jookbeard

Joined

• started 76 topics
• posted 5,843 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by jookbeard

• 
  30

  What are the economics of cart witnessing?

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  on another thread shepherdless sketched out the past business model of jws and its demise.

  until 1990 they were a straightforward publishing business with the tremendous advantage of free labour in production and free distribution agents.

  since then they've been relying on donations for literature to keep the old model going.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jookbeard

  clearly they cannot be making any money at all, their literature is distributed for free and every time I see a cart I pick up a couple of mags to take home to throw in my recycling bin, I even ordered a silver sword bible a few weeks ago and true to their word they had one for me the following day, I took it and walked back to my car I wasn't going to give them a penny.
• 
  20

  240 'Lands'

  by Jeffro in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  jehovah's witnesses are purportedly 'active' in 240 'lands', quite a remarkable feat for a planet with only about 200 sovereign states (206 if you count all that are recognised by at least one un member, of which jws are present in 166).

  more than half of all jws worldwide are in just 10 countries.

  over 90% are in 45 countries.. to achieve this mathematical miracle, various places that are not separate countries are counted as 'lands'.. tahiti is counted as a separate 'land' though it is part of the society islands, which is part of french polynesia, which is part of... france.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jookbeard

  well spotted, once again their obsession for growth and putting positive spin on almost everything surely works against them if anyone has an interest in geography can see.
• 
  51

  Are Magicians Spawns of Satan the Devil?

  by Cold Steel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i was perusing the internet not long ago and came upon this series of videos by a guy calling himself xendrius.

  it declares that many of today's best magicians are in league with the devil.

  his claims are based on his observation that the tricks would be impossible to do unless the magicians had made unholy pacts with the devil.. so what's the take of the wtbts?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jookbeard

  has he seen any of the Breaking the Magicians Code TV shows? they are NOT performing magic, just illusions,conjuring and tricks, its very clever though, David Copperfield performed one particular trick which to this day I dont know how the hell he did it but there is sure to be an explanation, David Blanes levitation trick at the outset looked amazing but broken down it seems simple
• 
  5

  What's a better story that Beth-sarim

  by eyeuse2badub in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  http://nyp.st/1mgz4ql.

  this group built a place for non other than jesus-heck with those "ancient worthies".. just saying!.

  eyeuse2badub.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jookbeard

  Waco cant be far behind
• 
  16

  2016 Yearbook service report stats - Excel spreadsheet download available

  by Westenddave in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  hello,.

  i've posted the 2016 yearbook service report in excel format for public download.

  here's the link: http://www.filedropper.com/2016yearbookofjwinexcelformat.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jookbeard

  Wow, the chariot seems to be slowing down, loving the red column, alarming for Japan and Poland and most of Europe
• 
  31

  Yearbook 2016: Annual Report (15177 Partakers)

  by Designer Stubble in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the 2016 yearbook is up on jw.orgbranches of jehovahs witnesses: 89 (was 90)number of lands reporting: 240 (was 239)total congregations: 118016 (was 115416)worldwide memorial attendance: 19,862,763 (was 19,950,019) decreasememorial partakers worldwide: 15,177 (was 14,121 in 2013:13,204) large increasepeak of publishers in kingdom service: 8,220,105 (was 8,201,205) minor increaseaverage publishers preaching each month: 7,987,279 (was 7,867,958)percentage of increase over 2014: 1.5 (was 2.2)total number baptized: 260,273 (was 275,581)average auxiliary pioneer publishers each month: 443,504 (was 635,298) huge decreaseaverage pioneer publishers each month: 1,135,210 (was 1,089,446)total hours spent in field: 1,933,473,727 (was 1,945,487,604) decreaseaverage home bible studies each month: 9,708,968 (was 9,499,933)

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jookbeard

  are the reports for the individual countries shown?
• 
  25

  When did district conventions become regional conventions and why?

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i think it was gary and heather bottings' book the orwellian world of jehovah's wifnesses that noted the function of the habit of the watchtower organisation of changing organisational terminology periodically.

  congregations became companies and then back to congregations again.

  circuit overseers became circuit servants and then back again.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jookbeard

  surely costs must be a part of the reason, most of Europe now meet in conference halls, the grand old days of meeting in vast sports stadiums must be long gone, they must be eye wateringly expensive, plus in the UK the ancillary costs of stewarding, first aid,police, traffic marshalling etc are legal requirements for these kind of events. I've not read the Bottings book, but do agree with their assessments of keeping the R&F busy and not left behind and being upto date with latest "changes and new light" their unique "cult speak" is a very important tool for the leaders.
• 
  31

  Yearbook 2016: Annual Report (15177 Partakers)

  by Designer Stubble in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the 2016 yearbook is up on jw.orgbranches of jehovahs witnesses: 89 (was 90)number of lands reporting: 240 (was 239)total congregations: 118016 (was 115416)worldwide memorial attendance: 19,862,763 (was 19,950,019) decreasememorial partakers worldwide: 15,177 (was 14,121 in 2013:13,204) large increasepeak of publishers in kingdom service: 8,220,105 (was 8,201,205) minor increaseaverage publishers preaching each month: 7,987,279 (was 7,867,958)percentage of increase over 2014: 1.5 (was 2.2)total number baptized: 260,273 (was 275,581)average auxiliary pioneer publishers each month: 443,504 (was 635,298) huge decreaseaverage pioneer publishers each month: 1,135,210 (was 1,089,446)total hours spent in field: 1,933,473,727 (was 1,945,487,604) decreaseaverage home bible studies each month: 9,708,968 (was 9,499,933)

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jookbeard

  anyone got the "hours is takes to convert 1 single person?" it was about 7500 last year
• 
  29

  Latest, SHOCKING JW Paedophile case.

  by Phizzy in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  http://www.stratford-herald.com/45973-jehovahs-witness-jail...

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jookbeard

  that link isnt working at all, I'd like to embed into my FB group
• 
  40

  Boredom at the Kingdom Hall meetings

  by RULES & REGULATIONS in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  put aside all the stupid rules,beliefs,doctrines and practices of the jehovah's witnesses.this is one of the main reasons why i stopped attending all meetings!

  boredom.

  monotone speakers.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jookbeard

  the thing I liked that used to break the boredom was the "slide show" even though we'd seen them many times over as well