Doubting Bro

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Posts by Doubting Bro

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  7

  Why no children allowed at the annual meeting?

  by not bitter in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i've never even heard of this annual meeting or whatever its called.

  is it a new thing?

  sure it wasn't around in my day.. my elderly parents must have gone to it yesterday.

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  Doubting Bro

  That is simply not true. I went and there were a ton of kids. Maybe they weren't allowed at the Stanley but all the tie-in locations had kids. 3 & 1/2 hours with no breaks does not make for happified children.
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  69

  "The excitement is PALPABLE"

  by Separation of Powers in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  got caught at the supermarket (in between the martini olives and snack crackers ) with several bottles of hard liquor in my basket along with some red licorice by a sister that has known me for years.

  still respects me, not knowing that i am in full fade mode, or at least not recognizably knowing.

  anyway, when she sees me, her eyes get all big and she heads in my direction, nearly ramming my liquor laden cart with her vegan oriented basket.. "hey sop, how are you doing?

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  Doubting Bro

  It's historic in the sense that they've not invited the rank and file before. But, I seriously doubt anything of note will happen other than the new bible. Even that will likely just be a revision and an attempt to raise money!
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  5

  "The end of the preachingwork is here... TODAY!"

  by DeWandelaar in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  well... not yet (it was just a thing that was bugging my brains today).

  do you remember as a child or teenager that every time we preached and asked when it would stop the answer would be: "till jehovah tells us it is no longer necessary"?.

  the amount of literature is dropped... there are no old bibles... they sell all kind of keylocations all across the globe etc etc etc ... all money is getting centered to one spot one way or another.. also... if shit is gonna happen worldwide (maybe a "normal" world war or something) it is actually not a strange thought that one day soon they may announce something like the following:.

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  Doubting Bro

  Right it is about busy work and control. As long as they are making a profit on whatever literature they are producing, they will continue. I honestly think that they will change it over time to just be the distribution of tracts. I think the next phase is the discontinuing of the public WT and only have the Awake offered to the public.

  You have to keep the service piece because 1) you use it to measure a person's devotion to the religion (ie - appoint ms/elders based on the time spent), 2) gives women a place in the organization since pioneer is really the only thing they are allowed to do and 3) allows you to identify people who may be wavering based on their hours.

  It's highly ineffective for making new converts but every effective for measuring and controling the flock. Until they come up with something else that accomplishes that purpose, there's no way they drop the "preaching" work.
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  89

  An Elder Reads CoC !!

  by TTATTelder in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have recently joined the site.

  i was just appointed an elder this summer.

  i started discovering the ttatt (the truth about the truth) last year after putting a few things together myself concerning the leadership and then doing some research online.. i really enjoyed jwfacts.com, jwsurvey, and others.

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  Doubting Bro

  TTATTelder - welcome!! Looking forward to your participation.
• 
  293

  AGM 5 OCTOBER 2013 (UNOFFICIAL RUMORS)

  by WatchTower87 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  - 23 day to go .. annual meeting unofficial rumors.

  - new bible.

  - new nwt (revision).

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  Doubting Bro

  Don't the Mormons make a big deal of their AGM as well? I'm pretty sure the WTS wants as many people to attend as possible because they're viewing this as a fund raiser. I do think it's strange they aren't translating the meeting into other languages especially Spanish and French.
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  80

  Missionaries to vacate all missionary homes

  by seenitall in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  latest news from a source (missionary in foreign land):.

  no more missionary homes anywhere in the world.. all missionaries presently in missionary homes must vacate.

  must get housing on your own / from the locals.. circuit and district overseers have moved into many of these former missionary homes.. reasons: liability, cost savings, real estate to be sold or used for other purposes.. needless to say, many of these longtime servants are very unsettled.

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  Doubting Bro

  Not surprising, given that they aren't using Gilead to train missionaries anymore. I think many of the countries in which the WTS has missionaries aren't adding to the bottom line and in fact may be losing money. So, why continue to build infrastructure in countries where you have no chance of turning a profit?

  I don't see them making any radical doctrinal changes, simplying continuing in the long line of cost saving measures that they've been doing for the past several years. If you can't increase revenues, you need to reduce expenses. They have tons of money but are likely too heavy into big real estate and need to get more liquid which is why they're selling Brooklyn. It costs a lot to keep the buildings maintained and the lights on.

  They aren't going out of business anytime soon but I believe they have moved past their peak and will likely slowly shrink over the next decades. However, I'm sure there will be a WTS or JWs around when I die.
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  62

  The Lawsuit Landslide: Irwin Zalkin representing ELEVEN child abuse victims against Watchtower

  by cedars in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  many of you will be interested to know that irwin zalkin now has 11 lawsuits against watchtower at various stages.. these can be summarized as follows.... j.l.

  shocked by the lack of action, the victims mother immediately left the congregation with her son.

  by this stage campos was a known predator with complaints having been made to the elders at linda vista spanish, playa pacifica spanish and the watchtower dating back to 1982.elizabeth mcfarland ohio a former ministerial servant named scott silvasy sexually molested elizabeth when she was a child through her early teens.

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  Doubting Bro

  Yeah, the flood gates will open up if Conti is upheld. Even if it's overturned on appeal, I believe some of these cases could be sucessful especially if the perp was an elder/ms at the time of the abuse.
• 
  293

  AGM 5 OCTOBER 2013 (UNOFFICIAL RUMORS)

  by WatchTower87 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  - 23 day to go .. annual meeting unofficial rumors.

  - new bible.

  - new nwt (revision).

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  Doubting Bro

  TOH - I'm a little dense this AM. What would be the big deal over moving the flood to a localized event? I realized even when I was a true believer that Noah's flood a) couldn't have been earthwide but didn't need to be if there really were a small population of humans on the earth centered in one spot and b) there's no way every single species could have essentially evolved in that short a period of time to get the diversity we see today.

  I always thought it was written from the perspective of Moses and that he had no idea how large the earth was and didn't really need to know at that time.

  But, if they change the timing on the flood would that really change any of their other prophetic timing issues. ie - 607 which is the big date since that is directly tied to 1914.

  In the past, the US didn't have a branch, they were run directly by worldwide HQ. As you noted, they created a US branch I believe at the same time they did the corporate reorg so around 2000.

  Really curious what you mean if you don't mind.
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  30

  Did a householder at the door ever cause you doubts

  by perfect1 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  recently on a saturday morning there was a knock on my door.

  two ladies asked me if i was familiar with the jws.

  i said: yes unfortunatley.

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  Doubting Bro

  Never, I would debate and go in circles with the best of them. I always thought I won as well!!

  No, a friend talked to me about the UN thing and upon researching found out it was true. Soon came on here and learned a ton more and finally woke up.

  I do feel like an idiot for arguing with folks when I was dead wrong.
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  88

  If the big change at the AGM meeting is dropping the literal 144,000...

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the best conjecture seems to be that the gb are going to drop the literal 144,000 teaching, especially in view of the december watchtower that pointedly does not mention the 144,000 number.

  if they are dropping the literal 144,000 number, but still claim that only a small number are anointed, and can partake, and that only a few are left on earth, then it is fair to ask what has really changed?

  they are simply clearing up the embarrassing situation that there were obviously more than 144,000 "anointed" believers from 36 ad until now, and that the number of partakers has been increasing in recent years.

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  Doubting Bro

  SBF - I agree with the premise of your OP. They only change things when they get enough pressure and they have no choice. I think they will drop the 144k literal teaching but not sure if they are going to do it now. That seems like one of those changes they would just slip through via a QFR or slip into the middle of a WT study.

  I don't think that would have much impact on the average witness.