okay team,.
some family friends who are engaged are getting some flack around the particulars of their wedding ceremony (surprise!
"strain out the gnat, gulp down the camel", and all that).
Thanks for all the feedback everyone.
Thankfully for the couple, they live in a state where there is little or no requirement for the offiiciant, so no worries from a legal perspective. I suspect whoever they choose will simply have to run the same JW-elder gaunlet verbal beating afterward that Tech49 was just subjected to. One of the good things about the speaker not being an elder or MS is there's no real sanction some self-righteous elder body can impose on him afterward.
i am a man and i have roughly 10 months to prepare for my wedding (including raising the funds etc... my fiance is caught up in her affairs associated with the wedding.
now i do have a pretty good sense of fashion when it comes to 'dress to impress' when required.
however, i'm not familiar with specific clothing lines.
If you live in/near a metropolitan city, you may want to investigate the Thai/Indian/Hong Kong tailors that come to town for a day or two, take your measurements, let you pick the fabric and custom details (jacket lining color, working cuffs, etc.) and mail you the custom made item a few weeks later. Cost-wise, they are competetive with a nice off-the-rack suit from a department store.
If they're not coming "to a city near you", they can mail fabric samples and have a local tailor take your measurements for them.
That way you get EXACTLY what you want. Their websites show some more standard designs for reference, but they will do any design you want. A few links to get you started:
https://www.executive-image-consulting.com/portfolio/custom-made-internet/
okay team,.
some family friends who are engaged are getting some flack around the particulars of their wedding ceremony (surprise!
"strain out the gnat, gulp down the camel", and all that).
Okay team,
Some family friends who are engaged are getting some flack around the particulars of their wedding ceremony (surprise! "strain out the gnat, gulp down the camel", and all that).
They are both baptized and in good standing, he is born-in, she is not. She (understandibly) is planning on having her sisters as bridesmaids (plus some JW girlfriends). Suddenly the elder who'd previously agreed to deliver the wedding talk refuses to do so since there are some non (NOT ex) JWs in the wedding party. On top of that, he's now scared away any other non-elder/MS brothers they've ask to step in to deliver the talk.
I've done a fair amount of searching on the web, on this site, looked at any BOE letters I can find, etc. Found lots of written (and a reference to quite a few unwritten) rules when the ceremony is held at the KH, or when being performed by an elder/MS. But is anyone aware of any rules (written or otherwise) when it comes to having a baptized JW who is not an elder or MS give the wedding talk at a non-KH venue when members of the wedding party are not JWs?
recently attended a special assembly day.. guest speaker was thomas chicky, a member of the us branch committee and the head of the us ldc (which has replaced the rbcs).. the last talk of the day is scheduled for an hour.
it was the usual boring mumbo-jumbo.
he appeared to have blasted through his hour-long outline in just about 45 minutes, so he "treated" us to informal comments on recent developments.. he commented on the new wt complex in fishkill ny.. then he dropped the bomb (well, to anyone with ears and at least 2 functioning synapses).. the following is not a word for quote, but presents the gist of his comments:.
@respectul_observer
Very good!
Now read Luke 12 v 18 - 20 ...
Haha! Those are exactly the verses that popped into my head earlier when I was writing that! Great minds think alike.
recently attended a special assembly day.. guest speaker was thomas chicky, a member of the us branch committee and the head of the us ldc (which has replaced the rbcs).. the last talk of the day is scheduled for an hour.
it was the usual boring mumbo-jumbo.
he appeared to have blasted through his hour-long outline in just about 45 minutes, so he "treated" us to informal comments on recent developments.. he commented on the new wt complex in fishkill ny.. then he dropped the bomb (well, to anyone with ears and at least 2 functioning synapses).. the following is not a word for quote, but presents the gist of his comments:.
"The money collected so far has to be well in excess of $1 billion (see my original post).
They must be doing something with all that cash....but what?"
Perhaps they see themselves as a modern day Joseph with his storehouses before the big famine, socking away as much cash as possible right now (while they still have it). Of course the actual reasons for any future "financial famine" would be debatable. Something along the lines of...
....................
In Genesis, Jehovah warned Pharaoh through a dream that the land would suffer an extended famine. (Gen 41:1-7) However because Joseph was a true worshiper of Jehovah and found to be "discreet and wise" (Gen 41:33, 39), he understood the warning and was able to act. Joseph was truly discreet and wise during the seven years of abundance by "stockpiling grain in very great quantity, like the sand of the sea, until finally they gave up measuring it because it could not be measured." (Gen 41:49)
Jehovah God has warned of yet another "famine" to come, this time for false religion's Babylon the Great (Rev 18:8). By means of divine judgement her "great riches [will be] devastated" (Rev 18:17).
In stark contrast to Babylon the Great, true worshipers today enjoy the oversight of a modern day "Joseph"-- another "faithful and discreet slave." Like Joseph, this slave is wise and has heeded the divine warning. Rather than suffering the impending financial devastation of Babylon the Great, this "faithful and discreet slave" has, like Joseph, wisely stockpiled "grain in very great quantity". Such discreet wisdom will allow Jehovah's worshipers today to continue to flourish as a global brotherhood.
While Babylon the Great's financial waters are drying up, true Christians today are able to build new Kingdom Halls, Assembly Halls, branch facilities, and remote translation offices-- all thanks to this faithful slave's adherance to Divine warning. What a privilege it is for each of us to continue to contribute all we can to this modern storehouse until it too becomes like the "sands of the sea", giving evidence of Jehovah's blessing!
...........
Just a thought.
recently attended a special assembly day.. guest speaker was thomas chicky, a member of the us branch committee and the head of the us ldc (which has replaced the rbcs).. the last talk of the day is scheduled for an hour.
it was the usual boring mumbo-jumbo.
he appeared to have blasted through his hour-long outline in just about 45 minutes, so he "treated" us to informal comments on recent developments.. he commented on the new wt complex in fishkill ny.. then he dropped the bomb (well, to anyone with ears and at least 2 functioning synapses).. the following is not a word for quote, but presents the gist of his comments:.
"To the extent that I've had access to people at the higher levels of that organization, it's become clear to me that they viewed the rank and file with contempt. They set up these scams not because it will result in the most money, but because the flock can't be trusted and don't deserve the truth."
See a discussion on their version of "truth" here: https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/4704316277391360/2-words-truth-russian-wt-writers-too?page=0&size=20
i have a brother who works in the medical profession and in particular surgery rooms.
he had a jw woman who needed blood.
while the jw elders were there she said no blood.
Does the hospital liaison committee take it upon themselves to visit you in the hospital and talk to your doctors as soon as they hear you're sick, or do they wait for an invite? I'm guessing the first one.
I imagine they take it upon themselves to visit "out of concern" but then put the screw to the JW patient to gather private medical information on the patient's diagnosis, treatment options, etc. Then I suspect they "suggest" to the patient to "alllow" them to speak on his/her behalf to the medical staff regarding his/her firm decision to refuse blood. I'm sure they also are carrying blank blood cards/DPAs for the JW patient to fill out (in their presence) just in case the JW patient had "forgotten" to have one completed (or "misplaced" it) before their arrival.
i have a brother who works in the medical profession and in particular surgery rooms.
he had a jw woman who needed blood.
while the jw elders were there she said no blood.
Neither me, nor my other half, have carried a blood card/DPA in 8+ years. We've had many reasoned conversations together on the issue, and I've been told over and over my logic is unassailable. Of course my other half continues to insist that blood would be refused if the circumstance ever arose, yet refuses to fill out or carry a blood card.
Personally I suspect we're at the point in our relationship where there a level of trust that we both know the other would do what was needed for the other person and be smart enough to never speak of it again.
ny times article: "--- 2 words for truth in russian,--" pravda, the malleable truth, and istina, the unchangeable cosmic reality.
it looks like wt writers like that, or think like that.
wt is constantly changing the surface truth, but can not change the underlying reality, no matter how many groups they overlap.
Interesting thought.
It reminds me of a conversation I recently had with a former elder who is now wide awake (I thought for sure he'd already been a long standing member here, but I was the one to make him aware of the whole ARC issue only a few weeks ago). After he watched sections of the ARC coverage that addressed the concept of "theocratic warfare", he postulated the theory that the GB knows the actual "truth" of things-- that it's likely Jesus died on a crucifix instead of a solitary stake; that Jerusulem wasn't destroyed in 607 BCE; that there's really nothing wrong with birthdays; that the sacredness of blood means it should only be used for the most sacred duty-- preservation of life. Yet, they see it as their justifiable duty to continue teaching "The Truth" (vs. the actual truth) because their job is to keep people's faith strong and keep them in the Organization-- even if it means they utilize "theocratic warfare" strategies with their own flock.
So for them, "The Truth" is whatever they see as most likely to keep the flock's faith strong at the time and keep them in the Org (pravda), not the actual truth on any one matter (istina).
we are currently living in a country where at the cinema the national anthem is played before the start of the movie and it is law that you stand.
does anyone know what current jw thinking is on this?
i know there has been various changes over the years.
Growing up in the U.S. I was always taught to stand respectfully for the flag salute, but to remain seated for the National Anthem. The "rule" was always do one less step than what would be considered "participation". Since most people simply stand for the National Anthem (vs. singing), standing would be viewed as participation.
I recently postulated to a group of JWs whether that would change, as recently some prominent sports stars have refused to stand for the National Anthem to show solidarity with the "Black Lives Matter" movement. Suddenly sitting for the National Anthem is seen as a political statement instead of simple non-participation.
