Posts by AllTimeJeff

56

One reason behind the slow steady decline of JWs

by AllTimeJeff in

hello first of all to those that remember me.

i'm doing well, 10 years since my missionary trip to cameroon.

i've met a couple of goals.

AllTimeJeff

Enjoying the various viewpoints. I like Room 215 and the point made. Knorr actually wanted to make the JWs of his day more skilled and qualified. (Thus the various schools) These days, GB 2.1 has shown themselves Wanting to take anyone charismatic and with knowledge out.

The GB (I believe we should distinguish the leadership from the captive sheeples) is in major decline. The flock will either wake up or join other cults, because in the grand scheme of things, JWs don't matter, and never have. One of my biggest learnings is that there usually is someplace for most everyone to pool and collect in, especially if one feels a need to "belong" to something.

My concern isn't that JWs are crumbling. It's the group that will replace them that concerns me.

113

I just found out that my youngest brother committed suicide

by SnakesInTheTower in

jw
friends

my middle brother called me a couple of hours ago.

our youngest brother, josh, who was 38, was found by his friends in his apartment.

he hung himself.

AllTimeJeff

When my brother ended his life, he was DFd and I was under the full spell of the Borg. It took me years to process. I'm not sure there is a right or wrong way to grieve. I do know that the Borgs involvement makes it unique. Don't be afraid to talk to people and trust them within your circle. Also, there's nothing wrong with you not crying. I didn't for many months until it hit me one day.

80

Are there any ex-missionaries here??

by fulano in

i have been a missionary in the dominican republic for almost 10 years and i was wondering if there were any ex-missionaries on this forum.. i am back in my country now for 3 years and totally inactive.. what i noticed in those missionary-years was the lack of spiritual interest among the missionaries.. discussions were about rooms, cars and greater responsibilities, the bad territory.

and the local c.o.s and d.os.. was this only in the dr or are there other experiences??.

ere other experiences?

AllTimeJeff

Fulano, I was attacked twice, 10 years ago next week. I stayed three more months struggling to figure out my next move and what to do with the ex wife. I came back and started formulating plans to start over, which happily, I did.

80

Are there any ex-missionaries here??

by fulano in

i have been a missionary in the dominican republic for almost 10 years and i was wondering if there were any ex-missionaries on this forum.. i am back in my country now for 3 years and totally inactive.. what i noticed in those missionary-years was the lack of spiritual interest among the missionaries.. discussions were about rooms, cars and greater responsibilities, the bad territory.

and the local c.o.s and d.os.. was this only in the dr or are there other experiences??.

ere other experiences?

AllTimeJeff

Hello. I was in Cameroon for 5 months after class 119

80

Are there any ex-missionaries here??

by fulano in

i have been a missionary in the dominican republic for almost 10 years and i was wondering if there were any ex-missionaries on this forum.. i am back in my country now for 3 years and totally inactive.. what i noticed in those missionary-years was the lack of spiritual interest among the missionaries.. discussions were about rooms, cars and greater responsibilities, the bad territory.

and the local c.o.s and d.os.. was this only in the dr or are there other experiences??.

ere other experiences?

AllTimeJeff

Former missionary here. Glad you got out and have lived your life. 👍

74

Jehovah's Witnesses May Have Peaked in Membership at 8 Million (+/-)

by OnTheWayOut in

jw
friends

i don't have all the details of their new "service year" numbers, but i have read enough on jwn to state my opinion pretty strongly.. memorial attendance for 2015 was down.while they kept saying they were going to build a bunch of new kingdom halls, and everybody is still in recovery from watchtower taking all the local money away, they say pretty much that there isn't enough money to build new kingdom halls.putting gb members on the videos at jw .

org has allowed people to really put a face and personality to these guys and remove the mystery of how they should be such deeply spiritual serious men.

instead they see silly thoughts about tight pants and, really everything that comes out of lett's mouth is delivered ultra-goofy, along with the money reports.. the gb lost credibility a little more with every new light that shone down, with the strangest one being "overlapping generation.

AllTimeJeff

Flipper, I don't think that they'll admit old doctrines were wrong any time in the immediate future. Like water on rock, time will have its way with these clowns. I suspect a disruptive circumstance will occur that will force their hand.

just another thought, scandal could do it. So they're investing money in hedge funds while consolidating their real estate holdings? And no one is profiting off it illegally? Or maybe it's something as benign as coveting thy neighbors wife. Regardless, that could do the trick.

After close to 10 years away, I personally am glad I got off the boat while the hole in it was relatively small. It's still a good time to leave.

74

Jehovah's Witnesses May Have Peaked in Membership at 8 Million (+/-)

by OnTheWayOut in

jw
friends

i don't have all the details of their new "service year" numbers, but i have read enough on jwn to state my opinion pretty strongly.. memorial attendance for 2015 was down.while they kept saying they were going to build a bunch of new kingdom halls, and everybody is still in recovery from watchtower taking all the local money away, they say pretty much that there isn't enough money to build new kingdom halls.putting gb members on the videos at jw .

org has allowed people to really put a face and personality to these guys and remove the mystery of how they should be such deeply spiritual serious men.

instead they see silly thoughts about tight pants and, really everything that comes out of lett's mouth is delivered ultra-goofy, along with the money reports.. the gb lost credibility a little more with every new light that shone down, with the strangest one being "overlapping generation.

AllTimeJeff

OTWO, the GB is naive and foolish to underestimate all the former Bethelites and missionaries that will flood the congregations. Whereas before you could explain away the occasional disgruntled, you're going to have a hard time dealing with this sub-community that can email, research JWs on the Internet, and generally be a pain in the ass to the GB. There is zero love lost.

This was a factor in why I left. They kicked out a 19 year old Bethelite who played Halo while I was at Gilead. He had no place to go. I heard other stories. While being mugged was the final straw, I had no delusions about wasting any more time on these guys. They would throw my ass out an African street with no way to go home? They crossed a line with me they clearly didn't know existed.

The funny thing is, if this GB was really loving, they'd have something that the Knorr GB did cultivate to an extent, loyalty to them. It seems the word is out, GB 2.0 is loyal to no one but their power.

56

One reason behind the slow steady decline of JWs

by AllTimeJeff in

hello first of all to those that remember me.

i'm doing well, 10 years since my missionary trip to cameroon.

i've met a couple of goals.

AllTimeJeff

Btw, the idea that this younger generation of GB is "anointed" is total bull shit on their part and a naked power grab. I thought I was anointed for a day, I really did, after my attacks in Africa. I was just upset and trying to attach meaning to it. These guys? Total yahoos. And now they're stuck with a declining publishing cult that was dependent on printing for their income. Be careful what you wish for...

56

One reason behind the slow steady decline of JWs

by AllTimeJeff in

hello first of all to those that remember me.

i'm doing well, 10 years since my missionary trip to cameroon.

i've met a couple of goals.

AllTimeJeff

Good points everyone. I'd like to stress that Knorr was a dick unless you were in his inner circle. As in all business, knowing how to network pays big, and some in the JW business did it a lot better than others. Who you knew and how you portrayed yourself was more important than who you really were.

It seems such a silly point to discuss WT leadership, but it's a huge reason why they are where they are. I agree with you Dunedain, this is 20 years in the making. Like all businesses and organizations, the last decade introduced disruption. And I often wonder whether GB 2.1 has realized (and perhaps even admitted within their circle) that all of Franzs stuff was wrong, he really was a false prophet, and now they are stuck on the wrong side of the bell curve. Do you selfishly ride it our and make sure you're taking care of, or do you admit that "we were wrong?"

The latest attempt at explaining the word "generation" probably provides the answer.

51

My first post

by thewalker in

jw
friends

hi, i just joined the board and wanted to present myself.. i'm active, in fact very active in congregation activities serving "where the need is great" in a foreign language congregation somewhere in western europe.

as a young brother, i'm seen as an example as i'm doing all a good witness should do.. i had doubts years ago but i decided just to ignore them and move to another congregation to preach more.

that worked for some years but i'm now at the exact same point.

AllTimeJeff

Good post. Thanks for sharing. Just don't be afraid anymore. Fear is what keeps the flock in line, not love.

In today's crazed instant on world, if JWs were really about love, they'd get a lot of publicity for it. They're not. They're known for door knocking, shunning, and now, allowing pedophiles to run amuck. You're free to judge whether any of that adds up.

Don't be scared to do what's right for you either. Though a romantic thought, you don't need to stay around for others unless that's a real calling. If it isn't, and you truly want to claim a life of your own, that isn't selfish. That's smart, and you'll find that your example will help more than you realize.

Live. Well. 👍🏻