Posts by freddo

74

Jehovah's Witnesses May Have Peaked in Membership at 8 Million (+/-)

by OnTheWayOut in

jw
friends

i don't have all the details of their new "service year" numbers, but i have read enough on jwn to state my opinion pretty strongly.. memorial attendance for 2015 was down.while they kept saying they were going to build a bunch of new kingdom halls, and everybody is still in recovery from watchtower taking all the local money away, they say pretty much that there isn't enough money to build new kingdom halls.putting gb members on the videos at jw .

org has allowed people to really put a face and personality to these guys and remove the mystery of how they should be such deeply spiritual serious men.

instead they see silly thoughts about tight pants and, really everything that comes out of lett's mouth is delivered ultra-goofy, along with the money reports.. the gb lost credibility a little more with every new light that shone down, with the strangest one being "overlapping generation.

freddo

In the "1975" debacle and it's longer lived sibling the "Generation that saw 1914" debacle which ran out of steam in 1995, there were two things missing:

1. The internet being freely accessed by everyone below the age of 70.

2. JW's alive who remembered the last big "the end is nigh" debacle of 1925.

This time, with the "overlapping generation" nonsense:

1. There are plenty of jw's alive who remember 1975/1995.

2. The internet exposes their stupidity to anyone aged 12 - 75 who has a smartphone.

The memorial attendance has hovered just below 20,000,000 for four years. I see nothing coming that will make it increase.

11

BOE 2015-11-03 Re: 2016 Convention Invitations

by wifibandit in

mirror via google.

.

freddo

What a complete and utter waste of time. I am so glad I'm not an elder - especially on the service committee - with all this crap to deal with for no return.

12

Looking for a certain image

by magotan in

hey, i'm looking for a certain image.

it's one of the more dopey series of images from about five years ago.

about a "sister" who goes off the rails and she gets counseled and she's dressing all "immodestly" which is really just a streak of color in her hair.

freddo

Yeah I know the one you mean. It was in the book study (sorry - congregation bible study) I think? Or a WT study article? Coupla years back not five. Someone will be along soon to tell us.

3

Mummy's (Mommy's) Boys - Old school Elders are mummy's boys.

by freddo in

jw
friends

in the congregations i have been in there are many long time dyed in the wool elders who were the sons of women of a certain age.

let me explain - must you?

yes.. mom "finds the truth" (often because a loved one died in the war, or died when she was young and she bought into the nice ladies calling to offer the resurrection hope) sometime between ww2 and vietnam.

freddo

In the congregations I have been in there are many long time dyed in the wool elders who were the sons of women of a certain age. Let me explain - must you? Yes.

Mom "finds the truth" (often because a loved one died in the war, or died when she was young and she bought into the nice ladies calling to offer the resurrection hope) sometime between WW2 and Vietnam. Dad is an opposer or an unbeliever.

Little Johnny is indoctrinated by gullible yet firm mother. Little Johnny loves his mommy and follows her into the faith. Daddy is indifferent or mildly opposed and gives the family financial stability although credit often goes to Jah. During the cold war and the threat of Nuclear Armaggeddon the "truth" provides an anchor to little Johnny. He is convinced by 1975 and the generation that saw 1914 not passing away. He becomes an elder in the 1970's or 1980's. He may have gone on to Bethel or been a CO or Special Pioneer.

He is still there now serving away as he goes through his 60's and 70's, 80's and death. His hopes dashed but he knows nothing else and resignedly plods on until he sits in the corner and hands over the reigns of leadership to a younger less stable, less experienced and less/or willing group in their 30's and 40's.

Do you know of any of these?

46

Correlation decline JW numbers and JW broadcasting?

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

i read some impressive figures here about the decline of the jw numbers in 2015.. could there be a correlation between this decline and the start of jw broadcasting?.

hence, that there would be an negative impact because the gb is standing so nearby, you can experience the idiot reasoning of their doctrines sitting in your own living room?.

the lett effect?

freddo

I'm not sure whether GBbroadcasting is a just a joke, just incredibly embarrassing, just plain crazy or just financially mad.

1. God answers prayers to find leaky water pipes to convince your mate to be a jw.

2. The dancing literature "if you could see what I could see" cart.

3. The generation chart.

4. Herd's clunking great Rolex and the GB's "man jewellery" while asking for donations.

It's either run by the most proud, stubborn blithering idiots with followers that have an "emperors clothes" complex or it's done by the cleverest apostates in history!

20

Gas prices today & the book study

by LevelThePlayingField in

we all remember, one of the main reasons for removing the bookstudy was the high gas prices, well, have you looked at the gas prices today?

nationwide, the lowest is about $1.65, the highest is about $2.67.

isn't that right about the same gas prices as when they cancelled the bookstudy in the first place?

freddo

Now Now Nicolaou, play nice!

Anyway their gallons are smaller - 3.87L to our 4.54L.

13

Question time

by Sabin in

with all the evidence stacked against them on child abuse issues, why do you think they are still refusing to play ball with the authorities?

why not put their hands up & say "we got a problem, we need help to change our medieval policies, we need advise on how to conduct our affairs in away that is in the victims best interests".. do you think that it is blatant, selfish pride.

the risk of losing money & struggling as a consequence, or they truly believe that jehovah is protecting them & by admitting they have acted in this inconceivable way would bring reproach on his name?.

freddo

@Vidiot

Insightful post. Thank you. Of course "we" were lucky that Jackson was in Oz and subpoenaed to appear and no weaseling would get him out of it because he could have gone to the slammer for six months.

I guess that unless the GB is unlucky enough to have compelling reason to be in OZ or UK or anywhere outside of religion controlled USA when a relevant court case comes up then we won't see a repeat of Whacko Jacko (or any of his cowardly cohort) on the stand.

48

Massive Plunge in Number of New JW Congregations from 1990 to 2014

by steve2 in

in a separate thread on the very latest figures for the current world wide annual report of jws, discussion turned to how "we'll know decline has really set in.

one of the posters said: .

the figure that interests me most is the number of congregations.

freddo

And don't forget meeting attendance is down.

One congregation I know well in the UK was formed from two in 1989. The totals were about 140 publishers and they split into two congregations - one of 65 and the other of 75. At the split Meeting attendance was about the 135/140 mark for the Public Talk, 130 for the WT and mid week. (forgetting the book study of course)

The elders were not sure they were ready to split but with a fairly small hall and 16 elders the CO said they should for "the future expansion" and he got the London branch to go for it.

Anyway 25 years on where were they.

The Cong that was 65 is now 50; the congregation that was 75 is still about 75 now. Meeting attendance for the first congregation (taken at the WT now of course) is about 40/45. The other is about 55/60.

The waters are drying up.

40

WTS checklist for Elders to destroy evidence?

by DarioKehl in

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/3t1yp7/marc_and_cora_posted_on_utube/.

hot off the presses from exjw reddit earlier today.

massive leak in uk.. if true, this is big (and very, very disturbing)..

freddo

Listen up people. Ex UK elder here. Ex service committee before and after year 2000.

Facts.

UK has a data protection law. JW's complied with it. Over the top in fact.

Around 2000/2001 all congregation judicial records (envelopes) EXCEPT child molestation stuff was to be destroyed by the service committee and replaced with a specialised shepherding file which lists:

Name of 3 elders on case/date/name of individual/ and reproved or DFD/DA'd in file. No details kept.

Child molestation stuff was sent to the branch in its entirety and a separate child protection file was kept by the secretary with basic details of the case. In theory accessible to ALL elders.

I last SAW these files as an elder when I resigned a few years ago.

Every year the elders got a reminder to do an audit like the checklist shown. The service committee was responsible to do it. Ongoing child molestation stuff was not destroyed but sent to the branch and basic details kept on the congregation child protection file. Each elder had to destroy anything he "inadvertently" kept e.g. his personal notes from any judicial he dealt with.

NOTHING NEW to see here.

12

Caleb prepares for the New System.

by LogCon in

dad: my son, you look like you are writing down something very important.

are you studying the watchtower?.

caleb: no, im just writing down some numbers and names in this notebook.. dad: what numbers and names, my son?.

freddo

Out of the mouths of babes ...