my congregation had around 25 more people at the memorial last night than last year, and the two other congregations i have family in all experienced a similar increase in about 25 more people present.
umm, i'm surprised, having thought this year would see a memorial decline again.
and i'm kind of disappointed..
They were up round my way too. Whacky bible studies and submariners surfacing and some faded "go for family" types too.
Funny how 148 (I think they were counting those listening in as I couldn't see more than about 130) turned up for a cong. of 75 on Tuesday Memorial and then on Thursday CLAM meeting they had 49!
i dont know where to start so why not at the beginning.
i was seeing this girl and we hit it off great chemistry.
it went from a physical to a deeper relationship.
Read some of the well researched stuff from jw.facts - all based on Watchtower literature and what it said/says. Use that literature to show her that JW'ism is a false religion.
Sadly it likely will have little effect.
And when she runs screaming from the room because she believes demons have written it and changed the words in the JW literature then you will know once and for all you are on a hiding to nothing.
GET OUT OF DODGE, ROG!
https://www.jw.org/en/publications/jw-meeting-workbook/april-2017-mwb/meeting-schedule-apr10-16/encourage-inactive-christian/.
this is part of the clam meeting this week.. how contradictory is it?.
first, they instruct people to avoid inactive ones and to shun them and to treat them the same as da'd or df'd ones, .
Note the second question ...
Q. "Why should we approach the elders if we are thinking of helping someone who is inactive?"
A. - So they can dish the dirt and warn you off if the "inactive" one knows the gig is up and has shown the elders a clean pair of heels.
my wife has left to pick someone else's bible study half an hours drive north of us to bring them to the kh 20 minutes south of us, and pick up two other people on the way.. this is the first memorial in 34 years that i won't be at the kh to "celebrate".. if i want to "remember" jesus christ sacrifice and his command to keep doing so, i'm doing so on my own terms.
not controlled by a despotic, oligarchical gobo which directs most attending folks to be there but to "skip" the very thing jesus command explicitly mentions to do.
i'm also convinced that it doesn't have to be exactly on the same lunar month evening as the jewish passover, but that "whenever" it is commemorated by someone, with faith in christ, and belief in his promises it would be best to do it not for show or for the sake of appearances but sincerely out of one's feeling of "communion".. if you are a christian believer are you going to the memorial this year?
Iwasblind - if you aren't ready to tell them you didn't go to one of their "ignore fests" just say "Oh we had a change and went to a different Memorial this year, why do you ask?"
They will say "Oh I didn't see you at ours and wondered where you were?"
You "Yes we went elsewhere, thanks."
Them "Oh, where?"
You "Elsewhere." (Shrug) - repeat until they get the message you aren't saying any more.
i think if we could have a graph of how the change rate of technology has sky rocketed during the last century or perhaps the last three centuries, the point would be clearly made.. say we had a huge graph of technological progress of man since his ability to make fire, about 600,000 years ago, we'd see that a new techno advancement in the species happened every 50,000 years or so, then doubling every so often till we reached the say 14th century then the doubling must have got into high gear, till now in the information age where light speed sets the limits.
now we have information at our finger tips and no need for making a laborious trips to library.
case in point type in jehovah's witnesses in any search engine.. ignorance is in a down turn no matter how hard the governing body demonize higher education, the internet, and whatever.. as this younger generation with information at your finger tips becomes of age no matter how young you get them committed by being baptized, it spells doom for these clowns running this corporation.
It's the quality that is changing, not the quantity. (though that has stopped growing in the developed world.)
In the developed world it is only the depressed and the mentally ill that are buying it. These and a few of the offspring of the depressed, mentally ill and deluded that are already in.
Healthcare and lifestyle in the "west" - with all its faults - has kept the 1975 generation (that remained in, like the present GB) alive in enough numbers to keep the show going until now.
The children of these are not as committed and the grandchildren are leaving or are only staying if they cannot cope with the disapproval and shunning of leaving.
It's hollowing out from the inside but the numbers will not largely change, I predict.
an innocent picture of a city in my country, spain.
the pic says everything.
many jw are really disgusted about everything, even their new preaching cart.
The shine is definitely losing its lustre on the cart work.
The "average somewhat self-righteous pioneer" who likes the easy studies with JW kids, and wants to get their time in and look good adores the carts - especially "Metro" - they love being in the inner circle of keeners, turning up a fraction late for a meeting because they were on a "metro shift" at some tourist hotspot. Pioneer Elders love Metro too because they can avoid more menial jobs because they are "on the carts".
But actual results? What a joke. You cannot paper over the apathy and disinterest in the Western world with dancing carts, a cult website and dumb-brain videos and cartoons.
The old ones are dying or cast aside. The new ones cannot hold down a full time job without needing counselling and hand holding or they have kids to look after because their latest "partner" has done a runner.
Everyone else is weary, deluded, depressed or bored. Or all four!
What a mess. What a ship of fools!
blondie’s comments you will not hear at the april 2, 2017 wt study (january 2017) (entrust).
https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/watchtower-study-january-2017/these-things-entrust-to-faithful-men/ .
excellent general website: www.jwfacts.com .
Prospective young (under 25) non MS males:
22 year old just married, nervy wife - can just about cope with running a microphone.
20 year old - nice lad - always away partying!
19 year old who hasn't a good record for "keeping it in his pants".
14 year old autistic lad.
That's it folks!
what i don't get about the russian petition action:.
watchtower launched at march, 21 the petition action.. in the instructions they write it can take 14 days for postal arrival in russia.. on april, 5 they expect legal clarification from the supreme court.. so, conclusion: the letters will arrive just around the day of clarification.. conclusion: this action is planned for media impact only.
if it was to make judges think, (what they don't do on a petition cry), .
I believe it is as much a "keep 'em busy" and "distracted" tactic as anything else.
All the weak minded will be hyped up and coming to the memorial thinking that the "end is nigh".
I love the second picture with what looks like a typical UK kingdom hall chair sat all alone up front ...
the study was on how wt has refined itself over the years by ceasing celebrations of christmas etc.. paragraph 11.
11 what a fine example those faithful bible students set for us!
reflecting on their example, we do well to ask ourselves: ‘how do i view the direction we receive from headquarters?
Our Father, which aren't in heaven,
Headquarters be thy name,
Thy Kingdom Hall be sold,
Thy will including
a bequest to Watchtower be done,
Give us, Flodin, our daily bread,
And forgive us our false teachings,
as we never forgive others,
And lead us not before the Australian Royal Commission,
But deliver us from Putin,
The Power and the Money, forever and ever ...
Amen!
