freddo

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Posts by freddo

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  14

  elders are leaving me alone. what to make of this?

  by nowwhat? in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am a born in that goes back to the 1960's i am in a very zealous congregation with super dub elders.

  i have been inactive for 3 years and only go to about 2 meetings a month.

  i made my displeasure known about the overlapping generation b.s.

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  freddo

  You probably are lucky but the fact that you said your piece about "the overlapping generation b.s." and they haven't come back to you shows they have no reasonable answer to what you said.

  You may have made your own luck by not spreading your views further and wakening up their "need to protect the flock" from you.

  Also, you probably said exactly what they think but they are too afraid to face because if they do then their little world will turn upside down.

  So they have no scriptural (or more importantly for them - organisational) mandate to deal with you so they leave well alone.

  You are probably the "Elephant in the room" at their elders' meetings!
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  32

  Britain in the doldrums!

  by Nicholaus Kopernicus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the 2014 - 2015 jw statistics showed a peak publisher decline of 884 with the average publisher tally showing a gain of 183. .

  the 2017 yearbook is now available via jw.org and the statistics for britain show a 2016 peak publisher increase of 630 and an average publisher increase of a paltry 26!.

  nothing to shout about on the part of the followers of caiaphas in the britain branch.

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  freddo

  Of course a large proportion of them came here not as jw's and with little spoken English and few friends and who should smile widely at them but pretty pioneer sisters with literature in their own language and "instant (conditional) friends"?

  Hence the "Britain" figures being propped up in jwland.
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  39

  Is the year 2020 the new prediction for Armageddon?

  by Disassociated Lady 2 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have had a conversation this evening with a jw friend i have known since childhood.

  he is of the opinion that armageddon will have come and gone within the next 5 years.

  are the jws now pinpointing 2020 as the supposed year?

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  freddo

  And after you've used the scriptures in The Searcher's excellent post add Luke 21 v 8

  He (Jesus) said: "Look out that you are not misled, for many will come on the basis of my name, saying 'I am he,' and, 'The due time is near.' Do not go after them."
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  32

  Britain in the doldrums!

  by Nicholaus Kopernicus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the 2014 - 2015 jw statistics showed a peak publisher decline of 884 with the average publisher tally showing a gain of 183. .

  the 2017 yearbook is now available via jw.org and the statistics for britain show a 2016 peak publisher increase of 630 and an average publisher increase of a paltry 26!.

  nothing to shout about on the part of the followers of caiaphas in the britain branch.

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  freddo

  @Stan

  I don't think IoW has many immigrants compared to the UK average. Just across the water in Southampton you have an immigration population of 20,000 largely of Poles.

  On jayborg it show 9 congregations - one of which is a full Polish congregation - and the following language groups:

  Punjabi/Tagalog/Romanian

  Portsmouth has the following groups:

  Polish/Chinese/Portuguese

  So as a guesstimate let's assume that those 9 Southampton congs at 75 each equal 675 publishers - let's further guess that the Polish congregation has 40 and each language group has 10 - that means at least 10% of Southampton's jw population is immigrant and if the Polish congregation is 60 plus then more like 15%.

  Now think of London, Birmingham and the Midlands ...
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  32

  Britain in the doldrums!

  by Nicholaus Kopernicus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the 2014 - 2015 jw statistics showed a peak publisher decline of 884 with the average publisher tally showing a gain of 183. .

  the 2017 yearbook is now available via jw.org and the statistics for britain show a 2016 peak publisher increase of 630 and an average publisher increase of a paltry 26!.

  nothing to shout about on the part of the followers of caiaphas in the britain branch.

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  freddo

  Also the oldies that came in in the 1960's are dying off. In the cong. that I sometimes attend (about 75 pubs) 3 older ones in their 80's/90's have died in 2016. No replacements getting baptised or even becoming publishers.
• 
  32

  Britain in the doldrums!

  by Nicholaus Kopernicus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the 2014 - 2015 jw statistics showed a peak publisher decline of 884 with the average publisher tally showing a gain of 183. .

  the 2017 yearbook is now available via jw.org and the statistics for britain show a 2016 peak publisher increase of 630 and an average publisher increase of a paltry 26!.

  nothing to shout about on the part of the followers of caiaphas in the britain branch.

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  freddo

  @Landy

  96 to 06 there was no UK growth at all (probably due to the generational change). There has been more steady growth between 06 and now.

  But notice how the population rises from 1996 to 2006 - very roughly 1.6 million but from 2006 to 2016 - a whopping - 6.4 million. I believe this reflects the great influx of folk from eastern Europe having joined the EU and been granted free movement - especially from Poland - who make up a sizeable portion of recent jw's today in the UK.

  Growth? It's as flat as a pancake really.
  
  
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  117

  2017 Yearbook released

  by bohm in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i saw this on reddit:.

  https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/5mlgsm/2017_yearbook_of_jehovahs_witnesses/.

  overall the numbers are better than last year (1.8% growth compared to 1.5% last year -- as i predicted ;-) ) with an increase in all major figures including 1300 more congregations (i assume this is not physical kingdom halls?).

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  freddo

  That bit which I have changed to italics and bold - how does that compare with Acts 12 v 22,23 do you think?

  “I feel as if Jehovah were talking to me right in my room when I listen to members of the Governing Body and their helpers,” says Agatha, a circuit overseer’s wife in Ghana. “Without this tool, how could a poor girl like me in a small corner of the earth have such a great privilege? It has really brought us much closer to our dear brothers and sisters around the world.” p.24-25 YB2017

  Acts 12 v 22,23 (NWT) says -

  Then the people who were assembled began shouting: "A god's voice and not a man's!" Instantly the angel of Jehovah* struck him, because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten up with worms and died.

  See also Revelation 19 v 10 and Acts 10 v 25.
  
  
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  14

  How to believe you deserve to relax

  by rebel8 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was brainwashed to believe you generally shouldn't relax much.. demons can enter you if you meditate or even relax your brain too much for one second.

  always be on guard.. scriptures criticizing laziness were repeated often.

  https://www.openbible.info/topics/laziness "be kind to yourself" and all that.. you need to strenuously exert yourself for jehoopla and you're worthless if you don't.. most forms of fun were extinguished.

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  freddo

  A very good and thought provoking opening post. I agree entirely.
• 
  117

  2017 Yearbook released

  by bohm in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i saw this on reddit:.

  https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/5mlgsm/2017_yearbook_of_jehovahs_witnesses/.

  overall the numbers are better than last year (1.8% growth compared to 1.5% last year -- as i predicted ;-) ) with an increase in all major figures including 1300 more congregations (i assume this is not physical kingdom halls?).

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  freddo

  USA's "peak" has dropped two years in a row - down over 11,778 since 2014.
• 
  117

  2017 Yearbook released

  by bohm in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i saw this on reddit:.

  https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/5mlgsm/2017_yearbook_of_jehovahs_witnesses/.

  overall the numbers are better than last year (1.8% growth compared to 1.5% last year -- as i predicted ;-) ) with an increase in all major figures including 1300 more congregations (i assume this is not physical kingdom halls?).

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• 

  freddo

  Some interesting (I hope) peak to peak figures from the developed world. Highest figure in bold.

  "Britain" - 2016 - 138,261 - 2015 - 137,631 - 2014 - 138,515 - 2013 - 136,993

  Australia - 2016 - 67,418 - 2015 - 67,606 - 2014 - 68,635 - 2013 - 66,918

  Germany - 2016 - 165,624 - 2015 - 165,754 - 2014 - 166,262 - 2013 - 164,885

  Italy - 2016 - 251,092 - 2015 - 251,032 - 2014 - 251,650 - 2013 - 248,743

  U.S.A - 2016 - 1,231,609 - 2015 - 1,231,867 - 2014 - 1,243,387 - 2013 - 1,219,931

  Note that for the above group this year's peak is lower than two years ago.

  France bucks the trend a little ...

  France - 2016 - 128,759 - 2015 - 127,444 - 2014 - 127,961 - 2013 - 124, 674

  But look at Canada. Lower peak than in 2013.

  Canada - 2016 - 115,006 - 2015 - 115,234 - 2014 - 116,312 - 2013 - 115,599

  And my favourite - Japan!

  Japan - 2016 - 214,173 - 2015 - 215,216 - 2014 - 215,703 - 2013 - 216,472