Matty

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Posts by Matty

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  22

  THE CONSCIENCE OF THE CONGREGATION

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  have you ever been in a congregation that seemed either very lenient or very strict?

  you know, the type that people will say "you can do that in your congregation???

  " i know of more than a few halls where all the elders and ministerial servants had to auxillary pioneer.i know of 1 congregation that has a m.s.

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  Matty

  One of the congregations I attended was populated by the most bigoted and pious body of elders you could ever imagine. They liked to compete with other congregations in the circuit in the statistics front, and they were never content unless they were top of the league.

  This congregation had the most pioneers, highest average hours, most studies, highest meeting attendance etc... It was so ministry-orientated that if your hours dipped below around 15 you would find that your name would disappear from the notice board, (i.e. prayers/watchtower reading/service meeting items & demos) and if it dropped below 10 you would get privately counselled by one of the elders.

  Those were the most unhappy years of my life, because I worked so hard for the truth, but I never felt that I was good enough. Jehovah would only bless me if I worked so hard I would be mentally and physically exhausted all the time. If I fell short it was because I didn't have enough faith, and my prayers weren't earnest enough. Many people I knew were forced to go to other congregations to escape the pressure. This reinforced the status of the remaining ones.

  It's often the luck of the draw as far as congregations are concerned. When you join a congregation it takes a while to figure out if you "belong" there. How many people do you know go to the congregation that matches their personality rather than going to one that they are supposed to go to because they are in the territory? Half my congregation do not live in the territory, and there are many in our territory that go to other halls, generally because of a clash of personality with one of the elders. How many do you know repeatedly fail to get appointed as elders and ministerial servants in one congregation, only to move to an adjoining congregation and become what they want within a year? Also how many do you know are forced to stand down in their position, and leave to go to another congregation to get appointed again? This disunity is so common, and it was one of the reasons why I started thinking that it may not be the truth after all.
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  8

  Contagious?

  by Matty in

  1. social
  2. humour

  a teacher asks her class to use the word contagious.. james, the class swot, gets up and says, "last year i got the measles and my mum said it was contagious".. "well done james" says the teacher, "can anyone else try"?.

  katie, a sweet little girl with pigtails says "my grandma says there's a bug going around, and its contagious".

  "well done, katie" says the teacher.

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  Matty

  Sorry Salem that was very rude! I'm sure your opinion of me has plumeted!
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  8

  Contagious?

  by Matty in

  1. social
  2. humour

  a teacher asks her class to use the word contagious.. james, the class swot, gets up and says, "last year i got the measles and my mum said it was contagious".. "well done james" says the teacher, "can anyone else try"?.

  katie, a sweet little girl with pigtails says "my grandma says there's a bug going around, and its contagious".

  "well done, katie" says the teacher.

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  Matty

  A teacher asks her class to use the word contagious.

  James, the class swot, gets up and says, "last year i got the measles and my mum said it was contagious".

  "Well done James" says the teacher, "can anyone else try"?

  Katie, a sweet little girl with pigtails says "my grandma says there's a bug going around, and its contagious"

  "Well done, Katie" says the teacher. "Anyone else"?

  Little Irish Shaun jumps up and says in a broad Irish voice, "Our next door neighbour is painting his house with a two inch brush and my dad says it will take the contagious"
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  18

  JW's told NOT to watch Panorama.......??

  by Latte in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have just been told of two people who were told yesterday at the meeting, not to watch panaorama.

  latte .

  edited by - latte on 15 july 2002 9:46:52.

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  Matty

  I think the fact that Panorama was not mentioned during the letter reading was significant because it carefully primed the audience that knew about the programme, the ones that were planning on watching it. Remember that most Witnesses are just sporadic TV watchers, so in the event that there were ones in the audience that hadn't heard about the programme, they might still remain unaware of it afterward too. Mentioning the programme at the meeting, either neutrally or negatively would still mean that they would be giving undeserved publicity to the BBC.
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  18

  JW's told NOT to watch Panorama.......??

  by Latte in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have just been told of two people who were told yesterday at the meeting, not to watch panaorama.

  latte .

  edited by - latte on 15 july 2002 9:46:52.

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  Matty

  Rachel, this is a forum, don't be so grumpy! We are supposed to put forward things that we have heard to get them discussed and verified, Latte was perfectly in order to start this thread. No doubt witnesses all over the country have been told all sorts of things! I just mentioned that the official stance was not to discuss Panorama during the meeting, after and before is a different matter.
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  18

  JW's told NOT to watch Panorama.......??

  by Latte in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have just been told of two people who were told yesterday at the meeting, not to watch panaorama.

  latte .

  edited by - latte on 15 july 2002 9:46:52.

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  Matty

  The elders in the UK were given strict instructions not to make any further comment other than what was read to the congregation. The letter did not even mention Panorama let alone discourage people from seeing it.
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  13

  BBC LIVE Email ForumStarts In 30 Minutes!

  by Englishman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  here's the addy, go to forum section pronto!

  http://news.bbc.co.uk/.

  englishman.

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  Matty

  Is the forum on this http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsa/n5ctrl/live/now4.ram Real Media File?

  Looks like I'm in the same boat as Sirona, can't load RealOne. I'm at work and so I only have Microsoft's Windows "Admin privileges for Bill" Media Player. Doh. I guess I should be working anyhow! The last thing I need is getting the sack before I leave the dubs!

  Edited by - Matty on 15 July 2002 9:18:39
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  4

  phonecall from mormon re PANORAMA

  by bay64me in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a call from a mormon friend expressing her disgust at last nights panorama programme.

  while i share her disgust at the despicable treatment these abuse victims endured, i also felt a burning rage at her, (my friend) for her apparent smugness in her attitude that such a thing would <strong>never</strong> happen within the confines of her religion.</p>.

  <p>my rage came as a bit of a surprise to me, as i thought i'd never feel that way about jws exposure.

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  Matty

  The way that Mormon morons criticise Jehovah's Witnesses is the ultimate in "pot calling the kettle black"!

  I bet they are loving all this controversy, just like the JWs loved the Catholics being slammed, well they better enjoy it while they can thats all I can say!
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  2

  BBC Panorama TRANSCRIPT

  by Rado Vleugel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  read the transcript on watchtower information service.

  rado vleugeledited by - rado vleugel on 15 july 2002 3:32:52.

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  Matty

  Thank you Rado, that's extremely helpful.
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  7

  JW response to BBC program online

  by freeborg in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  below are a couple of coments from the bbc web page, youwill notice the typical jw response.

  many more listed use the link below .

  http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/audiovideo/programmes/panorama/newsid_855000/855727.stm.

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  Matty

  A typical JW response was the cynical and condemnatory way Jehovah's Witnesses see Bill Bowen and the work he has done. We have already seen it here by some of the posters in the last few months.

  I am still reeling over the way I heard members of my family yesterday denounced this wonderful, darling man, with no knowledge about him whatsoever. "He's no brother", "How can he be such a traitor by talking to the media like that!".

  I am so sickened I really had to bite my tongue!