i am feeling sick after reading the question box - it's so cold and unfeeling toward those who use the telephone to listen to congregation meetings.. .
the wts desire to control their weakest members - the infirm and chronically ill - by guilting them into "putting forth the effort to be personally present " at the kingdom hall is disgusting.. .
they are heartless bastards.... ________________________________________.
The motivation for this is twofold.
One, as mentioned, is the control issue. Indoctrination depends a lot on peer pressure that you can only receive as part of the group.
Two, which I didn't notice being mentioned in the thread is the $money$ issue. If you are phoning in from home you have no access to the contribution box.
http://abc.go.com/shows/v?partner=rm&cid=knc-rm+v_title_fall_launch+google+v_abc.
anyone gonna watch this?
looks awesome!.
I thought the beginning was a little bit ridiculous with the "where were you when JFK was assasinated" line. I would estimate that 98% of the viewers of V weren't even a twinkle in their daddy's eye when JFK was assasinated. The geezers are watching Matlock reruns, not V.
And I agree with the comments on pacing. The entire episode was incredibly rushed. It felt like an anti-Heroes; while Heroes drags ridiculous storylines out for months on end, V took a compelling storyline and crammed a good three or four episodes worth into a one hour pilot.
No mystery whatsoever about whether the Visitors are actually benevolent is a negative.
Every time Hollywood has a doomsday situation in need of a religious character, why is it always a Catholic priest?
Also, do the writers really think so little of the human race to assume the vast majority of us can be bought off with medical cures and hot alien chicks?
All those criticisms said, I liked it enough to give it another go next week.
after looking at some read the bible in one year plans, i have been toying with the idea of giving it a go.
i don't know if anybody has come across these plans, but each day of the week you put about 15 minutes aside and read a bit from the ot, a psalm, an epistle and a gospel.
eventually after a year you've read the lot.. although as a jw i have read most of the bible, i only did it within the constrains of referencing from a wt publication.
I feel like the GB have to be kicking themselves for ever going along with the idea of Family Worship Night at home instead of book study. My guess is a lot of rank and file are using the time to simply read the Bible and do research on the Internet. I know I do, and I've also used it to try and work on teaching my family the real truth.
And one doesn't need a different translation unless you just want one. I just use the NWT that I have along with the biblegateway website for comparisons.
... when you have a fine and fair discussion with a jw over some spiritual "jw controversy",.
he brings his facts, you bring your facts, .
your facts are beating his facts,.
This one is a classic even within the congregation. When your elders make some decision that is completely irrational and idiotic and you bring it to their attention, the conversation immediately shifts to your lack of humility and the actual problem is ignored.
its not really published anywhere in past years ...... and what power/authority presidency of wtbs represents these days?.
albert .
I think it's a guy named Don Adams. Not the guy who played Maxwell Smart, a different Don Adams.
The corporations have all split up into separate organizations in order to protect assets when lawsuits are brought and protect the GB from personal liability. No GB members are any longer presidents of any of the corporations. They still control them but via fear of Gehenna rather than through any legal means.
there have been many threads about how to "bring down" the wt organization.
the conversation usually ends with the realization that a large religious organization is usually fairly self-sustaining, due to the believer's vested interests in preserving their "illusion", and the fact that the gb and long-term bethel members have nothing to fall back on--no retirement, no place to live, no skills.. so... do you think that any gb members would succumb to the temptation of a large financial reward (millions) to "give up the ruse" and "come out" with the truth about "the truth"?
say, if offered $5m, a nice place to live, etc., would any of them give up bethel life and come forward like franz did, spilling the beans?.
[quote]Do they still have power and control? Or has that been wrested away to the corporations? Are the GB more a symbol now, rather than any true power in the org?[/quote]
They have as much or more power now than ever. The corporations are their shield, and are powerless to do anything without the blessing of the GB because the rank and file are programmed to follow the GB ONLY without question. If a corporation president or board decides not to play ball, they will quickly be replaced with good soldiers. No one is allowed to question what the GB says. No one is allowed to question what their representatives the local elder bodies say, either.
Lately they have been pushing this authority via the WT study versions in both subtle and overt ways. They want people to be prepared to follow orders without question because their doctrine is becoming more and more absurd and untenable.
here is a scan from the dec 15 09 wt (study ed) with a graph of how a witness should apportion their time to remain joyful.. .
so according to this graph, to remain joyful a witness should spend 3 times as much of his waking hours in 'theocratic activities' as he should in secular work!
hopscotch.
What also bugs me about stuff like this is the conflicting messages. They'll nag nag nag about working less and going out in service more and then have Service Meeting part after Service Meeting part on contributing money to the worldwide work or the building fund.
If nobody is making any money, how are they supposed to contribute?
Is the psychology behind this to guilt those who DO have good jobs and won't quit them, to contribute more to assuage their conscience?
so i was just cruising www.extj.com/foro.
mary received a interesting bit of osce information via a brother (peter) from germany....... http://www.extj.com/foro/showthread.php?t=14643.
here is the pdf she has uploaded..... http://www.osce.org/documents/odihr/2009/07/38763_en.pdf.
I don't get how anyone could defend attending this sort of meeting, whether they are formal "members" of the OSCE or not. The purpose of those in attendance is to influence the member governments of that organization. Yet, if a rank and file JW goes and votes on a local ordinance or state proposition, he's going to get a judicial committee.
So what if their attempt to influence governments is for the purpose of freedom to preach? It's still playing politics.
Having a legal department at all has always smacked of lacking faith to me, and I was raised in the organization. Doing this kind of crap is being part of the world.
to: "non-believers" (i am speaking to the "adult" among you as there are some who simply won't be able to resist... and you know who you are), i would like to ask that you please refrain from commenting, if you would be so kind.
if possible, it would be greatly appreciated if you would hold your comments for another thread, please.
thank you... and may you have peace!.
[quote]Why it is that you PREFER, indeed CHOOSE... to put your faith in the Bible as the "word [from] God" that "speaks" to you... instead of in the Holy Spirit, who is the Son of God and Holy One of Israel?[/quote]
I don't. I have never known them to contradict one another or be mutually exclusive.
that's right guys.
as i told you before, they boe have been considering me for the eldership.
which i don't care for, but since my family is stuck in this cult, i guess i can use the new position to help them see that the holy spirit has nothing to do with me being an elder.
I'm new here, obviously, (have been lurking for many months, though) and have been strongly considering how to work out my fade. I'm currently a MS and on track to becoming an elder. After reading tjlibre's post above, I'm reconsidering not doing the fade. I've gone back and forth on it and tjlibre has me leaning toward staying in and trying to help people.
But it's so hard to stay...I have a family and don't want them stuck in or worse, becoming hardcore true believers.
What a mess. . .
