in 2009, they reported 118 branches.
in 2011, they reported 98 branches.
a net loss of 20 branches in 2 years.. they are selling off kingdom halls, here and there - sometimes packing several congregations into one hall where one per building was the rule.not compassionate where weather or other traveling factors could injure publishers..... and they're selling off some assembly halls, too.. brooklyn et al is being sold - and you already know about all the many cutbacks, layoffs and the downsizing of magazines.. why?.
The watchtower are "institutional investors" with some of the worlds biggest hedge funds. More money in = more money out. The market has fallen through the floor. I think they are chasing liquid assets for investing in stock. They are not stupid, sure 2 billion dollars brings in interest, but not stock market gambling interest.
Greedy bastards, I wonder if Satan will be thanked for funding the preaching work before he is thrown into a fiery lake
Pastor Russell thought so... Swish!
this is an honest question on my part.
someone on this board asked me 'how do you know' a while ago and i really struggled with it.
in fact, it was a turning point for me.
Flying high you are asking fantastic questions!
We have most of the answers, it's all very very simple. Just go read xxxx
Emotions, music, love , family connection, lust, etc it is allll explained via neurology, endocrinology and psychology.
As for the old Christian "hormones could not evolve..." this was dealt with via lab evidence in the 60s ! Check out a recent discussion on it with good old PZ Myers.
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006/07/evolution_of_hormone_signaling.php
P.s. a doctor once said hormones could not evolve to me and my class, I took him all the papers that explained the whole process, it was ver simple (basic affinity of early ligands for receptors) he didn't thank me, didn't ask or the papers or an explanation.. He totally dismissed me. He was an evangelical.The guy is no longer teaching!
Snare x
i've just been catching up on some of the posts that people made about this case and i am appalled at the blatant racism demonstrated by certain individuals.. yes, you are entitlted to your opinion ... but at some point your opinion needs to be kept locked inside your ignorant biggoted empty skull and not come out of your stupid fat mouth.
it especially shouldn't be posted on my forum.. such racism will not be tollerated here.. i also would like to publicly apologise to outlaw for not being on top of this earlier and making sure that he wasn't lumped in with these despicable people for simply pointing out how out-of-line their behavior was.
sorry my friend - you did not deserve that and i understand completely why you have had a break from the site..
Racism is sooooo 1950's
It makes me so angry that it exists today, it seems a huge problem in USA still, despite Obama and it being 2012. I feel racism has never been dealt with properly. All of the sudden, no one was allowed to be racist and it all went quiet. Ignorant people remained ignorant and made the racist jokes to themselves and out of a black persons earshot. This is not a cure, education and shining a light on dumb ass thinking is the answer. Good work Simon. Homophobia and racism on a Christian themed forum, who'd a thunk it. The fact the WT literature is full if white American people (crack open the greatest man book and find one, just one Middle eastern face or skin colour!) is just a coincidence. Even in the 90's there were kingdom halls in the USA where the old entrance for black bros and sis's had once been. Apparantly racism was one of caesars laws the WT corp were happy to accept as not conflicting with gods opinion on things.... Nice.
Leave the homophobic, racist, sexist crap in your head. Broaden your mind, we can all assure you that you are missing quite a huge chunk of info from your life. Being racist is WRONG. the genes for skin colour are nothing special what's the big deal? Black people are the ancestors of all mankind, white people were just black ancestors that went North and evolved for the colder climate... That's it!! Simples.
Buy a book..... Then read it!
Snare x
P.s. any book....
"my dream has come true" i have a bullshite story in the latest watchtower..
That's right baby dream your little heart out! Work 4 days for a shitty company that treat their staff badly and work the weekends for free!
Who said you needed an education? Hallelujah all praise Jahooha for making a company director give someone time off work for religious activity. Never been done before ever!
amen
this is an honest question on my part.
someone on this board asked me 'how do you know' a while ago and i really struggled with it.
in fact, it was a turning point for me.
That's not true tec.
Evolution requires mutation, mutation = disease. You can't have variation and perfection. Just because you don't see a conflict does tea it does not exist. It means you don't know enough about one or both topics to see the conflicts. What about gods description of creation and the FACTS that prove it totally untrue? What about the science that says the chronology of gods word is wrong. What about the sciences that make evident where the myths in the bible came from? What about the conflicts within the book itself!
What about your moral conflict with regard to your gods love of murder, punishment, death, worship, self adoration, jealousy, sexism, incest, bla bla bla
What about the conflict that this is all supposed to be about proving we as humans can't rule the earth for ourselves, but god made us all sick, sinful and short living, hardly a level playing field... Adam was supposedly perfect.
There is nothing but conflict in your world view and for the months I have been here we have made sooooooo much of it abundantly clear to you. You clearly are not interested either Tec. A shame as you seem so sincere in seeking answers. I guess you will keep looking if the answer doesn't suit your needs. All the best you two.
Snare x
i have to wonder if the watchtower is having financial problems of some sort.
at the very least they are spending more than they are taking in.
which would explain all of the cutbacks of the last decade.
"providing food at the proper time....."
You would think that a faithful slave would increase nourishment for the animals before his master returns, not reduce it. Maybe he thinks the master will say "you made my cows fat homie!" or maybe they don't care about the spiritual nourishment and it is evident they think the pages of their meal are disposable on a whim in order to save money for a new Head Quaters. They are in a losing battle, they dare not say they are in financial difficulty because it indicates a lack of heavenly aid, at the same time they need to cut back.
Building a new HQ hasn't reached the ears of the average follower yet, when it does they will question it, even if they pretend they don't. When I was in the uk bethel they announced a new location and a new bethel to be built. A few months later the word from Brooklyn came back..... we all knew before it was announced the next week, it was a "no you can't" and the reason? "Armageddon is so close now, we need to focus on the preaching work and therefore the printing work, there is not time for a new betel." half the bethelites excitedly left the dining room keen to tell their family how close the end was. Some of us left thinking how much of a shambles this all was. That was nearly 15 years ago.
Snare x
this is an honest question on my part.
someone on this board asked me 'how do you know' a while ago and i really struggled with it.
in fact, it was a turning point for me.
N.drew you could not be more wrong ...... I also had once 'found' what you found. It was an empty box. You can have it all to yourself, but don't for one second apologise for being special enough to have it. It's all yours. I can't believe with all the scriptures etc that we have discussed you would even WANT it all to be true. The god of the bible is a disgusting creation. You are welcome to whatever you believe you have found.
What you said was untrue and presumptious , something that makes you feel better for not picking up a book, it is so lazy and ignorant to proclaim that we are all just blindly accepting bullshit just because you do. We are not like you, quit appeasing your doubts by making childish remarks about REAL FACTS. Duhhhhhh yeah a man said in a book fossils are millions of years old, the fact that museums are full of them is insignificant duuuuhhhh! Since leaving the holy book of batshit behind I have questioned half of what I have seen and everything I have heard.
I don't believe anything I am told, it makes life quite difficult, but such is the lesson of being a follower all my life. You presume until the cows come home that I have not done any research. Oh you really are unlucky when choosing who to moan at, I have gone to a lab and done DNA PCR, I have gone and studied the evolution of horses via their teeth, I have even done Mendelian genetics with corn in a lab. I got my hands dirty and one day I hope to do the miller experiment for myself. I have had more lab coats than you have had books with bibliographies. I have even dissected a full human being from head to toe with all the vestigeal evolutionary remains for me to see and find from palmaris longus to the reccurant laryngeal nerve all the way down to the caecum. You are so barking at the wrong tree N.Drew. The people you sit questioning are NOT armchair scientists or forum contributors. They have worked hard to know the facts they know. You won't even read A book. This week I have done 80 hrs of revision, since Sunday. I have slept less than 14 hrs in 5 days. I have been taught science full time, every hour for 5 years. If you think that is comparable to you and your Jewish scroll, which you have never displayed any deep knowledge of,mthen that's up to you. I don't think you want the truth,you want what comforts you. All the best with that. Disagree? What have you done? How much read, read, read have you done? Stop making assumptions. Out of the two of us, one of us has examined both sides of the fence. I was a bethelite, been there done that.
You are wasting people's time. You have had enough help and attention for me. You. Have gone from asking silly questions to making personal comments in the hope to get a response, knowing the person you are talking to will answer. Not any more. All the best with your life, get in touch when you feel the urge to learn and feel brave enough to stop believing in Santa.... I mean a fatherly god
Snare x
only humans have feelings?
well we all know that has been proven untrue!
animals can't think....?
Only humans have feelings? Well we all know that has been proven untrue! Animals can't think....? Next time you see a dog on a beach with his owner, watch carefully as the owner throws an object into the sea, the dog doesn't go straight into the water but will travel down the beach until at right angles to where the splash took place THEN enters the water.... That dog just did high school geometry.
Ok well animals can't build.... What about birds nests? Ok well animals can't make or use tools, oh they certainly can, we even have footage of primates using rocks as hammers and a block as an anvil.
Ok ok ok ok, but animals don't have morals..........
Enjoy the latest video on TED. (you really should watch TED, it's free and enlightening !)
only humans have feelings?
well we all know that has been proven untrue!
animals can't think....?
