Posts by metatron

33

Would You Become A JW Again If Local Congregations Could Become Independent?

by Space Madness in

jw
friends

for those who still believe in god, if local congregations could break away from the watchtower would you consider becoming a witness again.

this would mean no more governing body, circuit overseers, watchtower magazines, and each congregation could have its own "new light".

most of us left because of the control (no college, disfellowsipping) but if the watchtower was out of the picture, all of this would disappear.

metatron

So if it ends undramatically, so what? It Ends!

I just got finished watching PBS 'Escape From Nazi Death Camp'. Some survivors showed remarkable forgiveness after the war. Maybe more than I could ever feel........ but it's good for the soul.

If it ends, it's over. That would be all that matters. Let them become burned out Protestants like the rest. If my speculations about where the world is headed are correct, we're going to be faced with a great deal of reconciliation about horrors that governments have done. We may as well get used to it.

metatron

33

Would You Become A JW Again If Local Congregations Could Become Independent?

by Space Madness in

jw
friends

for those who still believe in god, if local congregations could break away from the watchtower would you consider becoming a witness again.

this would mean no more governing body, circuit overseers, watchtower magazines, and each congregation could have its own "new light".

most of us left because of the control (no college, disfellowsipping) but if the watchtower was out of the picture, all of this would disappear.

metatron

Let's slow down here....

All churches/religions are full of bullsh*t. I wanna see church suppers (communal meals once in awhile), no disfellowshipping and better treatment of kids in particular.

So, maybe if congregations pay some protection money per month to the Watchtower, they can be free?

That's worth looking into, IMO. I would like to see a torchlit mob hang the GB by their heels like Mussolini but that ain't gonna happen.

If they became a half-way normal denomination, what would be so bad about that? I despise the leadership but feel compassion for ordinary Witlesses.

metatron

57

It's Foolish to Believe the Watchtower Will Always Be Around.

by kneehighmiah in

jw
friends

september 11, 2001. riding the bus to school that tuesday morning we discussed the implications of the monday night football game between the broncos and the dolphins.

by lunchtime our entire world have changed dramatically.

america had passed into a new era that would lead to major changes.

metatron

I still think the end of this organization will be like the end of the Soviet empire - not because the common Russian rebelled but because the leadership didn't believe in it anymore and they ran out of money.

Have we reached the point where we can consider that, perhaps, they no longer care what happens to their organizational-idol and they just liquidate?

metatron

22

Is It Possible? Are They Retiring To Warwick?

by metatron in

jw
friends

i'm not making a bold assertion here, just pursuing an idea.

what would have to happen to prove that the watchtower is probably "packing it up", conceding the field, retiring to their new headquarters in senescent peace?.

the dramatic changes we have observed are mostly motivated by money or legal concerns - but not all, as with cutting back on meetings.. you could reasonably have an old guard that still fanatically hopes for armageddon, any day now, while younger men keep their doubts private.

metatron

Where do all the changes end up? American Motors, Burma Shave, Ovaltine, Polaroid and Kodak all had respected management at one time.

Would dumping the magazines be a body blow? Could that eventuality be what they're preparing for? Losing the Watchtower branding in exchange for jw.org?

Villagegirl is right. They don't do nothin for nobody. They seem heedless about long term loyalty.

metatron

9

Hope -And A Conspiracy Confirmed

by metatron in

jw
friends

http://www.businessinsider.com/buttonwood-one-dollar-one-vote-2014-5.

just because the 'truth" is nonsense doesn't mean i don't hope for a better world.. .

in recent years, there have been a lot of people on the fringes complaining that the western world in particular is ruled by an unaccountable elite.

metatron

http://www.democracynow.org/2014/5/14/glenn_greenwald_us_corporate_media_is

Uh, yeah, right........

There's the 'mainstream media' and the 'alternative media'. I did not invent these terms, they are now common parlance, whether you like it or not. The present contrast of the two terms is because something basic (and mostly good) has changed.

Yes, the media - in whatever form- helped us get to where we are, as with Peter Zenger or the abolitionist press or protest against the war in Vietnam, bringing some measure of betterment to society. However, we are now seeing a remarkable democratization of information and news that is upsetting the status quo. This is why the NY Times is having such recent trouble! You could see this as a long term trend and that's valid. I am just emphasizing the acceleration of recent years.

Let's not forget how we got to this site! The Watchtower has been forced into all sorts of decline because they cannot control the internet. After 130+ years of deception, they are being forced into change by this democratization of information.

I do believe that the internet (which as you brought up, began as ARPANET) is already helping to prevent war and expose corruption across the world. This is a wonderful part of human evolution, as a society. It is truly a hopeful, wonderful thing.

metatron

25

Do you think US Dollar will collapse on July 1st?

by Iamallcool in

jw
friends

if you do not know what i am talking about, google about it.

.

metatron

Good to know you're keeping it simple for us -otherwise your generalities and failure to keep up with new developments might lead us to think you can't do otherwise. How wonderful to know that there exists some certified evidence of your ability.

The US might face abject disaster if not for fracking, ugly as it is. Importing huge amounts of oil without reserve currency status could be scary.

metatron

25

Do you think US Dollar will collapse on July 1st?

by Iamallcool in

jw
friends

if you do not know what i am talking about, google about it.

.

metatron

DJS, I read Seeking Alpha for investment opinion. Given your broad strokes here, you could likely benefit from the attention to detail there.

There are no easy answers because there are too many variables and wild cards to consider. I didn't feel this way prior to 2008 when clear investment paths existed. That said:

First, invest in yourself in practical ways. Many people who learn trades or 2 year-ish stuff in Community College education will do OK. There's always a need for Nurses and that might actually increase if technology pushes some Doctors out of business. Example - an injection of stem cells instead of joint surgery.

Second, hold some gold/silver. No, I'm not a gold bug, nor do I think hyperinflation is coming. Just painful inflation with gasoline, meat, etc. You never know.

Own a house? Think about solar and if you have a well, install a hand pump. If the electric fails, how long can you go without water? Get a chest freezer, put it outside (saves electricity in winter) and buy unadvertised specials, especially at BJ's/Costco/Sam's.

Stocks? Very tentative but I suggest dividend stocks in tobacco and liquor. Also, closed end funds in emerging market debt.

Don't put much faith in the US "recovery". Walmart's annual report said much of their revenue now derives from food stamps and other welfare programs. If increased debt and financial speculation was removed from GDP calculations, things would look ugly.

but if you're in the dwindling middle class, I'm really not giving you a revelation here.

metatron

25

Do you think US Dollar will collapse on July 1st?

by Iamallcool in

jw
friends

if you do not know what i am talking about, google about it.

.

metatron

Thank you!

This is a "No, but...... " answer to a question.

The dollar will not collapse on that date or immediately thereafter. However, it is headed for deep trouble.

There are too many derivative contracts out there to allow any sudden collapse. Nevertheless, as the BRICS nations stop using the dollar, it will have consequences for prices, likely of commodities such as oil.

OTOH, the Chinese may help prop up real estate prices in the US as their 1.3 trillion dollars return to be spent in the US.

The FATCA law is astonishingly stupid and many business people know it. Expect delays, compromise or changes because the US is losing global influence daily and this sort of arrogance is coming to an end. (Godspeed to that).

Note that Snopes classifies this as "mixture" meaning some of the idea is true.

metatron

9

Hope -And A Conspiracy Confirmed

by metatron in

jw
friends

http://www.businessinsider.com/buttonwood-one-dollar-one-vote-2014-5.

just because the 'truth" is nonsense doesn't mean i don't hope for a better world.. .

in recent years, there have been a lot of people on the fringes complaining that the western world in particular is ruled by an unaccountable elite.

metatron

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy

The above is a definition of conspiracy, as you seem confused about what the word means.

Yes, the rich and powerful have always existed but 1) in past times, there was little or no claim to being a democracy and 2) the extremes of inequity in wealth and income now exist to a degree not seen since the Great Depression.

I have never observed the mainstream media openly admitting that the US is NOT a democracy. This is new - and it will have effects.

Furthermore, we now may reasonably be on the edge of radical, permanent changes brought about by technology that will dramatically alter human society.

Such as: longevity/anti-aging solutions, new/free energy sources, and information sources freely available to all as never before.

Imagine that the average human could have access to all the libraries in the world in their shirt pocket. Oh, wait.... that's already pretty much true.

Things are changing dramatically because it can't be otherwise. Simple as that.

metatron

22

Is It Possible? Are They Retiring To Warwick?

by metatron in

jw
friends

i'm not making a bold assertion here, just pursuing an idea.

what would have to happen to prove that the watchtower is probably "packing it up", conceding the field, retiring to their new headquarters in senescent peace?.

the dramatic changes we have observed are mostly motivated by money or legal concerns - but not all, as with cutting back on meetings.. you could reasonably have an old guard that still fanatically hopes for armageddon, any day now, while younger men keep their doubts private.

metatron

I'm not making a bold assertion here, just pursuing an idea. What would have to happen to prove that the Watchtower is probably "packing it up", conceding the field, retiring to their new headquarters in senescent peace?

The dramatic changes we have observed are mostly motivated by money or legal concerns - but not all, as with cutting back on meetings.

You could reasonably have an old guard that still fanatically hopes for Armageddon, any day now, while younger men keep their doubts private. You could even have a "toddler tantrum" from time to time - in which loud complaint and demands are made by the Governing Body, only to be suddenly followed by a sudden collapse into slumber (as young kids are wont to do before a bedtime they object to).

There could be factions still holding on, while others just say, 'well, what can you do?'

Are they collectively giving up? Getting bored with it all? Feeling the burden of one failure after another? Now just 'phoning it in'? Creating superficial attempts to be relevant in a digital future?

You can't stay on autopilot forever. An ever changing world won't allow it.

metatron