JeffT

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Posts by JeffT

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  55

  Let's Be Honest - You or One of Your Ancestors Was an Idiot

  by Simon in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  why were we ever a jw?

  were we mad?

  we must have been .... well, my excuse is that i knew nothing else.

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  JeffT

  I became a witness in 1973, just as I was graduating from college. I was fighting depression and a mental breakdown, and the talk of the world ending fit my view of current events (Nixon/watergate, the war in Vietnam ending badly, cold war etc). I was sucked in by a friend who had a JW mother. A year later I got married to a young woman who had been pulled in by family members.

  We both started slacking off by the late seventies, but neither of us knew about the other's doubts. We moved across the state in 1983 after I spent a year in school and found a better job (against the elders' advice). We gradually stopped almost all meeting attendance and field service, stopped everything in 1988 and DA'd in early 1989.

  Am I an idiot? I certainly was in 1973, yet I managed to pull my head together and get out before much of the information now available existed. Looking back, I have to say that the JW's did a VERY good job of love-bombing and hiding the dark side of their religion. By the time I understood how JC's and disfellowshipping worked, I was too far in to see my way out. I'm disinclined to disparage those that fall for it.
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  42

  November 1, 2016 TO ALL BODIES OF ELDERS Re: Using and Maintaining Kingdom Halls

  by wifibandit in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  november 1, 2016 to all bodies of elders re: using and maintaining kingdom halls.

  table of contents.

  ownership .........................................................................................pars.

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  JeffT

  My first impression is that they have a big problem with cleaning and maintenance where more than one congregation is using a hall. It looks like everybody is expecting the other people to take care of it. What a wonderful Christian attitude.
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  16

  What happens to the elders?

  by Worldling9 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  with so many khs closing and congos consolidating, what happens to the elders?

  clearly there won't be a place for all of them.

  would the older ones be the first to go, losing their long held positions of 'power'?.

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  JeffT

  I would imagine that the company men will stay, ones that stepped on toes or irritated somebody in a position of power will find that they aren't needed as elders wherever they're assigned.
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  10

  Stephen Hawking predicts, "this pill will change humanity", breaking News today>

  by James Mixon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  "we can now access 100% of the brain".

  forbes special editorial by jon stewart.......

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  JeffT

  We can access 100% of our brain. That whole "we only use 10% of our brain is BS.

  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-people-only-use-10-percent-of-their-brains/
  
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  16

  Extreme rules on Dating – is this for all congregations?

  by Bonnie_Clyde in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  just found out that in the congregation we used to attend there are two young brothers, both are sons of elders and recently engaged to girls in neighboring congregations.

  instructions are that they may not sit together at assemblies or meetings.

  but get this….they can’t even ride in the same car even if their parents are also in the car.

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  JeffT

  I then was told to not kiss on my wedding video so I wouldnt bring shame on "Jehovah" and our worldly relatives would see how clean we are.

  The worldly relatives probably wondered what the hell kind of f'd up religion didn't let you kiss at your wedding.

  
  
  
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  10

  Which Kingdom Hall Should They Sell? How Does The Governing Body Decide?

  by Brokeback Watchtower in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  well what rule of thumb do you think these financial dim-wits dream up?

  i think those not sending in their money to the org are some of the first properties to unload while you spare the higher payers for last.

  you don't want to piss off the loyal contributers by making them miss meetings,, that's a no win situation so dump the free loaders as a negative asset and keep the more profitable ones.. and those who's loans the wt forgave, watch what happens if you're not send in those regular payments like before, and slack off by a significant amount.

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  JeffT

  I used to do this all the time as an investment real estate accountant.

  It's called a hurdle number, and it's easy to calculate. You have some number in mind that you think you should be able to make on an investment. Right now, most smart finance people are assuming around 4% a year. So you have a Kingdom Hall that should sell for say, $200,000. If you sell it and invest the cash you would expect to make $8000 a year. Do the congregations occupying that hall send you more or less than $8000 a year? If less, you sell and invest the money. If more, you keep it.

  I bet somebody, somewhere as performed that calculation for every piece of property they have. The only remaining question is how quickly they'll dump the losers.
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  12

  The Times they are a'changin (indeed)

  by JeffT in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  bob dylan has been awarded the nobel prize in literature.

  i wonder if they'll let him sing at the ceremony.

  http://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/bob-dylan-wins-2016-nobel-prize-in-literature/ar-aaitpmb?li=bbnb7kz?ocid=ansmsnnews11.

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  JeffT

  Bob Dylan has been awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. I wonder if they'll let him sing at the ceremony.

  http://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/bob-dylan-wins-2016-nobel-prize-in-literature/ar-AAiTpmB?li=BBnb7Kz?ocid=ansmsnnews11
  
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  39

  Do they know what 7.5 billion dead bodies look like?

  by jambon1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  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..

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  JeffT

  According to Wikipedia the destruction of one gram of antimatter and one gram of regular matter equals about 3 Hiroshima bombs. The average weight of a human is 62000 grams. I'm guessing no one in the writing department thought about that when they wrote that article.
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  11

  So when will the signs be for the end Matthew & Luke say....

  by tor1500 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a few weeks ago, i think it was in the imitate their faith book or was a public talk, i forget, but anyway, luke 21:10 says: then he said to them: “nation will rise against nation,+ and kingdom against kingdom.+ 11 there will be great earthquakes, and in one place after another food shortages and pestilences;+ and there will be fearful sights and from heaven great signs.

  the brother was showing the signs of the end & how it matches up to our time.

  but guess what folks, my eyes wandered to the next verse 12:but before all these things happen, people will lay their hands on you and persecute you,+ handing you over to the synagogues and prisons.

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  JeffT

  Read verse 8

  8 He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.

  Jesus can make a blanket statement not to follow those claiming the "end is near" for a simple reason: they're ALL wrong.

  
  
  
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  98

  Steve Hassan. Can some one verify if this is true.

  by joe134cd in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  https://culteducation.com/group/1289-general-information/8227-disclaimer-regarding-steve-hassan.html.

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  JeffT

  Joe, please read the links regarding Rick Ross, who wrote the piece cited in the OP. He's not an unbiased source, there are good reasons to question the accuracy of what he says. Steve Hassan has done some very good work, I will not negate that based on unverified rumor.