the issue of whether beards are acceptable or not is addressed in the september 2016 watchtower - well sort of.
it is as clear as mud as to whether they are allowed in places like australia, usa and britain.. 17. what are some factors that may affect whether a brother wears a beard?17 what about the propriety of brothers wearing a beard?
the mosaic law required men to wear a beard.
Welcome "AlexMoran"
A "Balanced elder body", as you put it - should care less about what facial hair is sported by men and more about really caring for the flock.
Elders will spend hours discussing beards and other nonsense like whether you should be allowed to choose whether to stand up or sit down to read the Watchtower or at how many dozen degrees below zero can sisters wear trousers.
Little Pharisees dancing to Bigger Pharisees tune.
recently attended a special assembly day.. guest speaker was thomas chicky, a member of the us branch committee and the head of the us ldc (which has replaced the rbcs).. the last talk of the day is scheduled for an hour.
it was the usual boring mumbo-jumbo.
he appeared to have blasted through his hour-long outline in just about 45 minutes, so he "treated" us to informal comments on recent developments.. he commented on the new wt complex in fishkill ny.. then he dropped the bomb (well, to anyone with ears and at least 2 functioning synapses).. the following is not a word for quote, but presents the gist of his comments:.
@Sir82
"Cue sound of phonograph needle scratching across the record."
i have a brother who works in the medical profession and in particular surgery rooms.
he had a jw woman who needed blood.
while the jw elders were there she said no blood.
The HLC only get involved in a new case if they are "invited" by the adult patient or the guardian of a minor. This introduction is initially done through the elders in the patient's congregation. If the patient is known to the HLC through several episodes or ongoing treatment then they contact them directly.
Of course, keen local elders and/or keen jw relatives will "encourage" the patient to have the HLC be involved.
Once the HLC have their "feet under the table" only the firmly expressed view of the patient will get them to leave. Of course a patient may want the HLC there and a vulnerable patient may well just go along with the HLC advice as it seems a good idea until there is a life threatening situation and then HLC and jw family peer pressure kick in ...
maybe there will be a mass exodus from jws when thinking people read feb 2017 watchtower telling them the governing body stuff up, shouldnt expect correct/ perfect information and basically make up guff as they see fit.....ya reckon?.
They won't all wake up at the same time - but this is my belief over the next few years.
No more growth. Sure, the numbers will be fudged to show a half of one percent or whatever, but in reality, it's stopped. It's dropping.
Dropping meeting attendances. The 90%/95% of Publisher figures has softly descended to 60% turning up with another 10% sitting at home with the phone plugged in.
Dumbing down. Good God! Have you actually read a paper copy of Awake lately? Not enough paper to wipe your backside and not enough "meat in due season" to feed a weasel.
Ministry. Hours reported will stay at about 8 average but how productive is it? Plodding, driving about with four on board sharing out return visit magazine routes, not homes and coffee stops. And Pioneering = cart minding.
There is just enough "activity" to fool the leaders that they don't need to change.
Just go to your nearest kingdom hall and look at the non born-in bible studies - old lonely women, whackjobs and losers being lead along by mental or depressed fools.
the city in which i work is flooded with those witnessing carts.
today im going to approach one of them and pretend i dont know what they believe.
gonna try and record it if i can.
Well played sir!
1st Peter 3 v 15 is a good one.
YOU: You don't want to talk with me? How does that fit in with 1 Peter 3 v 15
THEM: Err ... ummm
YOU: You know, the verse where Peter says Christians should be ready to make a defense before everyone who demands a reason for their hope ... ?
THEM: You're just being argumentative!/(We're not listening LALALA!)
YOU: The verse, sir, says you should treat those demanding a reason from you with respect and with mildness ...
THEM: (IGNORING YOU)
YOU: Either walk away or tell them they are complete and utter cowards and that the JW's who went before them would be appalled at them for counting time standing next to a trolley parrotting nonsense and falling into embarrassed silence at the simplest of questions.
there are quite a few here who have been disfellowshipped for apostasy.. then there are those that have successfully faded.. why the different outcome?
are the ones that got df more out spoken?
or does the discrepancy lie with the elders?.
@doofdaddy
Sorry to hear your experience. He played on your basic honesty and willingness to respond. If they catch you early enough this is what can happen.
I used to worry about being asked that question. I didn't want to displease the elders (some of whom I had served with for decades). I avoided the question successfully but am now prepared with ...
"Of course I do" or "What a strange question (laugh)!" and walk away.
Remember their definition of a lie is "telling a falsehood to someone who is entitled to know".
They are entitled to kiss my sweet derriere.
the city in which i work is flooded with those witnessing carts.
today im going to approach one of them and pretend i dont know what they believe.
gonna try and record it if i can.
Too many questions for one hit IMO.
Stick to the first and last question.
Some other possibles ...
"My workmate was a jw who got excommunicated last year and now his jw mother won't talk to him because he disagreed with their policy on reporting child abuse - that can't be true can it?"
"If you knew about a pedo in your kingdom hall would you go to the police?"
"He's telling everyone at work that you may look like nice people but that he is being shunned by the church because they protect pedophiles."
"They're like whitewashed graves and Pharisees, he said. What's that all about?"
Watch'em squirm.
[this is what happens when the semester ends.
idle hands.
so i was thinking of how you would categorize the presidents of the wt, and i came up with this:.
I think you're on the money, BOC.
maybe there will be a mass exodus from jws when thinking people read feb 2017 watchtower telling them the governing body stuff up, shouldnt expect correct/ perfect information and basically make up guff as they see fit.....ya reckon?.
No.
hey everyone.
so a few weeks back i getva knock at the door, i could tell they were jw immediately, its always obvious.
i think its just a regular door knock but at 5.30pm i did think it weird.
Hi Jason - never being baptized was a good thing for you.
It could be your relatives getting the local elders to try and "help" you - what with the end being so close and all - or if they are from your old hall then they might be going through all the old record cards.
Typically the Secretary has a file with record cards - for baptised and unbaptised publishers - in it going back to the year dot.
So when someone drifts away/goes inactive/dips under the radar without judicial action then their record card will be put in the inactive section.
Every so often - the elders will go on "a drive" to reactivate and reach out to the "inactive ones." And of course they can count their time doing so.
This might be triggered by any or all of:
1. A relative (remembering the Return to Jehovah brochure) phones up and says "will you give Johnny a call?"
2. Annually they're supposed to call on the DF and DA to see if they have any thought to coming back and keen bodies of elders will occasionally add the "inactives" to that.
3. The CO's coming and this particular CO might tell them to have a go at reactivating the "inactives".
4. A bright keen spark on the body might decide to have a go at reactivating the "inactives."
5. They are trying to smoke out a "sinner" - usually only baptised ones but if they think you are contaminating the sheep they might go for an unbaptised publisher. In this case they turn up around hallowe'en looking for pumpkins on the porch or near Xmas looking for inflatable Santa or Xmas trees.
As an unbaptised publisher you shouldn't be treated the same as DF ones but of course some uber dubs love to shun!
