done4good

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Posts by done4good

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  94

  The growing irrelevance of the Watchtower message

  by drew sagan in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in many ways it appears as if the watchtower movement is slowing down.

  a number of changes over the last few years certainly show that the watchtower is in a period of transition.

  they have cut back on the number of magazines they print as well as lowered the cost of production by eliminating things like hard backed books.

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  done4good

  The changes that the WTS are making corporate-side foretell the changes they'll continue to make with the actual religion: Downsizing, streamlining, liquidating, shrinking. In other words, they'll happily grow smaller if they can achieve long-term fiscal and congregational sustainability. They would be happier with fewer members if it means they would have a stronger core. That's been their corporate strategy since around 2000, and will continue to lead commensurate changes among the management of the religion.

  Yup. That's the way I see it. A smaller core is far easier to manage, (whatever doctrinal direction they decide to go in), so keep the drones, drop the intellectuals, and hope for the best...

  j
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  94

  The growing irrelevance of the Watchtower message

  by drew sagan in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in many ways it appears as if the watchtower movement is slowing down.

  a number of changes over the last few years certainly show that the watchtower is in a period of transition.

  they have cut back on the number of magazines they print as well as lowered the cost of production by eliminating things like hard backed books.

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  done4good

  Very good post, Drew.

  I tend to be of the camp that thinks that all of the "defensive" stuff the WTS is doing, is, in fact preparing for its future. I have stated on another post recently, (the long one about the current education edict), that the changes being made may seem disjointed, but, in reality are all related.

  Consider what is going on...A major clampdown on information control, (i.e. Sept '07 KM and "Kool Aid" WTs), A reduction in meeting length, and the elimination of a meeting. Then finally, (most recently), the talk of removing elders and MSs if they "encourage" higher education, (in spite of a huge need for qualified brothers). The fact is they expect and want to loose members who won't sell the party line. These people are a threat to the long term well being of the org.

  They have figured out that they simply are far worse off having those that are capable of thinking for themselves in the organization. Let's purge them now, shrink the congos, sell off properties, make some profit on them, then figure out how to exist for the next several decades. This is what is really going on behind the scenes.

  Remember, about two years ago, a poster, (I believe it was Arthur), posted about a conversation that took place with a GB member that basically said that "big changes" were comming, and if anyone in the org. dosen't accept change, then they would not last in the org very long. That statement seems to make it obvious to me that they simply don't want, (or care about), anyone in the org who could potentially screw up their long term plans.

  Yes, they will in fact need to reinvent themselves for survival...they just may be doing that with a completely different member base than they currently have.

  j
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  34

  Have you ever caught a JW in a lie?

  by asilentone in

  1. jw
  2. experiences
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  done4good

  When they told me to just meet men, they kept telling me that it was not necessarily permanent. I know, however, that it was necessarily permanent because they wanted every bit of sexual energy I had to be rechanneled into the Value Destroyer Training School and into rebuilding the whole organization so they would be able to start the Second Dark Ages. I would say they were caught in a blatant lie.

  Wha?

  Aww...Leave WTW alone. We all know this guy needs his meds...
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  18

  A Dub Explains 607...

  by brinjen in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i left a comment on this video three weeks ago, a very good video titled jws, ex-jw "apostates," and faith!

  by a youtuber called shazoolo.... http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=btvajrqc2oa#anqrgt3pxpc.

  i asked if anyone could explain the 607 b.c.e.

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  done4good

  Prefering secular calculations to Biblical is a grave error

  A typical jw ad hominem. Why is it a "grave error" to prefer secular calculations, to unproven biblical events? Is 539 somehow a better attested to date than 587? If 587 is wrong, how do you know the secular calculations used to end at 539 are not also wrong?

  Very weak reasoning here.

  j
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  43

  sex before marriage in the borg

  by heyfea in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  (i don't know if i posted this already, since i got errors every time i tried) .

  do you think that a lot of engaged jws have sex before getting married?

  i think so, only a few fall into the guilt trip after they're married, and ultimately confess.

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  done4good

  I remember thinking that since all the other girls I went out with would do it then my wife who would not must be a real spiritual person and therefore a the right mate for me. It never occured to me that a person could not be interested in sex at all. No matter how it is introduced. It is really tough especially for those of us who held out until we are married to have sex and basiclly we have as much as we did before we were married with ourselves.

  My ex to a "T". Now a proud member of the "hump before I jump" class...

  j
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  31

  Have u found friendships w/ worldy people be hard?

  by blkblk13 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  so, i'm embarking on slow fade and i think it's time for me to start making friends w/ some non-jdubs so that i'll have a support network once i decide to be completely out and everyone ive ever known abandons me.

  ive always gotten along much better w/ wordly people than jdubs so i'll haveno problem securing friends but im concerned about being to keep them.. i want out of the org for various reasons but i must admit i still believe many of the teachings.

  i just think the leadership and organization itself is corrupt.

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  done4good

  You need to really, (and I mean really), teach yourself the truth about "da troof". Once you do that, you will begin to see things such as holidays, and about a billion other things more clearly. Some important questions to ask yourself:

  1. Why do I still believe the "basic" jw teachings? If I do, then do I believe they were ever the truth? If the answer to the second part happens to be no, then what is the significance of their belief system anyway? If yes, then what caused them to "loose" their standing?

  2. Do you really believe that billions of people will be destroyed for not thinking like the jw? Especially if you believe the org is somehow flawed?

  3. If the "world" is wrong, and jws are wrong, then do you believe that only the few thousand people that think as you do are right?

  The obvious conclusion to these questions should be that if the jws have it wrong, then they really don't have it right. That would leave most, if not all of their teachings, (at least as it relates to the esoteric stuff like holidays), probably wrong. For your own good, spend some time educating yourself about the story behind these things. It won't take merely a day or two. Plan to spend some time on this. If your mind is open, you will see the jws don't have it right.

  j
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  23

  Questions Dubs Need to Ask About Global Warming

  by Farkel in

  1. social
  2. current

  ok. i lied.

  dubs have nothing to do with this thread!.

  in order to have a rational discussion about global warming and the so-called greenhouse effect, we need a rational starting point and need to ask rational questions.

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  done4good

  Unless say, global warming is happening but is caused by cycles in the sun or something else we can't control. If we can't solve it, then so be it. But then at least we'll have solved the pollution problem. One out of two ain't bad.

  Maybe. But some would argue that carbon dioxide does not constitute pollution at all, and specifically, that is what were talking about here. CO2 is simply plant food in of itself. The argument for climate change has nothing to do with CO2 being a harmful gas, just the amount in the atmosphere creating a "greenhouse" effect.

  Which brings me to my point. There are several known pollutants, that are proven harmful to our resources that we need to do something about. If climate change, (due to increased CO2 levels), is not true, it is a waste of time and money better well spent elsewhere.

  j
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  46

  Letter to My Mother--FINAL!--After 2yrs3mos--Incomprehensibly Long...

  by Confession in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  [2 john 9 11, nwt].

  [john 14:6, nwt] .

  [john 14:6, nwt] .

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  done4good

  Outstanding letter, Jon! I spent the last hour and a half reading all of it, (I rarely do that with very long posts, btw...).

  If you don't mind, I'd like to keep a copy of this for ideas for my own family.

  Jason
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  23

  Current elder explains the college situation to me

  by changeling in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  while he says he has not seen a letter ,he tells me that at the last visit the co told his body of elders pretty much what is being said here on jwd.. he gave some examples: .

  1- if a young ms/pioneer, attends college and lives at home, would he and his elder dad be deleted?

  the young man is "spiritually focused".. 2- an elder's daughter attends college in the hopes of having a good job in the future and dad promotes this course of action.

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  done4good

  This one is just plain over the top. If this is for real, there will be serious repercussions in the borg. They would much better off just banning college outright, rather than create such a subjective, (and might I add pharasaical sounding), approach to controlling who can or can't decide to go to college.

  I was skeptical for a while of whether or not the borg was in its death throws, but this seems to make it that much more clear to me.

  j
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  8

  Tom Cabeen on EWTN's Journey Home tonight. I enjoyed it.

  by Seeker4 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  watched tom tonight, and thought he made some excellent points.

  i called, and actually got through, but the producer didn't put me on.

  i wanted to ask tom if his leaving bethel in 1980 had any connection with the whole ray franz/ed dunlap incident,which was happening then.. as tom knows, i'm one of those ex-jws who became an atheist, so i took quite a different path than he did in leaving the jws, and i certainly don't agree with his conclusions.

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  done4good

  Hi Tom and S4,

  Does EWTN plan to re-air this anytime soon? I missed it, but would like to see it.

  Jason