well, round my way (south of the uk) all the way up to and including the regional conventions this summer, baptism numbers have been extremely low.
but i have just received news of three recent circuit assembly days where the figures seem to be higher.
(all have been across the last three weekends at a uk assembly hall in october).
Shepardless In relation to Philippines, Watchtower seems to have more success in poorer Catholic countries, and perhaps this is an example of that.
Shepardless Angola is a very poor country and also very Catholic, the population speaking Portuguese and very influenced, culturally, by their ex colonists. So your theory works for Angola too.
during our wt life we met a good number of friends involved in the circuit and district work.
i am sure that we share the same experience and that we remember fondly some that we caring, loving and generally interested in the brothers.
at the same time we might remember others that were arrogant, selfish, abusive and oppressive.
Hecce remember that some of the sisters in the circuit work were suffering with breast cancer. It seems that the frequency was higher that normal.
That's a really interesting observation, Hecce. I believe nuns have an unusually high incidence of breast cancer, too. There are certain life choices that are associated with lower rates of breast cancer and having children is one of them, with +3 showing markedly reduced risk of developing the disease. That would *seem* to be the link between nuns and your empirical observation of high breast cancer rates in circuit wives - no kids. But I wonder if their are other, similar, stressors that apply to both sets of women who give their lives over to a religion that values them less for being women, yet prevents them from fulfilling the very reproductive power for which religion maligns women.
Just a thought😀
this notice is not official yet and it should be confidential until released thru the proper channels.
a friend of mine told me about a huge elders meeting in southern california.
the subject was the relocation and dissolution of some congregations; it seems that this is the result of some project that has been going on for some time and is going to be implemented right now.. please let me know if this is happening all over the country?.
JWdaughter
A good thing to donate to would be a fund to help foster kids when they age out of the system. (My personal pet cause these days)
Jwdaughter I've often agreed with a lot of your posts over time but I've never wanted to like a post as much as this one!!110% Agreed ma'am. A very, very worthy cause.
so anyone that has read some of my posts on here over the years knows i have done the slow fade over the last 30 years.
i do not claim to be a jw and have not being in a kingdum hall now to attend a meeting or convention for religious reasons for almost 15 years.
now i know the discussion on here from this past dc was the rank and file dubs have being pressured to distance themselves away from family members that are no longer active dubs that they deem are not living up to wt bible principals.
I'm so sorry this has happened to you, I think you are right the recent conventions have caused complete misery for many in your situation - WT made It abundantly clear that active witnesses are the only people you should associate with, family or not.
They are tightening the noose.
I would word a calm, loving letter stating that you no longer identify as a Witness
. You could also mention that research into the past and present practices of the org has made it impossible that you ever will. Shunning the inactive is the very opposite of what Christ commanded. Forgiveness and self sacrificing love. Not a self serving obsession with reserving your first class ticket to paradise and the hell with those you love.
All you can do is ensure she knows your door is always open and that you do not recognize the commands of men. Interestingly I found this today, small article about the man whose pyramidology Russell used/stole. May be worth sending to sis...her beliefs are based on utter pagan superstition.
i decided to spend my sunday morning creating a youtube video highlighting 7 things most jw's dont know they're supposed to believe.
most of these i learned only after my exit of the cult.
here's hoping a few jw's will stumble upon it.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er44oc0p4ny&feature=youtu.be.
Agreed. Fantastic job - love the music by the way, very emotional.
Unfortunately any Witness listening to Jackson's testimony would fully understand his doublespeak to mean any Jehovah's Witness could act with (or in harmony with) God's spirit but only the GB speak in the sense of having full authority to command from God.
so this past week the wife and i have received several phone calls and text messages from our old hall.
we were also invited out to dinner to catch up with some old friends.
an hour before dinner this guys wife messaged my wife and said that she "can't wait for tonight!!
I can't believe how understanding you are. It's one thing to decide that you are suddenly unsavoury characters and that they need the elders ok before they eat with you - quite another to decide this ten minutes into the dinner engagement. Rude is not the word.
so me and my wife have not been on speaking terms for about 5 weeks, and when we do .
talk…it is arguing about the jw cult and more of a barrage from me telling here all the stuff i have learned.
i know i shouldn't do this....but, i get so freaking p.o ed aobut what this cult has done to my family.
Gointhru are you disfellowshiped? If not it is a worry. But here's the thing. You sound like me so this advice comes from someone who completely understands. Have you tried sitting down, maybe after a special dinner ( I know that might be hard if things have got beyond that point but try) and really pouring your heart out. No raised voice, no arguing, no Borg talk, just " I am scared for our family, marriage whatever...if I'm bird food can't you give me this small few years? No one in the hall is going to care for you in old age, sickness and health etc and get the truth out of her. On her word as someone who should not lie much less to her mate. The Borg use emotional manipulation. You use your emotions ( only it's not manipulation Its how you really feel as a human and a husband, You are actually frightened. Tell her many folks do this by stealth but you can't help but let how you think and feel come out.
My instinct is this list is both. For her own research and possibly a list to show elders...she's confused. She's being torn. I'm sorry for her, I'm sorry for you. And it makes me mad too. But she is listening too you, deep down there is that little voice that says this man has not done me wrong before, he was a witness....he wouldn't be a fool and throw it in for nothing. She knows there's something wrong.
the brief outline for this item makes reference to the most recent wt on the subject of "reaching out" (august 2016 - pages 20 - 29) if you are a jehovah's witness and thinking about becoming a ministerial servant or elder, then please consider the following information prior to attending the kh for this week’s wt “study” and the week after.
first - if you hope to become an elder, in the uk you will also become a charitable trustee.
you will not be given any training for this part of your role.
Nicolaus Kopernicus Tried to like your post but it didn't work. Anyway well said👍
in their sick and twisted bubble that they live in, the jehovahs witnesses clearly have no idea about the logistical nightmare of disposing of 7.5 billion corpses.. when i heard an elder once say that it will be a joy to clear away the wicked from the earth, he actually had a smile on his face.. can they even begin to imagine what 7.5 billion dead men, women, children & babies looks like?.
"let the eye feel no sorrow".
sick bastards..
Just seeing a tiny fraction of that number traumatised the allied soldiers who liberated Belsen and Auchwitz for life.
jehovah's witnesses have never come to my door but they have come to my girlfriends door.
i have coached her as to what to say or ask but it appears that they always seem to come when she's not there.
.....just curious would you get into it with a jehovah's witness at your door especially if it was someone you did not know?.
Fernando I have a friend who did talk about Grace with me, and I'll be honest...I didn't understand, I really didn't 'get' it. I didn't know the witnesses translated it as " loving- kindness"...That came years later. It took an awful lot of research, (and other things that convinced me they didn't have 'the truth')before I finally understood the concept. So even if they had posed that simple question, would we have understood?
