I lie all the time.
In fact, I’m lying right now.
the bible does not say that god does not want to lie, but that he cannot lie or it is impossible for god to lie.
.
so, if god cannot lie, for what purpose and why did he create creatures (satan, demons, humans) who can lie?.
I lie all the time.
In fact, I’m lying right now.
so, i finally saw the annual meeting video part 2.. this is the one with the “new light” on who might survive armageddon, vs. those who do not.. in summary, for those of you fortunate enough not to have to sit through it, it’s something like this:.
old light: once the “great tribulation” starts, that’s it for non-jws.
the “door of the ark” is closed.
Rattigan350 - “…What they teach now at the AGM is the way it has always been…”
No, it’s not.
Rattigan350 - “…think that I'm going to be telling people that I don't care if I make it through armageddon and I don't want to live in the kingdom.”
Not a WT-run kingdom, anyway.
from jw org; 2023 - a year of anxiety:.
“since the beginning of 2023, there have now been 13 earthquakes above magnitude 7 worldwide, one of the highest values since records began.”.
www.earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk cites 3 reasons it may seem that earthquakes are increasing in intensity and number.. 1. more population growth = more people affected.. 2. clustered statistics.
C’mon guys, get with the program…
…everything proves it’s the Last Days.
Even the stuff that doesn’t.
this topic i digress about why the watchtower relaxing the rules of disfellowship is essential for its survival.
many things i'm going to say are not my ideas, some are, the point is, i'm condensing everything in a logical and concise way.. the first thing we have to keep in mind is that the wt's main objective in instituting disfellowship has always been not to lose members because of the damage that a dissident could do, or to avoid gaining new members because of the bad reputation of a confessed sinner in the his/her region.
in the end, the more active members, the more money to the coffers.. in this case of disfellowship due to apostasy, to avoid any spark, texts were sought out of context that even prohibited saying "hi".
Not to mention that that the Org’s business model is (tax-exemption notwithstanding) arguably based on an American capitalist template…
… i.e. it requires constant real growth to remain sustainable.
And I’ve said many times that constant reductions in staff and product output, liquidation of assets, legal troubles, and dwindling sources of income are not typically considered signs of robust corporate financial health.
🎄 just thought this not former/vidiot back & forth deserved it's own christmas special !!!🎄.
vidiot6 days ago.
notformer - “…if he does attend a kingdom hall physically, i imagine there're some ‘security’ arrangements in place…”.
I just remembered something…
…didn’t Top-Shelf say something along the lines of “the Governing Body is under attack like never before”, not long before he was put out to pasture?
If so, when and where? Anybody know?
fyi, i posted this prediction on my facebook page last night and it has received 224 likes and there have been 83 comments made.
many of the comments are hilarious.. .
a beard prediction for 2024:.
mortimer - “…like adolescents taking their puberty out for a spin…”
🤣
this topic i digress about why the watchtower relaxing the rules of disfellowship is essential for its survival.
many things i'm going to say are not my ideas, some are, the point is, i'm condensing everything in a logical and concise way.. the first thing we have to keep in mind is that the wt's main objective in instituting disfellowship has always been not to lose members because of the damage that a dissident could do, or to avoid gaining new members because of the bad reputation of a confessed sinner in the his/her region.
in the end, the more active members, the more money to the coffers.. in this case of disfellowship due to apostasy, to avoid any spark, texts were sought out of context that even prohibited saying "hi".
TonusOH - “…It gets tougher to hold yourself up as anything more than a seeker of truth if you have to keep reminding people that you screw up just like anyone else…”
Agreed.
The need to appear humble whilst insisting that they be obeyed without question can’t help but feel increasingly disconcerting for the average member with half a brain.
Eventually, you get to the point where your asking yourself, “Wait… if they’re effectively admitting they’ve gotten this wrong, what else are they wrong about? Evolution? Armageddon? The claim of ‘God’s Exclusive Earthly Organization’?”
If you have even the tiniest sliver of rational thinking ability, those questions nag at you more and more.
Know how I know?
’Cause that was me.
this topic i digress about why the watchtower relaxing the rules of disfellowship is essential for its survival.
many things i'm going to say are not my ideas, some are, the point is, i'm condensing everything in a logical and concise way.. the first thing we have to keep in mind is that the wt's main objective in instituting disfellowship has always been not to lose members because of the damage that a dissident could do, or to avoid gaining new members because of the bad reputation of a confessed sinner in the his/her region.
in the end, the more active members, the more money to the coffers.. in this case of disfellowship due to apostasy, to avoid any spark, texts were sought out of context that even prohibited saying "hi".
TonysOH - “If it stays alive by making changes that ease the pressure on the rank and file and move towards a more mainstream approach, that might be better than having it die off.”
But then, it would ultimately be just another denomination among denominations…
…and in doing so, will have effectively forfeited its claim of God’s exclusive favor…
DesirousOfChange - “…Being a JW is their social network.”
…and there are absolutely better social networks out there…
…at that point, the carrot and stick have become effectively neutered, so where’s the incentive to stay?
this topic i digress about why the watchtower relaxing the rules of disfellowship is essential for its survival.
many things i'm going to say are not my ideas, some are, the point is, i'm condensing everything in a logical and concise way.. the first thing we have to keep in mind is that the wt's main objective in instituting disfellowship has always been not to lose members because of the damage that a dissident could do, or to avoid gaining new members because of the bad reputation of a confessed sinner in the his/her region.
in the end, the more active members, the more money to the coffers.. in this case of disfellowship due to apostasy, to avoid any spark, texts were sought out of context that even prohibited saying "hi".
The number of core WT believers is essentially irrelevant, if the WT corporation is unable to stay financially solvent…
…because if the WT corporation is unable to stay financially solvent, the WT religion cannot function…
…and if the WT religion cannot function, the core believers have nothing left to believe in, regardless of how many there are…
…not that there actually seem to be that many, if the number of KH sales and consolidations, sporadic in-person attendance, and zoom-in-tune-outs are any indication.
this topic i digress about why the watchtower relaxing the rules of disfellowship is essential for its survival.
many things i'm going to say are not my ideas, some are, the point is, i'm condensing everything in a logical and concise way.. the first thing we have to keep in mind is that the wt's main objective in instituting disfellowship has always been not to lose members because of the damage that a dissident could do, or to avoid gaining new members because of the bad reputation of a confessed sinner in the his/her region.
in the end, the more active members, the more money to the coffers.. in this case of disfellowship due to apostasy, to avoid any spark, texts were sought out of context that even prohibited saying "hi".
So…
…not only should we be super-skeptical about the Org’s self-reported stats…
…but…
…in the long run, the stats don’t really matter, because they no longer have any significant impact on the Org’s ability to function.