When I became a publisher in April of 1963, there was a new peak of one million publishers. So the org has increased significantly since then. If not for access to information, there would probably be more than 8 million.
Posts by Mum
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18I used to think that 7 million JWs was a large number
by dogon inthen i saw a stat that made me think differently.
there are 7 million practicing voodoo religion world wide.
about the same as jws, and the big thing is that they do not at all go out and try to convert people at all, not one pamphlet not one tract no door to door calls, phone calls nothing nada.
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47
If you were on your death bed, what is the ONE thing you would say you have learnt ?
by new hope and happiness ini think i would say " you can not change others you can only change your self" .
if you cant think of anything what is the next number in this sequence?.
what do these sums have in common?.
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Mum
Always have a Plan B, as matters rarely work out as planned. Know when to let go.
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19
'The Compound' is coming on nicely...
by snare&racket inwarwick precursory site work on the watchtower bible and tract society's 45-acre jehovahs witnesses world headquarters project in sterling forest has been completed, meaning construction of the planned eight-building complex on long meadow road along the warwick-tuxedo town line is poised to begin in earnest.. the warwick town board on june 12 agreed to reduce watchtower's town-mandated $33.103 million performance bond by a third to signify the completion of approximately one-third of the project.. .
bond reduction totals $11.114 million.
watchtower bible and tract society of new york associate general counsel richard moake and spokesman david c. day, a newfoundland attorney who has represented jehovah witness clients in significant canadian religious freedom rulings, said the $11.114 million bond reduction means preliminary site work has been completed and inspected.. .
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Mum
Billy: I think the WT location in Brooklyn is now seen as a liability, as there have been many protests staged there by ex-JW's. Years ago, I went to Englsnd to participate in a Silentlambs march. There was no march,but just two Americans appearing on behalf of the molested children. The headquarters were in an isolated spot, and there were no sidewalks around it, so it would not have been a great venue for a march of any kind. IMHO, I think they know that it will be much harder for "apostates" or any kind of protestors to draw much attention at the new compound.
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Two well dressed young men came knocking
by Hairtrigger inhere's my experience in the last 15 minutes.
it's about 6 p.m and i'm home alone watching tv when someone knocks loudly on the door.
i open and there, like an apparation, stand two of j smith's disciples -smart looking , well dressed ( they used to wear black ties only a few years ago) clean cut.. i inform them that i'm an ex-j witness and they are quiet for a moment.
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Mum
It's easy for me to understand why a man would be a Mormon (or a Muslim, for that matter), but I cannot fathom why any woman would subject herself to the circumscribed life of these religions.
I have read two books by former Mormon women, one called Secret Ceremonies by Deborah ---- (I forgot her last name) in which she describes her temple wedding, subsequent divorce remarriage, second divorce, stay in a mental hospital, etc. The other one (I have forgotten the title) was written by Sonia Johnson in the 1970's. Sonia Johnson left the church and became a feminist after her ordeal, an ordeal very similar to what JW's go through in the disfellowshipping process. The horror of her story is that some of the men (yes, only men!) interrogating her were government officials and other kinds of powerful narcissists.
Oh, the joys of having no master!
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22
received text from my mom
by GoUnion inso my wife and my parents are at their convention today.
this will be the first time in my life that i will not have seen a drama or baptism.
i will miss the public address, i will not see many of my lifelong friends that i have moved away from.
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Mum
If you want to be brutally honest, ask your mom why their "love" for you is conditioned on obedience to a bunch of control freaks you've never met (I assume). Tell her you love her no matter what. Why did the WTS redefine "love" for only their members? Tell her you're not "throwing away" anything, but as ADCMS said, they would be throwing you away.
Make some new friends. Take a class. Jon a gym. Start your own life with no master. If that's what you want, that is.
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50
My friends don't believe dinosaurs existed ....
by wannabefree ini just found this out last night.
(preface: this is a husband and wife that i have come to be friends with after leaving the borg, they are christians).
we were sitting around visiting last night and having a good time when my friend starts in on illegal immigration and politics and starts throwing out his hate speech which eventually turns to homosexuals.
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Mum
It is so sad to live in a time when virtually everybody has access to information and education, and there are still people who are scared of facts and truth. We are so lucky to have scientsts who have studied every natural phenomenon and can tell us so much. It reminds me of a story I read once in which an older gentleman of the upper class is speaking against education for "the great unwashed." He states that no man who can read would ever go into a coal mine. We can learn to read but choose not to. It's just too easy to listen to fairy tales and believe they're true.
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130
Involved with a JW woman
by jonza inokay so i'm dating a born-in jw woman, she's younger than me and has no kids.
i'm a christian man whos divorced with 2 kids.
we're in love and seriously want to be together.
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Mum
You are in a scary situation. She may not truly believe everything about witness doctrine, but she is paralyzed by fear. As Carl Sagan has pointed out, once a person has been bamboozled long enough, they are no longer interested in the truth. It is too painful to acknowledge, even to oneself, that we've been bamboozled.
I hope you won't let her take your children to any JW religious activities. Being the man gives you some power in the JW world. Use it wisely, to protect your children from love bombing, indoctrination, baptism, disfellowshipping, being shunned, mental slavery, and all of the consequences thereof.
Is there anything she is interested in, such as math, science, philosophy, language, music, cooking, crafts - anythng at all? If you can get her interested in an activity that will take her mind off the nonsense, that would be helpful. The key is to find the real person living nside the brainwashed cult follower. If she could become deeply involved in a career or community service, it would be gratifying and could be a step toward her freedom.
You sound like a nice guy. You and she deserve to be happy. Watchtower legalism makes it very difficult for its adherents to be happy, to relax and enjoy life. Plan activities with the kids that are fun. Plan fun activities for just the two of you as well. People remember how they feel than they remember facts and rules. You have the potential to do a lot of good and help this woman and her child(ren). Tread carefully.
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the Protestant world could in fact be worse than the Catholic Church.
by nonjwspouse inat the request of bju, the nonprofit godly response to abuse in the christian environment (grace) is currently investigating the university for how it's handled sexual abuse.
more than 100 people have come forward to grace investigators, and the report is due out in the next few months.
boz tchividjian, the head of grace, believes christian organizations across the country have failed victims in similar ways, and that the protestant world could in fact be worse than the catholic church.
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Mum
Right at bottom, they're all the same. The sum rises to the top and keeps down the goodness underneath.
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55
The Venting Thread
by minimus inthis thread is for you to vent about anything (within guidelines) that you want.. i'll start.. i'm sick of people who complain about how cold the weather is and then you have two 85 degree days and now they can't wait till autumn!.
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Mum
phats: Welcome! Tell us more when you're ready.
I've been playing the lottery 18 years, and still haven't won!
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JW honored for civic service
by Mum incheck this out.
i once knew this guy.. www.topix.com/forum/city/johnson-city-tn/tir9m88gbacn79lmo.
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Mum
Ken Ross was a born-in, or a convert in childhood. His parents split up, and he was reared in the projects. His mom was a housekeeper for a local doctor, who sent a chauffeur to the projects every day to take her to work. His sister also married a non-JW, a professional for the state of TN. He was a JW when he went to college. The first time I met him, I told him I had gone to college for two years. He said he had gone to college, and was apologetic about it. He also had married a "worldly" woman and converted her. He had a way of speaking that was rather "wooden," and his pronunciation was very precise. He was actuallly a nice guy. Clearly, he was ambitiious, a good thing outside the WT world.
He was not an elder at that time. He was the school servant, whcih probably means he was an MS.
Good for him for flouting the WT and yet remaining in their good graces!