Posts by freddo

17

Today's WT. Jephthah's Daughter - Virgin Slave or Crispy Critter?

by Slidin Fast in

i whiled away the time today in the wt researching the above question on line.

it seems to me that there is more evidence to say that the account simply depicts the poor nameless child/woman as being toast.

the idea of her going into "tabernacle service" is completely fabricated and has no basis in scripture.

freddo

As awful as the whole account is I think Judges 11 v 39 and 40 do give the feeling that this wasn't a literal sacrifice. Also 11 v 35.

Edited to add

I only used the NWT for this - a quick look at other versions shows 11 v 35 very differently!

52

international version 1 cor 5:11. but now i am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler.

do not even eat with such people.. if shunning is wrong.

.how does one explain this scripture?.

freddo

@Mr T ...

What "dontfitin" said answers your question about missing something far better than I could.

@dontfitin

That point about 1 Cor 5 v 11 being cross referenced with 2 Thess 3 v 6,13-15 is excellent. The Kingdom Interlinear confirms what you are saying.

8

"Happy" bethel music dance video....and what bethel is REALLY like!!

by Witness 007 in

i think the "happy" dance bethel video is the best thing to come out of bethel in 100 years.

sure many were told off for this.

i cant believe so many were convinced to go alittle "worldly.

freddo

I wonder how "happy" they are now with all the cut backs and being sent to the field?

52

Is shunning unscriptual?

by MrTheocratic in

international version 1 cor 5:11. but now i am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler.

do not even eat with such people.. if shunning is wrong.

.how does one explain this scripture?.

freddo

@Mr T

Scripture at 1 Cor. 5 v 11 doesn't say "formerly" a brother - says "claims to be a brother" or "called a brother" depending on which translation is used ...

"Brother being named" according to Kingdom Interlinear.

70

Witness Carts - A Vehicle for Significant Decline

by slimboyfat in

i was stalking to a jw today about her recent experience on the carts and with being a jw generally.

until this conversation i considered the carts as just an ineffective preaching method and a harmless waste of time.

but now i wonder if the effect of the carts might be to produce noticeable decline in jw numbers.

freddo

@Slimboyfat

I suppose Edinburgh being the capital gets tourist trade and so more cart spots for the Japanese tourists!

44

After 15-17 years JW daughter coming by for a visit today.

by James Mixon in

is something going on in jw land i don't know about.

she and her new husband and my two.

grand daughters, one i have never seen.

freddo

Wow! She'll be nervous too! Big hug and a warm smile cannot fail to disarm! Maybe small treats for the grandchildren on stand by?

70

Witness Carts - A Vehicle for Significant Decline

by slimboyfat in

i was stalking to a jw today about her recent experience on the carts and with being a jw generally.

until this conversation i considered the carts as just an ineffective preaching method and a harmless waste of time.

but now i wonder if the effect of the carts might be to produce noticeable decline in jw numbers.

freddo

@No Apologies

Metropolitan is where you have one city that contains at least about twenty congregations or more in its catchment area (say any congregation within ten miles of the cart witnessing places).

A Circuit Overseer is responsible for the Metropolitan sites within that area - usually close to shopping malls, train/bus stations, business districts etc. He then appoints a lackey "up and coming" elder or two to oversee it and arrange schedules of (usually) pioneers and sometimes elders and their wives from various congregations to cover "trolley/cart shifts" of three publishers together.

Those chosen to go on Metropolitan come from those approved by each congregation service committee and filtered through the CO and his lackey assistant.

"Normal" cart witnessing is that which is arranged by each congregation in its own shopping areas etc but which shouldn't conflict with Metropolitan. The ones allowed to do congregation cart witnessing are approved by the local Body of elders and usually include anyone who is not any or all of bonkers/smelly/dressed like a sack/tourettes and the like.

In the UK a city like London would have several Metropolitan circuit cart set ups; somewhere like Birmingham/Glasgow (1 million pop) would have two or three. Cardiff/Bristol/Edinburgh (350/400,000) might have one each. As in one circuit arrangement with two or three sites in each city.

Smaller cities such as Plymouth/Newcastle or Southampton might just have one or two sites in each and only half of the congregations in a circuit providing labour.

70

Witness Carts - A Vehicle for Significant Decline

by slimboyfat in

i was stalking to a jw today about her recent experience on the carts and with being a jw generally.

until this conversation i considered the carts as just an ineffective preaching method and a harmless waste of time.

but now i wonder if the effect of the carts might be to produce noticeable decline in jw numbers.

freddo

And while the pioneers and uber publishers do the metropolitan carts; they and the average joe's do the congregation carts and the only ones left doing door knocking are the "looked down on" 4 hours or less per month stammerer's stutterer's and cant be bothered semi-awake ones!

If the UK and the western world (or even the Worldwide figure) doesn't show a minus figure in the yearbook next time I just know the figures are being cooked!

15

Attendances & Baptisms at Summer Conventions

by steve2 in

there have been very informative threads on presentations and audience reactions ("thrilled", "emotional") at this summer's regional conventions (formerly district conventions) but little on actual attendance numbers and numbers baptized.

.

or could i be directed to current threads discussing these aspects - i searched but found nothing.

freddo

@JW Gone ...

I make it closer to 0.5% - not a ".005" rate.

Still low mind. And your analogy of 2 congs or 200 publishers worth of ministry still stands.

But don't forget there are two other assemblies in the year so maybe 1.5% per annum is more accurate?

Less deaths at 1.0% and DF/DA at 0.5% and fade at 0.5% and they are losing 0.5% overall - certainly in the western world.

All figures, statistics and speculation - mine!

12

How to shake up Jdubs...

by Rather Be the Hammer in

i didn't attend the meeting last night, but my in husband came home and was quite shocked because there was a letter announcing that there will be no wt-library cd-rom any more, and..... no more calendar.. he said there was a lot of talking and noise when that was announced.. i didn't expect the calender to go, by the way.

and my husband sounded really concerned, talking about how society is cutting down.

i love it when he says with a tone of surprise in his voice: 'you were right, now they want us to do everyting digital, and throw out the printed stuff.

freddo

Isn't it that this year's (2015) library is on DVD not on CD? So the CD is not being produced but it is on DVD.

Next year will be interesting ... I see the on-line library being the only thing soon.