Posts by respectful

20

Has the rescent change in the identity of the FDS been released in print yet

by A.M. Number 1 in

just wondering what wt issue has actually put it down in print.

i know that some of my jw frineds already know about it, but they didn't tell me if it was an announcement at the hall or actually in the wt..

respectful_observer

I was speaking with an elder the other day and he mentioned how he needed to go over the baptism questions with someone the next day. I asked him how the person should answer the baptism question of "who is the 'faithful and discreet slave'? Are they supposed to reply with what the book and all current literature says, or should they reply with the information delivered at the Annual Meeting?" He said, "it doesn't really matter-- as long as it close to one of the two."

I just laughed, shook my head and reminded him that when I went over the questions years ago, I provided the response that is now the Nooo Lite TM , and that he had to spend several minutes talking me around to the (now) Old Lite. I asked him, had "I actually been right the first time those years ago?"

"No, not really, because it wasn't the current understanding at the time."

104

Whitney Heichel - first hand account from congregation member on Facebook

by sir82 in

jw
friends

why, he even has gone to some meetings at their kingdom hall!

someone calls with a large wedding tent that they would like to donate and set up in the kingdom hall parking lot for the public memorial on friday.

i was amazed how people who came that didnt even know whitney, but simply felt a need to be here and comfort the family.

respectful_observer

It's always moving when any community comes together and pulls together during a crisis-- this included.

A few things jumped out at me:

- "The Chief of Police has said that it is obvious that “God is with you people” (Where was he for Whitney that morning?)

- "'With all of Jehovah’s direction and support this week, he isn’t about to let it rain.' Sure enough, it didn’t rain that day!"

- "The chief of police said that the next time someone goes missing in Portland, he is going to call on Jehovah’s Witnesses." (He's welcome to, he just better not expect to see the same level of response.)

- "The district overseer gave a very good half hour talk." (Glad to know someone who knew her and her family was able to do that. Of course does it really matter who gives that half hour talk since it's always the same strict outline being followed?)

26

Watchtower on Global Indexing & ETFs

by TJ Curioso in

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!.

respectful_observer

I guess I read "Alex's" experience and walk away with the message of, not that "investing in the stock market is wrong; don't do it," but more "don't invest in the stock market if you can't afford it. And for the love of God, don't use all your savings, borrow money, or lose your house doing it."

Alex would have been better off investing in index-based ETFs!

26

Watchtower on Global Indexing & ETFs

by TJ Curioso in

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!.

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

50

Standard of Living in the New System

by cobaltcupcake in

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?.

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!!!

50

Standard of Living in the New System

by cobaltcupcake in

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?.

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...".

100

2012 annual meeting notes

by lostinthought in

jw
friends

sorry for the wait guys.... .

part one.

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

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.

8

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

by EndofMysteries in

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..

respectful_observer

If JW are the stones, then....

8

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

by EndofMysteries in

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..

respectful_observer

EoM,

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

2

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

by respectful_observer in

jw
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.

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.

respectful_observer

Posts by respectful_observer