respectful_observer

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Posts by respectful_observer

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  26

  Watchtower on Global Indexing & ETFs

  by TJ Curioso in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  follow the link and see the list of participants who stated (p.4 - end of the list/right side):.

  http://www.imn.org/2012/etm1324/pdfs/etm1324_prospectus.pdf.

  amaze yourself, because it is only as the chief investment officer of the watchtower bible and tract society!.

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  respectful_observer

  ETFs are incredibly common these days, even for individual investors. They're very similar to a mutual fund. For anyone wondering what an ETF is exactly, or how one works, here is a good explanation:

  http://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/etf.asp#axzz29kS9Cw8P

  I'm going to back up Blondie and say that any large multinational corporation (including a non-profit) will invest a portion of their liquid assets in the market. Most of these institutional investors carry conservative investment mandates, so investing in something as historically stable as ETFs benchmarked against indices would be completely appropriate with that type of mandate.

  To my knowledge, the WTS has never said "you can't" or "don't" invest, it has simply cautioned that doing so carries certain risks and not to invest in a way that demonstrates greed. Sorry, this just doesn't strike me as conspiritorial or hypocritical.

  R_O
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  50

  Standard of Living in the New System

  by cobaltcupcake in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i used to wonder about this when i was still a dub: since they believe the industrialized world is going to be destroyed and the entire earth will be one big garden, exactly what kind of standard of living do they think they will have?

  while they might be able to scavenge, say, a microwave oven or washing machine; and they might be able to figure out how to generate electricity, eventually all of these things will wear out and they'll be back in an early 18th century type of life.

  people of that time and earlier who enjoyed a high standard of living employed armies of servants to do the dirty work, but since equality will reign in the ns, everyone will have to toil like a slave just to maintain the basics.. or do they think that big j will magically power their washing machines and water pumps and all the stuff that makes modern living so comfortable?.

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  respectful_observer

  King Solomon....

  And good thing we have so many highly-educated nuclear engineers to keep an eye on things after the Big A!!!

  Wait, what's that? You need more than a 2-year degree to be a nuclear engineer? Oh well, I guess we can kiss Europe goodbye!!!

  
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  50

  Standard of Living in the New System

  by cobaltcupcake in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i used to wonder about this when i was still a dub: since they believe the industrialized world is going to be destroyed and the entire earth will be one big garden, exactly what kind of standard of living do they think they will have?

  while they might be able to scavenge, say, a microwave oven or washing machine; and they might be able to figure out how to generate electricity, eventually all of these things will wear out and they'll be back in an early 18th century type of life.

  people of that time and earlier who enjoyed a high standard of living employed armies of servants to do the dirty work, but since equality will reign in the ns, everyone will have to toil like a slave just to maintain the basics.. or do they think that big j will magically power their washing machines and water pumps and all the stuff that makes modern living so comfortable?.

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  respectful_observer

  Yan Bibiyan...I was thinking of the exact same thing. I remember seeing something on Discovery (?) a few years ago that tracked what would happen if all humans suddenly vanished from the Earth. Once the power grid went down and the backup generators ran out of gas, the spent fuel rods would trigger a nuclear meltdown...all within mere days of the power grid going down. The program said that there are something like 300+ reactors in mainland Europe alone. So basically within days, all of Europe would be a nuclear wasteland.

  That is, unless there was divine intervention...............

  I've mentioned this fact on occassion to my Dub friends and they shrug and say "...well, who knows...".
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  100

  2012 annual meeting notes

  by lostinthought in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sorry for the wait guys.... .

  part one.

  moorse had the opening comments talked about historic annual meetings.. .

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  respectful_observer

  Apologies if this has been floated out there in this or any of the other Annual Meeting threads, but I found it interesting that they specifically excluded Russell from the FDS.

  I wonder if this might be a first step in explaining away some of Russell's more bizarre ideas (e.g., using the measurements on the Egyptian pyramids to calculate Bible prophecy). Arguing that he wasn't a member of the FDS would allow them to disavow many of his teachings.

  As a vaguely related aside, I was a litte surprised that the article in the back of this month's Study Edition WT included Russell's pyramid timeline graphic from Studies in the Scriptures.
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  8

  The stones ARE crying out, it's happening even today!!

  by EndofMysteries in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i wonder if anybody realizes, that this scripture, luke 19:40 but jesus answered, "i tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!".

  everybody has understood this to mean literal stones on the ground crying out, but that is not what it meant.. look what ez 36:26 says, "i will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; i will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.".

  the witnesses are the stones crying out..

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  respectful_observer

  If JW are the stones, then....

  
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  8

  The stones ARE crying out, it's happening even today!!

  by EndofMysteries in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i wonder if anybody realizes, that this scripture, luke 19:40 but jesus answered, "i tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!".

  everybody has understood this to mean literal stones on the ground crying out, but that is not what it meant.. look what ez 36:26 says, "i will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; i will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.".

  the witnesses are the stones crying out..

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  respectful_observer

  EoM,

  Looks like you may have leaked whatever "Noooo Lite TM " will be announced at the Annual Meeting this weekend!!!

  
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  2

  "Saved by the Bell" JW - Lark Voohries "Troubling Interview-Bi-polar?"

  by respectful_observer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i don't post links too often, so hope this is clickable:.

  http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/10/03/saved-by-bell-star-lark-voorhiesh-gives-troubling-interview-mom-says-is-bipolar/?intcmp=features.

  (as an aside, i looked at her profile on wiki just to make sure i was remembering correctly that she was a jw.

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  respectful_observer

  I don't post links too often, so hope this is clickable:

  http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/10/03/saved-by-bell-star-lark-voorhiesh-gives-troubling-interview-mom-says-is-bipolar/?intcmp=features

  (As an aside, I looked at her profile on Wiki just to make sure I was remembering correctly that she was a JW. It mentioned that she's related to the Jackson family, which I hadn't heard before.)

  P.S. - I usually only visit foxnews.com to be amused by the readers' comments.
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  41

  Apostasy Trial - Part 5

  by RayPublisher in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  well part 5 was just put up on youtube!

  this is the third 45 minute segment of the 3+ hour meeting.

  topics covered include:.

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  respectful_observer

  Of course, they wouldn't want you to feel awkward being the only one wearing a robe, so they'd do the same...although their robes might be a bit different. I imagine it looking something like this:

  
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  41

  Apostasy Trial - Part 5

  by RayPublisher in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  well part 5 was just put up on youtube!

  this is the third 45 minute segment of the 3+ hour meeting.

  topics covered include:.

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  respectful_observer

  I do wonder though, if this makes any impact outside of the ex-JW community, if it will prompt the WTS to change how they go about these meetings. Just have to wait and see, I guess.

  ..........................................................

  It'll be like going to the doctor (you're "spiritually sick", right?). They'll start make you strip down to your undies and give you a special robe to wear! That way it'll guaranteed that you're not wearing a wire, carrying a cell phone, etc.

  Do they make the statement about recording devices at every JC, or just when apostacy is the charge? I don't ever recall being told anything.
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  59

  Favorite JW Urban Legends

  by Christ Alone in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  what are your favorite urban legends that you heard as a jw?.

  here's mine:.

  a brother, through his work, was asked to give a speech to the united nations.

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  respectful_observer

  Red Piller said: So this man meets this sister. He falls in love. She tells him that he must be a JW. So he studies and progresses to the point where he is in the minstry.

  One Saturday morning, the two were working together in the territory. All of a sudden, in between houses, the sister says, "I'm so sick of doing this." And she throws her bookbag in a sidewalk ditch. The man says, "I thought you'd never come around" And he does the same.

  The sister says - "You failed my test. I wanted to know if you sincerely loved Jehovah. Or were doing this just for me." The two split up immediatey.

  .................

  Christ Alone: FUNNY!!! My mom told me that same story, except the sister and her boyfriend were sitting in the park. They finished a study in the truth book. She took the truth book and threw it across the grass and said, "I'm sick of doing this." The guy responded "Thank goodness". And then yeah, she said that he failed the test.

  ..................

  I was told the same story as a little kid, except in the version I heard, she threw her bookbag into a pond!