the recent letter being us to come to detroit shows that jws are beginning not to take the gb seriously anymore.
the buzz following the meeting was that the letter was unprecedented in its tone.
this coming from long time jws of 30 years plus.
They used to be old and speak with funny accents (Klein) and say things you couldnt really understand (Ghengis, Franz) and speak very authoritatively about far away places (Henschel, Jaracz). They would charm and terrify at the same time (Sydlick).
Nowadays they just seem to be guys that never get out, got married way too old, and just dont get it.
this week our kh devoted the whole service meeting to the upcoming international convention in atlanta.
they read a 5 page letter from the branch which stated basically that we should feel priviledged to be invited to this convention.. however, many are not using the "recomended lodging list", "many hotels still have plenty of rooms available", "we must be loyal to this arrangement", (or the organization will not get their comp rooms)..
My info is old- but it was never a "pre-pay" arrangement in the past. It was a typical convention arrangement. We'll put you on our preferred list in exchange for special pricing- and the organizing committee gets a certain number of comp rooms to hand out to VIPs. At Bethel it was always a mad rush to put in your Special Needs room request form (oh- you thought that was for poor JWs to get to stay with local publishers... maybe for the typical poor publisher thats how it worked- but at bethel they are an application for one of the VIP rooms- Of course the more I the VIP the better the room!!)
you know, that film you really love, but when you mention it everyone's, like, "eh?".
i'll get the ball rolling.
for me: ulee's gold..
The Milagro Beanfield War
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095638/
but you have to be familiar with NM to really appreciate it.
i have heard rumors for over a year now that the wt is not going to have a 2014 dc.
i know they are having a circuit assembly and special day talk assembly but what about their yearly dc.
has anybody heard anything?.
Looks like the trend away from big stadium conventions is over. Huge venues!
i ran across a change between the printed edition of the december 15, 2013 wt study edition and the magazine as a pdf download from the jw.org website.. whether the change amounts to much, i'm not sure.
but it is curious.
the change is in paragraph 16 on page 15:.
There is a constant tension at Bethel between the construction departments (who think its ok to skip meetings, service, etc to get up early and build buildings) and the more established Home and Office departments who stick to a regimented Bethel program. The construction guys are always making sure that their position is protected to they dont have to interrupt their work for service, etc.
I see this as someone at a high level placing a phone call- "WTF!! Do you want us to stop building branches and KHs??"
i know that soon, the jws in our area will be out in full force, on their hit and run campaign with invitations to the memorial.
.
did you ever encounter a householder during this campaign, that made you stop and think about what you were doing?
So Jesus said "Keep doing this in rememberance of me"- Why do 99% of the people who show up not do it- drink the wine and eat the bread? Did Jesus really want a rememberance that most did not participate in?
Nah- thats too religious- just say- "I'm an athiest"
i know this has been rehashed, time and again, but i saw this interesting blip on jw.org last night, and did a little thinking about it.... jw.
org answers the important question that so many have... are jehovah's witnesses a cult?.
jehovah's witnesses do not look to any human as their leader.
Yes- please- do you have a link for the Berkley study. That would be a great 3rd party source.
so i go to that dinner with my parents.
it worked great!
i think i increased my mom's cog dis just by showing her i am the same good person, and having fun.
If you dont want to get DF'd- just talk about how you have honest questions that need answers and your're looking for help. Dont be aggressive.
If you choose the other path- go have a nice Valentines day dinner with someone you love and forget about the mind control cult.
http://www.lvb.com/article/20140204/lvb01/140209972/serfass-to-build-$65m-assisted-living-facility.
who is going to get to stay here?
the gb, co's?
Dale Baker is the guy that gave Bethel and COs and DOs their leased cars! Looks like being a JW is a profitable enterprise for him!!
here is the text of the letter:.
february 2, 2014. .
your brothers,.
But even beyond exercising control at the local level, I smell a rat in the "don't document" advice: I suspect it's an intentional effort by the WTBTS to increase the distance between the activities and decisions of the individual congregations and the "Mother Ship", trying to cut down on the sheer bulk of 'smoking guns' that potentially serves as incriminating evidence showing the level of local control exerted by "Mother".
This is the key. Dont forget- Service Dept and Legal Dept work hand in hand. There's always a liability avoidance motive if you look carefully enough.
