donuthole

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Posts by donuthole

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  37

  What words has the WT redefined?

  by Splash in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  these days, virtually every public talk speaker thinks it's interesting and intellectual to include a dictionary definition of some word.

  often the word is in common use and needs no explanation, such as 'exercise', or 'knowledge', or whatever.. now contrast that to all of the words that the wt has it's own meaning for, and referencing a dictionary for the common understanding of it would be viewed unfavourably.. words like 'generation' or 'men' (as in jesus is mediator between god and 'men' - 1tim 2:5-6).. what words have the wt redefined that you know about?

  - i'd like to compile a list if possible.. splash.

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  donuthole

  The Slave is really the Master

  The Truth means present teaching, potentially false and ever subject to change
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  18

  This is a CASTING CALL . . . for a scene in my book

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  attention!.

  i'm in my final re-write of the monorails of mars novel.. as you may know, the book is a sci-fi allegory concerning mind control by the watch tower.. .

  i have a scene in nikola tesla's laboratory in which he is about to attempt an exchange between mars and earth.. the volunteers--instead of actually traveling physically from one planet to the other will instead swap minds.. need i say--it will go wrong?!.

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  donuthole

  I'll play along -- D'Anthony Mathenia. I can return the favor in the next Paradise Earth, if you'd like. ;-)
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  37

  I saw a trolley (cart to you cousins in the U.S.A.)

  by punkofnice in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  yes.. peterborough city center u.k. ''what does the bible really teach'' displayed on it.. a family of 3 i know were sitting on the bench just behind it.

  i'm not going to say anything derogatory about them as they are nice folks even if they have to shun me now i bear no malice.. as predicted not a single person was paying any attention as they walked by.

  i noticed some other canvassers (non religious), were actively approaching people and handing out leaflets.. on the market i saw the jw charity stall and again not a single soul was interested or even near it.. i'm glad this 'urgent never to be repeated work(tm)' is being vigorously carried out by god's chosen people.

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  donuthole

  They didn't approach people? Doesn't surprise me. When I went door-to-door sometimes I didn't even knock.
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  11

  ANY ILLUSTRATORS OUT THERE?

  by DATA-DOG in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am planning on doing some creative writing.

  i want to start a web comic.

  i attended a comic-con and sat in on a seminar about web comics, and i met some great local artists.

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  donuthole

  I've been working in comics for a couple of years. It is a very enjoyable storytelling medium. I'm mainly a writer, but I do my own coloring and lettering. I've been picking up some freelance work there and have something scheduled in an IDW graphic novel. I've also published some other things, participated in anthrologies, and run a weekly newspaper comic strip called, Aporkalypse.

  My main series is Pretty Face. I'm currently running it as a webcomic with udpates on Friday at www.prettyfacecomic.com.
  
  The religious cult in my comic has some similarities to the JW's, you may catch.

  If you need any help feel free to hit me up.
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  10

  Official Website for Detroit International Convention

  by Red Piller in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  not sure if this has been posted:.

  http://detroitdelegates.org/.

  it's pretty interesting, i think.

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  donuthole

  Like the Atlanta video it reads like an advertisement for Detroit. Note the focus on food (craft beer!) and activities (Motown). When I was in the religion, conventions were all about the spiritual food. Now they are being billed as "the time of your life" Summer vacation.
  
  The speculation that the Society received huge subsidies from the cities in return for tourism/advertising is making sense. This is a similar play as when they linked up with the UN and started running more favorable (or neutral) articles in the Awake!

  Wait and see if Atlanta and Detroit start having spotlights in the Awake! tract6 or on JW.ORG.
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  41

  What percentage of assmbly experiences are total fabrication?

  by NoRegrets in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  when i was in 4th grade, i ended up in a situation involving minor school politics.

  they had developed a "student council" which did little more than sell pencils at lunch time for fundraisers.

  anyway, i was appointed by the teacher and didn't think much of it as an 8-9 year old.

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  donuthole

  I recall a young man giving a convention experience about how got wrapped up in the video game "The Sims". Because he wanted to be a pioneer, in the game he chose a male roomate. He was shocked when the roomate character started putting the moves on his character. Alas, the horrors of video games. According to my wife who also played the game at the time, same-sex character wouldn't initiate a romantic relationship unless directed to by player. So if this young man's characters were "woo-hooing" it was because he instructed them too.
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  173

  Atlanta Int Convention 2014:The Big Party. Does this look like WT believes Armageddon is coming "soon"?

  by AndDontCallMeShirley in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=potrr2qxhue.

  .. if armageddon is "imminent", why is wt focused on sight-seeing, entertainment, travel, etc.

  instead of preaching and saving people??.

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  donuthole

  The video has been removed. Does anyone have a copy?
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  27

  Possible announcement in October....

  by Skinnedsheep in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  pure speculation for several reasons.. "friends, it has been 100 momentous years since christ arrived as king.

  in the last 100 years a great shout of praise has gone up to jehovah.

  technology has greatly changed the way people live and communicate and jehovah has made sure that his organization is on the forefront of these changes.

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  donuthole

  I'm speculating that the mass organizational downsizing that started at the top with Bethelites is trickling down through the ranks. Missionaries are being sent home. District Overseers are being retired. It may even reach the very bottom with publishers. With the advancement of JW.ORG branded storefronts, booths, and street carts there will be less emphasis on the preaching work. The Society no longer needs a seven-million door-to-door sales force because they are phasing out their publishing empire. They'll trim the fat and leave only the most loyal that will directly supporting the organization through a tithe-like system. During the transition unneeded Kingdom Halls could be sold as an additional (or even primary) revenue stream.
  
  To what the OP posted, I could see that JW.ORG being on the WORLDWIDE web in hundreds of languages could be championed as the fulfillment of the global preaching work.

  The door-to-door work started as a literature selling activity. If you look at the older literature they don't even hide the fact that it was about selling literature. In later years they had to change the language to stay ahead of anti-solicitation laws and later taxation on the sale of religious literature. Now that traditional publishing is going away this activity is ready to be discontinued.

  Keep in mind that the preaching work came close to being done away with in Ray Franz's day. Anything can happen.
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  71

  Expect more Crazy as JW.ORG trims the fat and fills the coffers.

  by donuthole in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  when rutherford assumed the presidency of the watchtower society he instituted series of sweeping changes to the teachings and practices of the bible students.

  some of these changes were at complete odds with what had been taught previously.

  a key example was the elevation of the watchtower society as "god's visible organization on earth".

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  donuthole

  Hello again. I'm just catching up with this thread. I started it last week while on vacation. Yeah it sucks that when I should be excited about seeing Mickey Mouse, I'm in the shower speculating about the future of the JW's. So it goes. I just wanted to put it in writing before I forgot so I could "mark it for later".
  
  Someone asked about the Society owning Kingdom Halls. What I said was that they were the "de facto owner" of the Kingdom Halls. What I meant was that the Society's name is not on the deed, but due to organizational changes they have the ability to seize and sell Kingdom Halls through the local elder body. If the elder body doesn't go along with the scheme they can be removed and replaced with one that will cooperate. There is more to this that can be found by examining a real case. Google "Menlo Park Jehovah's Witnesses" or "Menlo Park Lawsuit" to get started. With even more recent changes in how Kingdom Halls are financed and the loss of autonomy, I'm anticipating an acceleration of congregation consolidation and Kingdom Halls sales, especially in real estate markets with high return.

  Let's talk about this new Governing Body. Unlike their predecessors, these men want to be first and foremost in the hearts and minds of Jehovah's Witnesses. During the coup of the 1980's that saw the end of the president as lord-commander and organizational figurehead, the newly empowered governing body was content to operate more in the background. This was especially true when the GB stopped holding cooperate office. After that JW's did not have a strong leader like in the days of Russell, Rutherford, or Knorr/Franz.
  
  This new Governing Body is a different beast. The trend started with them getting more face time in the publications. Next they started popping up in the videos, with special attention given to spotlight each of them, if only for a few seconds. They changed doctrine so that they alone were the Faithful & Discreet Slave and even wrote themselves into Bible prophecy as an "overlapping generation". Next, they opened up the annual meeting so that the rank & file could hear their talks via video streaming. This provided another opportunity for them to write themselves into JW history, by putting their own stamp on one of the Organization's proudest achievements, the New World Translation. Now at conventions the GB is getting even more facetime by giving talks through a video feed.

  I don't think it is far off to expect that the new Governing Body could rebrand the religion just as Rutherford did in 1931. As others have observed, it appears that "JW.ORG" is the chosen brand. Going with this would have the same affect as the updated NWT. It both modernizes and helps to write the new GB into the annals of JW history. (Even if they don't go this route, I'm going to suggest that it would be a good shorthand on forums like this to describe this Internet-age version of Jehovah's Witnesses which is increasingly distinct from the past incarnations.)
  
  It would be fitting because the Internet is gradually rendering tradtional publishing irrevelant which is bad news for a religion that grew out of a publishing enterprise. The downsizing of the Watchtower and Awake! magazines really mirrors what is going on throughout publishing industry. You may have seen your local newspaper getting smaller. Ebook sales are growing while paper book sales are diminishing. The GB are following the exact same trend, by scaling back traditional printing and betting more on JW.ORG.
  
  I'm going to be bold and suggest that the preaching work will trend likewise. We are already seeing that the focus of the preaching work has moved more from selling magazines and books to distributing free tracts and coming soon, promoting JW.ORG. Stands and storefronts are popping up focused on JW.ORG. If this is the direction the preaching work is going than it will be mean less boots on the ground. They simply don't need a door-to-door sales force of millions anymore. Millions of Jehovah's Witnesses are at risk of becoming redudant, just like the Bethlites, special pioneers, district overseers, and others that are being retired every year. And who gets the cushy job working in the JW store or booth? The most loyal special pioneers and exemplarly regular pioneers.

  This loops back into my original post that suggested that the Society could lose a huge chunk of the rank-and-file and still survive. Indeed the pieces are being set up for this. The recent implimination of a tithe-like arrangement is a way to decouple donations from the preaching work. Simply put the days of selling literature is drawing to a close and will be replaced with more direct member support. However, member donations are only as good as the members are loyal to the cause. Do you remember your wallet snapping shut as you learned the truth about the truth? If this comes true, it will be ironic that this new donation arrangement was promoted as a way to answer the need for more Kingdom Halls, but the opposite may happen. It will usher in the need for less Kingdom Halls.
  
  A overall reduction in membership will also help another problem, the lack of Ministerial Servants and Elders. Studies have shown that the JW's have a horrible retention rate among born-ins. The pool of qualified men coming up to serve is anemic. The older generation is dying off. Others who are qualified are simply abstaining, not wanting to deal with the headaches and work that comes from being an elder. Fewer congregations, means fewer elders. Those that stick-it-out will be extremely loyal and hardcore.
  
  Now, who is ready to have a "tinfoil" party? Since the new GB is emulating Rutherford, they'll need their own "evil slave" to villinize, like the Judge did with Bible student dissenters. This new GB is increasingly demanding exclusive loyalty to themselves, as the Faithful and Discreet Slave. They are already prepping for MAJOR dissent. Their gamebook in the past has been to float ideas out in talks and the literature to start prepping the religion prior to making the chanes. Have you observered all the fierce rhetoric against apostates cropping up continually in the literature and in talks? Did you think that was about us? What if it the target isn't those that have left but those that are still in -- those that might have some strong objections to some big changes coming up?
  
  Matthew 24:10-14 could possibly be used in such a scenario give a Biblical basis to an organizational decrease ("the love of the greater number will grow cold"), villinizae dissenters ("many will be stumbled and betray one another and will hate one another"), promote loyalty to the GB ("the one that endures to the end will be saved"), validate the WORLDWIDE website JW.ORG ("this good news will be preached as a witness to all nations.") and be used as a sign that the end is nigh ("and then end will come".)

  Sorry for writing a book. Lots of thoughts on my mind this morning. Cheers!
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  71

  Expect more Crazy as JW.ORG trims the fat and fills the coffers.

  by donuthole in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  when rutherford assumed the presidency of the watchtower society he instituted series of sweeping changes to the teachings and practices of the bible students.

  some of these changes were at complete odds with what had been taught previously.

  a key example was the elevation of the watchtower society as "god's visible organization on earth".

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  donuthole

  When Rutherford assumed the presidency of the Watchtower Society he instituted series of sweeping changes to the teachings and practices of the Bible Students. Some of these changes were at complete odds with what had been taught previously. A key example was the elevation of the Watchtower Society as "God's Visible Organization on Earth". The end result was that an estimated three-fourths of the religion seperated over those decades. However, what remained was a core group fiercely loyal to the Watchtower Society that were rebranded as Jehovah's Witnesses. Far from die out, Rutherford's JW's flourished.

  Expect the new FDS to get more and more bold with crazy teachings (overlapping generations) and abusive practices (psuedo-tithe). Now that the Watchtower is the defacto owner of every Kingdom Hall they are in a very good situation where they can't lose.
  
  Let's go with an outrageous example and speculate that next year the FDS begins teaching the trinity doctrine and starts passing a collection plate. In response 3/4's of JW's leave the religion. Only the hardcore believers remain and there are more Kingdom Halls that can reasonably be used after the mass-culling of the flock. The Watchtower excelerates the consolidation of Kingdom Halls, selling the ones in markets with a high return.
  
  Like Rutheford before, the new FDS wants complete and total loyalty as the religion moves from cult-like to full-blown cult. The selling of Kingdom Halls will provide income during the transition. During this time anything can happen.

  "At that time, the life-saving direction that we receive from Jehovah’s organization may not appear practical from a human standpoint. All of us must be ready to obey any instructions we may receive, whether these appear sound from a strategic or human standpoint or not."