Posts by Juan Viejo2

20

Serena Williams

by New day in

jw
friends

i am a big tennis fan and today i watched serena williams win the australian open, one of the four tournaments which make up the pinnacle of achievement in the tennis world, the grand slam.

in her victory speech the first thing she said was that she thanked her god jehovah for the victory.

now i know that rumours have circulated for a long time as to whether she is a baptised witness or not, but she is definitely associated with witnesses .

Juan Viejo2

In case you may have missed this story...

http://jehovahswitnessreport.com/blog/venus-williams-watchtower-hypocrisy-on-display

9

Jehovah's Witnesses, they're big in ...

by Simon in

i just checked out google trends for "jehovah's witnesses" (denomination).

not sure if the link will be to the term but let's try:.

http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=%2fm%2f0dtdq.

Juan Viejo2

Type in JW.org.

You will see big spike in mid-2014 and it is now dropping off precipitously since then. Same trend - mostly African countries.

I'm not convinced, however, that Google trends is all that accurate. Many sites that have hundreds of visitors each day barely pop up. I think that the trends thing only measures actual exact word searches, not visitors or views.

JV

10

Inherit the wind

by truthseeker100 in

has anyone seen the movie inherit the wind?

i just got done watching the 1999 remake of the original 1960.. it's about two lawyers arguing in court about the guilt or innocence of a school teacher, teaching evolution.. it's about as pertinent today as it was in 1999 or 1960. it's really a good movie.

.

Juan Viejo2

I forgot to mention that in the late 1980s I was privileged to see a live performance in Dallas, Texas by George C. Scott ("Patton") in a one-man stage play as Clarence Darrow, the famed defense attorney in the Scopes Trial. Scott was an excellent and most accomplished stage and screen actor.

During the play he presented arguments from several of Darrow's trials, focusing on segments where his points were later incorporated into laws or reused by others in criminal cases. The Monkey Trial segment came near the end, as was the case in Darrow's real lifetime. The trial was in 1925 and Darrow died in 1938.

I remember that through the whole performance there was much applause, but the house came to its feet several times during the Scopes segment. The play was very well handled. Since it was a one man play, there was no William Jennings Bryan for Scott to play against, so he injected small additional dialogue, usually not more than 5 or 10 words, that would introduce his response (from the actual court documents). I was amazed that Scott playing back Darrow's actual words actually played better than the dialogue in the original stage play.

For me it was like seeing two geniuses on the stage at one time (Darrow and Scott) in the form of one man. Scott would have been about 60 at the time (Darrow was about 67 at the time of the trial). He wore only clothes that were appropriate to the period and had let his hair get a little wild and long, but he was totally believable in the part. It was truly a treat for me to see that.

So in the play I saw, Scott played the defense attorney, Clarence Darrow.

In the movies remake in 1999 (the same year he died), Scott played Matthew Brady, the politician and evangelical preacher who was the prosecutor..

What an amazing actor. My favorite George C. Scott movie, however, is the rarely seen "Islands in the Stream" (1977) that is based on a novel by Ernest Hemingway. Such a great movie to go unseen and unappreciated.

JV

10

Inherit the wind

by truthseeker100 in

has anyone seen the movie inherit the wind?

i just got done watching the 1999 remake of the original 1960.. it's about two lawyers arguing in court about the guilt or innocence of a school teacher, teaching evolution.. it's about as pertinent today as it was in 1999 or 1960. it's really a good movie.

.

Juan Viejo2

I've been to that Rhea County court house in Dayton, Tennessee. My great-great grandfather lived in Dayton where the trial occurred and he and his second wife are both buried there after they drowned trying to cross the Tennessee River. My great-great grandmother lived and died in Athens, Tennessee, located directly across the River and to the east. While doing my family genealogy I discovered that several of my distant cousins still lived in the area between 1900 and 1920 and at least two had jobs in that court house at the time of the Scopes Trial in 1925.

The 1960 movie was based on a very successful stage play, as was the remake several years later. Very much like "Judgement at Nuremberg" made shortly afterwards, it was a fictional retelling of the original true story. The discussion of creation and Adam and Eve ("So where did Cain find Mrs. Cain? Over in the next county?") is a keeper. If you have never seen the original movie, please make a point to do so - you will not be disappointed. Some of the background story is a little boring and the histrionics of the crowds reminds me of "Music Man," but the court scenes are all show stoppers.

Here in the USA the movie shows at least a couple of times a year on Turner Classic Movie Channel, but it can be found on several streaming services as well.

And yes, the details of the ending were different - as was much about the movie. The whole thing was financed and stage by several major eastern USA newspapers and was financed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Wikipedia has a ton of information about it and there are several excellent books that cover the trial in grea detail.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopes_Trial

JV

14

Where is Charles Sinutko now?

by moggy lover in

does anyone have any news about charles sinutko, who give the infamous "stay alive till '75" talk?

forty years have passed since then, so is he still alive and still with the watchtower?

anyone heard anything?.

Juan Viejo2

I believe Robert Sinutko was Charles' brother or cousin. Charles (Junior) was last seen still breathing in a WT provided mobile home in Desert Hot Springs, California near Palm Springs. His name is still listed in the White Pages there.

92

GB says, "Our way of worship will soon be altered."

by Separation of Powers in

my mom called me yesterday to ask how i was doing.

i hadn't seen her in a while, so it was nice to hear her voice.

we went through the motions of jw small talk and then she started telling me about her co visit from last week.

Juan Viejo2

Look for fewer Kingdom Halls being built in more remote or underpopulated areas. My insider contacts have been out of touch over the past couple of months and I've been busy, so haven't been paying close attention. This past week I did chat briefly with someone who emailed me and told me that they had some information to share. I have no proof of this person's access to inside information or credibility, but what he shared fits with this thread.

Kingdom Halls built in small rural towns cost the Watchtower about the same as Halls built in big cities - except for land investment. Some of the KHs in remote areas are in relatively poor condition (compared to those found in larger cities) and the cost to rebuild or upgrade to current WT standards would be money that could not be regained in a sale of those properties. In the USA think of remote areas of North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, eastern Washington state - even areas in Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana.

The rumor is that the WT will continue to build Assembly Halls in larger towns and cities. For remote areas with less than 50 publishers, they will either rent space in a commercial building (this was a common practice in the 1950s) or have everyone meet at one of the elder's homes (like the old Book Study days).

A series of Public talks and Watchtower Studies will be streamed over the Internet (protected by special logins so that apostates can't sneak in - or the public, for that matter). Interesting that "Public Talks" will be presented, but NOT AVAILABLE to the public!

This concept of "streaming meetings" may be what they mean by "our way of worship will soon be altered."

Notice that they are not saying, "we will be changing our beliefs" or "we will be changing our policies." Instead, the rumors indicate that they will be changing the "...WAY we worship."

So far my friends with inside contacts have been right about 50% of the time. But this rumor sounds very plausible. This will allow the Watchtower to sell off some properties that have been losing value and reinvest only in major cities and growth areas - even though there are no current needs in those areas. It's all about property flips.

It also seems reasonable that Internet streaming will reduce some concerns that local elders might inject some of their own understanding into the local meetings. (This seems to be a small, but growing trend: elders who privately disagree with WT teaching and policy, but want to remain in responsible positions and keep their influence over local JWs.)

Call me crazy, but I think that many of the rumors will play out. All we can do is sit back and be amazed by what the Watchtower will do next.

JV

94

New JW video, song and dance

by Listener in

the current jws do not cease to amaze.

here's their latest video on youtube and straight from bethel.. there is a lot of work involved in this.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwou6e5vwbo .

Juan Viejo2

It will never die. I have it on my hard drive now...

94

New JW video, song and dance

by Listener in

the current jws do not cease to amaze.

here's their latest video on youtube and straight from bethel.. there is a lot of work involved in this.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwou6e5vwbo .

Juan Viejo2

I wonder which group is really happier...

94

New JW video, song and dance

by Listener in

the current jws do not cease to amaze.

here's their latest video on youtube and straight from bethel.. there is a lot of work involved in this.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwou6e5vwbo .

Juan Viejo2

We (well, not me but all the other) apostates did it first and did it better...a long time ago....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hpp2SDkgdGo

17

JW.org email and contact numbers

by Juan Viejo2 in

ok - here is your task for the day:.

go to jw.org and find their information email address.

then find their weekend support desk phone number.. there is a link at the bottom of many pages that says [ ] email link.

Juan Viejo2

This was the original email I sent them (some personal information deleted):

-------------------------------------------

JH <[email protected]>

4:27 PM (23 minutes ago)

to contact

Dear Watchtower HQ Information Desk,

How does one find your email address on your website?

I get these kinds of emails all the time - they send them to me because they can't figure out how to send them to you.
Why is it so difficult to contact you by email? Why don't you have an automated Contact form on your website that will automatically forward inquiries to a sorting desk for follow-up?
I recently received another email inquiry through my website that asked for a JW Bible study. The couple was located in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. They certainly seemed legitimate. I tried to contact every Kingdom Hall around or near Arkadelphia. Some did not have phones listed. Other just rang or had an answering machine that would not take a message. What is that all about?
I edit several ex-JW websites. I get these kinds of emails all the time asking me to send WT literature, call and answer their WT questions, and arrange for Bible studies for them. Do you not see a problem with this? Why are they coming to me? Because they can't figure out how to contact your information desk by email.
JHSalem, Oregon
------------------------------------------------
Since I have been getting anywhere from 6-15 of these kinds of inquiries per month over the past year, my guess is that those sending these inquiries can't figure out how to email or call the Watchtower evenings or weekends. So they go to Google or Bing or ??? and look for "Jehovah's Witness" (and find my ex-jw.com link) or "Watchtower" (and find my WatchtowerWatch.com link) and hope that I can help them.
So much for the Watchtower's self-serving and self-congratulating entry into the world of the Web and the Internet. Can't even send them a simple email - even though they provide a [dead] link for that service.
That case in Arkadelphia, AR that I mentioned was interesting. I literally called every Kingdom Hall within 50 miles of the writers' address. I checked their address and name in Google and it was legit. I tried calling them for a couple of days, but only got an answering machine. But all of the Kingdom Halls listed on Google and on JW.org either did not answer or I got a "disconnected number" message from the Telco. I have JW relatives that live about 75 miles away in Arkansas, so I tried calling them. Jesus - what was I thinking. I even got one of them - and told them why I was calling - but they did nothing. So much for "preaching the good news."
Here is that exchange. Part of their message to me:
> can we help you?x I would like someone to contact me Connection to JWs?No
> connection. Just interested. i would like to
> have bible studys at my home xxx-xxx-xxxx call me , my address is XXX
> south XXth street apt 314 arkadelphia ark 71923 ,thanks

JH <[email protected]>

11/15/14

to XXXXXX

Dear Rxx and Mxxx,

Ex-JW.com is an ex-Jehovah's Witness website. I was raised a Jehovah's Witness and was very active in the religion as a young man. But I left decades ago and no longer belong to that religion.

In our opinion, studying to become a Jehovah's Witness would be a very poor choice on your part and could begin a long life of regret for you by joining a cult - but we certainly recognize that you have the right to make those choices for yourself.
Try this instead: https://www.jw.org/en/free-bible-study/

There are Kingdom Halls in Arkadelphia, Malvern, and Camden - but none will answer their phones. I also tried to contact the New York main offices but they do not answer their phones on the weekends.
I tried to call you - but got a busy signal ??? - so I don't know if the line was actually busy or if your service is not working at the moment.
I will try to refer you to a Jehovah's Witness relative of mine in Arkansas who can contact you and may be able to help find someone that can help you.
Again, I question whether this is the right thing for you to do, but I would be the last person to stop you from discovering the truth for yourselves. While you should keep an open mind, please don't take everything you hear or read as "gospel" until you've had time to investigate it completely. Whatever you choose to do - you have my blessing.
Jxxx HxxxSalem, OR
webmaster/editor Ex-JW.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I did get another email from these folks that thanked me for my efforts - but that they had still not been contacted by JWs.
Sad situation. What if Armageddon came next week and these people were destroyed because they could not (even with my help) get JWs to give them literature or conduct a "Bible" study with them.
JV