JeffT

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Posts by JeffT

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  16

  No Private Beliefs Allowed!

  by BereanThinker7 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  looking for references that talk about witnesses not being able to hold any private interpretation or belief that isn't in line with official doctrine.

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  i know i've seen them before but of course now i can't find any of the more in your face statements..

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  JeffT

  I hope you can read this. I’m having trouble with my cut and paste.

  *** w06 7/15 pp. 22-23 The Creator progressively reveals the truth to his people. Hence, our understanding of the Scriptures is bound to be refined from time to time. The vast majority of Jehovah’s people rejoice over such refinements. A few become “righteous overmuch” and resent the changes. (Ecclesiastes 7:16) Pride may play a role, and some fall into the trap of independent thinking. Whatever the reason, such murmuring is hazardous, since it can draw us back into the world and its ways.
  
  

  *** w83 1/15 p. 27 Armed for the Fight Against Wicked Spirits ***
  Fight Against Independent Thinking
  19 As we study the Bible we learn that Jehovah has always guided his servants in an organized way. And just as in the first century there was only one true Christian organization, so today Jehovah is using only one organization. (Ephesians 4:4, 5; Matthew 24:45-47) Yet there are some who point out that the organization has had to make adjustments before, and so they argue: “This shows that we have to make up our own mind on what to believe.” This is independent thinking. Why is it so dangerous?
  20 Such thinking is an evidence of pride. And the Bible says: “Pride is before a crash, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.” (Proverbs 16:18) If we get to thinking that we know better than the organization, we should ask ourselves: “Where did we learn Bible truth in the first place? Would we know the way of the truth if it had not been for guidance from the organization? Really, can we get along without the direction of God’s organization?” No, we cannot!—Compare Acts 15:2, 28, 29; 16:4, 5.
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  *** w83 1/15 p. 22 Exposing the Devil’s Subtle Designs ***
  Avoid Independent Thinking
  20 From the very outset of his rebellion Satan called into question God’s way of doing things. He promoted independent thinking. ‘You can decide for yourself what is good and bad,’ Satan told Eve. ‘You don’t have to listen to God. He is not really telling you the truth.’ (Genesis 3:1-5) To this day, it has been Satan’s subtle design to infect God’s people with this type of thinking.—2 Timothy 3:1, 13
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  49

  Some thoughts on the message of doom

  by JeffT in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  one of the recent threads on the talk about the hailstone message got me to thinking.

  the problem with putting out a message like that is what to do when nothing happens.

  i have to think that somebody will be asking that question.

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  JeffT

  I'm having trouble with my computer trying to cut and paste. I will try to put together a list in the next day or two.

  But ponder this: the Watchtower claims that the 1975 fiasco was brought about by JW's speculating about the end. There was certainly a lot of speculation going on among rank and file JW's. At no time were we admonished not to speculate. Not in books, magazines, from the elders, CO's etc. As we all know the WTBS wants to control what JW's think and say. If people were speculating, they were doing so with the leaderships approval.
  
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  11530

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  JeffT

  Without straining my delicate brain too much,... would you say that the self-proclaimed professional activist's haul is down by about half?

  After consulting tea leaves and chicken entrails I would say that it appears that a business owned or controlled by Lloyd Evans is not making as much money as it did previously. Without more information about how his business (/s) is/are organized we can't tell. It is perfectly legal to move money between accounts or entities as long as the proper documentation is in place.

  Incidentally, we all have the same problem with the Watchtower's finances, there is no way to tell what's going on from the outside.

  Would any depreciation he reckons with be for filming equipment & hard drive storage etc? Maybe a car for work travel, too?

  This is the sort of asset I would expect to see being depreciated by a business of this type. In the US these are three or five year properties, depending on what they are.
  
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  49

  Some thoughts on the message of doom

  by JeffT in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  one of the recent threads on the talk about the hailstone message got me to thinking.

  the problem with putting out a message like that is what to do when nothing happens.

  i have to think that somebody will be asking that question.

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  JeffT

  Fisherman:
  

  I became a Jehovah's Witness in 1973, the year I graduated from Washington State University. So I was a college educated adult. I knew how to study and make informed decisions. I was in a difficult situation, but I believed the message as it was preached. God, I was told, intended to destroy the wicked people ruining His creation. The Bible, I learned, was very specific, this final war between Good and Evil would take place in 1975.

  I know you are told the WTBS never said that. Here's a news flash: THEY'RE LYING TO YOU! I was there, I know what was said. I left the Witness in 1988 when it was clear that the world wasn't going to end.

  My wife and I attended an evangelical church for a time after we left the Watchtower. The pastor made a good observation one time. He said that he believed we might well be in the last days, but he would make no specific prophesy for one very good reason. In Bible times if a prophet predicted something that didn't happen, the Israelites would take him to the local stone quarry and make him part of it.
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  11530

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  JeffT

  It is unfortunately difficult to reconcile the differences between financial documents prepared for taxing authorities, and those prepared according to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). GAAP exists to provide transparency to the financial performance of different entities. GAAP provides a common set of rules for all financial transactions. In the US the SEC provides this information so that investors can make informed decisions about investments. This is real accounting, tax accounting plays by whatever rules the politicians make up.
  

  We're in a tough spot here because we're dealing with at least two tax systems and by my count four sets of money (US, UK, Croatia, and Euro). As a retired financial professional it is my opinion that Lloyd (and anyone else accepting donations from the public) owes his investors financial transparency. This is a matter of ethical integrity, not law. This would mean a full accounting for all income and expense, backed up by bank statements.

  Frankly, I think Patreon should be demanding this of everyone they do business with. I think the donors should be allowed to see this information before sending anyone a nickel. If I was donating money I would ask this of the company, if receiving funds I'd provide it. I know Evans will say this is his private business, but that is not true as long as he's asking the public for money, it becomes their business. Go to a bank and get a loan to buy a house, then see how much information you need to supply. Same thing, when you ask people for money, they get to demand answers to their questions.

  None of what I've said here should be construed as an accusation, it's a request to clear the air by being transparent.

  Edited to add: a question came up with regard to depreciation, was the number provided high? Absent full financials, that question can't be answered. Lets say that depreciation is $12000. Is that a $36000 car depreciated over three years, or a three hundred sixty thousand dollar house deprecated over thirty years? You can't tell from just the expense number.
  
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  11530

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  JeffT

  LMsA, thanks for providing the chain of custody for the document.
  

  So here's what I'm curious about. If that income number is for sales of books etc, where is the Patreon money accounted for?
  
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  11530

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  JeffT

  I just now got some time to poke around in the financials a page or two back.

  Disclaimer: any comments I make are based on the following assumptions

  1) The documents were lawfully obtained by the original poster

  2) The information as provided is accurate and unaltered

  3) It is understood that I am not an expert in Croatian tax law

  Quick question: section 3.1.1 states that income is derived from "sales revenue." What is being sold?
  
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  11530

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  JeffT

  It's late and I have a lot going on. When I get some time over the weekend I will put on my accountant hat (green eyeshade? ) and take a look at those financials.
  
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  12

  Is Wokeness a Religion

  by JeffT in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is long so i'll just post a link, i think many here will agree with a lot of what the author has to say.

  it certainly resonated with my thinking of the last few years.

  https://instapundit.substack.com/p/it-should-be-safe-to-be-unpopular?sd=pf.

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  JeffT

  This is long so I'll just post a link, I think many here will agree with a lot of what the author has to say. It certainly resonated with my thinking of the last few years.

  https://instapundit.substack.com/p/it-should-be-safe-to-be-unpopular?sd=pf
  
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  43

  What novels would you recommend?

  by LoveUniHateExams in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  i used to have a large-ish novel collection but my current collection is scaled-down because i was forced to move back to bolton 4 years ago and didn't have enough room for them all in my suitcases.. i currently own just 9 novels.. salem's lot (stephen king).

  three by john ajvide lindqvist:.

  let the old dreams die.

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  JeffT

  The books I recommended aren't on par with Dickens or Austen

  I got in trouble in a college English lit class for saying I thought Jane Austen was boring.