Posts by neverendingjourney

73

When DID the Jews return?

by Doug Mason in

the wts says that the key date in the jews return from babylon is tishri 1 537 bce.. the wts uses that date to arrive at its incorrect date of 607 bce for the destruction of jerusalem.

in turn, its 607 bce date is used to provide the date of october 1914 ce for christs parousia and the setting up of gods kingdom government.

the wts claims to be the sole representative upon earth of gods kingdom.. the date of the jews return is thus crucial to the watchtower societys (wts) existence and authority.

Could Brooklyn install security systems that would keep us from the know?

by AK - Jeff in

i mean would it be likely that near future all correspondence and letters could come thru a secure connection, presented verbally to elders by the co or do, or in secure digital format that would be able to trace all users and readers -so that it can be kept out of our hands?.

i am not a technical person in that regard - but it would seem possible that this could be done.

true - fading elders would get access - but if there is a digital trail in the system - if it finds it 's way to jwd or other places - they could soon hunt down the culprits.

neverendingjourney

I've read a lot of speculation about the society potentially implementing digital distribution systems for confidential correspondence. I've even seen talk of digitally distributing magazines and other publications and asking the congregations to bear the cost of printing them. I think this talk ignores the fact that many elders have no idea how to work a computer. This is especially true in the foreign-language congregations that I was familiar with. Most of the brothers there are immigrant construction workers who would have an extremely difficult time learning how to operate a computer.

The school overseer at the last congregation I attended used a typewriter for the cards he handed out. I think an elder from a neighboring hall finally decided to use a computer to help him out. This would work really well in congregations where there is at least one computer-savvy elder. There are a lot of congregations in the U.S. that don't have any. I imagine the ratio of congregations with entirely computer-illiterate BOEs in the developing world is through the roof.

27

Another news story today on abuse settlements...

by flipper in

a friend of mr f heard a story on kfbk sacramento radio news a little after 8 this am...3 people in woodland ca received their settlement money, and 7,000 others have come forward with accusations.

i can't find it anywhere - does anyone know about this?

danny?

neverendingjourney

Seven thousand lawsuits could potentially cripple them. At the very least, it would have very profound impact on their operations. The settlment amounts and jury verdicts vary greatly depending on how conclusive the facts are and how egregious the behavior was. Jury verdicts in particularly bad cases can go well over a million dollars. If we were to assume that each lawsuit ends up costing the society $100,000 a piece in settlement money and attorneys fees on average, they are looking at having to pay out 700 million dollars. How many buildings will they have to sell to pay that off?

30

God is a Metaphor

by nvrgnbk in

jw
friends

god is a metaphor.

dr. khalid sohail .

being a secular humanist i do not believe in any god or organized religion, but as a poet i am fascinated by all the languages and metaphors human beings have created over the centuries to understand and explain the mysteries of life and nature.

neverendingjourney

Humans created the concept of god. My question is : Why?

Evolution is about survival. Those that had the strongest desire to survive had a better chance to stay alive and spread their genes. Thus, we are the progeny of the humans that came before us that had the strongest will to survive. We are not programmed to accept death. Therefore, we as a species crave for a system of beliefs that tells us that we will continue living after death.

The concept of god, in my opinion, surfaced as a psychological reaction to our constant struggle for survival. As the human mind developed to a higher state of consciousness, we began to realize the implication of death. Our primal urge for survival led us to develop concepts of god that allowed us to believe that survival continues, even upon death. It wasn't in our nature to just sit back and accept the end of our existence. It would go against hundreds of thousands of years of human evolution.

11

Gun Control Works...

by read good books in

information used here was copied from an article by richard poe-"don't blame liberals for gun control.'.

turkey established gun control in 1911.. *from 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.. the sovied union established gun control in 1929.. *from 1929 to 1953 20 million political dissenters, unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated.. germany established gun control in 1938.. *from 1939 to 1945 13 million jews, catholics, gypsies, socialists, homosexuals, trade unionists, disabled and mentally ill .

people, and other "mongolized peoples," unable to defend themselves were rounded up and were exterminated.

neverendingjourney

I'm so glad that so many American's own handguns and rifles. Thanks to that we'll be able to stop the United States military from committing genocide against us when they chase us down with their F-15s, tanks, and nuclear weapons. Thanks for the post. I now feel much more secure now.

5

Relax...Isaac Newton said the end would come no earlier than 2060

by neverendingjourney in

jw
friends

i just ran across this article.

the following words caught my attention: "in one manuscript from the early 1700s, newton used the cryptic book of daniel to calculate the date for the apocalypse, reaching the conclusion that the world would end no earlier than 2060.

i'll say this: at least isaac newton's word is way, way more reliable than the watchtower bible and tract society's.

neverendingjourney

I just ran across this article. The following words caught my attention: "In one manuscript from the early 1700s, Newton used the cryptic Book of Daniel to calculate the date for the apocalypse, reaching the conclusion that the world would end no earlier than 2060."

I'll say this: at least Isaac Newton's word is way, way more reliable than the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society's. I wouldn't hold my breath, though.

23

Preaching Work is unique identifier

by besty in

several conversations with current jw's have thrown up this validation of their faith.

i can think of several lines of refutation: .

1 - ask 'is increase proof of gods blessing?

neverendingjourney

The preaching work for JWs has devolved into a social exercise designed to put in enough hours to keep the elders off of their backs. For those JWs that seek positions of authority and honor, the preaching work is about racking in enough hours to make them a desirable candidate for such positions. For those JWs that already have positions, the preaching work is about keeping their hours high enough so as to not be removed for that position.

The JWs that actually go out in service because they believe it's a life-saving work and want to teach people their (perverse) understanding of the Bible are in the minority. This has been my experience. If the JWs did away with the reporting requirement and ceased to take hours in field service into account for anything they do, my guess is that the number of JWs that regularly participate in the preaching work would drop by at least 50%.

9

Please make comments to Tucson-Arizona Daily Star

by Gayle in

.

http://www.azstarnet.com:80/sn/faith/187907.

neverendingjourney

I just looked at the article again. The picture was taken in Tucson. The people depicted are said to be actual Jehovah's Witnesses.

9

Please make comments to Tucson-Arizona Daily Star

by Gayle in

.

http://www.azstarnet.com:80/sn/faith/187907.

neverendingjourney

I guess you have never been to the Keam's Canyon congregation on the Hopi Indian reservation in NE Arizona

You're right. I haven't been there, nor does this picture appear to be set at an Indian Reservation. The other picture I saw in a similar article of a woman out in the door to door work in a denim skirt did not appear to have been taken at an Indian reservation either. If the newspaper wanted to show a representative picture of JWs out in service, why show them out in clothing that they would not be allowed to wear, except for in a few isolated exceptions (such as Indian reservations)? The image of a JW out in blue jeans, sun glasses and a hat is not the picture that comes to mind when I think of JWs out in field service. It seems to be better suited for a propaganda piece that seeks to normalize the image that people have of the religion.

How would you react if a slick bible salesman rolled up in his Lexus on your dirt road wearing a pin-stripped suit while you're sitting outside of your mud hut? Exactly .

What's your point? There was nothing in my comment that suggested that JWs should not dress down when visiting Indian reservations. I never brought that subject up. You did. In fact, I would have loved to have gone out to field service in business casual attire when I was an active dub. I think we would have been received better that way, and we did visit some very poor, non Indian reservation areas. I think you're reading more into my comments than is actually there.

7

JWs, Jesus Christ, Death, and John 11

by R.F. in

i was thinking about an earlier thread i had made where many of you mentioned the death of relatives.

well i've lost a very close relative a few weeks ago and it's still very rough for us of course.

however the reaction from many in the congregation, from the elders especially, hurt me deeply.

neverendingjourney

The cult mentality takes over. This is the case with rank and file witnesses as well as elders. The emphasis is constantly placed on remaining strong and persevering until Armageddon arrives. Therefore, obvious exhortations, such as the one you point out are relegated to a place of secondary importance. What matters to them is that you remain active in the organization as they think that is the only way you will survive Armageddon. The elders probably think that your lack of meeting attendance is due to what they perceive as excessive grieving on your part. Therefore, they think they are doing what's right by telling you to stop grieving so you can return to the meetings. Meeting attendance and remaining active in their religion is what's most important to them. It's no surprise that they ignore Jesus' counsel in order to try to get you to return to the "flock."