oppostate

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Posts by oppostate

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  8

  The Man with the Golden Arm

  by Marvin Shilmer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  james harrison is australian and is known as the man with the golden arm.

  i've neither researched nor inquired of his religious disposition, but i feel safe assuming he's not now and never has been associated formally with the watchtower organization.

  this man is a national treasure and hero of the first order.

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  oppostate

  The Man with the Golden Arm

  I thought you meant Jaime Lannister

  
  
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  45

  Why a new "World Headquarters"?

  by 4thgen in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i just dont get it.

  the gb moved to patterson and are conducting business from there, right?

  they are not printing as much literature as they once were and they are still operating walkill for the magazines...er a ....pamphlets.

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  oppostate

  Why a new "World Headquarters"?

  Because 9/11 spooked them. They saw, from across the river, how vulnerable their religious empire really is.
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  47

  Cart Witnessing - Thrilling! Productive! Epic! Er.....um, well, not so much.....

  by sir82 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  talked with a pioneer recently, she was recounting her first experience with cart witnessing.. she brought the subject up, was going on & on & on & on about how wonderful the experience was, and how great, and how she enjoyed it so much, and it was so wonderful, and oh jehovah's blessing, and on and on and on...... a few questions to her revealed what really happened:.

  -- a jw who owns a small restaurant in a strip mall allows jws to set up their cart outside his restaurant.

  -- the restaurant is tucked pretty far out of the way, not prominent at all.

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  oppostate

  I second the idea that it just helps to put their name, their Brand out there to be seen. JW logo certainly gets more exposure in those 3 hours than in the same time knocking on not-at-homes.

  So advertising the Brand (not Branch) and giving the publishers a quiet nice little assignment.
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  40

  Canada Branch Finances - What's Going On?

  by berrygerry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  an update on the canada branch hasn't been made (i think).. year-over-year, canada's equity decreased by 11 million in 2012, 17 million in 2013.. however, the 2014 report shows a huge increase (20 million) in the cost of "purchased supplies.

  " with the shrinkage of the mags, and the push to online, how the heck did this go from 39 million to 58 million?.

  even with this number, the equity in 2014 went down by a staggering 56 million.. what the heck is going on?.

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  oppostate

  Look at the figures for long-term investments,
  they've taken their investments and cashed in.

  Land and buildings has pretty much stayed the same
  (just a small increase there). While Other capital assets
  have doubled. Yet the Total assets figure has gone down
  by 50 million in one year.
  

  Then look at Assets less liabilities line:
  They've used up their cash buying new assets (and supplies).

  Now skip to Total cost of all purchased supplies and assets:
  They've been spending a lot more and more every year to the
  tune of 160+million since 2009, and 50+ million just last year.

  And one last look at Amortization of capitalized assets line:
  That means a "depreciation" of their assets broken up into
  installments, last year that was over 5 million.

  So, the Canadian Branch has been making huge purchases.
  Some other entity(-ies) have ended up with a third of the total
  wealth of the Canadian Branch.

  What have they gotten for spending a third of their assets?

  Not land and buildings. That figure shows little increase.
  It's in the "purchased supplies" rather than assets that you'll
  find the huge expenditures.

  Since we know a lot of the printing has moved from the U.S.
  to Canada, I feel it would be safe to guess that the U.S. Branch
  sold Canada the equipment and other supplies for printing, thus
  showing a great expenditure on the Canadian Branch, while the
  U.S. Branch, or whichever other WT entity sold the materials
  became $50+ million richer last year.
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  45

  New Thought About Active J.W.'s

  by The Searcher in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  from my own observations & conversations with selected active j.w.

  's, here are my conclusions:.

  's are very rapidly falling into two distinct camps -.

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  oppostate

  And yet there's another group. Perhaps even growing bigger in number more rapidly than those two other groups mentioned.

  It's composed of JW's who are happy to do just enough that they derive a personal balance of service to the WT and meeting their own wants and social needs. Those are the ones who will be happy standing next to a literature cart. The ones who love get-togethers and who can blame them--it's good to have fun when your conscience is at peace with God.

  The great group of followers who love the 30 hour specially reduced Auxiliary Pioneering occasions. Who thrive on Kingdom News flier campaigns. The ones that take long breaks in service and do return visits on the same people for years, especially on days when it isn't so sunny outside, or it's too cold or too hot.

  This group pledges dedication to Jehovah God (actually to its self-proclaimed channel), but only within their comfort zone. They are mostly from foreign language congregations, mostly Spanish and Portuguese speaking, and who still hang on to their culture, music and dance--whose lyrics would sound too sensually charged and rhythmic movements way too romantically alluring for Anglo JW's.

  Throughout Watchtowerdom, their numbers are increasing. They've come out mostly from Roman Catholicism--which doesn't speak to them as it had to previous generations. The ritual pomposity and pedantic theatricality of the old Roman religion is no match for the brainwashing, easy to "study" literature that reinforces their feeling of belonging and acceptance.

  This sort of JW may just bring down the WT or cause a reformation. Their idea of Listen Obey and Be Blessed includes a deep belief that Jesus is their mediator, more relaxed attitude towards the urgency of the preaching work, less shunning of close relatives, more striving for a better job and economic advancement for their families.
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  7

  Residence fire damages building at Bethel in Congo (Africa)

  by dropoffyourkeylee in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  word is there was a fire yesterday at a residence building at congo bethel in africa.

  lots of damage, a hundred or so out of a place to stay.

  no one injured.

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  oppostate

  The WT are so greedy grabber that they self-insure, meaning they've put money into investment accounts designated for insurance purposes in case of accidents or fire damage, Acts of God like hurricanes and tornados, etc.

  But you better believe they recoup those dollars and them some by trouble minds and misguided consciences of the Rank and File.
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  63

  Overlapping Generation/GB/Doug Sanderson

  by Simon Morley in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  my apologies of this topic has been covered already - please redirect me if it has:.

  current belief is:.

  watchtower (study edition), april 15th, 2010 issue, pages 27-29:.

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  oppostate

  The 2008 generation teaching was that it was a 2000 year generation including all the anointed.

  One would think that this 2008 teaching concerning the generation would have lasted them for eons without being forced to revise it.

  But, the GeeBee being what it is, NOT-the-FDS that is, within a few years they changed the doctrine. Why?

  I feel that there was a flurry of questions posed to the WTS about the doctrine, and that some traveling religion-mongers reported the publishers weren't feeling the urgency of the imminent end being just around the corner.

  The result was a quick re-write by the writing department, and although painting themselves into a shabby new generational explanation, they are of the mind that they can always revise later what they teach today. Besides, the sheep are expected to play along nicely and accept every new idiotic supposition regarding the coming of their longed for Armageddon.
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  20

  Does the GB also do Fieldservice?

  by 1tMakesNoSence in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the wt study of may stated that no one is exempt from doing fieldservice.does that mean the gb also does fieldservice?and dont give me any if that "no they only give us insrtuction bullshit" because that would mean not everything applies to everyone, and thats never the case in the jw organisation!

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  oppostate

  Well, in the case of Sam Herd they went to the point of photo-shopping him into a picture with another witness in service and featuring it on a magazine article, so I'm sure appearances are very much important to them. Pharisees!
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  90

  After 2 years my parents make contact. The end result is that I promise them to cryogenically preserve ONLY their heads

  by paulmolark in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  it has been 2 and a half years since my departure from the religion.

  i was told by my parents from the start that i would never speak to them until i returned to jehovah dog.

  a few months later they told people they hoped i died before the end came, then all of this culminating in them telling my inactive / fading sister that they don't consider me a child anymore and they have given me up to satan.

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  oppostate

  @Wasanelder Once

  Maybe lots of others with estranged families due to the shunning policy will now be getting the phone call ultimatums.
  

  I agree with you that the coincidence of the "return to the flock" brochure release and Paul's situation makes one think so.

  Wouldn't you doubt that the WTS is really sincere about welcoming back their lost sheep? Their abusive, controlling ways is what drives a lot of folks away from their religion in the first place.

  ----------------

  @paulmolark

  Ah, I just read your reply right after my previous post and made a wrong connection. My bad.

  I must say, though, I've always agreed with Oubliette that the WTS is a cult. A dangerous and hurtful, mind wrecking cult. And many of us have suffered to one extreme or another its abuses and controlling ways. Shame on all their hypocritical shepherds that abuse the flock rather than care for it.
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  90

  After 2 years my parents make contact. The end result is that I promise them to cryogenically preserve ONLY their heads

  by paulmolark in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  it has been 2 and a half years since my departure from the religion.

  i was told by my parents from the start that i would never speak to them until i returned to jehovah dog.

  a few months later they told people they hoped i died before the end came, then all of this culminating in them telling my inactive / fading sister that they don't consider me a child anymore and they have given me up to satan.

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  oppostate

  Sorry Paul, you've got me pegged wrong.

  Didn't mean to hit on any of your nerves. I'd rather "hit" the WT where it can hurt it best, and I believe that's helping others to wake up to their shenanigans and mind control.
  

  BTW. I do hold a doctorate's degree.

  Alas! It is not in "psychology."

  Nevertheless I wish you well.