Posts by DesirousOfChange

the gb seems to have a bunker mentality, that they are special, and that the world is out to get them, so they tend to keep within their tightly controlled, protective environment.

bottlegate proved that there is some danger outside of the rarified atmosphere of their echo chamber; you never know when a camera might be trained on you, or that someone might recognise you as being something more than plain old "joe citizen".

further, tm3's new address was quickly found and distributed, and (as i understand it) someone drove to his gated community to tell the security guard that tm3's "ass is grass".

DesirousOfChange

They should be paranoid considering how many people's lives they have harmed. There are likely a lot of folks who really are "out to get them" and would love nothing more than to see them topple from their ivory tower.

44

2023 Yearly Report UNDER the Microscope

by raymond frantz in

https://youtu.be/pi7sn2rnrke?si=lnvklqct6nuayv2q.

branches of jehovah’s witnesses: 85 (= down one from 86 from the previous year and quite possibly they are referring to the hong kong bethel that closed down recently).

number of lands reporting: 239 ( =the same as 2022).

DesirousOfChange

Where did they find that many JW kids to dunk?

33

Further education

by ExBethelitenowPIMA in

i just saw on a video that there has been a change about further education.

here is a screenshot of a letter that went to all elders.

i am an elder but i don’t remember this one, perhaps it is only for some areas?.

DesirousOfChange

A total disservice to post this kind of sh!t.

If anything, it makes me question if the poster is doing so at the behest of WTS. Then anyone that would mention seeing such a letter would be identified as following apostate websites.

3

News Documentary: No Witnesses: Claims of abuse and denial in a religious sect

by Tahoe in

https://northernontario.ctvnews.ca/video/c2842685-w5--no-witnesses?playlistid=1.3856158 .

investigative journalist avery haines.

DesirousOfChange

Awesome news story. It really puts WT in a bad light. (Not to be confused with New Light.)

After watching the Catholic Church implode on the CSA issue, WT legal should have had the foresight to provide better counsel to the GB on how to better address the issue within the Organization.

Where was the "divine direction from the Holy Spirit"?

22

General Amnesty For Disfellowshipped

by NotFormer in

future gb: "please come back!

all is forgiven!".

would it work?

DesirousOfChange

Here's a scenario, say someone is df'd at 17 for sex. They leave and later get married with kids leading a normal life for a decade or so. He or she obviously hasn't been engaged in immorality for years so why should they have to wait a year to be reinstated if the chose to come back? ~Nowwhat?

That's a perfect example!

Years ago WT/GB instituted a program where elders were to contact DFd JWs once per year to encourage them to return. It was revised that those who once made it clear they had no interest could be removed from the visits, and those DFd who were known as apostates were not to be contacted. (Think that was to keep them from awakening the elders??) LIke most WT policies, that seemed to be forgotten or dropped eventually, likely because of so much negative response.

More recently they published the "Return To Jehovah" brochure. We had a couple elders who kindly dropped that off at our home. WT missed the opportunity at that time to make it obvious that the reinstatement of DFd who were not critical to the bOrg should have been encouraged to return as well as anyone only inactive. Yes, more would likely return if they were not humiliated to jump through all the hoops created by power hungry elders.

44

Geoffrey Jackson has a beard now

by Tahoe in

.

DesirousOfChange

If it is faked, then eff whoever did it. I'm sick of not being able to trust stuff I see, hear, and read. ~ Magnum

Magnum is "right on"!

Any time you mention a critical article or video to a JW, their reply will be that you cannot trust anything posted on the internet because it's likely something apostates have photoshopped or falsified to discredit "the brothers". There is plenty to be said about the bOrganization without having to fake it.

Anyone who does this is just fueling their persecution complex.

33

Hotels for convention

by ElderBerry in

a department in bethel wants to try to make money from regional conventions by asking local hotels if they will give a special rate and a coupon code to give to jws.. .

they should just keep it simple and not be greedy for dishonest gain.. .

this year some convention sites the hotels said no thank you i think the jws are going to book with us anyway.

DesirousOfChange

Why do the brothers at Bethel spend so much time talking to hotel managers and trying to get some of the profits from JWs staying with them.

I don't think the WTS makes "a profit" or any kind of monetary kickback or commission from the "approved" hotels, but rather, I think they get x number of FREE rooms which they use for CO's, DO's, and Bethel delegates. Any free rooms that they do not use for these privileged delegates are often "sold" on a "contribution basis" to local brothers by the WT Rooming Dept.

This is not an isolated WT policy about greed. It is a common business practice when groups arrange conventions/meetings in any city. Often the City Tourism Commission will assist these groups as they want to rent their convention hall venue and they want to bring tourism dollars to their city. My wife and I were delegates/attendees of a lobbyist group where my biz is a member and we stayed at Trump Tower at a negotiated rate of about 65% of any other rate I could find available. I'm sure the lobbyists themselves had rooms comped to them because their grouped guaranteed x number of bookings.

I'm not defending WT, other than saying it's what any savvy business group would do.

3

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Religion.

by LostintheFog1999 in

i spotted this article on an irish news channel's webpage and thought you might have something to say about the idea.

perhaps in the future jws will replace their robotic elders with actual robots, what do you think?

we could consult with ai jesus to see what he thinks about the idea.

DesirousOfChange

Evidence of any kind of intelligence would be an improvement.