Posts by Half banana

23

792 baptized this weekend at one convention

by dropoffyourkeylee in

at a 3-day convention in nairobi, kenya this week 12-2-16 through 12-4-16, they had 70,000+ attendance, and there were 792 baptized (i presume the baptism was yesterday).

i was amazed to hear this; i guess now we know where the wt's growth is coming from..

Half banana

If you live in a country with poverty, bad government and a poorly functioning welfare, religion looks like a respectable source of hope.

The means by which JWs validate their presence in the world is by numbers of believers. The more people persuaded by the org to join them, the stronger the case for their existence.

It would be interesting to uncover the motives of those baptized who are drawn from a culture which is not generally critical of religious sects. Most faiths are acceptable because for the majority of Africans, it is socially demanded to be a believer in God hence religion is still a way of life.

62

Meeting Attendance levels

by freddo in

jw
friends

i attended a sunday meeting today after missing a couple due to a bout of chronic apathy.

out of 74 publishers we had a grand total of 33. wonderful.

for those that attend, how are you finding the numbers?.

Half banana

I like the idea Stuck: CHRONIC APATHY. The best species of this ailment is the one which is contagious and may it continue to spread worldwide in JW congregations. Chronic apathy is the result of the true believers having been so disappointed for so long that even they can see the Watchtower dream falling apart.

There is a feedback mechanism here, you simply leave the org and get a life of your own and this will increase the chronic apathy inside the org.

Will those still hanging on as if they are JWs please take note!

16

Showing Kindness To Strangers

by FedUpJW in

i feel pretty foolish after reading the drivel in today's wt.

here i was operating under the impression that showing kindness to strangers was something that one did unselfishly.

boy was i wrong!

Half banana

Hello and welcome to the KH Mr Smith, now shave that beard of or you won't find many friends here...

26

My presentation (new one here!)

by Skepsis in

jw
friends

i registered in the board and i wanted to present myself.. i used to visit this forum some time ago and even register an account but then i tried to convince myself all was ok in the congregation.

now, i'm coming back :).

i live in a southern european nation, i'm a young jw, a good example in the congregation serving as a regular pioneer and ms. for all in the congregation i'm the good guy, one of the best examples in the area i live.

Half banana

Well done Skepsis for waking up and coming here. Your experience will make the GB despair! How can anyone believe the Bible myths to be true once you apply logic and critical thinking, and amass enough information to contextualise it. Well done too for getting a proper education.

What you have not got is your freedom to live your life as you would wish. To choose what we do is is not a privilege, it is our birthright! The JW org steals the individual's birthright and assumes the believers should devote all of their time and energy to them alone.

Most of us have been in your shoes knowing that the hermetic world of JWs is a cult but having family members still engaged with the org. The best thing is to make it a goal to leave (as I think you have) and work to that end. Just remember that you have rights as a free human and the JW org has no authority over you.

Best wishes on your journey.

37

Has the rebranding worked?

by MrTheocratic in

it's been several years since the start of the rebranding of jehovahs witnesses.

i believe it started with the website change.

ever since then the religion has moved in a more modern direction.

Half banana

The old Watchtower mag always looked unattractive! Badly drawn, ineffectual as an advert and very unappetising... just like the JW religion.

Since Jehovah keeps forgetting to bring on Armageddon a makeover was needed to survive the slick, instant communication, visually led world of the 21st century.

So now there is a slick and snazzy JW org logo concealing the same old tired, lying Watchtower cult underneath it

18

Do you use a dictionary?

by compound complex in

jw
friends

in my work, i rely upon google for quick answers on definition (denotation), pronunciation (audio), etymology, shades of meaning (connotation), etc.. what i really mean is, do you use an actual unabridged websters, the one you get a hernia lifting?

i ask because, last night, i was tired of fighting with my two ailing computers and decided to pull the big book off the shelf.

it was great, hearkening back to olden times -- childhood -- when i read real books and periodicals and wrote unknown words into a notepad (the paper sort) and pored over old noah's offerings.. your thoughts?.

Half banana

Apart from posting here, may I ask what do you do CC?

I love books, the physical presence of books and of course those sensuous to the touch; old leather bound tomes from the middle and late 19th century. But hey, time has moved on and a lot less beautiful but more immediate in access for definition is the computer. The pronunciation element is a boon too.

I am an etymology freak so I also use the fat Universal English Dictionary (Routledge, Kegan & Paul) regularly for the Indo-European roots of words.

When I was about twenty, a full century ago, even though pioneering I had saved up enough cash for the complete Oxford English Dictionary in about twenty volumes. I went to pay but alas it had just gone up another thirty pounds to something like £150 which was beyond my means so I settled for the photographically reduced version instead in two hefty volumes which came with a magnifying glass. Back then I could read the miniscule print without it.

101

Are Gods true worshippers on Earth today? If they are not JWs then who are they?

by Formerbrother in

is there gods true worshipers on earth today as jesus said there would be?

if they are not jws then who are they?.

who else comes close to being gods true followers today?.

Half banana

Hands down it has to be the followers of John Frum who have the only true religion. It's just that the planes bringing the untold riches have not yet arrived.

8

Michael Cremo and the book Fobbiden archaeology

by Crazyguy in

jw
friends

it my understanding that he's claiming that humans have lived on earth for millions of years.

it looks as though he's even showing different archaeological findings to support his claim.

he seams to be claiming that other inferior humanoids could not created some of the things found and i guess modern scientists would agree on that single piont.. its also if interest to find out that his religious beliefs maybe behind his ideas.

Half banana

erratum: I meant to say skeletal evidence is around 200 000 years before present and therefore it would be expected that H sapiens were living many thousands of years before that.

33

"It is the victims right to approach authorities" The weak excuse used by the society

by stuckinarut2 in

we have seen that the society falls back on the line "it is the victims right to approach the authorities" during all the abuse claims.. they use this excuse to try and defend the passive lack of action in failing to report suspected cases of abuse.. a comparison came to mind:.

if we came across a person lying in the street who says they were hit by a car, would we say "it is your absolute right to call the paramedics and police"?.

or would we take the initiative and call those authorities ourselves to help the person?.

Half banana

To say that their members "have the right to call the police", is a despicable excuse because they KNOW that the members agree to an unwritten code of loyalty which precludes such action.

The JW org functions on the basis of unthinking submission to every nuance of their leaders' instructions which is socially monitored by a constant check on the actions of all members. Actions are either praised as being 'for the organisation' hence approval as a faithful JW, or condemned for not conforming to the GB's wishes, which leads to alienation.

Any analysis of the JW org must include a recognition of this method of manipulation.

8

Michael Cremo and the book Fobbiden archaeology

by Crazyguy in

jw
friends

it my understanding that he's claiming that humans have lived on earth for millions of years.

it looks as though he's even showing different archaeological findings to support his claim.

he seams to be claiming that other inferior humanoids could not created some of the things found and i guess modern scientists would agree on that single piont.. its also if interest to find out that his religious beliefs maybe behind his ideas.

Half banana

Last night I was in Westminster Abbey at a concert and during the intermission I looked down and found I was standing on Darwin's grave! Darwin was a scientist who used evidence as the basis for his world shattering big idea.

Writers and their books with ludicrous titles such as Forbidden Archaeology are a waste of time if you are seeking to learn something useful.

The evidence is that humans 'morphologically' i.e. with the same basic shape as us, goes back in the scientific record to around a quarter of a million years before present. Since these examples of early african Homo sapiens skulls were only the specimens found by scientists it would indicate they would have existed earlier evolving alongside other 'hominins' i.e human related species but their evidence has not yet arrived. It would be reasonable on the evidence available so say that H sapiens therefore is at least 250 000years old and probably arose another 50, 000 years before that.