At one point they were giving congregations a loan to build the hall that the Watchtower ended up owning but still had congregations pay the loan back. Then when they must have been caught out for doing this and not being legally in a money lending business, they generously forgave all the loans. They still expected the same repayments though, just voluntarily.
Listener
JoinedPosts by Listener
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Analysis of the Property Ownership Model of Jehovah’s Witnesses
by Paul Bonanno inanalysis of the property ownership model of jehovah’s witnesses.
jehovah’s witnesses have developed a structured and financially efficient model for acquiring, building, and managing properties worldwide.
their approach maximizes resources contributed by members while ensuring that ownership and financial control remain centralized within the organization.
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WT June 2025: We Are Not Blind We Just Don't Know
by raymond frantz inhttps://youtu.be/7xumqjq3zfc?si=ivcg96t4dtgze4ft.
so this is from the brand new watchtower study edition of june 2025 which has just been posted on jw.org .under the title: modestly accept what you do not know, a let’s read paragraphs in question 4 &5: “read matthew 24:36. we do not know when the end of this system of things will come.
even jesus, while on earth, did not know the ‘day and hour.’ he later told the apostles that jehovah, who is the great timekeeper, keeps the timing of certain events ‘in his own jurisdiction,’ or authority.
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It almost seems like an apology of sorts but it is simply reactionary. They are looking at their failed date prophecy and how they can wriggle their way out of them since it’s a big issue when examining their religion.
However, it’s not sincere. They wrote this in the same article -
7. What do we know?
Your answer
7 We do well to focus on what we do know—that the last days began in 1914. Jehovah has provided Bible prophecies that not only pinpoint that year but also describe in detail the conditions that have prevailed since then. As a result, we are convinced that “the great day of Jehovah is near.” (Zeph. 1:14)They show their stubbornness in sticking to a teaching that basically only relies on the coincidence of WW1 having occurred in this year. They claim to be able to ‘pinpoint’ that year. ‘Pinpointing’ means with the greatest of accuracy, or absolutely precise or to the finest detail’ Is the Watchtower being modest?
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New World, New World Order, New System of Things
by blondie inthe wts has used to above terms, over the years, some more preferred in certain time periods.
more though, but these occurred to me first.
also the terms "new world" and "new world order" have been used by some us presidents and other leaders..
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This website has some interesting information about the history of the New World Order and it goes further back than the 1950s
It states -
Anti-Semitic Roots
Many modern-day conspiracy theories – including the NWO theory – have anti-Semitic origins. Influential groups and movements from the 19th and early 20th centuries are largely to blame for the proliferation of anti-Semitic narratives. Within these narratives, Jewish people are frequently framed as the orchestrators of global events and accused of creating a supranational governing structure for nefarious purposes. These dangerous narratives are still widely promoted today...
Established throughout Europe and the United States during the 20th century, adherents of Christian Identity purport that they are the true Israelites favored by God. Over time, Christian Identity groups grew in size and embraced more explicit anti-Semitic conspiracy theories due to the publication and popularization of anti-Semitic texts. One such text was the American version of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which falsely argues Jewish elites’ alleged plan for global domination. In conjunction with the Protocols, other conspiracy theories, such as the Zionist Occupied Government (ZOG), spread and began to be widely cited. The onset of World War II only furthered the targeting of Jews during this time period, solidifying the foundation of anti-Semitism in which modern conspiracy theories arose, including the NWO.The Youtube channel 'The Watchtower History Channel' did a lot of research about their early Zionism beliefs.
The Watchtower was originally known as "Zion's Watchtower and Herald of Christ's presence from 1879.
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Did Watchtower Really Teach That Armageddon Was Coming in 1954?
by Jerome56 inin the march 2025 jw broadcast david splane in his morning worship talk mentioned that "some thought" that armageddon would come 40 years after 1914. such statements are usually meant to shift the blame of their own false predictions on to their members for speculating.
however, i was unable to find anything in print showing that such a thing was indeed taught by the society.
was this really a thing?.
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Crisis of conscience page 255
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Did Watchtower Really Teach That Armageddon Was Coming in 1954?
by Jerome56 inin the march 2025 jw broadcast david splane in his morning worship talk mentioned that "some thought" that armageddon would come 40 years after 1914. such statements are usually meant to shift the blame of their own false predictions on to their members for speculating.
however, i was unable to find anything in print showing that such a thing was indeed taught by the society.
was this really a thing?.
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Listener
Ray Franz, in his book ‘Crisis of Conscience’ provides some information about this. At page 255 he says that in the 1940s the ‘view held’ was that the generation referred to a period of 30 to 40 years and publications referred to the generation time period as having begun in 1914. He says that this led to the insistence of the time left being extremely short.
Then at the start of the 1950s, the time period had elapsed and a new teaching was required. This occurred in the
Watchtower 1952 1st September and the QFR is quoted in full -
“● Your publications point out that the battle of Armageddon will come in this generation, and that this generation began A.D. 1914. Scripturally, how long is a generation?—G. P., Liberia.
Webster’s unabridged dictionary gives, in part, this definition of generation: “The average lifetime of man, or the ordinary period of time at which one rank follows another, or father is succeeded by child; an age. A generation is usually taken to be about 33 years.” But the Bible is not so specific. It gives no number of years for a generation. And in Matthew 24:34, Mark 13:30 and Luke 21:32, the texts mentioning the generation the question refers to, we are not to take generation as meaning the average time for one generation to be succeeded by the next, as Webster’s does in its 33-year approximation; but rather more like Webster’s first-quoted definition, “the average lifetime of man.” Three or even four generations may be living at the same time, their lives overlapping. (Ps. 78:4; 145:4) Before the Noachian flood the life span was hundreds of years. Down through the centuries since, it has varied, and even now is different in different countries. The Bible does speak of a man’s days as being threescore and ten or fourscore years; but it assigns no specific number of years to a generation.—Ps. 90:10.
Even if it did, we could not calculate from such a figure the date of Armageddon, for the texts here under discussion do not say God’s battle comes right at the end of this generation, but before its end. To try to say how many years before its end would be speculative. The texts merely set a limit that is sufficiently definite for all present practical purposes. Some persons living A.D. 1914 when the series of foretold events began will also be living when the series ends with Armageddon. All the events will come within the span of a generation. There are hundreds of millions of persons living now that were living in 1914, and many millions of these persons could yet live a score or more years. Just when the lives of the majority of them will be cut short by Armageddon we cannot say.”
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Splane doesn’t say when the Sister wrote her letter, it could be possible that it was before this article or that she missed the New Light or was one of the few JWs who was still hanging onto the old teaching and making Splanes claim that there were only a few who believed 1954 would see the end at that time. It seems pretty much like the idea that some JWs were still holding into the idea that ‘this generation’ still meant within a persons lifetime, even though the GB had changed its meaning in the 1990s.
But it is interesting that the GB are once again making a mockery of their followers and blaming them for a teaching that they invented. Splane also chooses to use an example of a Sister who was then believing in something the Watchtower no longer taught but if she was up with their current teaching, at that time, it would prove to be just as absurd.
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2025*03*S-147-March*English*and*German*Announcements!
by Atlantis in2025*03*s-147*march*english*and*german*announcements!.
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https://app.filemail.com/d/khmudgccmlzpcdp .
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Thanks Petra
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Oral and Anal Sex flip flop? March 2025 Announcements and Reminders
by ukpimo injust in.
a jaw dropping announcements and reminders for elders this month.
how can you serve as an elder and believe this organization is spirit directed after reading this letter?.
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Were they 'scriptural principles' being expressed in the 1983 article or the 2025 article?
The Elders are being told that if any couples do ask for help they are to explain scriptural principles and information in the January 2025 article.
Going beyond what is written causes more problems.
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Jehovah's Witnesses in the news: "Czech Culture Ministry Considers Deregistration of Jehovah’s Witnesses"
by Balaamsass2 in2/2025 czech news agency czech culture ministry considers deregistration of jehovah’s witnesses.
the czech ministry of culture is considering the possible cancellation of the religious registration of the jehovah’s witnesses religious society, and has sent the organisation an appeal to desist from its illegal activities, ministry spokeswoman jana zechmeisterova told ctk today.. the ministry has received thousands of complaints from the jehovah’s witnesses about the proposal, which must be dealt with first.
administrative proceedings have not yet been initiated, zechmeisterova said.. she said the ministry had begun to deal with the proposals it had received about the cancellation of the registration of the religious society of jehovah’s witnesses (nssj).
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This has worse repercussions for the Watchtower and JWs than the situation in Norway and sounds similar to Russia. If they are deregistered then there is provision to have all their property confiscated.
This appears to have been initiated on September 5th, 2024.
Once again, the Watchtower launched a protest by having JWs send in thousands of letters, which are being addressed by the Ministry.
Source of info https://bitterwinter.org/czech-republic-in-the-footsteps-of-russia-jehovahs-witnesses-threatened-with-liquidation/
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Flee to the Mountains......What Mountains?
by liam inmay 2025 study article 21 seek the city that will remain.
what i remember was, when you see the romans, flee to the mountains.
now the wt is saying that's not enough.
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10. It appears that Jehovah guided the Christians by means of those who were taking the lead in the congregation. Historian Eusebius later wrote: “The people of the congregation in Jerusalem, by divine providence, received a revelation given to approved men; they were commanded . . . to migrate from the city before the war and to settle in a certain city of Perea called Pella.”
This is speculation by the Watchtower, again.
If this is true then the prophecy was not fulfilled in accordance to what Jesus said. They are taking his prophecy and expanding on it when there is no instruction to do so. If it was necessary, we would have been given more details (I.e, that they would be led to a safe city).
The command was to ‘flee to the mountains’. It was not one specific place that they were directed to flee to, it was not one mountain, it was ‘mountains’. Paella is not a mountain either and therefore falls outside of this prophecy.
The inspired instruction was to ‘flee to the mountains’. What occurred in regards to any settlements after they did so is not recorded in the Bible and therefore irrelevant. The Watchtower is going beyond what Is written and have no authority to claim that they will have instructions that are life saving.
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July 25 WT Study ....Moving Out?
by mikeflood inthird study article....as people moved out of jerusalem before the romans attacked on 70 ce...perhaps there are gonna be instructions for us today about us ...leaving possessions and houses...and moving to a different place.!!.
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maybe that fits on 'receiving instructions that are not sound by a human pointof view' ??
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This is also how they are trying to remain relevant to jws these days. Telling them that they need the GB and to stay in the religion because one day, soon, they have the secret knowledge that will save their lives.