in another thread there's a discussion about how the show must go on and meetings weren't even slowed down by the deaths or medical emergencies of ones in the audience.
for instance, one young brother's unbelieving father was murdered locally.
not long afterward he's assigned a part on an assembly about the resurrection or something.
They always gave me the talks about raising kids, teaching kids, etc. I don't have any kids! WTF do I know about it? I just parroted what was in the outline or suggested articles. That's all they want anyway.
I always laughed when the school overseer would assign students in the second school "use of microphone" as a council point. There are no microphones in the second school, lol.
any idea what could have happened to song 151?
what logical reason could they have had to skip a number.
is the number 151 now an evil number accordig to new light?
Song 151 has had an invisible presence since 1914.
the so called bunker video isn't just getting attention here but among jws as well.
i've heard a fair share of cracks, some half joking half serious about the prospect of the video playing out in real life .
but something else i've heard is that the video was meant to be figurative, an illustration representing the 'interior rooms' prophecy..
I get so sick of hearing "they must know something" or "they must know it's coming soon". Even when I was an uber-dub, I would say "Jesus doesn't even know the day or the hour, so how could the GB?". Any speculation is simply that. That's one of the few things that is black and white in the bible- nobody knows when.
at the assembly i noticed something new and disturbing.
when a brother is introduced before a talk the audience is now given their life history/ major accomplishments .. "brother arsehole who served at bethal for five years, pioneered in the foreign language territory for ten years, is an elder in x congregation and serves in the construction projects blah blah blah".
this puffing up never used to happen?
"Next on our program is Brother Hairy Psalms. He has spent the last 13 years in a life disfellowshipped debauchery, methamphetime use, chronic masturbation and pedophilia. But after his reinstatement, has been in the full-time pioneer work for just over 3 weeks (applause break). Listen intently as he develops the theme "deaden your body members". We also look forward to Brother Psalms' interviews with the young people he has taken under his wing, and how he started his ministry in a lowly van with no windows, and "free candy" spray-painted on the side. What's that all about? Brother Hairy Psalms, please..."
spoke with a fellow apostate from my own area.
she and i bailed out about the same time and kept in touch.. she used to do secular work with one of the local elders in his cleaning business until she got dfed.
this same elder was one of the more profound dickheads on my reinstatement committee, before i turned around two years later and daed.. business required her to contact the elder on behalf of an old client.
I know in my cong, I assist with the contribution boxes occasionally, and I have seen a huge drop in the last few years. Years ago it wasn't uncommon to see $500+ in the boxes. Now we rarely break $75. No "big contributors" have left the hall either; it's the same ol' people. They just aren't contributing anymore.
It all goes to show, people would rather do things because they want to, rather than being told to.
"The branch" got it's revenge though. They seized our congregation's savings (I'm sorry, I mean "asked that it be contributed to the worldwide work"), merged 6 congregations and emptied out 3 kingdom halls that will soon be sold. So they'll get that money one way or another.
"they don't have a secret elder's book" so said my mother.
"all of our publications are open to everyone.
we all have the same information and nothing is hidden in this religion.".
Many of the Rank'n'File have no idea the book exists. The only time I saw it "legitimately" was when I was a ministerial servant- we had to meet with the CO during his visit. He'd have a meeting with the MSs and Elders, then dismiss the MSs and talk to just the elders. Anyhow, on his MS+Elders talk, he read aloud a few paragraphs from the flock book. He had the elders get theirs out, and we were allowed to "look on" as he read. What a "privilege"!
all this talk about trolley witnessing made me think- our hall has at least two of them, maybe 3. and i have never seen them used.
they just collect dust in the closet.
it's not for lack of somewhere to use them; we have territory spanning several cities, we have plenty of summer fairs/fests, but nobody will take them out.
All this talk about trolley witnessing made me think- Our hall has at least two of them, maybe 3. And I have NEVER seen them used. They just collect dust in the closet. It's not for lack of somewhere to use them; we have territory spanning several cities, we have plenty of summer fairs/fests, but nobody will take them out. I find it a little strange.
i don't think this has been picked up anywhere yet.
the revised nwt released in 2013 is already out of date.
the second half of psalm 51:4 now reads "therefore, you are righteous when you speak, you are right in your judgment" in the online version where the printed version reads "so that you might prove righteous when you speak, and be right in your judgment".. fairly unimportant in itself, but i wonder what else has been changed without telling anyone..
Ever notice in the new "Silver Sword" that the page headings in Psalms, some say "Psalm" and some say "Psalms". Flip through, you'll see it. It just bugs my OCD, lol.
i was going through my copy of steve hassan's combating cult mind control and it occurred to me that it would be great to have something like this specifically for us ex jehovah's witnesses.
while this is a great book, the examples he uses are mostly from people that were moonies, as steve is a former moonie and many people that have contacted him for help were relatives of moonies.
while cults all work basically the same, it would be nice to be have some ideas on things that are specific to jehovah's witnesses.
Psst! You forgot #3!
according to my elder in law, by next year the number of dc/rc's will increase by 143. the size of conventions will get smaller.
the elder in law says the goal is to make them all have around 2,000 or so at each.
they are going to make more manuals detailing each job and it's responsibilities.
I bet if they made the RC shorter (2 days) they'd probably still have it on friday and saturday instead of saturday and sunday, just so people would still be required to quit their jobs if they can't get friday off.
