Posts by onacruse

125

I'm converting again.

by reneeisorym in

2 years ago i left jws.

i went to a baptist church because it was what my husband was.

i knew i wanted to go to church but which one i really didn't know yet.. two years later, i think i have made up my mind: presbyterian.. anyone have anything they want to share?

onacruse

imho, if a person decides to join a particular church, it only matters if they are doing it with eyes wide open.

Jim Whitney (aka Amazing) decided to rejoin the Catholic church, for very specific purposes. Good enough.

Merry Magdalene decided to join the Islamic belief system, again with a clear intent and awareness. Good enough.

Sometimes I've even imagined myself as a JW again. To be honest, if they would accept me for what I am, then I might not have a big problem with that...which is why I went back the first time.

In that respect, the exclusivity of a religion is perhaps the most telling aspect of its acceptability to thinking people.

18

Why aren't all of the Annointed at Bethel?

by nomoreguilt in

this really bothers me.

i've been reading up latelty alot about the gb and it's relationship to or lack there -in of the annointed.

jesus' spirit begotten followers, here on earth, the citizens of the new jerusalem, make up the faithful and discreet slave, correct?

onacruse

When I was at Bethel, there was a fellow there named Dan Smoley. I knew him from the LA area back in the 60s, and we hadn't crossed paths for some 10 years.

Anyway, he ended up being the Theocratic Ministry School overseer at the Brooklyn Bethel KH, and professed to be of the anointed. He even had the audacity to mark Fred Franz as "weak" on one of Fred's talks! We all laughed...this youngster taking on the old man. LOL

Dan ended up resigning from Bethel, and headed upstate Jersey, to be a special pioneer. He said it was because Bethel didn't fit in with what he felt was his "calling": to help other people.

He sold me a glass cover for our standard Bethel desks for $5.

21

Judicial Committee actions today vs 30 yrs ago

by Gregor in

when i served on jcs in the '70s the majority concerned sexual infractions.

i am only guessing, but i get the impression that today it may be "apostasy" in the majority, or at least running neck and neck with sexual sins.. does anyone have any insight on the current mix of jc matters?

.

onacruse

Hi there Gregor!

This is the latest I could find:

*** w89 4/1 p. 13 Hear What the Spirit Says to the Congregations ***
Has Satan tried to introduce a Balaam or a Jezebel influence into the Christian congregation today? He certainly has, to the extent that almost 40,000 a year are disfellowshipped, most because of immorality.

*** w87 9/15 p. 13 Breathing This World’s "Air" Is Death-Dealing! ***
Unfortunately, during the 1986 service year, 37,426 had to be disfellowshipped from the Christian congregation, the greater number of them for practicing sexual immorality. And this does not include the even higher number reproved for immorality but not disfellowshipped because they were sincerely repentant.

I recall reading that the ratio is about 80% for sexual sins.

37

Do I suck?

by wanderlustguy in

jw
friends

i mean, how would you really know if you do, in fact, suck as a poster?

would it be because when you post all the sudden there can be no more submissions?

can you kill the thread killer thread?.

onacruse

I don't know, because I've never ever read a single one of your posts! LOL

In fact, I hardly ever even read my posts.

7

WOULd you like to bring your first topic to the top?

by badboy in

jw
friends

any takers?

onacruse

Well, I won't bring it back to the top, because so many others have done so much more than I ever have about pedophilia in the WTS...but, if it's worth a read to anybody:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/8/32268/1.ashx

14

To those with 'other' bibles... help me out!

by Elyse867 in

if you have a bible other than nwt, could you please post what yours says at job 1:4,5 and then job 3:1-3?

just looking for different translations... thanks!

onacruse

www.onlinebible.com is another good resource.

21

Does anyone remember that picture of the scarlet-colored beast WITH crowns?

by AlmostAtheist in

jw
friends

i got my history a little mixed up in a post earlier tonight, trying to recall an error in a watchtower picture a few years ago.

the picture was of the scarlet-colored wild beast, but it had crowns.

the bible says this beast doesn't have crowns, it's the other one that has the crowns.

onacruse

The Babylon the Great book, page 577, portrays "Babylon the Great rides the scarlet-colored wild beast," and the beast has no crowns.

The back cover of Then is Finished the Mystery of God shows the seven-headed dragon attacking the woman of God, and it has crowns.

Perhaps you are confusing the beasts? One is supposedly the UN (without the crowns), and the other is Satan (with the crowns).

Geez, I can't believe that I ever believed in dragons. LOL

1

statistics on number of witless from 1914 to 1920

by buffalosrfree in

jw
friends

i would love to see just how many walked away from the dubs during this time frame due to rutherford stealing the presidency, the unfinished mystery, the war etc etc., anyone out there know where i can get them?

onacruse

Here's a start:

***
w614/1p.205ExercisingPatience***
In 1914, when the second presence of Christ began invisibly, there were only a few thousand publishers active in the ministry.

***
yb76p.258AddingLustertotheTruth***
From 1914 to 1918 the records show that the number of publishers of the Kingdom dropped from 5,140 to 4,136.

*** w50 1/1 p. 11 Reviewing the Past Year’s Work World-wide ***
In 1918 there were only 3,868 persons announcing the King and the Kingdom in all the world.

*** w87 6/15 p. 19 Testing and Sifting in Modern Times ***
Why, that small band of fewer than 8,000 back in 1919 grew to a peak of 3,229,022 Kingdom publishers in 1986!

*** w55 5/15 p. 299 Part 10: Modern Restoration of True Worship (1919-1932) ***
For the first year of such reporting, 1920, there were 8,052 "class workers" and 350 pioneers. Of the more than 1,200 affiliated congregations 980 were reported by 1922 as being fully reorganized to engage in the field service with 8,270 "class workers." Beginning in 1923 several Sundays were set aside for "world-wide witness," to encourage united efforts all over the world in holding simultaneous public meetings using the subject "Millions Now Living Will Never Die" and also for united participation in advertising the lectures.

16

Why do they need to be a corporation?

by bluesapphire in

jw
friends

since it is illegal for a corporation to have any social interests (a social corporation is an oxymoron), and since the entire purpose of a corporation is to make money for its shareholders, why do they need to be a coroporation to spread the "good news"?.

do the shareholders amass wealth?

are they allowed to sell their stock?.

onacruse

D:

It protects individuals from getting in trouble.

Yes, it does. But it also provides certain tax advantages and legal protections for the "enterprise."

Rather like the recent split of the WTS into three different divisions (I forget what they are...perhaps someone can post a bit more about it?).

11

Things to do at Bethel

by onacruse in

jw
friends

just in case any of you are interested!.

i'm told (and i can't confirm this, perhaps someone else can?

) that this tour company is run by an ex-bethelite (sorta like stoops mfg.)..

onacruse

Dorktacular, that was one thing that struck me about these tours: a good number of them include "extended" features like Niagara Falls, and some of the best eateries and shows in NYC...almost like the Bethel part of the tour becomes an aside.

Nothing wrong with that, of course...just not exactly what a true-blue JW would want to do: visiting all those "worldly" places, instead of just soaking up the spiritual vibes of the worldwide headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Heck, if you're lucky, you might even get to meet one of the GB.