Posts by cosmic

8

Financial Statement Analysis of 2005 Australian Branch

by NewYork44M in

several weeks ago this board obtained a copy of the australian wt branch 2005 financial statements.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/103528/1.ashx.

i have had a chance to review the statements and would like to add a few comments.

cosmic

NY44M,

Interesting. I have a question. How is are the total numbers arrived at? What I mean is this: in the US taxes are pretty much made on traceable income, i.e. income that someone else has reported giving to you. The $200/year/publisher figure sounds somewhat light for the congregations that I've been in. That breaks down to roughly $20/month, or $5/sunday talk (this, of course, doesn't count CAs or DAs). However, I never claimed the money that I donated on my taxes, and I never got a receipt because the individual amounts were never that large. In Australia, how much can an individual claim on their taxes as "donation" before they have to supply receipts? I can say that, on average, I tried to keep the 10% tithing rule in place, but towards the end, as I faded, I was near the point of trying to figure out how I could get money OUT of that [edited] little box, just for the principle. But then, trusting in good ol' Joe Hober, I never did the math. But I am curious as to the "expenses" part. In the congos that I've been to, usually the biggest "expense" is the mortgage, which was held by the WTS, which switched money from pocket a to b. I'm surprised that the Aussie govt (or any govt for that matter) would let $8million slip out of the country completely untouched. But still, considering it as PURE PROFIT, if the $120 per publisher PROFIT figure is held linearly across the board, (quick, somebody multiply 120 by 6 million) that is a rather healthyYEARLY PROFIT (COMPLETE PROFIT!!!) figure!!!! That in itself would certainly open the eyes of those starving, yet sacrificing, humble, yet happy, Pioneers. It would seem that from the profit alone, the WTS could considerably ease the pain of Pioneering. Besides, why does Brooklyn need all that money, after all, the end of the system of things is "so close I can stick my tongue out and taste it", right?

At an estimation of $720million PROFIT per year, this site ought to have a banner attached to each page that is called "The Countingtower: Announcing Jehovah's Profit!" and daily accrue the $2million the WTS is sucking in. But then, I'm sure that it would probably amaze us at how fast the WTS lawyers would be in trying to get that info taken off the Internet, as that is information that I am sure the Fleecing and Deceitful Slave class would not want published. Talk about a demotivator. But, with the figure out for all to see, it would not escape notice by even the most casual of JW lurkers.

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?.

cosmic

"Vanity, vainity. All is vanity."

Solomon, Oscar Wilde (what a pair)

61

Who's up for some fun?

by Inquisitor in

shake things up a bit in your friendly local congregation of jehovah's witnesses by partaking of their memorial emblems this april 12!

when drinking the wine (i don't think you'd get to eating the bread if you carry this first part out), make sensual, sinful sounds of ecstasy!

better yet, noisily gulp down the whole glass of wine and top it with a little burp!

cosmic

osmosis,

Too cool!!! A bonafide miracle!!!

61

Who's up for some fun?

by Inquisitor in

shake things up a bit in your friendly local congregation of jehovah's witnesses by partaking of their memorial emblems this april 12!

when drinking the wine (i don't think you'd get to eating the bread if you carry this first part out), make sensual, sinful sounds of ecstasy!

better yet, noisily gulp down the whole glass of wine and top it with a little burp!

cosmic

Or...with a disdainful spat equal to Rodney Dangerfield mistakenly swilling water ("I don't know how to go to sleep, I only know how to pass out!"), spew the wine across the knecks of the JWs in front of you (as long as it aint me), stand up and declare, "Enough! Enough of this p*ssy assed sh*t!" and then whip out your bottle of Jack, pull a swig off the top, shout, "Nick, nick!", and pass it to the ashened faced broad to your left.

11

fingers of blame are always looking too point

by crazyjw in

hi everybody i am mick_mcc son of greater_freedom he posted about the elders tried to drag him into a shotgun judicial meeting because they saw christmas lights in 2004. but what really upsets me is that my real mothers who was a jw put out decorations for thanksgiving and easter each year, and we put up some lights & decorations too accommodate the lady that moved in to help take care of our house & we are sinning!

and my mother is the one that turned us in & is persecuting dad and myself.

i think a lot of my dad because , after me and my brother's accident he stayed with me in the hospital until i was well enough to leave the hospital to attend rehab for my tbi(traumatic brain injury) that i suffered due to the car accident.

cosmic

Mick,

I'm impressed with the amount of effort it must have taken for you to post on here. For me, it is so easy that I often forget. The courage of you and your father is noteworthy, even though you probably think it was just a matter of doing it. I've often thought that David stepped up to the plate with the count 2B1S when he did Goliath. Remember the sacrifice of your father, his love, and never forget your strength. Don't let the idiots kid you, their god Joe Hober was taking a leak when you and your father were keeping the faith!

12

Totally depressed and don't know what to do......

by WingCommander in

i don't know how some of you are around this time of year, but i'm just really depressed lately, more so this time of year it seems.

because it is nearing the memorial time and now that i have a son, i am totally lost as to what to do and what to teach him concerning religion.

my own youth was stolen by the wtbs and has made me a total wreck at times.

cosmic

The love for your child is obvious. One thing I might suggest is that whatever you do, do not make your child an agent of revenge. The confusion you feel towards God is not your fault. In your heart you know what is truth and what is a lie. To quote my favorite K-Paxian, "All intelligent creatures know right from wrong." No matter what you are, nor who you are, your child needs to know that he/she is truely, unconditionally, loved by you, and they seem to weather all the rest. Make up you own name. I know, "Quantiphilo", hows that? God's name is Quantiphilo, and he made all the stars and all the planets and all the life, just for us. He loves us because we are. He doesn't think we're bad or good, or evil, or righteous, any more than we think that the last fly we saw was good or bad. But he wants us to be happy, no matter what we do, or what we are. He isn't going to give us anything and he isn't going to take anything away, he just wants us to be true to ourselves. But most of all, he wants us to know that he is here for you, and you alone. You don't need a crowd, or a congregation, or a Kingdom Hall or a religion to know Quantiphilo because he is so much bigger than all of those things. But he is no bigger than your heart, beacuse that is where he stays. If you search for Quantiphilo, he will be there, but only for you.

3

Form SS 77 "Notification of Disfellowshipping or Disassociation"

by JW_Researcher in

.

just noticed a form ss 77 "notification of disfellowshipping or disassociation" is posted at

http://www.reexamine.org/index.php/image:ss_77.jpg

cosmic

This proves it!!!!!! The lowest hell is a bureaucracy!!!!!

7

C.E. and B.C.E.

by merfi in

i've always wondered why the wtbs uses ce and bce instead of bc and ad.

i'd always meant to ask, but then it kind of got to the point where it would look 'bad' if i didn't already know, so was afraid to ask.

bueller?

cosmic

Bueller? El Cuteo!

2

everlasting dominion.

by mdb in

jesus' dominion & kingdom equal with the mist high god's.... i thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the most high god has worked for me.. how great are his signs,.

and how mighty his wonders!.

his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,.

cosmic

mdb,

In spite of the cruel picture of the squarshed mouse, you are doubtlessly a lovely person. What you wrote was really, really neat, but it makes me think, "With a name like 'Smuckers' it has to be good!"

Is Jesus Christ God?

Gosh, if he is, what f*cking difference could my opinion make?

Gosh, if he isn't, what f*cking difference could my opinion make?

I'd rather think about hearing Natalie Merchant tell me how her breasts got so big. Mine is an earthly hope.

32

I need to know

by cosmic in

shining one just did a thread on an article that supposedly shows the bible was not fabricated.

i didn't want to hijack his thread, so i started this one.. .

i'm getting old, i guess, and maybe alzheimer's is starting in, but i have lost my vision, my understanding, my assurity if you will.

cosmic

I want to thank all of those who answered my request. It is curious that the score is about 99 to 1 that I owe God nothing. Not that the result is inordinate nor unexpected, but I think I hoped for a bit more rah-rah from the pro factions. SwordOfJah, gave probably the most lengthy and expected response, although others like Apostae kate gave personal (and therefore) most eloquently beautiful reasons for. I asked the question because it was indeed most important and unknown to me. You see, you can argue the Bible in its correctness, its timeliness, how archeologically precise, how faith inspiring it may be, you can hawk the Koran, the Bishido Gavida, and any other religious doctrine, treatise, guess, or what have you, but the question that you have answered make anything that any God who has ever existed absolutely meaningless.

Now, imagine 11am saturday, the door bell sounds, and you stumble to find two pretty, cheery faced 16 year old JWs smiling hopefully at you thru the yawning doorway. With an exuberance that can only come from certain ignorance they launch into the monthly pitch as to why you, personally, must obtain, ingest, and forever heed their magazine. Born of the half-hangover and subsequent impatience you surely earned, you stop them in mid sentnece with an upraised hand. Partially fearful, but also expectantly, their sweet, wide eyes wait for you. Then you ask them, "Tell me, why do I owe God anything?"

"Because He is so good!" they reply.

"Hey," you belch, "Barry Bonds hit 71 homers. You want me to worship him?"

Slam.