i’m hearing paraphrasing like “we just don’t know” .
is this regarding 1914?
or micheal the arch angel?.
It is something that will have to be changed again at some point. 2024 seems like a good year to do it, a nice round 110 years since 1914.
This is an announcement that could go along with a softening of the shunning policy, as a lot of dubs will probably struggle with this.
https://youtu.be/pi7sn2rnrke?si=lnvklqct6nuayv2q.
branches of jehovah’s witnesses: 85 (= down one from 86 from the previous year and quite possibly they are referring to the hong kong bethel that closed down recently).
number of lands reporting: 239 ( =the same as 2022).
Seems that the org has peaked and is in decline in developed countries and is increasing is developing ones.
with what is arguably the biggest change to jw life in recent decades (the scrapping of publishers counting hours) what does this lead to?.
in my mind these are the results;.
1) a massive decrease in 'preaching hours'.
The org has made a killing in property investment over the decades. I wonder how much of their income these days comes from property and shares?
The gb has set up the org now that the average dub must be starting to feel less invested - black screens on zoom, ticking a box for reporting hours. Its turning into nothing more than a social club that watches videos while sporting the latest hipster beards.
No more quick builds to bring people together, witnessing fading into the background, half full Kingdom halls. It is a recipe that would seem to equal less donations in the future , so they must be counting on other revenue streams to survive.
throughout watchtower history dates have been a problem.
the usual solution for failed prophetic dates has been to kick the can down the road.
this needs to be done with 1914. the generation that will never pass away is now 110 years old and therefore is past its useful life span.
Article 1 is strange and twisted.
Because a made up class called the 'Faithful and Discreet Slave' were not formed until after 1919, anything written before then could not have been true?
The same class today, after over 100 years in existence admits to being un-inspired and having no special knowledge and anything written by them is subject to change. At the same time they expect everything they say to be taken as seriously as if god had said it.
Once again, trying to have it both ways. Article 1 discounts 1914 as a valid teaching and yet article 4 says all of Jesus's prophecies revolve around 1914.
Did he really want a beard, or is it just to normalise it to the dubs?
Also, will there be a certain type of beard that is not allowed?
Like this one??:
so, i finally saw the annual meeting video part 2.. this is the one with the “new light” on who might survive armageddon, vs. those who do not.. in summary, for those of you fortunate enough not to have to sit through it, it’s something like this:.
old light: once the “great tribulation” starts, that’s it for non-jws.
the “door of the ark” is closed.
to all those on this forum, i would love to know what your take on this vital question is..
This world, and everything in it only begins to make sense when you have the courage to accept that god does not exist.
so, i finally saw the annual meeting video part 2.. this is the one with the “new light” on who might survive armageddon, vs. those who do not.. in summary, for those of you fortunate enough not to have to sit through it, it’s something like this:.
old light: once the “great tribulation” starts, that’s it for non-jws.
the “door of the ark” is closed.
But now, for anyone capable of concentrating on a thought for more than 30 seconds at a time (I know, a tall order for most JWs) will come to the conclusion as I just did: The Governing Body just announced to the worldwide brotherhood that any and all efforts at witnessing are pointless and completely unnecessary.
Well said.
from jw org; 2023 - a year of anxiety:.
“since the beginning of 2023, there have now been 13 earthquakes above magnitude 7 worldwide, one of the highest values since records began.”.
www.earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk cites 3 reasons it may seem that earthquakes are increasing in intensity and number.. 1. more population growth = more people affected.. 2. clustered statistics.
From jw org; 2023 - A year of anxiety:
“Since the beginning of 2023, there have now been 13 earthquakes above magnitude 7 worldwide, one of the highest values since records began.”
www.earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk cites 3 reasons it may seem that earthquakes are increasing in intensity and number.
1. More population growth = more people affected.
2. Clustered statistics. Several may happen in one year and then nothing - or fewer in between. People understandably have a tendency to notice the really bad years.
3. Global communications and a larger number of higher quality seismic monitors deployed than ever before.
Its interesting that they selectively use only a portion of the data to suport their claim (only earthquakes magnitude 7 or higher), and dont mention the tens of thousands of smaller earthquakes that occured in 2023 that are about the average number historically.
I dont remember reading in the gospels that the earthquakes had to be a certain magnitude to count.
towards the end of this year, they managed to shock many on here and elsewhere with new resolutions, like publishers no longer having to record hours and now allowing men to grow beards without having to face judgement or judgemental behaviour.
but, as pointed out by a few, these amount to being not much more than cosmetic changes, one in administrative paperwork and the other in personal grooming habits.
the other major change announced in the leaked agm video is the possibility of being saved at the last minute.
It seems now, that a likely reason AM3 was 'relieved' of his position was that the GB have wanted to introduce some pretty big changes for a while and maybe AM3 was protesting the changes. Who would have predicted ticking a box for witnessing? It has reduced the 'most important work in history' into a token service with little meaning.
Whats next?
I cant see the GB changing their stance towards easter or christmas but maybe a softening on birthdays, making it a conscience issue? Like beards, there is no clear law in the bible that disallows celebrating birthdays.
Also, maybe a softening on the rules surrounding disfellowshipping? The GB know it is an emotionally harmful practice that destroys families and the situation in Norway has opened up a can of worms for them. If the borg wants to go ultra-lite in regards to attendance and witnessing, maybe it makes sense not kicking out members that may be contributing financially, or at least, not making them feel like pariahs.
After the recent changes, I wouldnt be surprised if they started setting the stage to drop the 1914 generation nonsense. It has been discussed here for years as something that the org has to deal with sooner or later.
All the best for the new year.
