Posts by NeonMadman

13

Jesus said: "You received free--give FREE" So, did he not know?

by Terry in

jw
friends

why do jw's accept contributions?

.

NeonMadman

Herbert W. Armstrongs Magazine was mailed out FREE for many, many years (The Plain Truth).
How did he do it without charging?
Are we saying Jehovah wouldn't "provide" the means?

Armstrong's literature was paid for by the oppressive tithing system he imposed on his members, demanding as much as 30% of their income to be given to the church. The initial 10% was mandatory. It was submitted directly to headquarters, and one could be disfellowshipped for failing to tithe. The second tithe was for the purpose of attending their "festivals" (parallel to the Jewish holidays, but really more like JW conventions). Any part of the second tithe not spent in actually attending the festivals was to be donated to the church. And the third tithe was collected every three years for "widows and orphans," but subsequent research has shown that it mostly went to pay for Armstrong's opulent lifestyle.

For God to provide the means for any ministry doesn't mean he would drop cash from the sky. People giving donations to a ministry is a completely legitimate and biblical way for it to operate. Most churches operate on such a basis, as do many secular organizations as well. So what if the WTS also solicits donations for their literature? Even though it's printed by slave labor, there are still costs involved that need to be covered. There are a lot of good things to criticize them for, but I don't think this is one of them.

9

30 Hour Aux. Pioneering ... 2 or 3 times per year

by RubaDub in

am i understanding this correctly?

you can do the 30 hour package either 2 or 3 times per year, depending on when the circuit overseer visits.

here is the way i get the new rules:.

NeonMadman

And the big reward is that you get to sit through another meeting.

11

Biblical Support for Judicial Committee?

by nolongerconfused in

that is my question...anyone ever investigated this?....because i sure have not read anything in the bible that even hints on a congregation having judicial committee procedures...has anyone had any experience with this topic?.

NeonMadman

Why it's right here in Matthew 18:17, as cited in the 1980 Awake:

*** g80 10/22 p. 23 A Way to Settle Disputes ***

“If he [the offending party] does not listen even to the congregation [through its judicial committee], let him be to you just as a man of the nations and as a tax collector.”—Matt. 18:17.

Aren't brackets wonderful?

13

Jesus said: "You received free--give FREE" So, did he not know?

by Terry in

jw
friends

why do jw's accept contributions?

.

NeonMadman

Not to defend the JWs here, but I don't think there is anything wrong with them accepting donations for literature. Someone has to pay for the stuff to be printed....well, granted, it would be better if they weren't printing it at all, but from their POV.

Biblically, Jesus wasn't talking about accepting donations to cover the cost of literature or the cost of operating the church when he said "You received free, give free" at Matthew 10:8. He was sending the disciples to perform miraculous works such as healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers and casting out demons. That is what they were not to charge for. There are references to show that Jesus and the disciples accepted support for their work from those who approved of or assisted in what they were doing (e.g., Luke 8:1-3). And the concept of financial support of the ministry is brought up again and again throughout Acts and Paul's letters. In fact, pretty much the whole chapter of 1 Corinthians 9 is a discussion of, essentially, the need for a paid ministry. The WTS quotes verse 15 of that chapter out of context to argue against the idea of a paid clergy, since Paul, after making the case FOR a paid clergy, then in v. 15 he says that he personally did not accept support from the Corinthians so that nothing would interfere with his message. The JWs take his unusual exception in this single case and try to make it the standard for all leadership, ignoring everything else Paul wrote in the chapter.

19

Terry, the advantage we have being 60 and older, we are smarter.

by jam in

jw
friends

how many folks knows the answer to these historical events, lol.. 1) after the long ranger saved the day and rode off into the sunset.

the grateful citizens would ask, who was the masked man?.

invariably, someone would answer, i don,t know, but he left this.

NeonMadman

OK, I have to give it a shot, though. I'm not looking at the previous answers. ;)

1) Silver bullet.

2) Ed Sullivan

3) on Route 66

4) protect the innocent.

5) the lion sleeps tonight

6) chocolate

7) not sure...

8) A Timex watch

9) Freddie the Freeloader

10) Sputnik

11) "Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco"

12) Howdy Doody Time

13) The Shadow

14) Speedy

38

How long did it take you to prepare for talks or parts in the KM school?

by OneDayillBeFree in

several years ago, whenever i got a talk slip i would get really nervous but accept it and work on it almost immediately.

of course that was way back when i still believed it all.. now they gave me a #3 talk out of the blue about a month ago and i had forgotten all about it till the meeting night.

i really thought about not showing up at all but at the last minute, i decided to go.. so when i got there the meeting had already started and so i just stayed in the back looked at the info, found 2 scriptures and then without any notes i went up and gave the stupid talk!.

NeonMadman

I've always been a decent public speaker - certainly better than the average JW - so I rarely practiced for short talks. I would spend about 45 minutes, usually on the night before or the afternoon of the talk, preparing the information. Then I'd just stand up and give it. Because I was actually a little creative, adding a story as an illustration or something like that, I received a lot of praise from the congregation members.

One technique I used as a JW that set me apart (though some COs and DOs used it too) was to address the audience in the second person. The usual technique in the JWs is to speak in the first person (e.g., "Are we spending enough time in Bible study?"). I have found that doing so actually makes the statement less forceful. The speaker is presumably speaking because he knows something that the audience does not, or because he seeks to offer advice to the audience that they need. There's nothing wrong with addressing the audience as "you," and doing so makes the impact on the hearer more direct and personal. I don't think anyone actually noticed that I was doing that, but they certainly liked my talks.

19

Terry, the advantage we have being 60 and older, we are smarter.

by jam in

jw
friends

how many folks knows the answer to these historical events, lol.. 1) after the long ranger saved the day and rode off into the sunset.

the grateful citizens would ask, who was the masked man?.

invariably, someone would answer, i don,t know, but he left this.

NeonMadman

Not to nitpick (well, yes, I guess I am), but #13 should read, "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?"

38

1961 Kingdom Service Questions-Not to be studied at any meeting, nor placed in general circulation among the publishers!

by Atlantis in

1961 kingdom service questions: personal references to watch tower publications on moral matters..this booklet is the property of the_____________________congregation.

it is to be retained in the congregation permanent file.

its counsel is for the guidance of the congregation committee in handling matters with members of the congregation.

NeonMadman

Thanks, a true rarity. I've never even seen this booklet before.

33

Watchtower REMOVES "Trinity" Booklet---ONLINE! Video

by BlindersOff1 in

another great catch by "the snarky apologist" on youtube......................................................i'm looking for this pdf can anyone give me a link.

.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hihh1_uc9s4.

NeonMadman

In the past, when publications have gone out of print (pre-internet) at this time of year, it often meant that a replacement was going to be released at the summer conventions. That would be interesting; perhaps they would attempt to address some of the many refutations that have been aimed at that brochure. Or, maybe they will just try to use quotations in a less obviously dishonest way.

53

Another sad non jw falling for a baptised jw girl story

by spirituk in

ok ,so this is my story , this jw girl came on vacation in my country as a friend of my girl-cousin who is not a jw but were classmates at uni .

my cousin introduced her to me but she didnt tell me that she was a jw from the very first moment we flirt each other.we went on beach ,on bars ,cafes etc and she acted so wordly ,in fact i thought she could be a good one night stand with her behaviour .never saw anything weird about her that could lead me to question something, with the peak in the club where we danced together while hugging very passionatly .

i tried to kiss her that night but she kept her distance , i didnt notice any bad on that.anyway, next day we flirt again at the the beach and at night too .

NeonMadman

I want you to tell me what the correct answer to 2 + 2 is. Oh, but please give me something besides "4."

This is a girl who started out not being honest and up front with you. She didn't tell you she was a JW, and made up phony reasons why you couldn't be together instead of simply telling you the truth. She waffles back and forth, now she wants you, now she doesn't. She has told you flat out that you have no future with her.

You asked us to give you something besides, "run," but I'm sorry - that is the correct answer. Even if the JW issue could be overcome (and trust me, it can't, unless she is having doubts about the organization), it doesn't sound like you would have a good relationship. The situation you have described is one of lies and duplicity - no way to start a relationship. There are tons of eligible women out there. Find one who will be honest with you.