There is still a lot of feeling against Gay people among many of the churches. My answer is always, that in most cases gay people are born that way. That is how they are as a person. Is it right that they spend their whole lives without a partner just because of the way they were born? Clearly that would be so unfair. But at least generally there is much more exceptance now for people who prefer their own sex.
Posts by alanv
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96This weeks #2 & #3 talk on homosexuality
by granada35 inafter a one year sucessful fade and no longer associated with any congreation, i was visiting my sister this week (who goes to the meeting to please her husband for now; i am slowly planting seeds though) and they decided to year this weeks midweek meeting via the telephone.
since i was a guest in her house, i sat with them in the living room to hear the meeting.
to my surprise (especially growing up as a gay jw with still alot of anger in my heart over how i was treated), the talks 2 and 3 where on, of course, homosexualiy.
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I Would Like To Know Exactly What JWs Believe Or Not Believe In
by minimus ini hear people saying it is not the same religion that i knew.
what is the major difference?.
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alanv
The religion has gone a lot more mainstream now. The acceptance of the interenet and encouragement to use it, is a big step forward for them. I know they only have accepted it to promote their religion more, but still a big change and one that helps witnesses find other sites that are not so favourable to the organistion.
They seem to have realized that door to door work is not at all successful these days in the developed countries so they now have trollies with literature on at street corners, although they still do door to door work as well. Literature is mainly free to the public and witnesses are expected to pay for it instead.
They have recently done away with loans for new Kingdom Halls. Instead they expect the local publishers to pay the equivelent of the monthly loan cost for the future and not just the time it would take to pay back a loan.
Hours required for pioneers is much lower these days than it was 20 years ago. Meetings too are much shorter now, and take only two visits to the Kingdom Hall with no seperate visit to a private home for book study.
Every year the figure for those partaking of the emblems goes up, when years ago it was stated that they would continue going down and that was one of the proofs we are in the last days.
I'm sure there are plenty more things, but that should set the ball rolling.
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New teaching! ...the end is NOT near by GB Steven Lett
by apocalypse inhave you watched some 'dub tv' yet?
it's very interesting.
steven lett of the gigglin brothers, put his foot right in watchtower's big mouth.
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alanv
This is nothing new. The society always say, that witnesses will still need meetings, literature and imfo from the society the other side of Armaggeddon.
The tv broardcasts are just another way the society will keep JWs informed.
I think most witnesses would give you that answer now. The present view is certainly much better than what I was told in the late 60s though, that the big A is just around the corner.
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Heard it from a friends JW mother
by Still Totally ADD inthe other day we went to our friends business to have our computer worked on.
our friend was raised a jw but never got baptized and left when he was in his late teens.
any way we started talking about the new jw.org and the new tv show they have.
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alanv
So is there going to be a special meeting once a month, which will show the one hour presentation from the govering body?
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JW TV - One Further Step Towards Making the Organization Soft & Cuddly
by steve2 inone of the more astonishing developments within the organization in recent years is the muting of the more "out there" behaviors of this once fiercely confrontational and proud end-times religious group.. members were unapologetically no part of the world and couldn't give a rat's ar*e what you thought of them.
whereas the organisation fostered an outlook of warning the "wicked" world of the imminence of its destruction at the hands of the almighty - and spared no effort in doing so - nowadays the organization is sucking in its more "loose cannon" elements.
in the place of these elements is a sparkling, smiling, airbrushed group of worshippers who parade their wholesome settled lifestyle to win converts.
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alanv
Just finished watching the first broardcast. The worst thing is the drone of the presenter. I think they need someone younger who has a bit of go in them. Of course if they only use gov members then all transmissions will be the same. Bottom line is that this is just another example of the gov body's aim to become more mainstream and attract as many people as possible. Its often only after someone is baptised they realize they have ben duped, so the org will continue to bleed, how ever many new witnesses it gets.
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UK KH projection equipment
by Saltheart Foamfollower inas everyone knows, there have been major changes in kh financing recently.
this means that congs should only have funds equal to 3 months expenditure on hand - send the rest to the borg.
in the uk there has also been an appeal to send extra funds to finance the new bethel (if we are going to print our own literature and show videos on the doors, why do they need a new bethel?).
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alanv
Surely if they have sent money to the society to be looked after, they can use that.
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What exactly do the Governing body(TM) do?
by punkofnice ina genuine question really.. do they actually make desicions or are they simple sock puppets for the lawyers?.
are they just a front (like the queen is in the uk), with little or no desicion making input?.
do they just give talks and make appearances?.
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alanv
jwsurvey just did an article where it lists various committees that the governing body are on.
http://jwsurvey.org/cedars-blog/bethel-leak-three-new-kingdom-songs-and-details-of-governing-body-committees-revealed
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The Governing Body doesn't use the 2/3 majority vote, right?! At least not for the appointment of its members.
by cj46 inthe governing body doesn't use the 2/3 majority vote,right?
at least not for the appointment of its members?
(sorry if this is already clear and has been discussed already).
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alanv
It was Ray Franz, an ex governing body member in his book Crisis of Conscience that told us about their two thirds majority rule. It was applied to importandt descisions like doctrinal change. It may be the same now or it may well be unanimous vote note. Maybe someone else can tell us.
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The 2 witness rule
by tim hooper ini've just been informed by a jw apologist that regarding the 2 witness rule in cases of child abuse, the child himself counts as 1 of the witnesses.
he also stated that if 2 children complain about abuse seperately, the 2 children then count as 2 witnesses.. any thoughts please?.
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alanv
Hi Shirley this is where the rule comes from.
The Watchtower Society use the scripture found in Deuteronomy chapter 9, verse 15, which says “No single witness should rise up against a man respecting any error or any sin, in the case of any sin that he may commit. At the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses the matter should stand good.” They also like to use the scriptures in Matthew chapter 18, verses 15 and 16, which say “Moreover, if your brother commits a sin, go lay bare his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. (16) But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two more, in order that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter may be established.”
However this certainly does not work with sexual abuse as there are hardly any times when the abuse is actually witnessed by anyone.
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No more literature counters?
by konceptual99 inthere is a thread on jwtalk suggesting that the latest hall designs do not feature a literature desk.
the dubs will pick up gear from a self serve kiosk in the hall, just enough for their immediate needs.. time will tell if this is true but if so then it relfects the reducing emphasis on printed material.
also, i think there is another by product.
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alanv
I thought the idea was that witnesses would give a donation for literature taken. So I wander if they will have a donation box next to the literature or if they just trust witnesses to put money in the box at the back of the hall