Posts by aristeas

i know why they do it, because the women would complain, but it's not logical, the men need to be trained on how to conduct a bible study with a student, also.

if it doesn't matter, why are the sisters doing it?

just to give them something to do?

'They created the sit-down talks on the Theocratic Ministry School just for women, so they could give them an assignment in the meeting yet retain their silly notion that women were not teaching the congregation.'

12

College education pays

by hoser in

jw
friends

my first post seems to be locked.

this from cnn today.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/opinion/06/09/aoun.college.benefits/index.html?hpt=hp_c2.

aristeas

Spot on, talesin!

'But, yes,,, it teaches critical thinking, which is the biggest danger for the WTBTS.'

Although, from personal experience, even a graduate degree will not necessarily mean a real, well-paying job!

And welcome, wont-let-me-fade!

16

GB becoming more angry!

by truthseeker1969 in

jw
friends

flipping through the wt and other artices it strikes me how angry the governing body is becoming and how they are using insulting words to describe anyone who "rocks the boat".. words such as diseased and vindictive are common place now and so petty.. it seems to me that these men may be allowing personal feelings to overcome their spiritual role that they are supposed to live by.. i have been out of the truth for 17 years and it is clear to me that they have lost the plot.. look at the generation flip flop.

why not just say, "brothers, we have no clue and therfore no clue about anything that has been taught".

assuming the role of jesus on earth is something no one should do as one look at corinthians clearly states that "gifts of prophesying would be done away with" in other words god said i will tell you not you me.. anyone else feel that the gb is angry?.

aristeas

Why not just say, "brothers, we have no clue and therfore no clue about anything that has been taught"[?]

At the end of R Franz's first book (I think that's where it is) he relates how some typical sister who found out about the O's corruption was completely adrift. I'm sure we have all seen that. After decades (from JFR's time) of nearly always having the concrete answers that—let's face it—most active Witnesses seek, the GB can hardly pull off such a major change of course! They ARE afraid the whole thing will come crashing down and they will be guilty before Jehovah. They just could not conscientiously do it. They would then be 'unfaithful' to their charge.

My two bits for what it's worth.

20

Current GB Members?

by confliction in

jw
friends

i was speaking with someone who would like to know, does anyone know exactly who the current gb members are?

e.g.

names?.

aristeas

Gayle, thx for the info.

20

What a drag it is getting old

by prophecor in

jw
friends

!.........the days of youth are wasted on the youth, i've heard it said.

the days of our lives, as the scriptures so eloquently put it are 70 years.

i look at the youth of today in their teens to maybe thirty or so, and i have to say to myself, "boy, i wouldn't wish my 20's and 30's on anybody.

aristeas

I agree with oz---if only we could

prophecor, I've got to ask: why the avatar of Apollo?

20

David Splane information anyone?

by VM44 in

jw
friends

we need more information as to what sort of person gb member david splane is.

.

there is very little about him that is known..

aristeas

Thx for those giving accurate info/impressions!

51

Feminism? No way

by StopTheTears in

jw
friends

my mother was a hippy who kept a pile of erica jong and germaine greer books beside her bed.

(like every other avowed feminist in those days).

needless to say, she didn't feel the need to do the cleaning and we lived in an unkempt home.

aristeas

STT

Wow, that's quite a heartfelt post! There is an unquestionable divide between biblical views and the modern western world's values, on so many fronts. I have a cousin who went through the 60s & 70s movements & social unrest. She lived in Haight-Ashbury and we used to smoke weed together (all before my JW days). She was big on women's lib, making social changes, etc. Then I saw her at a family reunion around 1990 (?), about the time I was exiting the O, with a husband and child she had given birth to at 40. I couldn't get over how'd she had changed and gone back to traditional values. She said she'd never go through childbirth again at that age, so they adopted a girl from overseas so that her daughter could have a sister. To my knowledge, she's never had anything to do with JWs/WTS, but she has swtiched her values away from the world's, like you have. I hope your tears do stop. Offering your advice here to younger women is thoughtful of you.

Peace.

5

MORE anointed?

by aristeas in

jw
friends

quandry, a veteran member here (since 2006 with 3400+ posts), sent me this thoughtful reply after my first post a few days ago.

i'm reposting it as a new thread to see if others would like to comment on the point she brings up on the rising number of 'anointed' ones.

i had mentioned that i've been mainly out of jw contact (officially anywaya few ex-j dubs/inactive ones i have kept in contact with minimally) for over 20 years.

aristeas

Quandry, a veteran member here (since 2006 with 3400+ posts), sent me this thoughtful reply after my first post a few days ago. I'm reposting it as a new thread to see if others would like to comment on the point she brings up on the rising number of 'anointed' ones. I had mentioned that I've been mainly out of JW contact (officially anyway—a few ex-J dubs/inactive ones I have kept in contact with minimally) for over 20 years. Now I've taken an interest again, so have joined this forum, gone on line here and elsewhere to read others' take on the organization (= O), try to learn what's been happening, etc. The internet's birth has really made a difference in being able to talk candidly about the O. It's rather remarkable to me. It used to be you'd have to secretly buy books like Ray Franz's, Jim Penton's or C O Jonssons' to get this insider stuff, and you had to be super discreet about it too. I remember one bro., who found out I had read this material, after a WT study article on apostasy in '85 or so, called me from out of town just to check & make sure I'd 'faithfully' disposed of it all. Now it's all over the internet! No wonder the GB is running scared re: the net . . .

Quandry's original words:

Welcome to the forum.

Yes, I'll bet if you left several years ago you were indeed confronted with changes. The generation of Matthew 24 has seen a lot of "new light" to the point where it is rediculous...overlapping generations....I'd explain it but to me it defies explantions.

Also...the number of annointed seems to be climbing continuously! I believe it is up to over 10,000. Others can correct me if I'm wrong. It is hard for me to keep up with the celestial chariot these days...

My reply:

Quandry,

Thx for your thoughts and empathy for my situation. The number of memorial partakers must be of great concern to the GB & other Bethel heavies.

I think they really believe that Jehovah operates toward them in the spirit of Peter where in Acts 10 the apostle needs God to clobber him and give him a kick in the butt via 3 repeated visions, AND have an embassy arrive from Caesarea, AND journey there the next day, AND witness holy spirit fall on Cornelius' household—and only then does he get the message that something new is afoot. Not that God gives visions now, but the same 'duhh' mentality seems to be at work. It's really rather remarkable how they have backed off on the nobody's-anointed-after-1935 mindset. I remember Freddie Franz giving a talk in which he said (in his grating squeaky voice) 'NOBODY's being called to heavenly life any more' unless some previously called one has proven unfaithful. I also remember how anyone who wasn't at least 60 y.o. and began to partake was viewed with suspicion, even if he was an elder who'd been in for many years. Then there were/are always those crazy Firpo Carr types to really muck up partaker stats!

I guess what has transpired is that the above-menioned kick in the butt etc. à la Peter thing, along with a real need for more GB members(!)—weren't they down to just 5 or 6 for a while there?—must have caused them to reconsider. It looks like they are only 'believing' (or at least giving serious credence to) those partakers who are at least middle aged and have years of full-time service. But they have surely opened up a can of worms with this change . . .

This rising number of other partakers must have them in a tizzy. I remember how one very conservative elder who worked in a special way for the Society once said to me when he saw younger people partaking back in the 70s, 'How disgusting . . . something so sacred too!'

I found this chart on another website:

[IMG]http://img247.imagevenue.com/loc357/th_22986_mem.partakers_79_08_122_357lo.jpg[/IMG]

Year Partakers
2000 8661
2001 8730
2002 8760
2003 8565
2004 8570
2005 8524
2006 8758
2007 9105
2008 9986
2009 10857
2010 11202

Anyone's observations will be appreciated on this matter. One thing I remember from back in mid-80s: it was Richard Osterling's Time magazine religion column, I think. He had gone out to see the 'paper baggers' (?) protesting at Brooklyn and one of them said, 'We want heaven too.' Is this now manifesting itself within the O? I suppose it's inevitable now that they got 50-some-year-olds on the GB.

I also want to thank many of you who have welcomed me here, made thoughtful comments on so very many posts by others. I must admit, I'm quite overwhelmed at what I'm finding here & elsewhere (I wish I had more time to peruse the old posts!). Again, no wonder the O is vilifying the net .

Cheers.