freddo

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Posts by freddo

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  19

  JW to be banned in Russia soon?

  by I am a Bible Student in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i saw this on jw.org today:.

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  freddo

  Ironic really.

  The WT bleating about Russia closing down a bethel when they themselves have closed down or reduced to skeleton staff dozens of bethels so they can fund the GB and its cronies lakeside retirement complex.
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  20

  Would you be a GB member if you were asked ?

  by atomant in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  off course you need to think back to when you were a jw to answer this question honestly and properly.but hypothetically if you had the spirituality and knowledge and was approached to be appointed as a gb member would you have taken on the position?and if you did what changes would you recommend ?.

  j.

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  freddo

  I would be "a helper" if and only if my governing body "Magnificent 7" could be:

  1. Judith Sheindlin (To sentence the old governing body to everlasting trolley work)

  2. Angus Stewart (Sharp as a tack and a bit of thinking woman's crumpet for you girls)

  3. Peter MacLellan (Iron fist in a velvet glove with a mind like a trap)

  4. Barbara Anderson (Obviously)

  5. Candace Conti (Well, also obviously)

  6. Prince Philip

  (gotta have one cantankerous old bastard with a bit of WW2 experience!)

  7. Bear Grylls

  (to oversee some decent outdoor fun for the kids and teenagers)

  
  
  
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  3

  Ex JWs Gloucester

  by The Great Groke in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  are there any ex jws out there from gloucester and or stroud congregations from the 70s or 80s.

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  freddo

  Was/is there a guy called Andrew Barnard in Stroud - used to be high up on the old RBC?
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  155

  Survey: How long were you in the cult vs what year you were baptized

  by ILoveTTATT2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi people,.

  i want as much data as possible on the effect of the internet on the time captured by the cult.. please answer the three following questions about yourself or about someone you know (for example, if your parents or grandparents were jw's and left).

  1) were you raised as a jw, or did you convert?.

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  freddo

  1) Raised (aged 3 at parents first contact.)

  2) Baptised 1976

  3) Hard to be exact but completely mentally out by 2007 to 2010. Starting with one too many child abuse cases in 2007 and finishing with 2010 - the overlapping generations.

  I think that the ARC, donation reminders and David Splane's jwdotorg flipchart explanation of the overlap have now made me determined to fade out rather than stay in for family.
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  4

  Information about an ex-elder from Farnborough

  by Anonymaus1914 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  this is directed to people in the uk, particularly from the south.

  i heard of an experience of an elder in farnborough who was well known in the congregation, but faded away after the new generation teaching was introduced.

  i never met him, but apparently he had a few bob about him and was high up in some financial institution.

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  freddo

  Not being funny but which new generation teaching?
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  45

  Berkshire Circuit (UK)

  by Dont_Believe_The_Truth in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm hearing rumours of huge changes within the berkshire circuit here in the uk .

  congregations being dispanded and kingdom halls closing down and being sold off.... official announcements within the next month apparently .

  does anyone else have anymore info?.

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  freddo

  Phone up the coordinator of one of those listed congos and ask him if/tell him that "wondrous expansion is still taking place round his way!?"
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  52

  What does the rise of Donald Trump tell us about the USA?

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  i thank one of my former lecturers for drawing my attention to this overview.. after some 100 years, living out its "manifest destiny" dream, as the hegemon of the world, what has this 'dream' done to/for the usa?

  the approaching presidential election provides an opportunity to examine this question.. and what of all the appendage organisations (like the wts) that rode across the world on the hegemon's coattails?.

  the answer may be here: http://www.vox.com/2016/3/1/11127424/trump-authoritarianism.

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  freddo

  USA may have been the power (business and militarily) hegemon of the world since WW1 but the description falls down in it's cultural influence.

  Western Europe is the wider cultural influence which comes from the spread of earlier times of France, Spain and Great Britain and why South America, Africa and much of Asia in many ways look to Europe - the historical trade and communication routes have been there for centuries.

  This is why the USA (republicans especially) has a reputation for being insular and self serving. Actually given it's awesome power I believe it has been quite benign militarily speaking and I believe its British background roots has a lot to do with this.

  It is still a relatively young culture - as Disraeli said to an Englishman who made anti-jewish comments "3000 years ago when your ancestors were painting themselves blue and running around half naked, mine were building Solomon's temple."

  The western world is steadily dropping the Christian religion as a major influence; the USA is a little behind the rest in this. Possibly because many there still believe its success stems from it.

  I don't think Trump will be your next President.
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  100

  Shiver Me Timbers I Gots a Bible Study Matey!

  by RayPublisher in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the new wt 2013 june tells kids that they might get to study with a pirate someday!

  perhaps johnny depp will be resurrected for just that purpose?.

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  freddo

  New revised bible study aid for pirates after Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrmageddon.

  What does the Bible really teach Edward Teach?

  Study conductor: "Welcome to paradise Mr. Teach!"

  Blackbeard: "Huh? I was fightin' on the poop deck me hearty and someone lopped off me 'ead! Yet it's back on my body like a good'un!"

  Study conductor: "Yes Mr. Teach! You have been restored to good health - the Royal Navy is no more and me and little Jonny are assigned to study the bible with you and restore you to everlasting life."

  Blackbeard: "Arrrrrr! That sounds good me landlubbers! Now where's me treasure?"

  Study conductor: "Well (laughing nervously) it's been replaced by "Treasures from God's Word!"

  Blackbeard: "Now don't you play games with me! Where's me treasure?"

  Study conductor: "Look why don't we tidy you up and shave off your beard and then I can show you this new fashionable item we all wear - it's called a necktie ... then we can search for spiritual gems ... "

  Blackbeard: "Whaaaaaat!!??"
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  23

  Wt "study" Participation, is it a "True Believer" Indication?-- or not?

  by prologos in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in our congregation, the elders rarely comment.

  the majority rarely comment, 2 sisters, vehemently, and often comment.

  since in their case, it can not possibly be" teaching in the congregation", is participation in the wt "study"in general an affirmation of faith?

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  freddo

  Commenting in my corner of hundred acre wood goes thus.

  Kids: Some say nothing or shyly lisp an answer that is whispered in their ears.

  Teenagers: Generally stay shtum except the precocious pioneer at age 15 who answers three times per meeting.

  Non-appointed brothers/ex appointed brothers who are not reaching out and sisters not pioneering and who are not elders' wives: Maybe one answer every couple of weeks.

  As above but ex-elder in an almighty sulk but goes to meetings because Jehovah knows he is right: No answers ever!

  Elders and MS's and brothers who pioneer: One answer per meeting.

  Elder wishing to make a point: Three times per meeting.

  Elder's wives: Two times per meeting

  Pioneer sisters: Two/Three times per meeting.

  Frustrated Single Pioneer sister: As many times as possible!
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  10

  As a JW: major personal blunders

  by Hecce in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  to make mistakes is human, to make mistakes dictated by faith is also human but foolish.

  i am pretty sure that as jws we all have made decisions that later on we regretted, in some cases they have been minor and in others they had profound effect in our life; major items were like blood and education related.

  i am going to post one decision that was a major disaster for the person involved and if you know of something similar please contribute.. in a spanish speaking country where "machismo" was the norm and it was common for a man to have several mistresses, there was a sister married to a wealthy man and they had four children.

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  freddo

  Not sure there could have been any happy ending in that situation.