respectful_observer

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Posts by respectful_observer

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  324

  Is this new donation arrangement for real?

  by nugget in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  just read a post on jwsurvey about the new donation arrangement.

  congregations are to pledge a monthly amount to be sent to the society to fund the building of assembly halls and kingdom halls.

  congregations who already have a loan from the society will no longer have to pay back the loan but the amount pledged should not be less than the current monthly repayments to the society.

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  respectful_observer

  What I find really far-fetched, almost to the level of conspiracy theory fantasy, is the notion that the WTS would stoop to reviewing bank statemenst and tax returns of individual members of the congregation, albeit just brothers or servants.

  Agreed. That would be akin to a J-dub reviewing another J-dub's medical records to determine whether they accepted blood. Oh wait, that's actually happened. "HIPAA laws be damned!!"

  All kidding aside, reviewing personal banking records would be pretty far fetched.
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  46

  Would you still be a JW, if you had to Tithe?

  by moshe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the next new light from the f&ds could be the tithe for jw's.

  it's a logical corporate decision , needed to replace the lost income stream from the publishing side of the wt business.

  they know that the kh has many inactive slugs who don't contribute any $$ to the business, so this would be the best way to milk $$ from the inactive ones.

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  respectful_observer

  We once had a local needs about donations, or rather the lack thereof, and the PO (at the time) started his talk by reading a letter from the WTS stating that we were now starting to tithe. After a few lines he stopped and said "Of course this isn't a real letter. If you ever hear a letter read like this, you know this isn't the Truth."

  I sometimes wonder what he would do if, in fact, a letter to that effect was read someday. Would he remember his own words? Probably not.
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  101

  New field service rules coming this summer

  by doinmypart in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  new guidelines for field service coming this summer.

  new publication to be released giving new ways of counting time, conducting studies, group activities, etc..

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  respectful_observer

  New guidelines for field service coming this summer. New publication to be released giving new ways of counting time, conducting studies, group activities, etc.

  Whatever they are, I'm sure these new guidelines for counting time will match up with the guidelines for counting time that Jesus talked about in the gospels.
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  101

  New field service rules coming this summer

  by doinmypart in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  new guidelines for field service coming this summer.

  new publication to be released giving new ways of counting time, conducting studies, group activities, etc..

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  respectful_observer

  New ways to count time... I wonder if they will let you count time now for visiting the infirm or old folks.

  Isn't it kosher to count the time I spend posting here? That's pretty much the best excuse for what I put on my slip every month.
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  55

  Oh come on!!! seriously?? This weeks wt study!

  by stuckinarut2 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i'm sitting here at the mtg, and i can't believe the mind numbing stupidity of this weeks wt "study"...( i use the word study loosely too by the way...).

  how many dumb repeated questions can be posed to try and make a point?.

  the opening paragraph illustration re blindness is classic!

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  respectful_observer

  I have to suffer through this later today. I noted in the margin just one thing next to the word "generation": N-NMS (Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular ). How in the world do they get "two" (two is plural, right???) from a SINGULAR word????

  At the meeting, I pointed out to my S.O. the fact that the paragraph discussing the 1914 generation had scriptural referernces aplenty to back it up, but the paragraph describing the second, overlapping generation offered nary a verse to back it up.

  I left it as "hmmm...we should do some research on this. They must have some other article that actually included the Bible verses that support this."
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  41

  I NEVER Hear A JW Talk About Never Dying & Living Forever In Paradise Anymore!

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was raised with this belief, that we would never die and actually make it into the "new system".

  mu faithful jw aunt still talked about my mother (her sister) and her walking together into the great tribulation--- and never die at all!

  she spoke of that 2 days before she passed away.. i believe most witnesses expect to die and then get resurrected.

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  respectful_observer

  All evidence shows that this “day” is very near, which means that you may “never die at all .”

  I love that loophole language. If you were to use that in any real life situation, people would look at you like you were crazy.

  "Oh, that's a great car! All evidence shows that this car's warrenty still has 2 years left, which means that it may never break down on you. Want to take it out for a test drive?"

  "evidence" = "proof". Proof doesn't need couching language.
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  41

  I NEVER Hear A JW Talk About Never Dying & Living Forever In Paradise Anymore!

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was raised with this belief, that we would never die and actually make it into the "new system".

  mu faithful jw aunt still talked about my mother (her sister) and her walking together into the great tribulation--- and never die at all!

  she spoke of that 2 days before she passed away.. i believe most witnesses expect to die and then get resurrected.

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  respectful_observer

  The only JWs I notice who talk about the end being "so close" or that constantly talk about life in The Paradise TM are those who physically ill (the usual suspects: chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, etc.), depressed, or struggling to make ends meet financially, and who therefore have nothing saved for the future.

  It's rare to hear a JW that has a decent job, and who is healthy, ever talk about never dying and living forever.
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  26

  Critical Thinking from the Wife !!

  by TTATTelder in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the other day i had a couple of drinks and went off on the gb (again), about how they are just posturing and have no clue.

  i said if they knew what they were talking about we would already be in the new world, but we're not ..so they dont...the end.. well i got some push back as would be expected, but what surprised me was what she said a little later.

  firstly she didn't pay attention to the public talk this past sunday and instead read an article in a watchtower on stress.

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  respectful_observer

  I think in the new system we will still have accidents, I don't think that's what it means to be perfect.

  Bingo. I love it when they say "We won't need doctors and nurses in the New System!"

  R_O: "Really? What happens if you break your leg? Wouldn't you want a medical professional to set the bone?"

  "We won't break our legs; we'll be perfect."

  R_O: "So what happens if you're walking and a big branch breaks or a rock suddenly comes loose and falls on you?"

  "We'll be perfect, so we'll know not to walk that way at that time."

  R_O: "So you're saying we'll be able to see the future?"

  "Well no, but even if something did fall on us, we wouldn't get hurt."

  R_O: "So you're saying we'll be indestructable?"

  "Well no, but...."
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  36

  Replacing Guy Pierce—how big is the pool from which to choose?

  by L3G in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  respectful_observer's thread on guy pierce's death,.

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/277198/1/heard-a-rumor-guy-pierce-died-this-morning#.uyq-pv21x1n.

  got me thinking.

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  respectful_observer

  Apognophos, did you know him when you were younger? I guess Friedman grew up near Boston; his father was a doctor, if I recall correctly. Apparently he was quite the hell-raiser growing up-- racing cars, etc...then suddenly got serious about The Truth TM . My interactions with him didn't occur until much later when he was a regular on the CA/DA programs.

  I'd be curious to read the "Don't Watch the Titanic" thread you mentioned...I'll see if I can find it (unless someone can post a link).
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  36

  Replacing Guy Pierce—how big is the pool from which to choose?

  by L3G in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  respectful_observer's thread on guy pierce's death,.

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/277198/1/heard-a-rumor-guy-pierce-died-this-morning#.uyq-pv21x1n.

  got me thinking.

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  respectful_observer

  From an outsider's perspective, some might start to think Jehovah thinks that only caucasians qualify as heavenly co-rulers...well except for Sam Herd...he's cool.