I'm the accounts "servant" in our Hall and the same resolution happened at our Hall as well. 15 per publisher, which was a reduction from the previous service year of 20 per publisher. And they even reduced the Kingdom Hall Assembly Hall Construction fund from $350 per month to $25 per month at the request of our Circuit Overseer, which I find EXTREMELY odd. But it makes me happy!
humblepotato
JoinedPosts by humblepotato
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30
Pledge for Global Assistance Arrangement - $15 per publisher!
by nmthinker inlast night our congregation read a letter for the global assistance arrangement combined with the traveling overseer assistance arrangement.
the "recommended" amount was $15 per publisher, which was well over $1000 for our hall.. it seemed steep.
our congregation does not have this type of money.
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September 2015 broadcast Mia ?
by hoser ini tuned in to jw broadcasting to watch the september show and it wasn't there
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humblepotato
They put it on the first Monday of the month which will be the 7th.
This ^^^
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What were you favorite book in the organization? I know what you're thinking...LOL!
by BashfulAshG inwhat were *your favorite *books in the organization?.
out of all of those books, i liked "mankind's search for god.
" however, it appears to me that this book is incredibly obscure and no one recalls studying it during the old book study format.
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humblepotato
I have always kind of liked the "All Scripture" book. It was a nice compact narrative of the Bible with little of the wacky theology sprinkled throughout. I wonder why we don't study it anymore...
When I fully believed... I always enjoyed the Isaiah's Prophecy and Daniel's Prophecy books. I thought that stuff was REALLY going to happen and it was exciting to read about.
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"Report it to the elders if you hear anyone in the congregation talking bad about the GB"
by hardtobeme inlast night and elder gave the bible highlights at the congregation.
he talked about apostasy.
and among other things he said: "report to the elders if you hear anyone in the congregation talking bad about the governing body".
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humblepotato
I doubt very much that they know what is going on in Australia. Unless they are lurkers here or watch the news. (Most Elders won't watch if JW's are getting slammed.)
But there was a Watchtower Highlights comment from 05' about apostasy in this weeks Bible reading. He probably just saw it and ran with it. You can do Bible highlights without ever reading the assigned portion of scripture! LOL
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The identifiable reasons the Jehovah's Witnesses religion is a cult.
by Finkelstein inthis topic or debate has arisen a few times so, i thought it would be prudent to make an honest evaluation upon that statement.. if one reflects back on the history of this organization one can see how the leaders of this organization enforced or instilled it rules of conduct and rules of avowed allegiance to the those specific leaders, keeping in mind how j rutherford's forceful tactic to take over the organization upon c t russell's death.. j rutherford, the past president of the wts and the one that created the name jehovah's' witnesses ruled over the (his) organization with a strong arm, anyone who questioned his personal behavior, not only his doctrinal teachings were given the boot or dfed as its commonly known .
one particular documented instance ........ .
on october 7, 1940, olin r. moyle, formerly of the jehovah's witness legal staff met with joseph rutherford and several members of the watch tower board of directors in court.
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humblepotato
Russel invented a religion that was wacky n' weird. It didn't hurt anybody except for those crazy enough to dress-up in bed-sheets and think they were going to be raptured to heaven. Rutherford took this comical religion and turned it into a quagmire of harsh rules and militaristic loyalty that has trickled down throughout the years. Modern day witnesses are still victims of Rutherfords leadership.
If you don't mind me asking; where is that quote from Rutherford at? It would be nice to use after referencing his 1925 debacle.
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Would the discovery of EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE completely debunk the bible and religion?
by Black Man ini think it would.
instantly.
in fact, i hope one day soon that we somehow encounter extraterrestrial life because i think there would be a wholesale rejection of the bible and any/all religious institutions.
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humblepotato
I know some witnesses who ALREADY believe that there are other planets with intelligent life on them that Jehovah is working with. I hear people say, "What if there is another planet out there, where they didn't disobey, and they are living in paradise?" "Wow, cool!", is usually the response.
Of course, these are all grassroot ideas...official WT doctrine would say this is complete nonsense. But if intelligent life was ever discovered...they could get away with it by saying, "Well, the Bible never said there WASN'T life on other planets now, did it?"
Yay Watchtower writers!
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Demon Stories
by humblepotato inso we all know that "crazy" brother or sister.
every kingdom hall has one.
they give the best comments (from a hilarious perspective), have experiences with the "demons", but most importantly, they are on about 10 deifferent kinds of medications.
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humblepotato
"Just because some guy has a mental episode that drives him to go nuts and run into walls or book cases, does mean we take the easy way out and say it's black magic."
I'd say that's a pretty rational explanation... He's totally normal (now) and a really cool guy to hang out with. But that's not to say he had some mental problem ailing him back in the 90's.
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Crazy Comments
by humblepotato ini love the people who go to my congregation.
they are sweet, friendly, and lovable.
(which is one of the things that makes being awake so much easier.
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humblepotato
I love the people who go to my congregation. They are sweet, friendly, and lovable. (Which is one of the things that makes being awake so much easier.) But elderly ones and the sweet friends who are "a little off their rocker", always give the most epic comments. Here are some I can remember.
Dealing with the BIBLE account of circumcision: "Paul had to talk to the Governing Body in NEW YORK in order to know what to write in his letters." (She may have meant Antioch, but it was still funny non-the-less.)
The WT conductor on the talents: "If you don't think 20 talents is a lot of money... well...then keep it to yourself." Said jokingly and laughter ensued.
Before the redesigned website and apps: "If you can run an iPad, then you can run a bible...because they both require fingers!"
Crowning moment of JW droning: "It's better to be wrong WITH the organization, than being correct on your own."
What are some of the best "comments" you've heard? I'll keep jogging my memory. I should write these down when I hear them!
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50
Demon Stories
by humblepotato inso we all know that "crazy" brother or sister.
every kingdom hall has one.
they give the best comments (from a hilarious perspective), have experiences with the "demons", but most importantly, they are on about 10 deifferent kinds of medications.
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humblepotato
So we all know that "crazy" brother or sister. Every Kingdom Hall has one. They give the best comments (from a hilarious perspective), have experiences with the "demons", but most importantly, they are on about 10 deifferent kinds of medications. Well it's pretty easy to dismiss their stories about their personal experiences with "the spirit realm". And with the "crazies", those stories are a dime a dozen.
But I got to thinking, there are SOME stories involving the demons, that are not from schizophrenic loopies. In fact, in my circuit there are two well known stories. Being ambiguous as possible:
One involved an elder (sub-CO), a smart man, and his wife. They were not drooling WT drones as most witnesses are. They own their own business and have a nice home a cars. But after inheriting a mounted deer head, they awoke that night to some banging in the house. When the elder came to the hallway to investigate, (ball bat in hand) the mounted head was floating and started to chase him. Slamming the bedroom door shut, he got his wife out of the house, went back in, and yelled scriptures at it until in fell limp on the ground. He took it outside and burned it. Even now, they refuse to talk about, or be involved in, anything remotely associated with demonism.They would have no reason to make up a story. So what was it?
Another story involved 4 of the 10 members of the BOE in the Hall I grew up in. While helping a young man to leave his worldly (and honestly, weird) lifestyle behind, 4 elders met with him in the Library of the Kingdom Hall. During the meeting however, the young man was flung into the walls (damaging them) and into the book shelves containing the Bound Volumes (knocking them down). One elder pissed his pants (and he admits to it this day), another ran OUT of the Hall, and the other two just tried saying Jehovah's name and speaking scriptures. It didn't work, and for 6 or 7 minutes the young man was beat up. The paramedics had to be called. He spent 9 weeks in ICU, but never suffered another "demon attack" again. He is now CONVINCED this is the truth. Also, we had to use the local building fund to repair the damaged walls and buy new bookshelves. And every meeting afterward seemed to have a local needs about the dangers of spiritism. I remember the CO and DO making quite a few trips to our hall after that experience. Eventually someone from the branch had to be sent to calm down the congregation. (Brother Geoffrey Jackson BEFORE he served as a member of the GB.)
As you may know, I'm leaning toward atheism. But stories like this make me wonder. Can there be a spirit realm but no God? If these things are not demons, then what are they? I've heard about 100 demon stories over the years, 95% of them are rubbish, I am sure. But every once in a while...one comes along that just creeps me out. And I would never believe it if it weren't backed up by evidence (or told by credible individuals). But like the second story, 4 elders, physical damage to the Kingdom Hall, visits from HQ regarding it? I'd feel foolish DENYING it happened.
Anyways, share your experiences or thoughts on this subject!
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I Went Into "Cult Mode" The Other Day..
by humblepotato inif you recall, i'm just coming to grips with ttatt and atheism after a few years of doubts.
made a long post around here, a while ago, talking about the very subject.
but, anyways.... so the other day, my wife was telling me how she was just exhausted and "peopled out.
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humblepotato
If you recall, I'm just coming to grips with TTATT and atheism after a few years of doubts. Made a long post around here, a while ago, talking about the very subject. But, anyways...
So the other day, my wife was telling me how she was just exhausted and "peopled out." She didn't really feel like going to the meeting that evening either.
What did I do?
Well, like a real bonehead, I told her she needed to go to the meeting to get... wait for it... "HOLY SPIRIT" and she would feel better. She is a REAL HARDCORE JW and never questions anything. And, although she suffers from depression..., she really does feel better when she goes to meetings or out in service. I think it makes her feel less guilty, maybe?
But on our way to the Hall, I was thinking... 'Did I really just do that? What is wrong with me!?'
Anyways...a couple Sundays later was the same thing... I was determined not to make the same mistake twice. We stayed home. She felt miserable afterward for missing the meeting, and terribly guilty. But I think playing into her natural inclinations to stay home are where I want to focus my efforts...for now.
Did any of you guys ever snap into "cult mode" when exiting? How long before that stops happening? Am I alone in that?