Posts by donuthole

54

Is The WTS Getting Desperate for Males? KM Aug 2009

by Hopscotch in

16 years ago

just thought this article was interesting in view of what has been said in the last couple of years on the forum about the declining number of elders and servants and those reaching out.

add to that the large percentage of young teenage boys who leave 'the truth'.

i can't ever remember this much space in a km being devoted to converting men.. para 2 states: "when a family head accepts the truth, he often influences others in the family to join him in pure worship".

16 years ago

donuthole 16 years ago

Speaking from own personal experience, my congregation couldn't retain elders due to a variety of issues. The ministerial servants were mostly lifers who had little desire to move up the corporate ladder. And the next generation of young JW boys had near zero interest in "reaching out" for anything other than an airsoft gun or an xbox controller.

I wonder what it would take to ditch the Ray Franz-era "elder arrangement" and return to the days of Rutherford and a lone company servant?

Snakes

That is nothing -- if you really wanted to scam some time, combine some solo field service with some multi-level-marketing business calls. Of course no one would do that, would they?

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24

Recording a Judicial Committee Hearing

by Olin Moyles Ghost in

16 years ago

i was reading the thread about hoboken's jc meeting and started thinking about the rule prohibiting recording devices in such meetings.

has anyone on the board tried to challenge this rule?.

on its face, the rule is absurd.

14 years ago

donuthole 16 years ago

The problem with recording the meetings secretly is that it may be illegal depending on your state/local laws, and it is dishonest. However if you are cool with that ...

There are certainly times I would have liked to have had my JC meetings taped.

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7

Question

by purplesofa in

jw
friends

16 years ago

no biggie, .

but i was looking at this youtube video of the international convention in germany.

the video is of the crowd clapping and cheering fullon seven minutes.. at the beginning though, there are people with orange vests on and they seem to be the ones.

16 years ago

donuthole 16 years ago

Around these parts there was generally a clap at the end of convention - but it usually died down quickly as folks stampeded to their cars to get out of parking lot.

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31

When Did You First Get Exposed To "Apostate" Info? How Did It Affect You?

by minimus in

jw
friends

16 years ago

as a kid, i used to read all the watchtowers of the 40s and 50s to see how the present day information developed from its original "thought".

i was exposed to many eye opening statements but i swept them under the carpet (although it stayed in the recesses of my brain) until the time was right.. so for me, it was a gradual thing.. how were you affected by your first encounters with "apostate" material?

?.

16 years ago

donuthole 16 years ago

Ironically I was researching information on the Internet to validate the Watchtower teaching about the United Nations turning on "false religion". I was finding some exciting information about certain UN "think-tanks" that suggested that religion prohibited peace. During the course of this "independent" research I stumbled on the truth about the Watchtower's own relationship with the UN DPI. Normally I avoided anything critical of the Witnesses, but having found this on the UN's own website allowed me to go ahead and read it.

Having been raised as a JW and fully convinced that it was the truth I was devastated with what I learned. I fell into a pretty deep depression. Soon after that I allowed myself to begin looking at all "apostate" material on the Internet. I wanted to know what else was hidden from me. So there was a period where I was looking at a lot of this but still shied away from reading Franz' books. It was until after I was DF'd for apostasy that I finally got around to reading them, of course by then I had already reached many of the same conclusions and understandings so they weren't exactly ground breaking.

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31

When you were in, did you have the Watchtower study underlined?

by asilentone in

16 years ago

what happens if you don't?

did they treat you differently?.

16 years ago

donuthole 16 years ago

Honestly I never did get the whole "underlining" thing. It seemed to be like a great big show to let people know that you "studied" your Watchtower. The answers were so easy to pick out of the paragraph it isn't like you needed a highlighter to find them! My studying normally consisted of reading the watchtower and looking at the questions. Sometimes I would look up the scriptures.

I do remember certain pioneers that made it a point to give their "bible studies" highlighters to teach them early how to be a JW and "underline".

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21

"The Wonders of Creation Reveal God's Glory" DVD -- watch on YouTube!

by inkling in

16 years ago

ok, so out of boredom and curiosity, i have unleashed the new.

dvd "the wonders of creation reveal god's glory" on the.

unsuspecting public!.

16 years ago

donuthole 16 years ago

@4:39 of Video 1 - "Look children - that is the pleiades system where Jehovah lives!"

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57

Question

by inbetween in

16 years ago

just have a question,.

when you found out about things regarding the wts, maybe on the internet, on this side or another, or you had serious doubts by yourself, did you talk to somebody ?

maybe an elder or a good friend ?.

16 years ago

donuthole 16 years ago

Apart from talking to my wife, I spoke about the UN issues with my natural dad (who is an elder) and an elder in my home congregation.

My dad was a bit disturbed by it - and spoke to some of the elders in his hall - ultimately I guess he dismissed the information and reconciled it somehow.

This other elder insisted that I write to the Organization and get an answer from Jehovah. I was nervous about doing so because I figured that it would open me up for apostasy charges if I dind't like "Mother's" answer and at the time I didn't know how I felt about the Org. I rebuffed this elders attempts to write the letter so eventually he decided to write to the Society on my behalf. (I think he wanted an answer as much as I did which is why he wouldn't let it drop.)

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21

The rider of the white horse in Rev.6:2 .... Christ or the Antichrist?

by restrangled in

16 years ago

which do you believe him to be?

i have read arguments for both and am left totally confused.. r..

16 years ago

donuthole 16 years ago

To what Snowbird is saying, the crown this rider wears is a different sort than Jesus wears. The white horse rider wears a laurel/wreath crown while Jesus is wears a diadem style crown.

I'm not dogmatic on it, but I personally believe this rider is NOT Jesus -- Here are a few of my reason --

There are four horsemen, they are given authority over four parts of the earth, to kill in four ways -

"And authority was given them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with a long sword and with food shortage and with deadly plague and by the wild beasts of the earth. " - Revelation 6:8

To kill with a long sword = rider of the red horse
To kill with food shortage = rider of the black
To kill with deadly plague (or death) = rider of the pale horse
To kill with the wild beasts of the earth = rider of the white horse

The "wild beasts" in Revelation are definately nothing to do with Jesus but rather the governments of mankind

Another thing for me is that the elder John never identifies this white horse rider as Jesus, where in other places he is specific to indentify he is talking about the Lord.

This isn't the place for in depth discussion really but Jesus' olivet prophecy parallels musch of Revelation - including the seals - In that prophecy what are the four things that Jesus lists first -

The coming of false-Christs to mislead
Civil war
Food Shortages
Pestilence

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64

What Were Some Stupid Rules In Your Hall?

by minimus in

jw
friends

16 years ago

families with younger children had to sit in the last 3 rows or they were counseled!.

disfellowshipped persons were told not to sit next to each other and talk because it "looks like they're unrepentant"..

16 years ago

donuthole 16 years ago

No boy-boy sleepovers - this after some sort of situation arose in the congregation. I don't know how widespread the situation was but it seems weird to have a blanket ban instead of just dealing with the offending parties individually. When I was finally allowed to have a friend over we had to sleep on seperate floors of the house.

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29

What religion do X-JWs belong to now?

by jonathan dough in

jw
friends

16 years ago

i get the feeling many x-jws are floating about aimlessly and don't join christendom, still living with the jw indoctrinated belief that they are all the work of the devil.

does that make sense?

are they supposed to sit around in small groups in their living rooms reading scripture like ray franz recommended in crisis of conscience?

16 years ago

donuthole 16 years ago

Many of Jesus' parables, including that of the mustard seed growing into a great tree, involve the growth not only of the true sons of the Kingdom, but also the children of the evil one. It is like the wheat and the weeds or the net of good fish and bad fish. In the case of the mustard seed illustration the Kingdom becomes so large that the birds of the air, the evil spirits powers, are able to hide in the branches while it provides covering for the beasts of the earth, the fleshly powers of man.

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