Posts by respectful

45

New Thought About Active J.W.'s

by The Searcher in

from my own observations & conversations with selected active j.w.

's, here are my conclusions:.

's are very rapidly falling into two distinct camps -.

respectful_observer

I heard one report it was something in the range of 40 vids at the RC? 40 VIDEOS! WTF?! And people are lapping it up.

Btw, I'm glad someone posted a few of these here. I took a glance at a few today and involuntarily spit out my coffee, I laughed so hard. The skits about Jesus are so cheesy and amatuerish, I couldn't help it. Thankfully I can prep myself for my upcoming RC...I would have hated to be taken by surprise sitting in the audience and laughed out loud.

As for oppostate's observations, I think they are spot on. A huge proportion of the 20-40-somethings today, are only JWs because they were raised in it, and very often married with kids. Their extended families are all JWs, their friends (and very often co-workers) are almost all JWs. They realize they don't have to "reach out" like their parents' generation, so they "coast"...enjoy hanging out with their friends, drink what they want, watch what they want, etc.

29

"do not go beyond the things written"

by stuckinarut2 in

thanks to bu2b and splash who mentioned this quote in another thread!.

but i thought it deserved a thread all of its own, such is the impact of this:.

the very best example of going beyond the things written comes from a 2008 watchtower.

respectful_observer

Not the video that the poster above was thinking of, but I haven't seen anyone post this classic in a while:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kZvkDuL-_8

21

"We can't even talk with you anymore! You react very abruptly"

by stuckinarut2 in

so that was the line used by an elder the other day to me!.

he implied that i react badly when spoken to by the elders.. i corrected him and said: "no, i'm always happy to have a conversation.

but what you seem to be implying is that unless i sit and accept and take everything you say, then i am being defensive?

respectful_observer

If you keep bringing them back to their personal views, such Elders will be conflicted, and most likely, at the end of some time, will saying something like: "it doesn't matter what I personally think." That is when you'll have them in your corner. You can than say:
"Then why does it matter what I think? If you are not free to express your personal conscience, then why would you seek out the details of mine. Like you, I would like to keep it private and like you, I believe I have the right to do so."

That's actually a really good idea. I'll have to file that away for future use.

35

THIS IS WHAT WITNESSING HAS BEEN REDUCED TO IN 2015

by steve2 in

threads on the newer jw face of public "witnessing" have shared in common the astonishment that jws safely park themselves behind their literature trolleys and exercise incredibly little contact with passersby.

whether the poster is talking about europe or the united states or australia, descriptions here are the same.. literature stands are protective sheilds behind which jws huddle, talking to each other, sipping on their espressos, whilst the disinterested world passes by.

neither the jws nor the passersby catch each others eyes.

respectful_observer

Its a bit deceiving, the appearance of the trolly people.

Haha...the first time I read this, I read "the troll people"...and suddenly had a vision of a JWdotOrg cart positioned under a stone bridge, well out of the way of foot traffic with two trolls standing next to it. Meanwhile all the foot traffic and wagons blissfully continued over the bridge paying no attention to the "troll(y) people" underneath.

25

It Is Official, Just as Predicted on this Site... Local Cong Donates all Monies on Deposit with You Know Who!

by RichardHaley in

my local cong just donated all money (4k +) on deposit with you know who to, you know who.

"since the society forgave all kingdom hall loans the boe felt it only appropriate to forgive the society of our loan to them.

" is exactly how it was presented to the r&f.

respectful_observer

In all my decades as a witness I can never recall when someone voted against a proposal. It was always unanimous.

My congregation recently decided to send a large donation to the WTS via resolution. As soon as I realized what was going on, I decided I suddenly needed to use the restroom and walked to the back before the hands went up for the "vote". I couldn't bring myself to raise my hand in support, but didn't want to be outed as someone who disagreed.

37

How Much Do Circuit Overseers Make Under the Table, and is it Taxable?

by Tazemanian-devil in

i was thinking about green handshakes, and i knew my wife and i personally would try to slide at least $100 each c.o visit to the c.o.

if we were low on cash, we'd never hand him less than $20.

how many of such handshakes does he receive in a weeks time?

respectful_observer

http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Frequently-Asked-Questions-on-Gift-Taxes

Who pays the gift tax?
The donor is generally responsible for paying the gift tax. Under special arrangements the doneemay agree to pay the tax instead. Please visit with your tax professional if you are considering this type of arrangement.

What is considered a gift?
Any transfer to an individual, either directly or indirectly, where full consideration (measured in money or money's worth) is not received in return.

How many annual exclusions are available?
The annual exclusion applies to gifts to each donee. In other words, if you give each of your children $11,000 in 2002-2005, $12,000 in 2006-2008, $13,000 in 2009-2012 and $14,000 on or after January 1, 2013, the annual exclusion applies to each gift. The annual exclusion for 2014 and 2015 is $14,000.

I'm not an accountant, but my understanding is that when cash gifts are given, the donor is responsible for paying the gift tax, not the recipient. The annual exclusion for tax purposes this year is $14,000 (per recipient).

I'd be surprised if very many J-dubs are donating more than that to any single CO in one year.

23

New video telling the R&F to be generous

by Splash in

bro sanderson has a 7 minute video up on their streaming website called "be willing to open your hand".. in it he tells us not to be "tight fisted" or "stingy" and later "regardless of how much we have or how little we have, we'll find something within our power to be able to do".

we have the responsibility to imitate jehovah's generosity.. there's a bit about giving to one another when we see the need, which is nice, then he drops in how 20 years ago the canada branch committee asked the bethel family for donations to the disaster relief fund, and promptly raised over $10,000.

i think that's pretty good going for those under a vow of poverty.. "the generous person will prosper" he says, then illustrates this using a made up story.

respectful_observer

My experience with Witnesses far and wide is that they ARE some of the cheapest, stingiest people.

Tell me about it.

Ever been to a restaurant with more than 5 other J-dubs? We now avoid going to large group dinners with JWs. Every single time the bill comes up wayyyy short. Funnily enough, whenever we go to dinner with our non-JW friends, the exact opposite happens and either there's too much money "in the pot" or someone decides to just buy dinner for the table.

23

New video telling the R&F to be generous

by Splash in

bro sanderson has a 7 minute video up on their streaming website called "be willing to open your hand".. in it he tells us not to be "tight fisted" or "stingy" and later "regardless of how much we have or how little we have, we'll find something within our power to be able to do".

we have the responsibility to imitate jehovah's generosity.. there's a bit about giving to one another when we see the need, which is nice, then he drops in how 20 years ago the canada branch committee asked the bethel family for donations to the disaster relief fund, and promptly raised over $10,000.

i think that's pretty good going for those under a vow of poverty.. "the generous person will prosper" he says, then illustrates this using a made up story.

respectful_observer

Just watched it. From my perspective, there wasn't really anything that was too objectionable. His message seemed to simply be that we should be generous to those in need. No mention of the Org, any of its projects or financial needs, or the contribution box. The closest was the mention of the Bethel family raising $10,000 for flood relief in Canada, which makes me chuckle because now we're not allowed to contribute funds toward a specific disaster relief effort, only to the "Worldwide Work".

Whether this is a subtle, passive aggressive reminder to contribute, I'll leave to others to debate. In my view it wasn't offensive though. (Although Lett's latest telethon sets a high bar.)

20

Orchestral Accompaniment for Singing at Congregation Meetings

by pixel in

to all congregationsre: orchestral accompaniment for singing at congregation meetings.

dear brothers:.

many will find that the newly composed orchestral recordings are more inspiring andconducive to our worship than is piano music alone.

respectful_observer

I seem to recall that in years past, the branch would remind the local congregations that the orchestral versions of the songs were reserved for assemblies and conventions only and could not be used at the local level; local meetings could use piano versions only. I always laughed to myself when I read that because it seems so Pharisaical.

72

Specific Comments By R&F About May Broadcast

by freemindfade in

i know there are many posts discussing the may money requesting televangalism...er... broadcast i mean!

but i wanted to start one where anyone can put what they have heard any non-exjw, non-apostate witnesses say good or bad about the broadcast.

i don't see how it can't rattle followers... but then again i might be surprised how they can twist things (2+2=5).

respectful_observer

Crazyguy15 minutes agoThey actually said they haven't asked for money before?

Yes...but then Lett went on to "define" what "ask for money" actually meant. He stated (not verbatim, but close enough): "We've never given you a slip of paper telling you what specific amount to contribute. I've told bible studies before that someone could attend meetings for 20 years and never put a single penny in the contribution box and WE would never know. But Jehovah would!"

My spouse just about walked out of the room when he said that.

respectful_observer

Posts by respectful_observer