Juan Viejo2

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Posts by Juan Viejo2

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  8

  Tons and tons of literature

  by pontoon in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  how does the borg count placements, what is reported and tabulated by the congregations or by how much goes out the doors of their printing facilities?

  out of all the lit printed, how much of it gets read?

  how much lit gets stacked away gathering dust, thrown away and discarded each month?

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  Juan Viejo2

  A very high percentage of WT and Aw! magazines are never opened and read by anyone. Probably half of all print runs go straight into the recycling trash bins. Householders will often take the mags just to shut the JWs at their doors up - and then immediately toss them in the trash. Laundromats and company lunchrooms are regularly cleaned and the mags get dumped by the cleaning crews.

  The study magazines are not distributed publicly, so my guess is that after the WT study is completed, a vast majority of those also go in the trash or are used to start BBQs or firelogs. Remember that most regular JWs will buy the bound volume at the end of the year, put it in their bookcase and never open them again. So there really is no reason to keep any old mags except to leave on doorsteps during field service so that the householders can throw them in the trash.

  Part of the problem is that the current versions are so boring to read. Look at the pictures, read Questions from Readers, and then put them away. I've often said that the 4-page "Weekly Reader" that I used to get in elementary school was far more interesting and informative than any 32 page WT or Aw! - and they were for 4th-6th graders.

  I'm guessing that more ex-JWs read the Watchtower more closely than active JWs, simply because we are reading it more critically, looking for the Governing Body and their non-Anointed writing department to f**k up and stick their brogans down their throats with some stupid comment (i.e., "mentally diseased apostates...") or contradictory statement.

  Think of the forests that could be saved if the Watchtower would just shut down or go 100% electronic delivery. But then they could not brag about their high circulation numbers...

  JV
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  57

  STEVE HASSAN coming to Cult Free Radio on November 19

  by Mad Sweeney in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  you read that right.

  just finished talking to steve a half hour ago.. november 19 at 10pm est, steve hassan's interview will air on cult free radio on ustream.

  i will also have a co-host that evening to discuss bite mind control and steve's interview.. https://www.facebook.com/cultfreeradio.

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  Juan Viejo2

  Sweeney,

  I'm always a day behind the rest of humanity. Sorry about the error - but it's fixed now. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

  JV
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  94

  A Question for those who have trust in the Bible/Jesus..

  by The Quiet One in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible
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  Juan Viejo2

  Someone please correct me if my gentile brain is wrong on this:

  My understanding is that modern Jews trace the base lineage through the mother, not the father. I've heard that Israel will grant citizenship to applicants that can prove their mother was Jewish - no matter what the father might have been. It does not always grant it to those with a Jewish father and a gentile mother.

  However, the history of the Jewish people shows that sons inherit their father's name, property, concubines, livestock, and other possessions.

  JV
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  94

  A Question for those who have trust in the Bible/Jesus..

  by The Quiet One in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible
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  Juan Viejo2

  I suggest that everyone just take a breather and read "Misquoting Jesus" and "Jesus Interrupted" by Bart Ehrman. Everything listed above (Mary Magdalene, etc.) is discussed in detail in these two books. Open your minds for just a few hours and read what Ehrman has to say. Then come back here and let us know if you still have questions about why all these apparent contradictions exist.

  JV
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  60

  Bart Ehrman: "Biblical Scholarship and the Right to Know"

  by leavingwt in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this entire article by dr. ehrman is worth a read.

  here are a few selections from it.

  im not opposed to religion and i dont think that all religion is oppressivefar from it.

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  Juan Viejo2

  Back in September I traveled about 1200 miles south from my home in central Oregon to Riverside, California to attend my 50th class reunion and to take care of some family business affairs. My wife and I had just purchased a new car that had all the current bells and whistles - including navigation and XM radio. I was really looking forward to a relaxing and entertaining trip as I was traveling alone on this journey.

  But just before I left, I happened to visit our most excellent public library. I was working my way through the books on CD area when I happened to notice a full set of Bart Ehrman's lectures on "The Historical Jesus." I'd read Ehrman's "Jesus Interrupted" and "Misquoting Jesus," so I was already a fan of his style and approach to the material.

  I was able to check out the whole set of 12 disks and also the set of CD's of his "Misquoting Jesus" read by another voice actor. I figured that I would listen to these for a while, get bored, and then turn on my XM radio.

  I did not get bored. I listened to Ehrman's lectures totally engaged and overwhelmed with the logic of his presentation and the historic resources he quoted. This was true "Bible study," nothing like those minimalist, "take it on faith because we say this is the truth" types of Bible studies I was used to while a JW.

  While these university level lectures may not be for everybody, I was so engaged that I found the miles going much faster than usual. I waited to stop the car to get gas or a cup of coffee until a CD was finished because I didn't want to lose track of the train of Ehrman's thought and logic as he progressed through his presentation.

  It ended too soon. Even though I had read "Misquoting Jesus," I found listening to the audio version of the book even more enlightening. In the first couple of chapters, Ehrman traces his history from a young man who had no doubts at all that every word in the Bible was inerrant and inspired by God himself. After finishing his basic education at a local protestant Bible college, he went to the Moody Bible College and then to Princeton. He gave the Bible every opportunity to convince him of its holy origins - and it failed. Ehrman's story is an amazing tale of change due to education and exposure to the facts - no matter where they are sourced. I finished the last CD during my final leg home.

  I would encourage everyone to try to find the 12 CD set of Ehrman's lectures. They come in two cases (six each), so maybe you can check out one set and then if you liked them as much as I did, check out the second set at a later date. The same with "Misquoting Jesus." If you want an education in New Testament history and origins, this is definitely the way to go.

  JV

  The historical Jesus Ehrman, Bart D. Chantilly, VA : The Teaching Company, c2000. 12 sound discs : digital ; + 2 course guidebooks (22 cm.) Great courses 12 lectures delivered by Professor Bart D. Ehrman on the "man behind the myth," Jesus of Nazereth. Includes an analysis of his life and times from a historical perspective
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  57

  STEVE HASSAN coming to Cult Free Radio on November 19

  by Mad Sweeney in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  you read that right.

  just finished talking to steve a half hour ago.. november 19 at 10pm est, steve hassan's interview will air on cult free radio on ustream.

  i will also have a co-host that evening to discuss bite mind control and steve's interview.. https://www.facebook.com/cultfreeradio.

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  Juan Viejo2

  For anyone who wants to listen in or download the raw MP3, the links have been available on Ex-JW.com since around noon PST yesterday (Monday).

  Here is the correct link. Show #11 is at the bottom of the list.

  http://ex-jw.com/web-directory/cult-free-radio-archives-1-6

  JV
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  11

  New Archive with Full Year PDFs!

  by Atlantis in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  .

  new archive for full year pdfs!

  *this archive starts with the golden age which have now been updated to full year files, and then continues with awakes from 1942 to 1969.

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  Juan Viejo2

  Just FYI. Some of you may find that larger PDFs (over 20MB) will get an error message in Chrome and Firefox. They do seem to download OK from IE9. I found this to be true on both these lists and also at the Archive website where many of these can also be found but not indexed nearly as well.

  JV
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  3

  New Mini-Survey: Holidays and Celebrations

  by Juan Viejo2 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  john cedars and i have put up a new survey to find out what current and former jws think about celebrating "worldly holidays.

  " this survey does not include the memorial - only traditional and secular types of holidays.

  please check it out and vote.. if you haven't voted on the other two mini-surveys, please take an extra couple of minutes and give us your opinions on those as well.

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  Juan Viejo2

  John Cedars and I have put up a new survey to find out what current and former JWs think about celebrating "worldly holidays." This survey does not include the Memorial - only traditional and secular types of holidays. Please check it out and vote.

  If you haven't voted on the other two mini-surveys, please take an extra couple of minutes and give us your opinions on those as well. Likewise with the Global Survey 2011. We've had great participation and are hoping that everyone will visit the site and share their own opinions. Your identity is protected.

  We'll be making improvements and adding new surveys every few weeks, so please visit and check the current results and comment even if you've already voted.

  Feel free to make your own suggestions for future surveys. Remember that our voters are from all over the globe and represent all cultures. So try to make your suggestions for subjects that are not restricted to certain countries or cultures.

  You can visit the new survey at JWSurvey.org or http://jwsurvey.org/mini-surveys/holidays-and-celebrations

  JV
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  7

  A secular website/podcast interviews an ex-elder

  by JonathanH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just stumbled onto this by accident.

  i was reading pz myer's blog, and just on a larf clicked on a link to another blog.

  one of the first entries was "view from the watchtower" in which an ex-elder is interviewed about his past experiences as a jw.

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  Juan Viejo2

  This was one of the very best audio interviews that I've ever heard. Very clear, very calm, no bashing - just straight facts and common experiences. Very enjoyable.

  JV
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  58

  Ridiculous elder ideas and rules

  by Juan Viejo2 in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  in an earlier thread, i went off topic for a moment to share excerpts from an email i received from an active sister living in the midwest usa.

  she mentioned that the elders in her congregations were extremely conservative and criticized the flock for using certain colors of highlighters in their magazines.

  she also reported that they were all over the sisters for wearing stylish boots or tennis shoes during the winter months.. i know that some elder groups can be very liberal, supportive and loving toward their flocks - while others are exactly opposite to the point that they become overbearing and oppressive.. what have you experienced as far as ridiculous, over-the-top rules and ideas enforced by local elders?.

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  Juan Viejo2

  It's pretty clear to me that elder groups (and this would include the Governing Body, COs and DOs) who choose to enforce every rule to the letter and make up rules as they go along are the modern antitype of the Pharisees of Jesus' time period.

  Why the leaders of the Watchtower can not see that fact in the way they encourage and train MS and elders confuses me.

  It's all about rules. There have been many previous posts that outline and list the numerous rules enforced by local elder bodies. What are they thinking? The meetings are boring enough and field service has become a farce. Assemblies and conventions offer nothing new, nothing dramatic - just long boring rehashes of old information presented by higher level elders and WT leadership.

  It seems that the Watchtower is targeting anyone who would like to make the process more interesting or even just a little more reasonable.

  JV