Posts by respectful

81

Julia's Inquisition - Two elders, the full version! I want you all to see this.

by Julia Orwell in

jw
friends

sorry it's gonna be long winded.

i've done my best to reconstruct from memory.

my husband was next to me the whole time.

respectful_observer

Thanks for posting.

A few things jumped out at me.

Preppy: Then what has changed in 13 years?

"Ummm...let's see. The meaning of "the generation"...twice. Deciding the Faithful and Discreet Slave is actually just the Governing Body. What forms of life saving blood-based treatments are or aren't acceptable. Shall I go on?"

GO: Do you believe the Governing Body are Jesus's FDS?

Me: I choose not to answer that.

It just dawned on me that they use this question to decide whether to give someone the boot, but it's not asked (at least not this clearly) as part of the written questions, or as an oral question during the Baptism Talk. Can you imagine if they did? "Do you believe the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses is Jesus' 'Faithful and Discreet Slave' and serves as Jehovah God's sole channel of scriptural truth? Your response, please?"

63

2013 DC new releases - rumors ???

by obarac in

there is rumors that in this years dc nwt will be released and also new tracts.

any other rumors about new releases?.

respectful_observer

I think there is some legitamacy to this theory, I am the literature servant in our hall and we have been back ordered on Reference Bibles and the Black and Red Deluxe Bibles for about 8 months now. All we have are some of the crappy paper bibles and a few hardcovers. Maybe because they aren't printing them and are instead waiting for the release of this NNWT.

I know they've been piloting some different Bible cover materials to replace the paperback (and possibly the "Deluxe", but my memory is foggy)versions since they fall apart so fast. It was implied that the test population was made up of traveling JWs, such as CO's wives. When I was at Walkill last year the samples that were shown to me were more of a fabric type material, but they seemed to be testing out a number of options.

R_O

63

What were your favorite assembly foods?

by NoRegrets in

so i'm young enough to not remember having hot prepared meals at assemblies, but heard all about it from my parents and the like.

but what i do remember were all of the cold sandwiches and institutional snacks and soda.

remember the food tickets we started to use?

respectful_observer

In no particular order...

Slushy orange juice with the foil lid

Apple danish (you can keep the cheese danish, thank you very much)

Sausage, Egg & Cheese on an english muffin

Hogies!

Hot chicken sandwich on that soggy bun

Lemon-lime Shasta soda

24

Quote Re: Elders Whose Kids Go To College Might Lose Privileges

by Justitia Themis in

i seem to remember some new 'rule' that elders whose children go to college, or perhaps it was out-of-state college, should be carefully examined to see if they still qualify.. does anyone know where that is in the publications?.

respectful_observer

Thereafter, students may choose to attend university or college for four or more years

So what happens if you take full course loads over the summer and Christmas breaks letting you finish your Bachelors degree in 3 years or less? Is that allowed?

Or what would happen if you took 4 semesters (2 years) of classes, then took a break for a year, then returned for 4 more semesters?

Those pesky extra 4 semesters...they get you every time!

61

2013 District Convention Program: Gods Word is Truth!

by bats in the belfry in

.

unlike god's word, that jws believe to be absolute truth, any one of their directives given at the 2013 district convention could be subject to misinterpretation.. .

.

respectful_observer

A few observations on the program:

FRIDAY

Symposium: How Did You Learn the Truth?
Formal Witnessing (Acts 20:20)

Pretty, pretty, pretty please ask for a show of hands on this one. After all, shouldn't everyone in attendance be reassured that the door-to-door preaching work is an effective use of our time?

SATURDAY

Symposium: Beware of Apostates!

(Really, this is what they want to talk about just before the baptism talk?! Wow, nothing like one last scare before you get dunked!)

Walk "Straight According to the Truth [as taught by the Governing Body today - not yesterday]" (Galatians 2:14)

v 14: "...how is it that you are compelling people of the nations to live according to Jewish practice?"

So does this mean the GB will stop holding JWs subject to arbitrary Mosaic Law requirements?

SUNDAY

Don't neglect "Family Worship Night"

Set full-time pioneering as their career goal

Don't send them to a 4-year university.

Symposium: The Watchtower's Jehovah's Promises Always Come True!

Public Bible Discourse: "What Is Truth?" (John 18:38)

(What the Governing Body says it is, as of today. If you believe what they taught yesterday, or what they might teach tomorrow, you're an apostate, and your entire family cannot speak to you for the rest of your life, even if the GB begins teaching what you believe today.)

Drama: Prepare Your Heart for the Trials Ahead (Esther)

I will hear, more than once: "'The End' must be about to begin! Otherwise 'the 'Slave' wouldn't be preparing us with a drama this obvious!"

73

Ok I need some advice on how to decline an elder's appointment....

by suavojr in

jw
friends

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in the last 4 months my eyes have been opened to ttatt, my biggest issue is that the elders have been grooming me to appoint me as an elder.

respectful_observer

suavojr, just like DesirousOfChange said, your history of juggling being an MS with pioneering gives you any easy out. Plus you have months to prepare. Perhaps you might go back to the brother who just gave you the "heads-up" in short order and start prepping him for the fact that you don't want to be considered this time around.

"Brother Heads-up, I've been thinking and praying a lot about what we talked about. I've been working very hard for a long time, so much so that it's really begun taken its toll. The more I've thought about it lately--even before you talked to me-- the more I had actually been thinking about dialing it back a bit. So although I appreciate your kind words about the next CO's visit, I have to admit, I could almost feel the added weight on my shoulders just thinking about it. I just feel like if I keep going like this, I might just burn out, never mind adding additional responsibilities. I know that an elder needs to to give 100%, and I'm not in a place right now where I can do that after ensuring me and my household are spiritually strong. I hope your not disappointed in hearing this. I just don't want you and the CO to be disappointed if, when the time comes, I don't feel up to accepting assignment."

If you're bold enough, you can even use that conversation to bring up that you'd like to ask for a reduced load when it comes to meeting parts and/or MS responsibilities.

19

What group within the Witnesses has the highest drop out rate?

by Ultimate Axiom in

if you could categorise jehovahs witnesses into their various groups, i.e.

publisher, auxiliary pioneer, regular pioneer, special pioneer, missionary, co, do, bethel worker, born-ins, etc etc, (and you can subdivide into as many groups as you wish) what group do you think has the highest drop out rate?

i remember an ex ny bethellite saying that bethel cured him of the watchtower, and after reading the thread http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/160509/1/warren-schroeder-from-bethel-on-freddy-kline-and-the-apostate-books my guess is that it would be ny bethellites, but i am interested to know if there is a consensus on this, or on any other group, or no group at all..

respectful_observer

Born-ins that go to (4-year) college/university.

Why else would they be harping on it so much?

55

The CO asked for money tonight at the meeting.

by life is to short in

i was shocked i do not know why as i have read that the co's were doing this but to hear it with my own ears was unbelievable.

i do not go to the meetings but my husband still does and this week is the co's visit.

i decided that i would listen in to his talk; i swear i have lost some brain cells by doing it but anywho.. he started out by talking about the old story that has been in the wt many times about a little boy who was seven and raised a chicken and gave the money to the society.

respectful_observer

If contributions to the WTS are indeed drying up, I would not be surprised to see an increase in the number of letters going out "to all congregations in [your branch territory]"; the letters would "suggest" the congregation decide a fixed (recommended) per publisher amount to send to the WTS for "X" type of expense. Today we do it for expenses for the CO visit, the CO's health/car insurance, etc. What would stop them from doing the same thing for the cost of producing literature, paying the untility bills at the branch, paying the cell phone/page bills for the Bethelites, building the new Warwick facility, bringing the missionaries home for a convention (wait, they already did that one), etc.? They could still claim that there were "no collections taken" at the meeting, but a congregation vote on paying these expense will always pass due to group guilt. That way the congregation on the whole is on the hook for the contribution and the WTS gets all the money it needs.

26

Question 3 of this weeks Oral Review???

by Comatose in

3.. why did jesus say that his disciples would not complete their circuit of preaching "until the son of man arrives"?

(matt.

10:23) [jan. 14, w10 9/15 p. 10 par.

respectful_observer

And...then said that the new JW.org website will surely play a part in spreading the message earthwide.

www. it IS the WORLDWIDE web after all. See? It's now been preached worldwide. Prophecy fulfilled. (It must be true, it's on the internet!)

1

Washington Post 2/25/13: "Losing my Religion"

by respectful_observer in

sound familiar??.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/advice/forums#!/topic/1361811219-286-914/.

any way this can end well?from a reader: .

respectful_observer

Sound familiar??

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/advice/forums#!/topic/1361811219-286-914/

Any way this can end well? From a reader:
I was raised in a very conservative Christian family. I attended religious schools all the way through college.
I was a religious person but I started slowly drawing away from it during college, and I have decided that it's simply not for me anymore and a waste of my time.
The problem is my parents. Both have been very involved with the church, teaching Bible studies and classes, and being elders. It is a very important part of their life.
I am in my late 20's, have a steady job and moved out of home several years ago, but I still live all of 10 minutes away from my parents. I have dinner with them from time to time and they expect to see me in church on Sunday mornings. I have tried just not showing and then I get a lecture. I've tried saying I'm going hiking or have other plans and get still get lectures and questions like, "How do you worship God?" I show up right as the service starts and leave immediately after. I don't tithe or participate in any classes or bible study groups.
My parents have noticed me pulling away and my father in particular has become very annoying about it.
I do love my parents and want to continue having a relationship with them, but I'm frankly sick of having to go to church and being lectured about things I couldn't care less about. I wish I could just tell them once and for all that I don't believe in religion, but I'm afraid of their reaction. How do I know they won't disown me or just stop talking to me? How do I know they won't launch a full-scale assault to convert their heathen child? 22 Hours Ago

respectful_observer

Posts by respectful_observer