JWD

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Posts by JWD

• 
  36

  The Pope a JW...!!!

  by JWD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  most of the relatives on my father`s side were catholic.

  i still remember the first time i went to a high mass.

  it was a shock to my.

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  JWD

  Although the WT doesn`t burn apostates at the stake (probably only
  because it`s illegal) they do have many similarities to medival
  Catholicism.Recently, one un-believing husband in our cong. brought
  home some literature critical of the WTS.His wife,a pioneer sister,
  gathered up his literature and in his absence lit it on fire.When he
  came home it had become a pile of ashes in his own front lawn!
  Ironically, a while before that the WT had contained an article
  about medival church practices including the burning of books and
  literature critical of the church. JWD
• 
  4

  Free Labor!!

  by JWD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  several years back i was listening to a man who lived in a religious.

  community tell about how much god had blessed them.the main evidences.

  of god`s blessings were the impressive buildings and beautifully manicured grounds, complete with lovely flower gardens.this organization`s method of operations was to have everybody live together and work in the community`s various businesses.they manufactured some products and also had a growing printing and publishing operation.. .

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  JWD

  Several years back I was listening to a man who lived in a religious
  community tell about how much God had blessed them.The main evidences
  of God`s blessings were the impressive buildings and beautifully manicured grounds, complete with lovely flower gardens.This organization`s method of operations was to have everybody live together and work in the community`s various businesses.They manufactured some products and also had a growing printing and publishing operation.
  
  At the time most of the labor was done by members of the community
  who were not salaried.Instead of a monthly salary,they received an
  allowance.I believe the amount was something like $50 per individual
  and $200 per family.All members of the family worked,either in money
  producing operations or in maintanence of the place itself.I was told
  that the place was really expanding,buying new properties and building
  new buildings.Many of the new properties were in other countries where
  they were opening up bookstores and other operations. All of this,I was told were signs of God`s blessing.

  Since then,I`ve heard things changed.Due to new tax laws,and the threat of law suits from unhappy former members,the community was forced to make a choice.Either they could have all their members take a vow of poverty and live in a monastic way or,they had to start paying salaries. The community was small (a few hundred people) and each person had voting rights.They decided to go with a salary based system.Since that change I`ve heard things have changed.Money has gotten tight.Real estate has been sold to keep above water financially and they seem to be facing the challenges of any normal business. My question is; What happened toGod`s special blessing?
  It seems the apparent blessing was built more out of free labor than a special line to heaven. (I`ve also heard that most members of the community are happier now that they can control their own funds).
  
  All of this raises questions about the WTS`s set-up.How many people
  buy into the idea of special blessings from Jehovah when they see the
  photos of the ever-increasing world-wide real estate? How many people
  have ever given any serious thought to the power of FREE LABOR?
  
  Many years back I worked in the printing industry.At the time my job
  was called `Litho Stripping`.It was the phase of printing between the
  design stage and plate making.One time I asked my boss to give me a
  quote on the cost of printing 1 million copies of the WT magazine.
  He came up with a price of any where from 7 cents to 11 cents per
  copy (W/O labor).It was said at that time that the cost of producing
  a book was between 10 - 12% of the cover price.In the real world you
  have to add labor,distribution and bookstore margins. In the WT world
  however, the dynamics are very different.You have virtually free labor
  and free distribution.On top of that you have guaranteed sales!
  Someone once said,`Without labor costs,you would have to be a total
  idiot to fail in business`.

  How long will the sweat and tears of the bros. free labor world wide
  be called the special blessing of Jehovah? Have Bethel workers taken
  a vow of poverty? What is a person left with when they leave the org.
  after years of un-rewarded profit generating labor? How does the org.
  get around the U.S. tax laws? When will people wake up to the fact
  that the WT empire is built on FREE LABOR. JWD
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  95

  Org. Re-orging in JAPAN

  by JWD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for those of you who haven`t been following it,the wts is in a downward spiral here in japan.fs hours are down,memorial attendance.

  is down,pioneers are down,studies are down,donations are down,number.

  of congregations is down and the number of publishers continues to.

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  JWD

  Some years back when the org. had a major building project at the
  national headquarters, a place called `Ebina Bethel`,they took up
  a collection.Many of the bros. donated for the project and others
  gave `interest free` loans to the organization.One older sister gave
  an interest free loan of a significant amount of money.The org. promised to pay it back by a set time (a couple of years later),but
  when the time drew near instead of repayment, the older lady received
  a letter stating that if she so desired she could `have the privaledge
  of changing the loan to a donation`.The sister was shocked and fearing
  she might not get the large sum back she contacted a friend of ours
  who was an elder at the time and knew people at Ebina Bethel.He too
  was taken aback by the manuver and wrote to Ebina Bethel.It took time, but ultimately she did get her loan paid back. Is that type of
  thing a common practice throughout the world, or is it only here in
  Japan?
• 
  55

  Demons / Urban Legends! Which Is It????

  by Big Jim in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  has anyone on this board ever experienced contact with demons?.

  i have heard demons talked about for years, however i have never known anyone that has had any real experiences with them, i have only heard storys.. .

  (some quotes).

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  JWD

  Of course there are demons. Just because the WT uses that kind of stuff to put the fear in people and control them and just because the
  WT is full of **** doesn`t mean that there are no demons. The experience which both Slayer and Doubtingsister related about feeling
  as though something is sitting on them and chocking them is very,very
  common in both Japan and the Philippines.In Japan it`s called `kana-
  shibari`.Many JWs and many people attending churches testifiy to being
  freed from the `kanashibari` when they found faith.
  The problem with the WT teaching about demons is that they make them
  out to be everpresent and very dangerous.If you read the Bible on the
  subject you will notice that 1)Jesus was never very shook up about
  demons 2)Jesus never `failed`to deliver someone 3)Jesus never used
  Jehovah`s name when dealing with demons 4)The Bible teaches believers
  to stand up to demons not to run from them 5)The Bible teaches that
  no force earthly or heavenly can separate us from the love of God.
  6)The Bible teaches us to worry about immoral actions,not demons.

  As to my `demon` experiences. While I was living in the Philippines
  one materialized in my room and tried to grab me.Here in Japan a doll
  started to grow a beard!!(normally dolls don`t grow facial hair).
  One night my bed started to shake vigorously(there was no earthquake).
  I could relate many other experiences, but they aren`t important.
  It`s too bad that some people bend over backwards to make every
  supernatural experience into some type of natural phenomenom.Write
  everything off to genetics or mental pre-suppositions.When it`s your
  own experience, you don`t doubt it. It`s unhealthy to over rate and
  over emphasis demonic power.It`s probably also unwise to dismiss them
  entirely. JWD
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  95

  Org. Re-orging in JAPAN

  by JWD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for those of you who haven`t been following it,the wts is in a downward spiral here in japan.fs hours are down,memorial attendance.

  is down,pioneers are down,studies are down,donations are down,number.

  of congregations is down and the number of publishers continues to.

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  JWD

  Hippikon,
  So you worked in Japan.How many years? You seem to have a good grasp
  on the pulse of the culture here. Let me elaborate a bit on the cultural dynamics and the WTS growth. Yes, you are right about the
  intense loyalty which when betrayed is followed by strong rejection.
  The affect that has on JWs here is that when they leave, they tend
  to throw out ALL interest in religion.In other words,you don`t see
  people leaving and going back to Budhism.A small percentage will seek
  out a church (normally protestant) but the majority become totally
  non-religious.Since the average Japanese is non-religious to begin
  with, I guess that`s not so unusual. You are also right when it comes to the motivation of most housewives.To expand on it a bit; their
  motivation could be broken down to 1) Dissatisfaction with their husband 2) Desire for friends which they can really trust and talk
  about serious life issues with 3) Concern about keeping their kids
  out of an immoral lifestyle 4) Time on their hands and wanting to
  `study` something 5) An overall good image of the Bible combined with no knowledge of it`s contents makes them a good mark for a `Free Bible study` AT YOUR HOME, WHILE YOUR HUSBAND IS GONE AT WORK.The
  result is most women carry on the study for a year or two or three
  without their hisband ever knowing.Then one day, when they announce
  that they`ll be attending a weekday evening meeting,the husband gets
  angry and tells them it`s irresponsible for a housewife with small
  children to go out at night.By that time,however, the wife has been
  warned that SATAN will oppose her involvement in the TRUTH.So, when
  the husband blows up it merely confirms her idea that what she`s
  studying is the truth. It never occurs to her that it`s still culturally unacceptable for women with young children to be out of the home from 6 til 9 at night.In addition to that,by this time women are often pretty upset with their husbands over other issues anyway, so bringing the fight into the realm of `remaining faithful to Jehovah` justs gives them a sense of self-rightousness when going against the wishes of their mate.Sadly the struggle often ends in divorce.
  But,perhaps the worst case senerio is when a Japanese husband joins the WT and starts climbing the WTS ladder. Most men who make it big in
  the WT are those who were nothing special at their companies.So when
  they get promoted in `God`s Organization` all of a sudden they think
  their really something and start acting that way at home.They become
  little dictators.The results are as you can image... JWD
• 
  95

  Org. Re-orging in JAPAN

  by JWD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for those of you who haven`t been following it,the wts is in a downward spiral here in japan.fs hours are down,memorial attendance.

  is down,pioneers are down,studies are down,donations are down,number.

  of congregations is down and the number of publishers continues to.

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  JWD

  The `there are no rules` statement might also have legal reasons.Much
  in the same way that McDonalds now put the `This coffee is hot!`
  warning on cups.A disclaimer to avoid future legal responsibility.
  As far as the `toning things down` approach here in Japan,it`s really
  a two-edged sword.The older,more militant Witnesses who joined because
  of the `no-compromise` approach the WTS took are frustrated with the
  current trend.Recently,those leaving the WT include people who`ve been
  in for 20,30 and even 40 years! By contrast, the new `recruits` are
  often marginal people; i.e.socially maladjusted and emotionally weak.
  Judging from recent KMs,it seems the headquarters is fluctuating
  between a more broad-minded approach and a more hard-line approach.
  Ultimately,they`ll go with whatever bumps up the numbers.As for now,
  however,the tail spin continues. JWD
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  25

  I Look Death in the Eye

  by COMF in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have always had trouble breathing.

  in track i was great for a quick burst of speed in the 50 yard dash, but couldn't move enough air in and out to keep myself going for the longer runs like the 330. i had sleep apnea really bad, with the classic symptoms where i stopped breathing for a while and then suddenly snorted myself awake gasping for breath.

  for most of my life, surgery wasn't an option due to my jw lifestyle and employment choices (cleaning business = no insurance).

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  JWD

  I know exactly what your saying.Let me pass on my `looking death in
  the eye` experience.
  In the summer of 1969 our family was vacationing in northern Minnesota.It was August 6th.I came back from town with my dad only to
  find all the trees around lake Roosevelt knocked down.As we turned to
  go up the long driveway to where our cabins were,my uncle came running towards us, body covered with blood.He said ,`we`ve been hit
  by a tornado.Don`t know who`s dead and who`s alive.`After going as far as possible by car,we got out and walked gingerly,trying to avoid
  fallen power lines,to the edge of the lake.What had once been a beautiful lake was turned into a garbage dump filled with debrie.And
  there in the middle of the floating mess was my sister`s body.She
  had already drowned, but unwilling to accept reality,my father stood
  there waist deep in the water trying to resusatate her lifeless form.
  My sister,Becky, was one of the seven family members and friends who
  were killed by the tornado.The others included my grandma,my cousin
  and my friend.The sense of unreality you mentioned brought back memories of attending the funeral with 7 caskets thinking this wasn`t
  really happening. One day can change can change a persons life forever.
  Two years later,I faced 7 toranados in South Dakota and lived to tell about it.
  Thanks for the thought provoking post. JWD
• 
  95

  Org. Re-orging in JAPAN

  by JWD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for those of you who haven`t been following it,the wts is in a downward spiral here in japan.fs hours are down,memorial attendance.

  is down,pioneers are down,studies are down,donations are down,number.

  of congregations is down and the number of publishers continues to.

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• 

  JWD

  Hippikon,
  Thanks for the cartoon! Yes, the MTS is the same arrangement as was
  mentioned.
  The thing about the WTS here is that it is really a `Christian` version of an indigenous Japanese religion named Sokagakkai.In the
  States I believe it`s called NSA.At one time Sokagakkai was growing
  at an incredible rate and claimed 10% of the Japanese population as
  members.The thing that makes them similar to the WTS is the strong
  emphasis on `group-ness`.Helping each other out,giving individuals
  a sense of being part of something big,aggressive evangelism, exclusiveness,threat of judgement I you leave the group which is re-
  inforced by shunning when people do,etc. After WWII Japan urbanized
  so fast that much of the sense of community which was a central part
  of the culture was lost.People became lonely and open to the `love
  showers` offered by various groups. Sokagakkai cashed in big on that
  with a `New Budhist` approach and then in the wake of that the JWs
  offered a `western` version of the same thing. The trademarks of
  Japanese JWs have been things such as `helping each other when they
  move`,`welcoming in transfer JWs from other areas`,`tea and fellowship`,`giving hand-me-down clothes to other sisters to help
  them save money`,etc.Social action type of stuff which in the past
  was the role of the relatives or the villagers.Another trademark of
  Japanese JWs is an incredible ignorance of the Bible.They study what
  is in the magazines,but very,very few crack the Bible open for them-
  selves and try to read it. One sister told me that over a two year period she counted how many passages were used during meetings and found that the same 80 or 90 verses were just shuffled and repeated over and over again. Since most people have no prior biblical background their `faith` is very markedly a blind commitment to the
  group with doctrine being very secondary.
  Also, in Japan until recently the overwhelming majority of Witness have been first generation.In most cases they are housewives.Therefore
  the number of men in the org. is extremely low and the number of
  theocratic families is even lower.If a man,no matter how unfit,is
  faithful in attendance and FS , he can quickly move up the ladder
  and become a MS or an elder.Again,the level of knowledge of the
  Bible is very low.
  All of these things add up to one-time rapid growth, but a very fragile state of affairs.Now that much of the downside of becoming a
  Witness has been exposed things have begun to slide.The image the WTS
  has created for itself is `exclusive and anti-social`,`destroyer of
  marriages`,`anti-higher education`,`medically dangerous` and
  `narrow-minded`.Now the org. is back peddling trying to undo that
  image and present themselves and broad minded and balanced.So far,
  nobody seems to be buying the new image. JWD
• 
  95

  Org. Re-orging in JAPAN

  by JWD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for those of you who haven`t been following it,the wts is in a downward spiral here in japan.fs hours are down,memorial attendance.

  is down,pioneers are down,studies are down,donations are down,number.

  of congregations is down and the number of publishers continues to.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  JWD

  For those of you who haven`t been following it,the WTS is in a downward spiral here in Japan.FS hours are down,Memorial attendance
  is down,Pioneers are down,Studies are down,Donations are down,Number
  of congregations is down and the number of publishers continues to
  drop.Last year they report a minus 1% growth rate and if the current
  trend continues they`ll have to report another minus 1%. So, what`s
  the org. doing about it? Their Re-Orging... At first they loosened
  up the rules on young people to try to convince more second gener`s
  to stay in the org. rather than moving away and becoming in-active.
  That doesn`t seem to be helping yet. Next they`re encouraging MORE
  involvement in community activities,PTA,etc. The idea is to remove
  the stigma of being a cult and to get new contacts to start studies.
  (Practically no one responds to house calls any more).Also they`re
  combining congregations to give declining congregations the `feeling`
  of growth.Finally, they`re trying to get new hungry blood involved.
  Several years back they started a crash course for the elite young
  men which they call MTS (or was it MTC?).It`s said to be the Japanese
  version of Gilead. The young men who train there are sent out to
  re-energize congregations.You can guess the waves that`s making.
  Young men with no real life experience coming in and supposedly being
  the new `leaders`, in some cases replacing older men. In a culture
  where age and seniority still carry some weight....well it`s not
  having the intended effect yet.
  As far as finances, it seems the new thing is over-priced KHs.
  I project a continued meltdown for the next 2-3 years with the number
  of publishers dropping to around 200,000 and then leveling off.They
  had peaked out over 220,000.No doubt the number of FS hours will
  continue to drop and the org. will become an ingrown sub-culture
  with lots of people in it because that`s all they really know as a
  way of life.
  P.S. There`s also `recycling` going on these days.In the past,those
  who left were left alone.These days former studies, the inactive
  and even some df-ers are being approached about coming back.I guess
  when you can`t get new re-cruits,you start re-cycling. JWD
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  19

  Question from a newly DF'd chick...

  by praying_mantis in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello again...now that i am officially a horrible, unrepentant sinner (in the eyes of a polyester slack wearing, mini van driving, anal retentive man whore), i have a question (actually several, but i will start with one!

  ) brace yourselves: it is about 1975!.

  where in the wt was the "prophecy" made?

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  JWD

  Someone said,``no-one but another ex-JW can understand what`s going on in your head``. I might seem to be spliting hairs, but strictly
  speaking, I don`t think that`s true. After stepping out of the TOWER
  and getting a good look around, you will probably be surprised to see
  how `un-unique` the WTS is. The methods of control which they use are
  not really much different than lots and lots of other total-control
  oriented groups.The more I look into so-called `cults`,the more I find
  that most of them are very similar.Sure the vocabulary is different,
  but if you inter-change certain words, you might be surprised at how
  much the WT looks like a lot of the groups you are used to critic-izing. In fact, sometimes hearing the experiences of people who got
  free from groups like NSA,scientology,the Mormons or the Moonies might
  be more helpful in some ways. The reason being you are able to listen
  to their experiences with more objectivity.The correlations between
  your experience and their`s will become evident. At any rate,I think
  it`s helpful to get over the idea that the TOWER is somehow terribly
  unique, because it isn`t. When all is said and done it`s just another
  garden variety cult. Whatever you do, don`t be afraid to ask questions. Real Truth can stand up to criticism.Lies can`t. Just a few
  thoughts from the other side of the world. JWD