i was raised as a jw.
i'm 51 now and i've seen many changes over the years.
in the mid 70s, when ray franz, ed dunlap (sp?
Many will miss meetings and go away for leisure time at weekends etc, Many youngsters having sex and leading double lives
I have noticed this trend as well. In fact I missed so many mtgs earlier this year and the only reaction I got from the rest of the body of elders is ".....we'd like to sit for a few minutes and make sure you are ok". 20 yrs ago elders didn't miss mtgs unless you were contagious or bed-ridden.
it's fairly well established that organized social activity is almost non-existent in kingdom halls worldwide.. .
the purpose of going to the hall and preaching is to worship god.
yet, the wt leave out a critical component to their.
My congregation is social among the different cliques. In general though I seldom see JWs other than mtgs and F/S. In my case though, I can't stand being around them anymore and if it weren't for my wife insisting that we go to the rare gatherings that we are invited to I would never see them other than at the hall. I have slowly removed myself from the tiny social scene.... good riddance!
i remember an old thread about special assemblies and the pre-donated monies for the wtbs.
but how much is raked in for conventions?.
what happens to surplus money?.
There is a formula that the accounts bros told me about that the assembly committee (the company men hand picked by the CO and DO) expects to bring in per publisher. I forget how much that was but it was substantial.
In the northeast for the 2nd year the DC's are being held in Assembly halls such as Stanley Theater, Queens, and Newburgh so in this generally affluent area the WT is making even more $$ since there is no longer rent to be paid to a stadium owner.
i'll start with a couple.....jws believe that everything in revelation is symbolic except the number 144,000.. jws believe that donating blood is wrong.
yet jws can accept "blood fractions" which can only be recieved if one donates blood!.
That leadership roles are only available to people who were born with a penis.
Now skully we all know that this is only the case technically.. there are so many elders, CO/DO's whose wives dictate to them what to do about things going on in the congregation. Trust me the publishers know which "elderette's" are in power too.
i must have missed this on my travels thru different x-dub sites, but i think i read something on here about their "new light" regarding the timing for armegeddon.
since its been over 30 years since 1975, how do they predict armegeddon now?
what do they tell new converts regarding the 1975 debacle?
As for 2034 - I won't bother holding my breath on that one!
Ha! I'll be in my mid 60's by then so I dont think I will give shit either way.
i'm curious to know reasons for wanting to be an elder?.
some have expressed to me they wanted to use their abilities to help others.. another said he wanted to be in the inner circle to make sure he was able to look after his families' interests in the event of any future mishaps by his children.. i think many just get caught in the web of handling microphones, then ministerial servant then elder.. i know it's easy for me to say as i wasn't any of these (apart from microphones) but .
i can't help thinking for most men it is simply helping to fulfill a desire for more power.. many don't seem content to be viewed as a mere publisher but want to get in on the action, knowing all the gossip and being involved on decisions.. is it true that deep down, even though most may have good motives, it is still out of a feeling of self importance.. thanks .
I did because I was pioneering at the time and an MS so it was the next logical step. I also aspired to be a CO for a fleeting moment. I'm so glad that wife decided (for me) to have kids instead. Ultimately I wanted these "privleges" because I was a hard core JW and to not have them would not be acceptable.
You're crazy bro... Too Funny.
i am not a bible believer.
i have a question for those of you who are bible believers.
if you believe that jesus is not god, how do you justify the following:.
I honestly don't know what to believe concerning Jesus and I still tend to believe that the bible is from god...for the most part.
Question though, if the Jews and now the JWs believed that there is only one true god then according to John 1:1 the JWs say Jesus is "a" god...so is he a false god then? Because Jehovah is.. one Jehovah, he is the one and only TRUE god correct?
I've called the service dept .a few times. They really don't help you. In fact on more than one occasion the brother was downright rude and condescending.
I remember I was asking if it was permissable for pioneers to count time for certain things done for elders and I said that I looked and looked but didnt find any reference for it. He then says "you want to know why you didnt find a reference? Because there isnt one, they CAN'T do that" I was taken aback and said thank you and hung up. I wasn't an "apostate" at the time so I shrugged it off that he had a bad day I guess. A**hole! I have other stories but it would definitely expose who I am.....suffice it to say that most times the brothers in service are dicks.
i knew of 1 person that should've been reported to the authorities for fooling around with his sisters when he was an older teen and they were much younger.
it was hushed up by the elders, as this was considered a very prominent family.
the allegations were made probably 20 years ago, well before i was ever in that hall.
There was never a reaction from the elders,nothing at all. Not even the other members of the cong talked to us about it. I was a fairly good dub in those days but this made me wonder,why no reaction at all?Why don´t they warn parents when a man like uncle L comes to a new hall-why would this sister be in trouble if they found out she had told me about him?
Because the elders aren't allowed to say anything or warn anyone, it would be considered a breach of confidentiality. I knew of one in my cong. and we were warned by an elders wife before deciding to move to the cong. I decided that we would still go and if this individual so much as looked too long at my kids I would follow him home from a meeting one day and kick his ass.
