Obrien - “…Back in my day you had to go door to door and earn the ridicule…”
😎
things got a bit lively after the agm leaks in october.
there was a lot of discussion going on on this board for a few months.
now that all the leaks have been more or less confirmed as policy, and we've had lively discussions at length concerning the changes, things seem to have slowed down here.. a few suggestions have been raised as to what might be the next changes, such as women being allowed to wear slacks (in the usa, anyway), decoupling from 1914 as an anchoring date and others.. so, what changes do you think will be announced this year?.
Obrien - “…Back in my day you had to go door to door and earn the ridicule…”
😎
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-29/jehovahs-witnesses-not-reporting-all-child-sex-abuse-to-police-/103320582.
national news story in australia today.. the inquiry heard that since the 1950s, the witnesses hid more than 1,000 cases of child sexual abuse.the faith group did not report one case to police over that time.the royal commission was announced in 2012 and the final report was delivered in 2017.in the wake of the institutional failings exposed by the commission, western australia’s mandatory reporting requirements were expanded to include religious ministers in 2021.it meant that they would have to report child sexual abuse to authorities.however, despite it being post royal commission, documents show how the religious group conducted its own internal investigation.the religious leaders did not report the matter to police.
.
From their POV, they can’t report to the authorities…
…anywhere.
If they did, the true depth and breadth of the problem would be exposed in a manner too difficult to simply dismiss, undermining the Org’s legitimacy in the eyes of the membership, and even worse, potentially placing their “charity” status at risk…
…and if the rumours are true and the Org’s solvency is hanging by a thread, that’s a risk they don’t dare take.
Yet, ironically, their refusal to fully acknowledge the problem and take appropriate steps to fix it properly threatens to undermine them just as effectively in the long(er) run.
Screwed if they do, buggered if they don’t.
eric wilson's video is worth a view.. https://youtu.be/iil4fryuczk?si=f566n0tdqgpqc2ok.
Vanderhoven7- “Perhaps the Great Tribulation will not start with a worldwide attack on false religion, but instead, on the so-called ‘only true religion’.”
The Org was/is apparently hosting something in Florida for COs, covering potential changes in their “understanding” of Revelation.
Switching up that aspect would definitely be on the table.
eric wilson's video is worth a view.. https://youtu.be/iil4fryuczk?si=f566n0tdqgpqc2ok.
hoser - “…If the borgs survival is dependent on their tax breaks they have a lot less money than we think they do…”
Which dovetails with a couple things I’ve already heard.
hoser - “…It’s the property tax on all their real estate holdings that would break them…”
Holy shit, I never even thought of that. 👍
That’s an even bigger incentive to sell off Kingdom Halls the moment they have an excuse.
eric wilson's video is worth a view.. https://youtu.be/iil4fryuczk?si=f566n0tdqgpqc2ok.
This is just my opinion, but…
…I suspect the revelation (sorry, couldn’t resist 😏) that the sustainability of said organization’s wealth is almost completely dependent on its charity-status/tax-exemption may well be the most significant piece of intel we’ve ever discovered.
I could be wrong.
https://www.jwupdates.com/post/new-patterson-visitor-center-and-first-century-museum.
january 1, 2024, marked the official opening of the patterson visitor center, located at the watchtower educational center in patterson, new york, u.s.a. the feature museum of the visitors’ center is entitled “first-century bible village.” brother isaiah miller, who works in the museum department at bethel, said: “the bible village was designed to provide everyone with a realistic and educational experience.
studies show that interactive learning has a powerful effect on people of all ages.” after her tour, one visitor exclaimed: “this museum made me feel like i had been transported back to the land of ancient israel.
The funniest thing about Ken Ham’s Ark was that it took modern state-of-the-art materials and construction techniques to build a supposedly “authentic” replica.
😏
https://www.jwupdates.com/post/new-patterson-visitor-center-and-first-century-museum.
january 1, 2024, marked the official opening of the patterson visitor center, located at the watchtower educational center in patterson, new york, u.s.a. the feature museum of the visitors’ center is entitled “first-century bible village.” brother isaiah miller, who works in the museum department at bethel, said: “the bible village was designed to provide everyone with a realistic and educational experience.
studies show that interactive learning has a powerful effect on people of all ages.” after her tour, one visitor exclaimed: “this museum made me feel like i had been transported back to the land of ancient israel.
“I also loved grinding the wheat to make flour…”
…Said no six-year-old anywhere, ever.
eric wilson's video is worth a view.. https://youtu.be/iil4fryuczk?si=f566n0tdqgpqc2ok.
LongHairGal - “…Everything they did was in response to outside threats to their ‘wealth’…”
I agree, but with a caveat.
The Org leadership doesn’t pursue wealth and “position” for its own sake… all available anecdotal evidence indicates that rather that greed-driven shysters, these guys really are, in fact, full-on True Believers (and IMO, the kind of ideology-based blunders they’ve repeatedly made over the years absolutely backs that up)…
…i.e. they’re not having cocaine-and-viagra-fueled call-girl orgies on beds of cash (…at least… I don’t think they are).
For the WTS, wealth is, first and foremost, a means to an end… an impenetrable wall to ensure its continued survival.
It has to be.
After all, if it lost its wealth, it couldn’t function…
…and if it cannot function, it - ultimately - cannot survive…
…and if it can’t survive, it can’t very well be “Gods Exclusive Earthly Organization”, now, can it?
And from their POV, that possibility is unthinkable.
Therefore, as you said, everything they do is, indeed, in response to outside threats to their wealth…
…because, in truth, outside threats to the Org’s wealth are, in fact, existential threats to the Org’s very survival.
And that simply cannot be permitted.
https://www.jwupdates.com/post/new-patterson-visitor-center-and-first-century-museum.
january 1, 2024, marked the official opening of the patterson visitor center, located at the watchtower educational center in patterson, new york, u.s.a. the feature museum of the visitors’ center is entitled “first-century bible village.” brother isaiah miller, who works in the museum department at bethel, said: “the bible village was designed to provide everyone with a realistic and educational experience.
studies show that interactive learning has a powerful effect on people of all ages.” after her tour, one visitor exclaimed: “this museum made me feel like i had been transported back to the land of ancient israel.
Taking a page from Ken Ham’s playbook, huh?
Worth a shot, I s’pose.
😏
this is worth a look!.
https://youtu.be/wxfczptd2n8?si=4jo-nuzmlvglbvkm.
Yup, nobody’s coming to vouch for ‘em there, except lawyers who get paid either way…
…they’re being called out on their increasingly uncharitable policies, and can’t justify or defend them to any convincing degree…
… and the way they’re waging their fight is making them look dishonest, entitled, callous, and frankly, kinda stupid.
Like I said, the perfect candidates for the system to make an example of.
Christ, I don’t think they could’ve done it better if they’d set themselves up for it on purpose.
😵💫