Posts by James Free

3

Can a witness get D.F.'d for celebrating a holiday?

by Chico86 in

James Free

I think what happens in a judicial committee meeting is that the person's whole attitude (and of course loyalty) is explored and it is usually for other reasons that one is technically disfellowshipped.

This is always the case. No one is actually ever disfellowshipped for something the DO. Rather, a much more subjective method is used - the elders decide on your ATTITUDE.

This allows the elders a free reign in deciding one's fate. That's another reason why appeals rarely work. There is little that is OBJECTIVE to defend. Unfortunately, experience shows that most victims of a JC have been judged innocent or guilty before they have even entered the room and opened their mouth!

185

News About 2006 Memorial

by Severus in

this is a call to action.

please read.

jehovah's witnesses will be celebrating the memorial of jesus death on wednesday, april 12th.

James Free

This is a discussion board. We discuss things. We don't always agree on everything so we discuss and debate them. If we were all of the same mind about everything, without the freedom to speak our mind about it, we wouldn't be any better than Jehovah's Witnesses who aren't allowed to question, dissent and rebel.

This campaign is probably thereputic for the participants and it doesn't hurt anyone so why not?

Is it likely to achieve more than that? No. 99% of the congregation will not even know about it because it will be ignored as apostate. As for the remaining 1%, most of them will consider it childish.

Don't like my opinion? That's Ok, I can live with it.

5

Elder's visit

by flag in

jw
friends

so, i finally had my first elder visit after 3 months!!!.

he showed up unannounced on saturday around 9:30 am but i was still on bed so i did not answered the door.

i thought that he wont come back but to my surprise he showed up again around 10:30 and this time i couldn't get away with not anwering because i had the music on plus my door has a window and he saw me in the living room.. he was by himself, (which is a big no,no,) when visiting a sister.. he was not very pushy, he said they miss me at the meetings, blah,blah,blah.. you won't believe what was his reasoning to justify that the end was near!.

James Free

If he came into your home knowing you husband was not home he can be removed as an Elder if you make an official complaint. But, send it in to the Bethel, not locally - the local guys will brush it under the carpet unless he is unpopular.

12

Rural Service

by buffalosrfree in

jw
friends

rural service was always the most fun for me and my family.

we loved it.

i almost always drove out there and i mean out there from 14 to 25 miles from the hall we drove and then spent at least 1/2 of the day or all day out there in the "door to door" service.

James Free

The brothers in one cong. I was in had it all worked out. They would choose someplace very distant to go to, (after knocking a token door in town to start counting the time) travel nice and slow, and make lots of coffee stops etc. Even better, each area had a 'market day' when all the farmers would go into town in order to sell their livestock etc. and THAT IS THE DAY we would go to their farms!

We wasted so many hours that way, but our record cards always impressed the CO, which led to our cong. being used on the platform a lot. It was a great scam and still runs to this day!

23

JW's and sickness

by Honesty in

jw
friends

did it seem to you that a lot of congregations had more than the usual sick people in them when compared with their worldly neighbors?.

could it be a common problem among jw's?.

do you think it may be mold?.

James Free

The most common illness was Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

This was the popular choice in the UK. It is not a common illness, but somehow every congregation seemed to have at least one or two sufferers. Now when you realize that blindness was statistically more prevalent, there should have been even more blind Witnesses (I mean literal - there are plenty of symbolically blind.)

The real reason was obvious - their symptoms were psychological - they needed an excuse to miss meetings etc. and they needed to believe it too, so that the guilt that others wanted to pile on them wouldn't be overwhelming.

Likewise, there are many thousands of depressed Witnesses, and thousands who suffer from severe loneliness despite regular 'association' at the meetings - because friendships there are SO SHALLOW!

4

Hours

by vitty in

concerning the hours pubs are expected to put in every months the "national" average is usually a guide and everyone strives to "do" this amount.

but since it is "national and not "international" is seems quite a coincidence that everyones country has this 10 hours average.. also since the pioneer and aux pioneer hours went down, surely the national average must have of too.

i cant remember any articles saying the average had now gone down to 6 ...............hooray .

James Free

The average does vary from country to country. Some average as much as 16 hours, some 8 or less.

But the figures are fake for many reasons. Many count their 'hour' from the KH, the travel to the homes, talk on the corner, waste as much time as possible etc.

I was a pioneer and all the stories about walking very slow etc. are true. Some pioneers would even go on calls at diiferent ends of the town, only to zg-zag back to the next call. The idea is to count as much time as possible without actually doing anything.

Then, the 'family head' will count 4 hours for the family study, whether he did it or not. And it counts as a 'bible study' too, so there are millions of 'bible studies' preaching to the converted!

20

What comment will you make at the New Light Watchtower Study this weekend

by jwfacts in

gbsjg just made a comment that the watchtower will feature the article on 'new light' this weekend.

what a perfect opportunity for a visiting brother to a congregation (or incognito apostate) to answer with some honest and thought provoking comments.

"i find it interesting that the watchtower criticises some religions for not changing their old doctrines and creeds, and other religions that do progressively change them for having had them wrong in the first place, and yet we seem to be doing the same ourselves.".

James Free

I remember last year I was in a lecture and it was one of those rare occasions where our lecturer was plainly wrong...and respectfully I pointed out why I thought this was the case and with supporting arguments...it turned out I was right and the lecturer thanked me for making the point and drawing it to his attention. I wasnt taken to one side after the lecture and given 'attitude adjustment' and I wasnt thrown out of the lecture for making the point I did.

I had this experience too when I was in University. With the WT, you blindly accept it or get 'corrected'. Even when the Elder actually agrees with you, he will say not to jump ahead of the Org. but wait patiently.

What I always wondered was, if they have so much Holy Spirit guiding them, how come both of us could see they were wrong and they could not!

24

why is it all FLUFF?

by theinfamousone in

i mean, i come on this website, looking for the more intelligent conversations, the more interesting topics, things that are not just fluff... these things that compel me to think, react and of course, respond... lately nothing has made me want to respond.... i mean dont get me wrong, i love my fluff here and there, but i mean, why is it all fluff now???

where has all the intelligent convo gone???

or am i just missing something?.

James Free

In all seriousness, the deeper subjects have been covered many times before, so the regulars have moved on to other subjects.

103

No fabrication in Gospels

by Shining One in

http://www.rzim.org/publications/jttran.php?seqid=52 .

"what cannot be doubted is that many new testament critics have approached the gospels with an utterly unjustified skepticism--a skepticism that wouldn't be considered justified in any other branch of ancient history.

new testament scholar r. t. france declares that "at the level of their literary and historical character we have good reason to treat the gospels as a source of information on the life and teachings of jesus, and thus on the historical origins of christianity.

James Free

Of course there is fabrication. Jesus one-piece fabric clothes are discussed, and Dorcas was a maker of red fabric...on no thats in Acts.

LOL

20

What comment will you make at the New Light Watchtower Study this weekend

by jwfacts in

gbsjg just made a comment that the watchtower will feature the article on 'new light' this weekend.

what a perfect opportunity for a visiting brother to a congregation (or incognito apostate) to answer with some honest and thought provoking comments.

"i find it interesting that the watchtower criticises some religions for not changing their old doctrines and creeds, and other religions that do progressively change them for having had them wrong in the first place, and yet we seem to be doing the same ourselves.".

James Free

yes, if someone 'get's it wrong' by straying from the published answer, he will either be corrected by the WT conductor or someone n the audience - usually an Elder. After that, the person won't be asked to comment again. It's not a WT dicussion, it's a read and repeat session.