OnTheWayOut

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Posts by OnTheWayOut

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  8

  My Story 2.0

  by James Jack in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jikmxk5hgdy.

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  OnTheWayOut

  SOShowdidigethere, the School is all voluntary. I can't tell you how to not rock the boat, but as a former school overseer, I knew that many members would not participate in the parts, or would only do it if they used their teen daughter or best friend as their "householder."
  
  I suggest you just blow off your talk assignments. Just don't be there. Eventually, some elder will talk to you about it. Tell him you try but you just cannot do the parts anymore- "Please take me off the school." Don't take NO for an answer. As far as rocking the boat, just tell your spouse or parent (or whoever is concerned) that you just cannot do the public speaking thing anymore since ZOOM started. Tell them there are others who are not on the school. Even if you know, don't offer names. Stay off that school.
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  41

  KH's Still All Closed- How Bad is WT doing Financially?

  by OnTheWayOut in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  most churches are back to in-person worship.

  not jehovah's witnesses.

  is watchtower still managing to fleece the flocks as the sheeple no longer get literature, no longer go to the kh, no longer walk past the donation box?

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  OnTheWayOut

  Most churches are back to in-person worship. Not Jehovah's Witnesses. What's going on?
  Is Watchtower still managing to fleece the flocks as the sheeple no longer get literature, no longer go to the KH, no longer walk past the donation box? Regardless of how they have tried to adjust the members to different styles of donations, I am sure the number one method was still dropping cash or checks in a box at Kingdom Halls and at Assembly Halls. And that is out.
  
  Are they closing congregations now? Will they be closing congregations soon? Will so many never go back to the Kingdom Hall either because Watchtower won't open the Hall or because sheeples woke up enough during ZOOM meetings that they just cannot put on meeting clothes and sit through actual meetings anymore?
  
  Any thoughts?
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  13

  Serious bible students questions about the bible

  by TTWSYF in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  many jws (and others) are serious about their biblical studies, but don't ask the right questions.

  in basic journalism one learns to ask the right questions which in my years here, i've never hear asked.. who, what, where, by what help, by whose help, why, how and when.

  these are all basic questions when researching anything that you want to write an article or paper on what ever related subject.. who wrote/created the bible?.

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  OnTheWayOut

  pistolpete, that Mormon Trilogy story is the exact way that any writings came to be decided upon for the Bible canon. Some warped people sold the idea that this book had the tiniest bit of logic to it or that another book would harm the teachings or way the priests manipulate the people.
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  9

  Is the Watchtower Organization Playing a Practical Joke on JWs?

  by Disillusioned JW in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  by a number of its teachings, rules, and practices is the wt organization playing a practical joke on jws?.

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  OnTheWayOut

  Adding to Overrated's comment- It's no joke.
  
  Watchtower was established as a giant printing corporation and the locals were allowed to fall as independent congregations and as long as they bought the books and magazines and resold them to the public. From the beginning, control was established over the independents so that they would see a need for the books and magazines. But really, they controlled their own land.

  Two major things happened to change that. First and foremost was a concern that the United States faced a possibility that profits from products that religions sell was going to be taxed. So Watchtower started charging no set amount for literature and sought "donations" for it. That sounded good, as they were a clearly established cult and cult members would contribute all their money to the cause- IN THEORY. It didn't work out quite that way.
  
  Secondly, Watchtower saw a gold mine in the quick build arrangement and remodeling of KH's. Borrow from Watchtower to build, pay loyal brothers for their equipment and building supplies at high rates, offsetting the cost with absolutely free labor and all should be fine. If a congregation ever had surplus amounts of money, tell them they needed to remodel the hall and use the quick build arrangement. That way, the construction suppliers stayed in the money.
  
  But even this wasn't enough. Congregations could eventually pay off the mortgage and despite the control of Mother, deny the need for remodeling. Remodeling wasn't much of a boon for Mother, but more for their loyal construction companies. Mother needed more and still kept losing more money on that dammed literature deal they thought would work out.

  McDonalds established themselves as the king of the real estate model for hamburger restaurants. The sales are important, but the expansion of the corporation via real estate transactions is more important to the corporation. Whether Watchtower directly copied that or just figured it out thru the quick build arrangement, soon Mother was stealing all the properties away from those that actually paid for them.
  
  The literature had to be a bit profitable to stay afloat, but it kept having to be scaled back to stay alive. Today, I have little doubt that it is a burden that only still exists because old-timers prefer printed materials and old-timers are their only real contributors of money. The magazines will soon die and most printed materials will cease as the presses get older and no modernization goes forward anymore.
  
  Back to the original subject. Doctrinal changes are designed to sell more printed materials. It doesn't work anymore, so now they just don't care. If crazy changes driven by desperation come out, they don't care if it shakes off many members. Those members were not contributing enough money anyway, and Watchtower can sell more Halls if there are less members.
  
  Edited to add- The paperback Bible could stay in existence similar to Amazon's print-on-demand. You order it and a computer prints it and binds it softbound. That's the future I see for Watchtower's printed materials. Although, they could just tell people to get a tablet Bible.
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  13

  Serious bible students questions about the bible

  by TTWSYF in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  many jws (and others) are serious about their biblical studies, but don't ask the right questions.

  in basic journalism one learns to ask the right questions which in my years here, i've never hear asked.. who, what, where, by what help, by whose help, why, how and when.

  these are all basic questions when researching anything that you want to write an article or paper on what ever related subject.. who wrote/created the bible?.

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  OnTheWayOut

  A serious look at how the Bible came to be causes atheism.

  Decisions of groups of men made hundreds of years ago were enforced and there's the Bible. Decisions were based on politics, influence, popularity, what particular writings could do to help or harm the Church. As humans, we cannot even agree on recent history, so we will never agree on how the Bible came to be what it is.
  
  If JW's really thought about it, they use the Protestant Bible without the Apocrypha, modified to their own doctrine, and instead of denying that, they pretend God had such a huge hand in making it so, despite the same people who brought them the NWT making a claim that they are not "inspired' or "infallible" but, somehow their warped translation of the Bible was guided by God.
  
  
  
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  179

  The Watchtower is NOT a false prophet

  by The Quiet One in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  regarding what some have said here about the wt being a false prophet.. i would like to make my point regarding the wt not being a false prophet... so please, if you can be patient enough to read this, at least try to understand what i am getting at.. a false prophet is one who, according to deuteronomy, makes a false prediction of the future and claims that the prediction came from god, or in other words claiming that 'god has said he will do a certain thing at a certain time' etc.. for example, hypothetically speaking, if someone had claimed: "god will bring about the end of the world in 2010", they would have been proven to be a false prophet, obviously.

  but, as an example, imagine a man who claimed the position of a prophet of god, (as moses did, because although he was not the type of prophet that predicted the future.. he was still a prophet or spokesman for god) and that he had publicised worldwide, according to his interpretation of a (for example) prophecy found in the book of isaiah, that the world would end in 2010.. and he had also stated that he was not saying that god will end the world in that year.. but only that there was biblical evidence that god might do so.

  that would clearly have been a mistake.

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  OnTheWayOut

  The old "I didn't say God said it" excuse.
  Why let a false prophet define what a false prophet is. (I know that, technically, you are trying to let the Bible define it, but you are using Watchtower lies to narrowly fit into the Bible's terms.)
  
  Wiki definition for "False Prophet"
  In religion, a false prophet is a person who falsely claims the gift of prophecy or divine inspiration, or to speak for God, or who makes such claims for evil ends.
  
  Watchtower wants to have the cake and eat it too with their bogus "spirit-directed" instead of "inspired" crap.
  "Spirit directed" basically means to them, "We speak for God and are always right, but in case we change our minds or are wrong, we are not infallible prophets. We are prophets when we tell you things, but not prophets when it blows up in our faces."
  
  This is just cult stuff. They speak for God. If you want to separate the GB from the corporation altogether, they still claim it is God's Organization. (I know they say "Spirit-directed organization" but that's just the same crap.)
  
  As pointed out in this old thread, many a times have they said they are God's mouthpiece or words exactly to that effect.
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  4

  South Lake Tahoe Apostafest

  by HappyDad in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  just wondering if there is an apostafest scheduled this year of 2021/.

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  OnTheWayOut

  There was no Tahoe Fest last year nor this year.
  
  Planning would have had to take place months ago and restrictions were still unknown for July several months ago.
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  50

  What would happen if the Watchtower decided no more meeting at Kingdom Halls, only Zoom?

  by pistolpete in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i’m seeing my hard core believing relatives slowly losing faith that the watchtower is the organization that “god” is using to represent him on earth.. just about all the churches in their area have opened up.. but not the watchtower.. this is having an affect on the faith of even the old timers.

  now the only ones who are still holding the faith are the female jws and only those past 70 years of age.

  even my old male jw relative past 70 are starting to say that it can’t be jehovah’s organization because the other churches are all open and god supposed organization who is supposed to preach the warning message is still closed with no open in sight.

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  OnTheWayOut

  I am just speculating, but Watchtower may be pleased to shake out the rif raf. People that "won't go back" just don't donate enough money. Let the Kingdom Hall sales continue.
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  115

  Vice President Kamala Harris…your thoughts??

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  good pick?

  bad pick?

  helpful to president biden?

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  OnTheWayOut

  The powers that pull the Dems strings won't let Harris pick a woman running mate for 2024, let alone Ilhan Omar.
  Harris was chosen by the same string-pullers to get the black vote for Joe without really offering anything the progressives want.
  
  It is time to push and demand that the parties offer real candidates or break up the party system. I prefer the break up, but I don't see the powers that be allowing that.
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  83

  Do You Think Trump Will Make A Comeback?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  do you think he could get reinstated as president?

  do you think trump will run again for president or do you think he will just be a force for the republican party behind the scenes?.

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  OnTheWayOut

  Otwo, regarding your analysis, nothing Trump did was illegal. Stop look’ing at CNN and the lens of msnbc.
  
  You know very well that it is a violation of a provision of the Constitution, but that it would take Congress to impeach the president for such a violation. So you know it is not something that will get a warrant for your arrest. You also know why there is an emoluments clause and you know that Trump did violate it and you know why he did.
  
  Saying this on your thread is like talking to the Evangelical religious right who pretend Donald did not have sex with a porn star. If your guy violates the emoluments clause, then he is smart to do so. I don't defend Joe Biden on what happened with Hunter. I am sure it was wrong, if not illegal. But you turn a blind eye to far worse with Donald Trump.