every september, at the beginning of the jw "service year", a letter to publishers is printed in the km.
this letter addresses recent layoffs at bethel:.
our kingdom ministry september 2006 (for united states of america), page 1. dear kingdom publishers:.
they have clearly linked numerical growth with Jah's blessings. What do we now see? Lay-offs and the selling of kingdom halls. That doesn't look like growth to me.
They will spin this. The Bible clearly showed this would happen in the Sign of The Last Days. (It will be explained in a study article subtopic) The end is ever-closer.
have any of you ever been called a dangerous apostate?
i have, and so has trev.
my friend marion just called me, and her sister angela, who is a nominal jw, and attends occasional meetings, went last sunday because her friends' son was giving the public talk.
I don't mind being called an apostate. It isn't that much of a derogatory title anyway, it's just someone who abandons a previously - held religious belief. That makes quite a lot of jws apostates themselves, don't you think? Certainly, in my kw, at least 33% had left other religions to become jws.
fullofdoubtnow, this is profound. Not only did many leave other religions, making them apostate, but the entire JW organization abandoned previously-held beliefs in 1995, 1975, many other times. The new Revelation-book changes are apostate, by current dictionary definition. Every JW is an apostate.
has anyone ever written a thick description of a witness meeting?.
i think i am going to give it a go.
slim.
So many times I've watched the progress of a bee, or a spider.
In the Chicago area, the conventions used to be held at a horse racetrack, which had ponds and fields in the middle of the track. There were mother ducks that used to march their ducklings to-and-fro. Everybody would watch them and ignore the talk going on. Sometimes we could watch horse trainers across the track or watch lawnmowers in the distance. I really missed those distractions when they stopped using that facility.
last dec 2005, the ny bethel gave talks indicating that they had to downsize (word is mine) due to "improved technology" and that as a result of this simplification some bethel family members would be invited to serve in the united states field in various assignments at various congregations where the excellent training they have recieved at bethel could be put to use and contribute much to the preaching and disciple making work.. what do you make of this?.
i wonder how they would determine who stays or goes?.
are there any former bethel members out there who can comment on rather this would be an easy transistion for those who have to leave?.
There may well be a R and F backlash in the USA, but here in the UK the majority of ordinary JWs don't really understand the implications of the 'downsizing!'
If it (I should say When it) happens there, they will understand.
last dec 2005, the ny bethel gave talks indicating that they had to downsize (word is mine) due to "improved technology" and that as a result of this simplification some bethel family members would be invited to serve in the united states field in various assignments at various congregations where the excellent training they have recieved at bethel could be put to use and contribute much to the preaching and disciple making work.. what do you make of this?.
i wonder how they would determine who stays or goes?.
are there any former bethel members out there who can comment on rather this would be an easy transistion for those who have to leave?.
Doesn't the Bible say that any man who does not care for his family is worse than a man of the nations.
read good books, I am going to use this thought if I can. Beautiful. Nice application of scriptures. This so fits with the JW because it is part of the prerequisites for appointed positions. How can you be on the GB, the ultimate body of elders, if you won't take care of your family?
slowly and progressively, or rapidly after a specific date?.
One more goofy prediction- Randy Watters does some silly video outside of WT buildings in NY on a slow-news day. CNN drives by and asks what's going on. Randy tell them it's about the United Nations Story, and CNN tells the big story, which is picked up by other news agencies. At first, the story is largely ignored, but then some unstable fringe-Witness carries out a bomb-plot at the UN, somewhat successfully, to show the world that Jehovah doesn't approve of them- and people start looking at the WTS. There is a replay of the story about JWs hatred for the UN, but really they are involved with them. People in the WTS and people outside the WTS both see the hypocrisy. To be safe from public backlash, Disassociation letter pour in from rank-and-file. The Governing Body issues a press release that is neither pro-UN or anti-UN, which further agitates both sides. More DA letters. The faithful pioneers find it impossible to preach without questions being fired at them about their love and hatred for the UN. Their answers only make the public even more mad- many stop pioneering. In most countries, people are afraid to admit they are JW, preaching comes to a virtual stop, and bible studies are at their lowest point ever (mostly just JWs children studying).
WTS tries sweeping policy changes and doctrinal adjustments to save the organization. Nothing really works, so they continue to make changes until the WTS becomes JUST ANOTHER MAINSTREAM RELIGION.
i was at the kh and the official discussion of the letter on the cover of the sept. kingdom ministry took place.
the instructions were to include a discussion of how the need for workers in the field was great.. basically, the letter says that due to technology, less bethelites are needed, so many are being sent out into the field, with many congregations in the united states receiving the benefits of these "mature" publishers.
yes, they actually said they were sending older ones packing from bethel.
Letter in full here: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/119609/1.ashx
Thanks for the posted full letter
a relative of my wife, just got engaged to a "worldly guy".. the young lady is a baptized publisher, and i am shocked to hear that no one has made a negative comment about her future husband not being an dub.. even her mother who is a pioneer has not made an issue of the engagement.. has things changed?.
are the elders easing up a little on the rank and file?.
I knew of a sister who was disfellowshipped for marrying a disfellowshipped man.
They say the scriptures tell you to not even have a meal with such a person. They figured she did more than that, so they applied that- Same as Ray Franz. What you say is true, "Many things get 'overlooked' depending on the local elder's zeal in certain matters." I see so many sisters who really want a husband (like that's going to solve their problems) but want to stay faithful to Jehovahthe Organization.
i was at the kh and the official discussion of the letter on the cover of the sept. kingdom ministry took place.
the instructions were to include a discussion of how the need for workers in the field was great.. basically, the letter says that due to technology, less bethelites are needed, so many are being sent out into the field, with many congregations in the united states receiving the benefits of these "mature" publishers.
yes, they actually said they were sending older ones packing from bethel.
What's truly great is that the rank and file see right thru this. They might not do anything, but here is a dent in the armor. I can say with virtual certainty that most JW have no idea about lawsuits, silentlambs, Ray Franz, The United Nations, etc., but they do understand the meaning of this. Some will support it, saying money shouldn't be "wasted" on lower productivity workers, but most will silently wonder what's next. If the next thing is another drastic money-saver (once-a-month WT or offering only tracts in FS) more will wonder.
Kingdom News #37 is merely a way to reduce costs and keep JWs busy. They didn't release much new literature this year. I joked on another post about the WTS asking publishers to start going to Kinkos and make their own placeable copies of tracts. Watch out if anything near that comes true.
I'm going to continue to focus on those "dents" in their armor. I need to get my wife and mother out.
slowly and progressively, or rapidly after a specific date?.
Anti-JW sentiment is strong throughout the country. Hilary manages to get the books open and taxes placed on the WT corporation. Laws are passed against publishing corporations using volunteer labor. Bethel is forced to sell most of it's Brooklyn property and loses a legal battle to avoid paying property taxes. Many Kingdom Hall are vandalized and some are torched.
The Governing Body declares that this is Satan's attack on true worship starting- right on time. The faithful wait for Jehovah to save them.
