Posts by JWoods

Why are they always so sure? They are just clutching at straws and constantly making a laughing stock of themselves. Why don't they concentrate on the here and now and just accept that they they don't know when Armageddon is coming? (just for the record I don't believe there will be an Armageddon)

The cynical answer (and I am a total cynic when it comes to the Watchtower Bible & Tract society) - is that they depend on constant anxiety over the coming end of the world to keep their people in line, making contributions, and selling literature. When one of these prophecies fails, they fall back to one of the time-honored strategies: Change what they said they meant (like they did on 1914 itself, and later the "generation of 1914"), quit publishing it so that it eventually dies out (like they did with 1925), or simply deny that they ever said it (like they did over 1975). Their people are members of a high-control cult, and will pretty much go along with just about any new change in teaching.

68

Loose Change 2nd Edition (Full)

by possible-san in

i watched this video yesterday.. is this a fact?.

loose change 2nd edition (full).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yx9nrx37sm.

JWoods

So, what happened to the airplane?

28

Interesting quote on leadership - what do you think re: the Governing Body?

by sir82 in

jw
friends

today i read a newspaper columnist who wrote something that caught my attention:.

"...obedience is a natural response to effective leadership, and this is true regardless of whether the people being led are adults or children.".

now, think about the gb.. virtually every wt "study edition" contains at least one, if not several, reminders about how we should "obey the gb".. dozens of the songs in the new song book extol how worthy of obedience & devotion the gb is.. each assembly & convention features dozens of reminders on how important it is to be obedient & submissive to the gb.. service meeting parts routinely offer "loving reminders" of how jws should obey the gb re: conventions, literature, donations, etc.. .

JWoods

I believe governing body is used as both a description and a name, by the Watchtower, probably more often than not as a name.

More than just a name. It is a "god-given title of prominence" that they have applied to themselves. Pretty shameless self-pride when you have no proof of position other than your own self deception.

18

"New Generation Teaching Proves How Close the End Is"

by Sour Grapes in

recently a circuit overseer said in one of his talks that the new light.

on the generation teaching shows how very close the end is because.

there will be a time when the over lap will end.

JWoods

What an tragic and wasteful way to live your life. Everything on hold, waiting and waiting for something which there is absolutely no evidence will happen.

Doubly sad when you consider that they have been waiting for it since the 1880s. They thought 1914 was going to be it until nothing happened, and then they made up the now-failed "generation of 1914 will see the end".

Prophesied it again for 1925 - failed. Prophesied it again for 1975 - failed.

Now the "dual/overlapped generation" to put some more air in the leaky old tire.

22

"WE can decide if you will remain an unbaptised publisher or not"

by XPeterX in

said one of the 2 elders to me when i had to talk with them at the 'back room'.

"i will never forget these words.

"we" excludes god right?.

JWoods

Isn't it just a little illogical to anybody else (except me) to call somebody a "publisher" (which means essentially a lay preacher of this religion) when that person has deliberately not made the decision to join it by being baptised?

Guess it really is all about the numbers to them -

28

Interesting quote on leadership - what do you think re: the Governing Body?

by sir82 in

jw
friends

today i read a newspaper columnist who wrote something that caught my attention:.

"...obedience is a natural response to effective leadership, and this is true regardless of whether the people being led are adults or children.".

now, think about the gb.. virtually every wt "study edition" contains at least one, if not several, reminders about how we should "obey the gb".. dozens of the songs in the new song book extol how worthy of obedience & devotion the gb is.. each assembly & convention features dozens of reminders on how important it is to be obedient & submissive to the gb.. service meeting parts routinely offer "loving reminders" of how jws should obey the gb re: conventions, literature, donations, etc.. .

JWoods

I think this is what is happening with the GB.

Syvia is right. Look at the Catholics - how many actually slavishly obey anything the Pope says? Some - but there are many who practice birth control, take political positions in favor of abortion choice, and pretty much go about their lives just as they please.

I think the current witnesses are becoming like this - pretty much apathetic to all the obedience screaming and just going along with it socially out of the force of habit.

Evidence? Look at the lack of retaining their own young people, the dropping hours in service (15 minutes now makes you regular as a preacher), the huge number being disfellowshipped every year...

The Governing Body and the other rulerships are slowly squeezing the life out of their own religion with this obsession over total control.

68

Loose Change 2nd Edition (Full)

by possible-san in

i watched this video yesterday.. is this a fact?.

loose change 2nd edition (full).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yx9nrx37sm.

JWoods

Those aggressive questions are stupid for me.

Even if I am a Japanese policeman, am I able to investigate that?
The answer is "No."

Even if you are an American, investigation is impossible if you are not a member of the FBI or the CIA.

Which illustrates very well why I told Leolaia not to bother with this insanity.

18

"New Generation Teaching Proves How Close the End Is"

by Sour Grapes in

recently a circuit overseer said in one of his talks that the new light.

on the generation teaching shows how very close the end is because.

there will be a time when the over lap will end.

JWoods

Sorry if I sound thick, but what exactly does this generation/overlap thing mean?

Basically, it means they have finally admitted that the generation living in 1914 is just about all gone now and will not live to see the end like they have prophesied for at least 60 years. So, they changed the meaning of "the 1914 generation" to mean anybody living NOW who ever knew anyone of the true 1914 generation. So, you could have been born in 1950 and be part of the 1914 generation by the new witness definition. It makes no sense, but -- This does give them more time to cover the failure of their prophesy of the end of the world coming before the generation of 1914 died out.

28

Interesting quote on leadership - what do you think re: the Governing Body?

by sir82 in

jw
friends

today i read a newspaper columnist who wrote something that caught my attention:.

"...obedience is a natural response to effective leadership, and this is true regardless of whether the people being led are adults or children.".

now, think about the gb.. virtually every wt "study edition" contains at least one, if not several, reminders about how we should "obey the gb".. dozens of the songs in the new song book extol how worthy of obedience & devotion the gb is.. each assembly & convention features dozens of reminders on how important it is to be obedient & submissive to the gb.. service meeting parts routinely offer "loving reminders" of how jws should obey the gb re: conventions, literature, donations, etc.. .

JWoods

As someone who left in the mid 1990's I find this concept very odd. Its never been so clearly defined in this way. I can't help but think that people from my era, that are still in, are not very troubled by this version of the GB.

Probably nobody from today's JW world could even believe that the whole Governing Body concept (developed in the 1970s) was sold at the time as a relaxation of the ultimate authority of the WT heirarchy. For example, for a time they did away with a permanent congregation servant - the elders rotated through the positions year by year. The circuit overseer was termed to be practically just another elder in a different position - but just there as a special advisor. The governing body itself was presented as a harmonious sharing of authority, making the society less dictatorial. And look at them now - just like the Cardinals and Pope of the Roman Catholic Church that they hate so much.