So I'm working on another (fictional) book project and I need some historical help. I came into the Borg in 1973, just as they were starting the new elder arrangement. I know that before that there was a Presiding Overseer who (as I understand it) ran the show. What other positions were there, and how did things run generally? My book is a young adult fantasy set in the late sixties, one character is a JW and I like to get things right. Any insight or sources you can share will be much appreciated.
Posts by JeffT
-
11Need some research help
by JeffT inso i'm working on another (fictional) book project and i need some historical help.
i came into the borg in 1973, just as they were starting the new elder arrangement.
i know that before that there was a presiding overseer who (as i understand it) ran the show.
-
-
-
332
The most successful teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses and an amazing new book on the divine name
by slimboyfat injehovah's witnesses have had to revise their chronology and various doctrinal interpretations due to events and scholarly corrections.
but the one teaching where they have been consistently ahead of the curve is the importance of jehovah's name.. .
i'm going to run through a (necessarily selective) timeline of jw events and scholarly publications that demonstrate the phenomenal success of this teaching in the last days.
-
-
JeffT
Since I got out I've found it funny that the WTBS claims that God made sure the Bible was handed down to us accurately, therefore we can rely on it. Except that he was apparently unable to keep those nasty Catholic monks from deleting his own name. If that is so all fired important, why didn't he make sure it stayed there?
-
46
Believers: How do you know your view of your chosen holy book is the correct one?
by punkofnice indon't start fighting, darlings.
i am genuinely curious.
after all i was a jobo 50 years and thought the wbt$ was 100% correct.. i ask this because i see that, for example, christian denominations (or whatever), likely have differing interpretations of the same writing.
-
-
JeffT
Simple answer: I don't. I'm always open to new thoughts and willing to change my position on something. I think that some parts of the Bible are there to makes us ask ourselves questions, not to provide the answers. I haven't been to church since 2009 which leaves me free to think whatever I want.
-
38
Dunkirk.
by zeb ini have just seen the film "dunkirk".
do yourselves a big favour and go see it.
(not for kids).
-
-
JeffT
I intend to go see it soon.
The "French surrender monkey" meme is unfair. French soldiers fought well, their problem was an officer corps that could not adapt to the new style of war fast enough. They were beaten in the staff planning rooms, not on the battlefield.
-
94
Karl Marx Genius Of The Modern World
by Brokeback Watchtower inhe was all for getting rid of religions and their delusions for the betterment of mankind.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mydmc1wio8.
-
-
JeffT
Let me see: V. I. Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, the Kim family...Yeah, I think I'll stick with religion, thanks.
-
32
The big mistake of jw.org property management
by Gorbatchov intoday i read some news story's about the property deals of jw.org in brooklyn.
they made good money and good connections.. but i'm sure jw.org made a very, very big mistake in brooklyn.
they did.. they sold and are selling all the property for money.
-
-
JeffT
I worked in real estate asset management for twenty-five years. There are a lot of factors at play in the decision to sell a property. We do not have most of the information the WTBS would have used in making a decision to sell and leave, therefore anything we think of the decision is pure speculation. There does come a time in the life of a building when selling it makes the most sense.
There are numerous problems with the scenarios outlined above. Those are old buildings and getting them up to code and rebuilding the core systems would have taken a huge amount of cash. A new owner can take advantage of the tax code to make that worthwhile. The WTBS can't make use of those advantages. Also, they can't use volunteer labor to rebuild them for commercial purposes or to maintain them after they are put back in service.
As I said, the only thing we know is that it looked like a good plan to them. I think there are good reasons to think they may have been right.
-
68
Your Top Ten Favourite Movies?
by LoveUniHateExams injust thought i'd start a thread about favourite movies.
mine, in no particular order, are .... alien - a great visual film.
the chest-bursting scene is still great to watch, no matter how many times i've seen the movie.
-
-
JeffT
The Shawshank Redemption (I see lots of analogies to live as a JW)
The Patriot
Master and Commander
The Walk
Red and Red 2
Red Dawn
Battle: Los Angeles
Spartacus
300 Spartans (not "300," the one made back in the sixties).
Lots of old science fiction
-
4
UN Budget Cuts
by Finally Left ini just read this on the news.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-budget-un-iduskbn18k1v2.
it shows president trump wants to make deep cuts to the un.
-
-
JeffT
Overlapping UNs?
Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. According to the Watchtower the League of Nations morphed into the UN after World War II.
-
116
What is behind your choice of forum user name?
by stuckinarut2 injust curious how we all think.. what prompted or influenced your choice of username for this forum?.
there are some really amazing names, and it would be great to hear the stories behind them.... mine was nothing fancy.
i just felt "stuck in a rut too" along with so many others.
-
-
JeffT
It's my real name. When I joined the forum I'd been out a long time, and didn't care if anybody found me. For some reason I couldn't use all of my last name, so I just threw in the first letter. The picture is real too. I still hope to get published some day, I may want people to know who I am.
-
30
Bret Weinstein: Evergreen State College Racism Controversy
by Simon ingreat discussion, well worth watching.
covers racism, the bubble that some people live in vs the reality that resulted in trumps election and more (and jws get a mention too).. the rubin report (and many of the guests he has on) repeatedly knock it out of the park with sensible, calm and important analysis and commentary on important issues to our society.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-feapcgxnyy.
-
-
JeffT
The problem is not the number of extremist students, its administrators that need to grow a back bone. A year or two ago a bunch of black kids on the school football team (it may have been a historically black college - I can't remember), threatened to stop playing unless the administration gave in to some list of demands they presented. The correct response would have been, "OK, let us know how that works out for you." Instead the admins surrendered to them.
I live in Washington state I've also been following the dust up down there. Frankly, that school is a waste of time. Here's a good article that just appeared recently:
The result is a college degree pretty much don't mean anything anymore except you had rich parents.
Here's a local joke:
How do you get an Evergreen student to take a shower?
Hide Mom and Dad's credit card under the soap.