Hmm, would the Kingdom Hall loans have been under that 'Long-term investments" category?
Isn't the WTS tax-free anyway? So what would be the point of these gifts then, as a tax-return on an already zero tax?
an update on the canada branch hasn't been made (i think).. year-over-year, canada's equity decreased by 11 million in 2012, 17 million in 2013.. however, the 2014 report shows a huge increase (20 million) in the cost of "purchased supplies.
" with the shrinkage of the mags, and the push to online, how the heck did this go from 39 million to 58 million?.
even with this number, the equity in 2014 went down by a staggering 56 million.. what the heck is going on?.
Hmm, would the Kingdom Hall loans have been under that 'Long-term investments" category?
Isn't the WTS tax-free anyway? So what would be the point of these gifts then, as a tax-return on an already zero tax?
my wife is pleasant and easy to get along with.
she is also helpful to many.
lately, however, there is a jw sister who some are curious about has befreinded my wife.
so far i have worked out 2 challenges to this ridiculous, stupid cruel imposed rule that results in disfellowshipping.
(1) if someone is still scriptually married after a divorce, and moved back in with their ex, they would be disfellowshipped.
so then on what grounds did you ever mean someone was still married?
Good point Ohiamfree. I have also been wondering about this strange insistence upon "God's view of marriage". Only Matthew has this exception based on "fornication" (and is not even consistent with itself between 5:32 and 19:9), but Mark and 1 Corinthians don't. A lot of remarriage ruling stuff is based on 2 odd verses in Matthew. So who can say what "God's view" really is?
From the elders book, someone is free to remarry if there has been a legal divorce *and* there has been adultery (either before or after divorce). So I guess that explains (1), because it would be adultery if you weren't legally married.
In case of (2), probably no-one will prevent a person from getting baptized, why would they? But it would prevent that person from remarrying, if I may take a guess. That's the "loving" provision from Jehovah! :-P So yes, the previous mate would have to confess to adultery before the baptized one would be free to remarry. Knowing this organization, they would be consistent in these kind of things. The funny thing is though, it would only mean a trip to a prostitute could be advised for such a person before baptizing (better: before becoming a publisher) and making a confession of that. There would be no repercussions anyway, and it would make that person "scripturally free". Scriptural freedom is symmetrical in all cases; I think one of the better hidden rules of this organization. Of course they would like you to think only the innocent mate is free; that's how they put it in literature, but the elders book says something else entirely (pages 128-131).
In this context, I heard from someone whose mate left her, and also left the organization and didn't want to speak to elders. She was not free to remarry even though he had a new girlfriend. She had to plead and plead and beg him to talk to elders about this. He eventually did, she was free to remarry, and they didn't take action on him because he was inactive or "not identified as a Jehovah's Witness anymore"..... Well I'm glad for him (who wants to be DF'ed anyway?), but was this loving towards her.... nah!
judges 3:20-22 (new american standard bible).
"ehud came to him while he was sitting in his cool roof chamber (toilet), and.
ehud said, "i have a message from god for you...ehud.. took the sword.
You can't make this stuff up.
Indeed, definite proof this must have been inspired by Holy Spirit! HAHAHA!
many witnesses view the structure of the organization, and the authority of the governing body , as a model of the first century congregation..if the governing body is, indeed structured similarly to the 12 apostles.
paul provides a good example of how we need to view men such as these.. he admonishes christians to reject any teaching that is different from god's word gal 1:8 "but even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.".
he shows by his words that the first century leaders, meant little to him.. 2 cor 11:5 "indeed, i consider that i am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles.".
Why would those "super apostles" be the "first century leaders"? (I assume you mean the apostles in Jerusalem?)
In the first few centuries there were many jewish/christian sects that were competing about what was "true". (Just like now?? lol)
some items i noticed:.
"christian apostates have removed god's name from the bible" ... apostates?
what definition of apostates is he using here?.
Some items I noticed:
in the latest jw broadcast, the supposed accuracy of the bible is stressed again using isiah 40:22 and job 26:7. isiah is as accurate as saying that god looking down on a pizza being a correct cosmological model.. about job ("...hang the earth upon nothing"), i was thinking of collecting coupons.
suppose you're collecting those to save money on some items.
then, when you get to the cashier, you get this response: "but sir/madam, these coupons are the figurative ones!
In the latest JW broadcast, the supposed accuracy of the Bible is stressed again using Isiah 40:22 and Job 26:7. Isiah is as accurate as saying that God looking down on a pizza being a correct cosmological model.
About Job ("...hang the earth upon nothing"), I was thinking of collecting coupons. Suppose you're collecting those to save money on some items. Then, when you get to the cashier, you get this response: "But Sir/Madam, these coupons are the figurative ones! They don't save you anything literally, you should have taken those [other ones], those are the literal coupons!" Now you go the customer service, then will you say the following? "Thank you! I'm so grateful you're providing me with scientifically accurate information about how to save money! Unmistakably, God's Holy Spirit is active upon this organization!"
Job 9:6: "He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble."
I guess that last verse was the figurative one after all! :-D
Aren't we glad we can rely on the Bible with such accurate scientific predictions!?
As "Jehovah" is the more recognizable form of the Hebrew God's name in English, I'm sure they will reintroduce the Trinity soon as that is the more recognizable form of worship among Christians.
*tongue-in-cheek*
so i am getting ready for bed yesterday night and i overhear my teenage son and wife talking about how the evidence of creation far outweighs the evidence of evolution.
i heard my son say that evolution has so many holes and how could something happen from nothing.
i wanted to open the door and ask them both how the creator happened from nothing just to see what they would say..
John, the WTS calls it "micro-evolution" to distinguish it from "macro-evolution". But of course they will not (and cannot!) explain where the boundary would be then between these two.
FYI: the origin of life is called abiogenesis. Like already said, indeed important to keep this separate from evolution.
Perhaps you can point your son to research the anatomy of whales. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIEoO5KdPvg
http://national.deseretnews.com/article/4645/why-more-young-women-are-leaving-church.html.
stock photo a kulicki .
faith compiled by massarah mikati sunday, may 31, 2015 why more young women are leaving church.
Seems logical that if there are more believing women, then the decline can also be steeper ;-)
I live in Europe, and my impression here is that there aren't so many more JW women than men? Yes, I do see more couples where the husband is not a JW, but the wife is... (and never the other way around), ... but 65%? Why would this be? Or am I wrong?