Posts by freddo

46

10 years on.....

by snare&racket in

jw
friends

i was a window cleaner, i was at the time unemployed, homeless.

i had no education to be proud of (high school one a two b's rest c's) i was a jehovahs witness.

i had been a pioneer.

freddo

"Dignity and class" as Billzfan said.

Dignity and class, S&R!

i was born in 1984 so was only 9yo in 1995. i read on various posts on here and on other websites about false expectations about 1975 and 1995. i'm aware of the 1975 failure but what was said in 1995?.

freddo

That last post of LongHairGal is right on the money.

Looking back it was from that point on (late 1990's) the only people (besides born-ins) that "progressed" to becoming JW's were the troubled, depressed and frankly, mental types. This was explained "round my way" as those "sighing and crying".

The old school core is dying off or moving into care homes. We are left with the "born-in" generation who don't remember 1995 to run the show - badly - and mainly older sisters (who live a bit longer than men on average) awaiting the resurrection.

What a shabby mess the JW religion is.

It's like a turd rolled in glitter.

20

Watchtower says: if your unbelieving relatives think you are in a cult, try to see things from their point of view

by cognisonance in

12 have empathy for unbelieving relatives.

while we may be overjoyed about the bible truths we have learned, our relatives may mistakenly believe that we have been tricked or have become part of a cult.

we should show empathy by trying to see things from their viewpoint and by listening carefully to discern their real concerns.

freddo

Yes undercover I remember it too.

February 15th 1994 Watchtower cover depicted a youngish black couple and the headline was "Jehovah's Witnesses - a cult or ministers of God?

I just love this paragraph which is so ironic in light of recent events in Russia.

Page 5 under the heading: *** w94 2/15 p. 5 Are Jehovah’s Witnesses a Cult? ***

A government official of the city of St. Petersburg, Russia, explained: “Jehovah’s Witnesses were presented to us as some kind of underground sect sitting in the darkness and slaughtering children and killing themselves.” However, the people of Russia have recently become better acquainted with the true nature of the Witnesses. After working with Jehovah’s Witnesses in connection with an international convention, the same official observed: “Now I see normal, smiling people, even better than many people I know. They are peaceful and calm, and they love one another very much.” He added: “I really do not understand why people tell such lies about them.”

_______________________________________________

That's Karma baby!

30

Loyalty - Part of the New Personality (S-341a-18-E 5/17)

by wifibandit in

loyalty—part of the new personality (s-341a-18-e 5/17).

note to the circuit overseer:.

use this outline for the tuesday service talk from september 2017 through february 2018. you will need to prepare your own 30-minute service talk for use after the watchtower study.

freddo

So now we are getting CO - talk outlines posted here about 8 weeks before the CO will start using them! Fantastic ...

Back to "Loyalty" - the GB's default position it goes to when there is "trouble a't'mill".

Who else sees TOMO3's dead hand in this?

16

July 7, 2017 Re: Needs in the Field—Training Others

by wifibandit in

july 7, 2017 to all field missionaries, special pioneers, temporary special pioneers and regular pioneers re: needs in the field—training others.

.

freddo

So what's behind this ... and why was the first one discontinued?

Methinks the first one was discontinued so that if something went wrong (maybe the helper starts molesting the helpee - or the helpee has an accident while part of a Society program they might claim off the Society - or just that the pioneers don't want to be doing stuff for which they can't count their time) then the branch can't get sued.

But now the monthly ministry results are looking worse and worse and the Society "helpers" and "GB" always like to lay the burden on the lower middle management while not lifting a finger themselves - and so it's keep "busy, busy, busy" for the pioneers and "blame, blame, blame" for the congo elders and "guilt, guilt, guilt" for the ones that allow themselves to be "assisted."

One thing's for sure - "the ministry" is utterly ineffective - the gig is up but the corpse is still on life support.

16

July 7, 2017 Re: Needs in the Field—Training Others

by wifibandit in

july 7, 2017 to all field missionaries, special pioneers, temporary special pioneers and regular pioneers re: needs in the field—training others.

.

freddo

Anyone else remember the old Pioneer Assist program? Where regular pioneers would be asked to assist the irregular and "weaker" publishers? I think they stopped that around 2006 or 2007.

Sounds like a bit of a resurrection of that "arrangement".

Thanks Wifi!

30

Comparing Total Numbers Baptized During the 1990s and the Last Ten Years:

by steve2 in

sometimes, comparing raw numbers provides a more clear-cut numerical picture of growth or otherwise than percentages.

below are the numbers for peak publishers (rounded off so that 4,1 represents more than 4,100,000) for each year throughout the 1990s and those for the last ten years.. year: peak* baptisms.

* peak publishers abbreviated - simply to show annual baptisms in relation to peak publishers.. the main point: .

freddo

NEJ

I was congregation Secretary when the change to 15 mins came through and so had the record cards. I would say previous to that that I counted an hour for all the old shut ins unless they went into a nursing home or are home and would often put them down for an "hour". A couple of scrupulously honest ones would say they didn't get anywhere near an hour and weren't happy to count a full hour.

I would say that in our cong of about 85 at the time it allowed one or two to be counted over the years for a year or two longer than they would have done before.

And yes - Secretary's and other elders will put down 15 mins for residents of nursing homes without ever speaking to them or knowing they if they have done any "ministry".

30

Comparing Total Numbers Baptized During the 1990s and the Last Ten Years:

by steve2 in

sometimes, comparing raw numbers provides a more clear-cut numerical picture of growth or otherwise than percentages.

below are the numbers for peak publishers (rounded off so that 4,1 represents more than 4,100,000) for each year throughout the 1990s and those for the last ten years.. year: peak* baptisms.

* peak publishers abbreviated - simply to show annual baptisms in relation to peak publishers.. the main point: .

freddo

I think they've pulled out all the stops to keep the numbers up. Remember the "loving provision" of 15 minute reporting in about 2003? That kept some of the oxygen tent dodgers in the numbers.

Also the trend for younger baptisms is obviously going to mean even younger unbaptised publishers starting.

The increasing lifespans by 3 or 4 years between 2000 and now in the developed world and by 6 or 7 years in poorer countries also means the death rate is lower which helps the borg overall numbers if not their ratio to population.

The borg have also given a lot of froth and bubble between 2013 and 2016 - new bible for English speakers in 2013; the 100 year anniversary 2014; jborg website and trolley/cartwork; Caleb and Sophia big screens at the conventions with JWvideos and a CLAM meeting for 2016 instead of school/service meeting.

It is all beginning to wear thin now.

The problem for them is that nothing is working to bring in new recruits that aren't mentally or emotionally disturbed. In fact the sell off of KH's, closing bethels, child abuse lawsuits and overlapping generations are unsettling to many and an increasing cause of apathy to others.

I believe that the downturn in the "west" will continue in the next yearbook; if the first drop in worldwide numbers since the late 1970's occurs this year I will not be surprised.

22

cleveland ohio convention results

by nowwhat? in

of 3 in cleveland: avg.

attendance 7500 baptised 27 a robust growth of 0.38%!

not my convention so no details..

freddo

Shepherdless: You are right that there are three "opportunities" per year to get baptised.

So if the rate is e.g. 0.5% at any three "opportunities" then obviously there will be 1.5% (0.5% x 3) in the given year.

So if Exeter at 0.21% were extrapolated the X3 number for all of the circuits in its catchment area would be 0.63% in the year.

I remember an Exeter R.C. last year (2016) where the baptisms were (from memory,) something like 14 from 3,500 in attendance so 0.4%. This years figures on attendance and baptisms are well down - but bear in mind that although the percentages hold good as being a significant decrease the WT hiked off about 500 publishers from the Avon Circuit (Bristol area) and sent them to a different convention in Cardiff this year.

22

cleveland ohio convention results

by nowwhat? in

of 3 in cleveland: avg.

attendance 7500 baptised 27 a robust growth of 0.38%!

not my convention so no details..

freddo

Exeter UK last weekend ... drum roll

2,816 produced 6 baptisms.

0.21%