all is well with an elderly widow turning over her entire estate to the society.
The longer I am around this mess, the harder it becomes for me to understand why the brain dead r&f dubs can't see these men for the arrogant, egotistical charlatans that they are.
ec
P.S.-They use older publications when it suits their purpose but discourage the rest of the dubs from doing any meaningful research into past writings of theirs. Laughable, if not for all of the injured souls left in the wake.
enlightenedcynic
JoinedPosts by enlightenedcynic
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THE DECEMBER 2006 OUR KINGDOM MINISTRY QUESTION BOX
by enlightenedcynic inquestion: .
would it be appropriate to arrange yard sales or other fund raising events to help the congregation?
answer: .
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enlightenedcynic
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IS/ WAS YOUR CONGREGATION LIKE MY CURRENT ONE?
by enlightenedcynic inin the congregation i currently attend with my die-hard witness wife and my two kids, the p.o.
is a lame duck elder whom no one really respects or goes to for any counsel, advice, etc.
another elder(lives at bethel) has taken to flirting with a local sister who is seperated but not divorced from her husband.
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enlightenedcynic
In the congregation I currently attend with my die-hard witness wife and my two kids, the p.o. is a lame duck elder whom no one really respects or goes to for any counsel, advice, etc. Another elder(lives at Bethel) has taken to flirting with a local sister who is seperated but not divorced from her husband. He and the sister think that no one is aware of their actions, but it is secretly the talk of the congregation. Another elder recently relocated to a new hall because a scandal broke involving him and a single sister and their possibly engaging in inappropriate behavior, because this elder was routinely seen leaving this sister's home by himself. The r&f dubs are depressed over their plight, and the "spiritual condition" of the congregation. Many feel overwhelmed by the uncertainty of life in this system and it is obvious to me that many are starting to wonder whether "the end" is ever going to come. I have personally heard comments like, "When is this thing going to end?" and "I don't know how much longer I can hold on".
The youth of the kh are out of control....I can count about 5 to 7 youths who are on reproof or that have been disfellowshipped. Others that are not baptized are rebelling against their parents, hanging out late, taking "worldly" boyfriends and girlfriends, and experimenting with drugs.
This is not shocking at all to me....it is actually the natural progression of things in an organization that prides itself on having the "truth" but that has left its followers ill equiped to handle basic challenges and decision making in life. My wife on the other hand is shocked and afraid. She says that this congregation is the exception, not the norm...but I know that is not the case!!! Please, just for my own sanity, tell me a little about where you attend now or once attended. What was the overall atmosphere in the hall? What sort of wrongdoing did you know was taking place? Not that I will present any of this info to my wife, but I will be able to say with a certainty that this is not some isolated problem going on here.
Thanks,
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Comments You Will Not Hear at the 10-29-06 WT Study (REJOICE WIFE)
by blondie inwww.reexamine.org (wt publications online).
http://www.randytv.com/secret/unitednations.htm (united nations issue).
with her love may you be in an ecstasy constantly.".
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enlightenedcynic
Blondie,
Thanks again for breaking down all that "spiritual food" for us and showing it to be the utter nonsense that it is. Here is something that I have often wondered about....the wts puts out these study articles on the family and marriage every year pretty much, same ole' advice/counsel. While infidelity is a big problem in the jw community, spousal abuse is just as big of a problem(I personally know of two wives in my hall who are being or have been beaten by their husbands). Why no articles about how wrong that is and how there is no place for that type of behavior in the congregation? Oh yeah, I forgot...that topic is strictly for the pages of the Awake, not the Watchtower which is supposedly food prepared mainly for the r&f.
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Active JWs, hows KN37 going?
by StillGroggy inhey everybody, i had an interesting time pushing a tract that i don't believe in this weekend.
i had to develop my own method of placing it without having to talk about it, since i fear if i was confronted by someone asking "do you people think you're the only true religion", i might break down and tell the person at the door "no, i don't".
the witness at the door with me would scream in terror, and i would be insta-dfed.
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enlightenedcynic
StillGroggy,
I am still an active witness and I just finished going out this past weekend with my family. My ploy?
First I partnered up with my six year old and sent my wife off with our oldest child. Then at about 65 to 75 percent of the doors I employed the now famous "pretend to ring but don't" method. After about an hour or so and some fudging of the records, my six year old and I were more than ready to go home. This method will not work every week for me, but when I can use it I will.
As far as the doors where I actually did ring, when someone answered, I simply said, "Hello, this is a free tract for you, have a nice day". Some took, others declined...I could care less, just doing what I have to do to keep my family together for now.
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LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT...........................
by enlightenedcynic ina governing body member dies and althoughbeit several months later after his death, he gets a full page eulogy complete with brief life story and picture.
(see 9/15/06 wt pg.
31 about albert schroeder) of course the wts does this anytime a high ranking official in their org passes away.
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enlightenedcynic
A governing body member dies and althoughbeit several months later after his death, he gets a full page eulogy complete with brief life story and picture.(See 9/15/06 wt pg. 31 about Albert Schroeder) Of course the wts does this anytime a high ranking official in their org passes away. What happened though to the policy of not giving undue praise to man??? On the other hand, a rank and file dub gets maybe 5 minutes mention in his or her own funeral talk and the rest of the talk is about their "marvelous hope" for the future. I understand the dynamics and politics at play here but I still can't believe that most dubs don't see the blatant hypocrisy taking place! Humble men. HAH!!! The wts leaders are a bunch of egotistical and arrogant bastards.
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Whatever Happened To THIS Belief?
by Sunspot inas jws, we used to be told that "when they are crying peace and security, the end will come".
nothing indicates that this will be happening any time in the near future, but the "new" tract would seem to make people think the "end" will be soon.. has the wts changed this "peace and security" teaching over the past few years?
if they have changed their thinking, how have they worked their way around that one?.
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enlightenedcynic
I still attend meetings (unfortunately), and this point is certainly not stressed or emphasized as much as it once was. Just to illustrate how the average dub just turns off all logical thought...my wife comes home the other night from meeting with her 50 tracts for the campaign. She's all excited and says to me, "I really think that the slave has some kind of knowledge regarding the end of the system...they must because why else would they print this tract?" I couldn't take it, so I politely asked her if she remembers what Matt 24:26 says? She didn't so I got out the bible and showed her were it says NOBODY execpt the father knows the time of the end!!! She answers, "Well I am STILL sure that Jehovah has communicated something to the slave class". No scriptual basis for that feeling, mind you...just her blind faith in this org. So there you have it...when faced with a contradiction between what the "slave" says and what the bible says, you know what way the average dub is gonna lean.
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Angry Witnesses
by Moomin ineverytime i look at videos talking/warning about jehovah's witness on youtube, i am always so shocked at the venemous replies from the dubs.
they say things like "i can't wait to see your face when you realise we're right when armageddon comes" and "i can't wait for the day of jehovah when you apostate scumbags get obliterated".
it's shocking.
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enlightenedcynic
My wife is an angry witness!! Anytime I have attempted to show her from the pages of the wt magazine, some of the errors and contradictions of the society...she looses it. I recognize the fact that when witnesses react this way it is out of fear. They cannot even begin to grasp the possibility that the wts is wrong. While the org claims that witnesses are "reasonable" people and that witnesses "reason" from the bible with others....that has not been my experience with them.
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Gay twin brothers were raised as witnesses!!!
by enlightenedcynic insaw this article in yesterday's ny daily news.
http://www.nydailynews.com/10-16-2006/entertainment/ent_radio/story/461980p-388694c.html .
showed it to my wife and she nearly had a heart attack.
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enlightenedcynic
Saw this article in yesterday's NY Daily News.
Showed it to my wife and she nearly had a heart attack. Just further proof that many witness children are choosing an "alternate" lifestyle figuratively and/or literally.
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enlightenedcynic
Sorry about the prior mix up!! ec
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enlightenedcynic
So I am getting off from work about a week ago and I pass a park close to Bethel where Bethelittes play some pick up b-ball during lunch and after work. I am dressed neatly although be it in my work clothes(I am a truck driver) and I enter the park and see a full court game with some Bethelittes, and about 5 guys waiting on the sideline.(trust me, I KNOW they were from Bethel!!) I ask the guys on the side who has next and they tell me that they have their team already but that I can have next after. Cool! The ongoing game continues on for about 25 minutes, pretty long for a game that goes to 16 points...lots of blown layups and missed shots, I should have left then! Anyhow, finally the first game finishes and the team that had next goes on. As the game progressed, one brother asks out and one of the guys who just lost subs in for him. Then another brother comes out and yet another bro. subs in for him. This continued until the 5 who had lost the first game, were back on the court. The game was tied at 16 and they decided to play to 21. The game was tied at 21 and they went to 25 straight as we say in Bklyn. The game finally ends and I ask who lost so I can pick up a team. They ALL start to change clothes and pack up their things. I asked one of them why they didn't tell me almost an hour before that they would be leaving and he said with a smirk the words contained in my subject line. I looked at them all and just walked out....yeah thats true Christian kindness on display there!!!!
ec