Posts by elderINewton

74

Jehovah's Witnesses May Have Peaked in Membership at 8 Million (+/-)

by OnTheWayOut in

jw
friends

i don't have all the details of their new "service year" numbers, but i have read enough on jwn to state my opinion pretty strongly.. memorial attendance for 2015 was down.while they kept saying they were going to build a bunch of new kingdom halls, and everybody is still in recovery from watchtower taking all the local money away, they say pretty much that there isn't enough money to build new kingdom halls.putting gb members on the videos at jw .

org has allowed people to really put a face and personality to these guys and remove the mystery of how they should be such deeply spiritual serious men.

instead they see silly thoughts about tight pants and, really everything that comes out of lett's mouth is delivered ultra-goofy, along with the money reports.. the gb lost credibility a little more with every new light that shone down, with the strangest one being "overlapping generation.

elderINewton

The critical piece of information is in the geographic growth/loss. If there is a loss, or even a zero gain in the USA, it will indicate if the peak has indeed been reached.

Still interesting that we have yet to see that country breakdown yet. What will also be telling is the spend year over year for kingdom service that they usually list out, while a lump sum if its down or up will say much.

I'm just not sure if the pinnacle of growth is there without the data. Its possible that it was the prior year.

While I agree that financial is importing, the reality is that if your lacking funds you adjust your business model to move on. Making money in religion is like shooting fish in a barrel. You adjust and you survive. Just like Jim and Tammy Faye Baker.

Membership is the critical piece.

11

BOE 2015-11-03 Re: 2016 Convention Invitations

by wifibandit in

mirror via google.

.

elderINewton

nothing unusual here. Most congregations get printing done on memorial invites, etc.

keeps the elder/pioneer at the local printer using his employee discount to print the times.

14

Should it be called the disfellowshipping arrangement or the shunning arrangement.

by poopie in

jw
friends

i here jw saying the df arrangement is loveing is the shunning arrangement also loveing?

elderINewton

forgive the humor but its mid-week.

Absolutely Required Shunning Edict (or ARSE for short). So when someone is naughty you have to be an ARSE to them.

14

Should it be called the disfellowshipping arrangement or the shunning arrangement.

by poopie in

jw
friends

i here jw saying the df arrangement is loveing is the shunning arrangement also loveing?

elderINewton

I wonder if its more of an edict than a practice. The Shunning Edict/ Disfellowshipping Edict.

I only say edict as that it is defined as a command.

40

WTS checklist for Elders to destroy evidence?

by DarioKehl in

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/3t1yp7/marc_and_cora_posted_on_utube/.

hot off the presses from exjw reddit earlier today.

massive leak in uk.. if true, this is big (and very, very disturbing)..

elderINewton

Is this UK only? I can see them trying to track me down for my notes if it expands.....

Not that I love them to talk with my lawyer, but I'd rather avoid the $350/hr.

How many of us former elders have kept all of our notes...

31

Make your predictions!

by Coded Logic in

the more specific the better :) here are mine:.

i predict that within the next two to three years (2017-2018) we will start seeing negative numbers in growth.. i predict that within the next thirteen to fifteen years (2027-2030) the number of jws will be less than 4million.. and i predict that by the time the first person sets foot on mars there will already have been a major split in the organization with either one of the gb or a branch overseer starting a new religion..

elderINewton

Some of my predictions:

1) In two years - Sunday talks via broadcast from HQ. - Maybe weekly, but at least once a month.

2) Apostasy will be crime worse than DF'ing. Will also be deemed apostasy if your not following directions.

3) One whistleblower - just one with damning evidence. - not sure what, but it will bring more bad press, and GB will instruct everyone to not watch TV, etc.

4) Settlement after settlement. - Got to pay for the past sins of letting the pedo's rule the roost. - We will see further consolidation in western lands to pay for this.

5) Decline only in "civilized" world. - I.E. Western Europe, USA, etc. - Simply caused by older ones dying.

6) WT alive and kicking and keeping on asking for donations.

7) A WT printing press or two on Kijjiji or Ebay. (for sale)

8) Magazines further reduced to one a month.

Overall, my biggest wonder is when they will ask the rank and file to swear an oath of allegiance to the GB. - I could see that happen.

12

Judge questions whether confession privilege should extend to Jehovah's Witnesses

by GodZoo in

a us judge is considering whether it is constitutional to have a law that protects the clergy of just one religious denomination from disclosing what is said to them in confession.

(including what's said in judicial confessions by peodophiles.

)http://www.christiantoday.com/article/judge.questions.whether.confession.privilege.should.extend.to.jehovahs.witnesses/70169.htm

elderINewton

With a good state lawyer the JW's should easily loose this case.

1) At baptism they publicly declare all whom are baptized as ordained ministers.

2) At baptism they offer no written proof that one has been received as an ordained minister. (WT policy in court is that these people are mere parishioners, and has sufficient case law to back that testimony up).

3) When an elder is appointed they offer the elder no proof other than an elder book that the individual is now legally seen as an ordained minister.

4) When an elder wishes to marry someone and needs proof that he is a minister for the state/province, etc. That person is to make a written request, and that request doesn't have to be fulfilled.

5) Ignorance or lack of knowledge that the elder needs such proof is not a defense for the court.

The WT - has also further shown that in some correspondence that they will/could be personally held accountable. If an individual was provided with such written proof, then they would not have needed such information as the WT would be held accountable first.

If the WT wins today, I'd say the state was incompetent.

38

Reason of financial problems WTS

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

a non-witness insider told me this week that the wts has financial problems.

that lead to halting down their building plans and lay off the special pioneers and.

bethelites.. the reason of the financial stagnation is beside some bad investments,.

elderINewton

http://www.watchtower.exposed/?p=847

Top page of each tax return.

38

Reason of financial problems WTS

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

a non-witness insider told me this week that the wts has financial problems.

that lead to halting down their building plans and lay off the special pioneers and.

bethelites.. the reason of the financial stagnation is beside some bad investments,.

elderINewton

In some ways, this would back up what those tax returns that were "released" a few days ago. (Top Left hand corner of page)

They indicate the Book value of the assets at the end of year. (So this means the price they paid for assets less depreciation, and does NOT include financial gains or losses.).

2009 it shows $965,800,000 in assets for FEIN 11-1857820

2012 shows $1,119,118,000 - pretty big increase

2013 shows $1,154,503,000 - small increase

2014 - $1,020,441,000 - nothing like having your assets decrease 10% in a year.

In 2014 - I personally would have expected a huge increase as they forgave loans, but essentially took over ownership of cash of many congregations, and then also spent it on Warwick so the assets should have gone up even more. Something is surely depleting the funds, and it not building.

20

Does a brother have to be appointed an MS to be an account servant?

by 4thgen in

as many of you know, my ex-husband was removed as an elder for child abuse.

i was told at the time he would never be reappointed in any capacity.

yet i heard today he was appointed as an account servant.

elderINewton

Short answer is it is to be an exemplary brother that is either appointed or being tested as to fitness of being appointed.

I've never seen a non-appointed brother in the 50+ halls I've been in that handles accounts. Cash is king, and its trust. I personally handled the accounts as an assistant before being appointed, then was put in charge for about two weeks before I was appointed a MS.

I don't get how you could even use a pedo to do anything trustworthy.