welcome--- i do recall you and we are glad you are here
you life is indeed full of challenges, but you will be just find
hang in there there are alot of good folks up here
james
Posts by JT
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16Greetings from the Newbie
by Yerusalyim ingreetings one and all, many of you will know me from rick's board, for those of you who don't here's a bit about me.
my association with the society is through my wife.
when we married she was an inactive memeber (she had disassociated herself over guilt from her divorce), after marrying me, she became active again and was reinstated.
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30
Field Service, Anyone?
by Farkel inthe human brain is a non-stop chattering machine.
it is constantly evaluating, making decisions and judgments.
there is not a human being alive that isn't an abject hypocrite nearly every day.
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JT
I have a co-worker who is not a jw but she truly enjoys learning about the behind the scene things that go on in WT
she had mentioned that when she studied she could not get with the "FIELD SERVICE THANG"
So I knew she would enjoy this link i just sent it to her.
I'm sure she will get a kick out of the Real Life World of a JW
just my 2
James
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31
Hi! I'm new.
by RipVanWinkle ini chose the screen name of ripvanwinkle because this fictious characher went to sleep and awoke in a different world.
different setting and must have suffered emotional shock.
coping skills needed to be learned.. i sometimes feel a little like him.
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JT
crossroads says:
I believe Rip is still sleeping. I think he rolled
over but hasn't really awakened*****
very nice way to put it- he is not fully awake yet - but like so many of us who have been down the road that he is traveling right now
we all know what will happen in time- as they say for the most part
an INFORMED JW IS A SOON TO BE FORMER JW
just my 2
James
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26
Thirty Years a Watch Tower Slave
by JAVA inperhaps the first widely distributed book written by a former witness about the watchtower society is, thirty years a watch tower slave by william j. schnell, baker book house, grand rapids, mi, 1956. its been out of print for several years, and very few libraries still have the book.
schnell was born in 1905, and was part of the watchtower movement from 1921 to 1954. .
in part, the foreword reads: by the lords grace i am a christian.
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JT
thanks for the info
James
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"Witnesses of Jehovah" video
by TheApostleAK inanyone seen the witnesses of jehovah video?
i've got a copy of it myself.
i thought it was ok and wasn't too bad.
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JT
i agree wtih most of you considering the time 1988 and the amount of cash that they they had to make it, I think it was very good. esp if you compare that to the Millions of bucks the wt has to to a video.
it at least give folks a look at wt in a way that most folks will never know- the Jesus Saves at the end was a little strong, but then again it was thier video.
i have shared it with many nonjw who quickly realized the influence that wt has on it members.
just my thought
james
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67
Are JW women repressed in the org?
by Tina inin another thread titled why?
in the beliefs and practices forum,.
i have an exchange going on with another woman.
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JT
Sass says:
I heard an experience one time at a convention. A daughter spoke of her abusive father who was in opposition to the "truth". The elders encouraged her mother to remain with him and be submissive. The touching end of the story was that after all those years of abuse, the family was rewadred when the father became a witness. Now if that isn't a recommendation to accept abuse, then I don't know what is
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you are correct the "JW MINDEST" is you can win him without a word despite the fact you may lose a tooth or eye in the process-
the avg jw only deals with a case here and there of most issues
we are dealing with the World Wide mindset of JW
when i was growing up my mom wanted to leave my dad and i can recall every visit ended the same
"Sister stay with him for you might win him without a word"
and this type of mindset is the driving force behind the wt-
the only difference today is many more sisters are simply rejected that cousel as "BS" today- unlike many of the jw women back in the 60',70' and even right into the 80's, 90's
but now most young sisters would laugh in an elder face
smile they are losing thier grip in more ways than they want to admit
how sad
james
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54
JW Decline
by larc ini found some interesting statistics, some of which you may know, that indicate that the wtbts is in decline.. 1. in the twenty years from 1970 to 1990, the rate of yearly increase dropped from 10% to 6%.
in the last 10 years it has dropped from 6% to about 2%.
since the world population growth is about 1.5% they are only growing at about 1/2 of 1% faster than the population.. 2. in 1999, there were 21 large countries that showed a decline.
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JT
stephen20 says
My firm feeling on this though is since 95 when the "this generation passing away" changed both from the moniker in the awake! and in the body of some articles. people felt real unsure of their future which by that time was suppose to be in the new system already.
The ones who expereinced the 1975 scenario, know the sacrifices that were made then, and looking at it with perspective , many children ,teens, and young couples were ROBBED in a royal way of a life they may have lived. Its an education, I am not crying in my beer(that would be a waste of beer) just merely pointing out, many, like myself who are in there 30's have to plan as RR said for the realities of life since the WTBTS , leaves us quite empty
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this post has indeed summed up the issues that the wt faces today and for years to come
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54
JW Decline
by larc ini found some interesting statistics, some of which you may know, that indicate that the wtbts is in decline.. 1. in the twenty years from 1970 to 1990, the rate of yearly increase dropped from 10% to 6%.
in the last 10 years it has dropped from 6% to about 2%.
since the world population growth is about 1.5% they are only growing at about 1/2 of 1% faster than the population.. 2. in 1999, there were 21 large countries that showed a decline.
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JT
PATHOF HORNS SAYS
What you have is:
a) old witnesses dying, getting sick, reducing activity due to age
b) younger witnesses not getting baptized/getting dfed/leaving
c) middle age witnesses asking questions/working more for retirement
d) no clear, inspiring leadership. No solid direction and basis for confidenceThe reason for the decline is our own doing. Its not the internet. The internet is only going to contribute to the "dumbing down" of the flock as all the thinking and reasonable ones leave.
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I AGREE WITH YOU 100% SOON The only jw left as rank and file will be the "dumb ones" right now the sharpest bro and sister are getttingout - they are asking more questions while the "dumb ones" continue to say "WHATEVER THE SOCIETY SAYS"
wellmore andmore jw are simply not buying it anymoreyour post was excellent
just my 2
james
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54
JW Decline
by larc ini found some interesting statistics, some of which you may know, that indicate that the wtbts is in decline.. 1. in the twenty years from 1970 to 1990, the rate of yearly increase dropped from 10% to 6%.
in the last 10 years it has dropped from 6% to about 2%.
since the world population growth is about 1.5% they are only growing at about 1/2 of 1% faster than the population.. 2. in 1999, there were 21 large countries that showed a decline.
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JT
larc asked Do you think the internet is partly resposible for this? What other factors are there, do you think?
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in my opinion not as much as many of us who have left would like to think- i feel that most of it is merely the fact the JW are getting TIRED most of the countries where there is no growth - those folks have been selling wt foolishness for 70-100yrs in many of those countries you are gettting into 3rd 4th and 5th genration jw
and they are still trying to sell the END IS ROUND THE CORNERTHE AVG JW TODAY doesn'T jump like they did yrs ago
take the bookstudy how many damn times can you study the same book with the same folks in the same bookstudy and still convince folks that it is for the new folks- when in the avg hall most of us saw very few folks from the Territory actually become jwin all the yrs i have been here in my area i can count on one hand the actual number of folks who bevcame jw due to someone knocking on thier dooor
we meet many folks who would say MY MOMMY STUDIED WITH SISTER PIONEER WHEN I WAS growing up- they may take the literature but they will not study
while the NET has indeed played a very importatnt role for former jw in letting them see they are not alone- i dare say in a congo with 125 publishers you can count on one hand the number of bro and sister who actually go up on "aposates sites"
i think that will continue to change as he yrs go by , but in most congo the vast marjority dont even have a computer
what i will say is this the society's sharpest bro will continue to leave due to the NET and the constant LOAD THEY PLACE ON THEM
JUST MY 2
JAMES
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31
Hi! I'm new.
by RipVanWinkle ini chose the screen name of ripvanwinkle because this fictious characher went to sleep and awoke in a different world.
different setting and must have suffered emotional shock.
coping skills needed to be learned.. i sometimes feel a little like him.
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JT
rip says
". I have learned that I put too much trust and was so obedient**********
this post is very revealing it shows the problem that jw are facing daily while on one hand he clearly see he CANNOT trust these guys completely
every pc of literature,talk, wt lesson, bookstudy,convention says exactly the opposite-
that jesus put them in charge and leads them and therefore can have complete confidence and trust in them
one can only feel sorry for a person who is constantly being told to TRUST GOD'S ORG COMPLETLEY and at the same time realizes he can't
how sad
just my
2james