Posts by luckynedpepper

It's been good, but I should have been an architect or engineer if not for this damn cult. I shake my head at how my parents refused to help me with financial aide (sign for loans) even though I'd been accepted to Temple, Drexel, and Penn State.

Architecture is art and artist generally starve. You did well to go into the other side of things. Voice of experience talking

157

Systemic Racism: What’s Your View? Is it As Pervasive As Some Suggest?

by minimus in

jw
friends

the president of the united states says we have to do something about this.

many politicians and people agree that we are all affected by the scourge of systemic racism.

what’s your view of this?

luckynedpepper

What's your definition of "systemic racism"?

15

Do JWs now allow some gambling?

by mickbobcat in

i had seen a video evens did where he said that jws now say if you gambling for entertainment its ok. anyone have any link to the cult actually in print or video saying this?.

luckynedpepper

in a legal sense, here in the US, petty theft varies by State, but could be up to $750.

Seem like enough-- per person, per day, for a weekend in Vegas.

40

Do You Tip At Eateries?

by minimus in

jw
friends

if you go to a restaurant, do you tip and typically how much?

if you were given a 90 minute time frame to eat at a restaurant, would that restriction limit your tipping to the waitress or waiter?.

also if you order a coffee and donut and pick it up, do you contribute to the “tip jar” that’s on the counter?

luckynedpepper

Hopefully someone from the U.S., or anywhere else that tipping is customary can answer my question.
Why do you have to tip?
If the restaurant owner is charging you full price for a meal and NOT paying his staff properly- why is it the responsibility of the patron to make up the difference? If the owner was offering some reasonable discount on the food and drink, then maybe thats different.
Maybe if the owner paid his staff more, they would always have an incentive to provide good service regardless

How is it that people don't know this?

Restaurant servers and bartenders are paid a lower hourly wage. Lower than standard minimum wage. This is codified in law. For many parts of the country, this wage is between $2.50 - $5.00 per hour. It is not a decision by restaurant owner who are "cheapskates".

Tipping is the primary source of wages for these people, who according to the BLS earn on average $10-16 / hour. Tip your server people, whether you like it or not. Dining out in the US requires it.

40

Do You Tip At Eateries?

by minimus in

jw
friends

if you go to a restaurant, do you tip and typically how much?

if you were given a 90 minute time frame to eat at a restaurant, would that restriction limit your tipping to the waitress or waiter?.

also if you order a coffee and donut and pick it up, do you contribute to the “tip jar” that’s on the counter?

luckynedpepper

I always tip. Its a given. Poor service gets 15-20. Often mistakes are not the fault of the person you are tipping. Good service gets 20-25%.

IMO, if you don't tip (and i dont care what your reason is) you're a jerk and/or a cheapskate.

40

What do you think will be different in the Organization after the pandemic is over?

by ExCircuitOverseer in

jw
friends

whether they go back to door-to-door or not, what will be different?

do you think there will be a noticeable drop-off in attendance as we have read on here that many have left or faded?

will there be a mass selling of halls?

luckynedpepper

My family has been here since THE beginning. I served as an elder for 20 years. My dad probably for longer. His dad was Company Servant before that. Family occasions would have 4 PO/CoBE at the dinner table.

Today, I no longer serve. Neither does dad. My brother would like to find a face-saving way to give up the title too. My dad has said he likely won't go back. He intends to stay on zoom.

IIRC, just before the pandemic there was a letter about adding web cams to KH's. This would allow an opportunity to attend in a variety of ways; phone, web, in-person. This might be the (inadvertent?) bridge to e-religion.

5

Any word on if the jws can take the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?

by mynameislame in

looks like there's some controversy among the catholics because the j&j vaccine may be produced using a cell line derived from an aborted fetus.. have the jws made a statement?.

don't tell me they are going to let themselves be outdone by the catholics..

luckynedpepper

Annoucements have been made regarding Moderna, Pfizer AND Johnson & Johnson. Announcement says these vaccines do not contain blood fractions. Concludes by saying decisions on medical matters is personal.

No reference to fetal tissue, abortion or other moral hazards

55

Ban on Independent Meetings

by lssjr in

source - march 2021 announcements - - https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5085868283920384/2021-march-147-english-german-announcements-reminders.

this is a sobering reminder of what happened some 40 years ago when raymond franz and others were literally kicked out from the jehovah's witnesses for having pre-arranged private spiritual discussions.lesson: paragraph 7 is another example of the i and t in dr. steven hassan's bite model of the 21st century cult - information and thought control at its best!!!!

"my gosh, there must be a lot of independent meetings these days.

luckynedpepper

I've seen a variation on the March S-147. The one posted may not be what was provided in the US branch territory.

55

Ban on Independent Meetings

by lssjr in

source - march 2021 announcements - - https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5085868283920384/2021-march-147-english-german-announcements-reminders.

this is a sobering reminder of what happened some 40 years ago when raymond franz and others were literally kicked out from the jehovah's witnesses for having pre-arranged private spiritual discussions.lesson: paragraph 7 is another example of the i and t in dr. steven hassan's bite model of the 21st century cult - information and thought control at its best!!!!

"my gosh, there must be a lot of independent meetings these days.

luckynedpepper

I've been lurking here for a while, but this thread forced me to add a comment. I think Drearyweather's comment was spot on. This is about the elders- not what publishers do. Any one can call a friend or group of friends and discuss anything they want.

But structured, scheduled, "meetings" with a prepared agenda are what's been banned. Group Overseers in my congregation are holding a weekly meeting for their service group, replete with talks, prayers and singing. It is exactly another FOG opportunity, that no one needs.

Field service groups include all manner of pre-arranged talks, videos experiences, demonstrations, etc. The instructions remain the same. 5-7 minutes. get off zoom and go about your business.

I'm happy to see this letter. I argued with my BoE elders about it over the course of the last year, until i had enough and stepped down.