Open mind

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Posts by Open mind

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  40

  Convention without a 'Badge'

  by IMHO in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i attended a convention recently but didn't wear a badge i was treated with the utmost suspicion.

  particularly when i arrived during the sessions one day.

  the attendant didn't want me wandering off to find a seat on my own.

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  Open mind

  I worked in security, oops, not supposed to call it that... Watchman duty for several years. Watchman duty is divided between external and internal. A fair amount of each section would have radios so they could feel all James Bondish. If anyone approached the Convention who didn't look like a typical JW robot, they were observed all the way to their seat. If they gave obvious signs of wanting to start trouble, they would be confronted by at least a couple of JW Watchmen (aka Barney Fifes) who would try to discern their intent and either escort them to a seat or escort them off the premises depending on how they responded.
  
  The only way that Emma's story makes sense to me is that some local JW must have known you guys had "apostate leanings". Lack of a lapel badge alone is just a minor yellow light in the eyes of the Watchmen, IMO.

  om
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  14

  Interesting discussion about Bethel

  by DagothUr in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it's from the jwtalk.net (the jdub forum).

  the name of the topic is "bethel volunteers?":.

  dub1: it was announced at our meeting last night volunteers for bethel in nyc.

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  Open mind

  The old Bethel adage was:

  "Spare the Bethelite,

  Kill the Temp."

  om
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  8

  Michael Shermer: The Believing Brain

  by leavingwt in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  on june 9, 2011, the center for inquiry-new york city and nyc skeptics hosted noted skeptic and bestselling author michael shermer for a talk about his new book, "the believing brain: from ghosts and gods to politics and conspiracieshow we construct beliefs and reinforce them as truths.

  " the event was held at the auditorium on broadway.

  this is the full video, including both the talk and question-and-answer session.. .

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  Open mind

  He was in Berkeley and San Francisco, CA about 3 weeks ago for a similar event.

  I didn't know he was a Born Again Christian in his earlier years.

  I'm about half-way through the book. So far, a very good, reasonable, surprisingly non-polemic read.

  om
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  35

  Do you know of any witnesses that went to Jail/Prison? What did they do?

  by Iamallcool in

  1. jw
  2. friends
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  Open mind

  Terry Walstrom went to prison over the draft.

  Here's his whole bio.

  http://www.freeminds.org/stories/mylife.htm

  om
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  40

  magazine supply reduction

  by agent zero in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  at the meeting tonight was read a letter to all congregations in canada.

  it explained that since most publishers end up with left-over public edition magazines that didn't get placed at the end of each month, they will now no longer continue to have an individual magazine order per publisher.

  instead, the entire congregation's supply of service edition magazines will be in a stack at the back of the kh, and they are to be taken according to need, with whatever is left over after service to be put back in the stack.

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  Open mind

  I pick up a stack of magazines whenever I go to the KH (about once a month). I make sure they hit the recycling bin and not the garbage.

  om
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  42

  Today's WT lesson: Desperate for more MS. How many get appointed 1 yr after baptism?

  by Open mind in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  today's wt lesson: serving jehovah with all seriousness, excerpt from paragraph 11:.

  "if a brother has been baptized at least one year and to a reasonable degree meets the scriptural qualifications for ministerial servants outlined at 1 timothy 3:8-13, he can be recommended for appointment.".

  how often have you seen someone become a ministerial servant one year after baptism?

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  Open mind

  Para: " Good to see you're not an elder anymore, how goes the fade?"

  Hi Para. Right back at ya.

  Things are going great. Wife and kids are all mentally out. Kids rarely attend a meeting. I'm the most "spiritual" of the bunch as I attend about once a month. Extended family are worried about us, but seem to be treating us with kid gloves so far.

  How are you and Bobbi?

  om
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  42

  Today's WT lesson: Desperate for more MS. How many get appointed 1 yr after baptism?

  by Open mind in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  today's wt lesson: serving jehovah with all seriousness, excerpt from paragraph 11:.

  "if a brother has been baptized at least one year and to a reasonable degree meets the scriptural qualifications for ministerial servants outlined at 1 timothy 3:8-13, he can be recommended for appointment.".

  how often have you seen someone become a ministerial servant one year after baptism?

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  Open mind

  Thanks for your up-to-date perspectives burnedout.

  I stopped being an elder a couple years ago, but I also have NEVER seen someone recommended for MS just one year after baptism.

  Maybe this Watchtower will help to scrape up a few more grunts.

  om
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  42

  Today's WT lesson: Desperate for more MS. How many get appointed 1 yr after baptism?

  by Open mind in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  today's wt lesson: serving jehovah with all seriousness, excerpt from paragraph 11:.

  "if a brother has been baptized at least one year and to a reasonable degree meets the scriptural qualifications for ministerial servants outlined at 1 timothy 3:8-13, he can be recommended for appointment.".

  how often have you seen someone become a ministerial servant one year after baptism?

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  Open mind

  Today's WT lesson: Serving Jehovah with All Seriousness, excerpt from Paragraph 11:

  "If a brother has been baptized at least one year and to a reasonable degree meets the Scriptural qualifications for ministerial servants outlined at 1 Timothy 3:8-13, he can be recommended for appointment."

  How often have you seen someone become a Ministerial Servant one year after baptism?

  This isn't a new rule, but the reminder to elders speaks volumes IMO.

  om
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  27

  42% of Canadians can't read (DC Talk)

  by burnedout in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i heard this statement at the dc today (saturday), the talk about some new brochure to help those who can't read in order to learn the basics of the truth:.

  "one study finds that 42% of canadians can not read well enough to function in society... that's right brothers...

  of course, no source was given, and then the speaker says how important this new 'tool' will be in the ministry.... i asked the wife what she thought of that and she agreed it sounded fishy.

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  Open mind

  Hello burnedout. I missed your introductory thread a few days ago.

  You have a Private Message.

  om
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  47

  Buried my father today

  by littlerockguy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i mostly post fluff and music posts on this thread more often now but just thought i would let some people here who still know me about what has been goin on with me recently.

  my dad about a 7 month battle with lung cancer which metastasized to the bones and he died early wed morning.

  my dad was a fascinating man, complex, sometimes open and sometimes a very aloof and detached person.

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  Open mind

  Hang in there LRG.

  Your words were a beautiful tribute.

  om