Guides on the Brooklyn Bethel tours used to tell visitors that the cover of the publications could be changed to target certain audiences. For example, brochures with white people in the pictures would be changed to pictures with black individuals if the publication was to be used in a country where blacks were the dominate race, such as in Africa and certain Caribbean islands. There were even displays of certain magazine issues and brochures along with their various covers, depending on the language and country they would be going to. That being said, I had heard that some pictures would be changed or altered if it was widely known that an individual depicted in a current publication was no longer a Witness.
matt2414
JoinedPosts by matt2414
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36
Changes to Watchtower publication pictures
by rory-ks in.
are there any more examples like this?
pictures changed because a person was disfellowshipped?.
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Birthday celebration/participation
by Zana inmy wife is considering to let our kids participate, maybe even celebrate their own birthdays.
she says what can be so bad about just giving a little kid (who doesn't yet understand the bible) a day full of joy and happiness?
she herself actually delayed her own baptism as a teenager in order to celebrate one more birthday.
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matt2414
Not celebrating birthdays because of what happened thousands of years ago and may or may not happen today is actually a superstition that the Witnesses have invented. According to most dictionaries, superstitions are usually based on fear of the unknown or religious ignorance. Interestingly, Wikipedia points out that "the word superstition is sometimes used to refer to religious practices (e.g., Voodoo) other than the one prevailing in a given society (e.g., Christianity in western culture), although the prevailing religion may contain just as many superstitious beliefs."
Not throwing rice at a wedding or saying a toast at a party are also part of the Witness-sanctioned superstitious beliefs. Similar to superstitiously throwing salt over your left shoulder after knocking over a salt shaker, Witnesses have to repent after celebrating a birthday or saying a toast, etc., or else something bad from God will befall them. The more the Witnesses try to stand out as different from Pagan religions, the more they look just like them.
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80 Year old COBE Layoff Conspiracy
by XBEHERE inwho else thinks something is afoot with this?
is the gb deciding to go back to pre-1971 times with perhaps the cobe as the man in charge and the rest just ministerial servants.
so for this reason they want younger men in those postitions?
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matt2414
There's obviously more here than the GB is saying. I find it hard to believe it's simply because those 80 and older may not be tech savvy. Samuel Herd is about 80 and several other GB members are right behind him. It's not likely many of the GB know much about new media either. It used to be, not long ago, that the organization said it focused more on spiritual things rather than material, or for that matter, technological. (Remember the rantings about the Internet, bulletin boards, chat rooms and more recently Facebook?) Because there is no scriptural basis for this move, there must be more going on here than meets the eye.
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80 Year old COBE Layoff Conspiracy
by XBEHERE inwho else thinks something is afoot with this?
is the gb deciding to go back to pre-1971 times with perhaps the cobe as the man in charge and the rest just ministerial servants.
so for this reason they want younger men in those postitions?
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matt2414
I'm more likely to believe that some of the older elders are pushing back against all the recent flurry of changes that have been made -- and are about to be made -- by the relatively new Governing Body. Many of the changes are done without strong (or any) scriptural support. Some of the older elders who grew up listening to Franz, Klein, Schroeder and Jaracz may not appreciate what's going on, i.e., fewer meetings during the week, fewer days of assemblies and conventions, frequent and unreasonable changes in the "Generation" doctrine, turning over all the congregation's money to the "earthly organization", sex abuse coverups, etc. ... Of course, it may just be that there are SO MANY changes lately, that these older ones can't keep up.
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Where does the Governing Body say "old light" comes from?
by matt2414 inthe governing body claims they've received "new light" from jehovah every time they change their doctrine.
so where did the "old light" come from that's being replaced?
if the old light is incorrect, could it have come from god?
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matt2414
I asked the question because it puts the GB in a precarious position. For example:1. What would happen to any one of Jehovah's Witnesses who teaches something as truth that is not backed by Scripture? That person would be disfellowshipped and branded an apostate. Yet, isn't that basically what the GB has done with all their false teachings? Luke 12:48 says, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Wouldn't this make Governing Body members bigger sinners than the average person because they claim to be God's mouthpiece? Wouldn't this mean that God has already disfellowshipped them?
2. Are the GB guilty of blasphemy by tacitly claiming that God lied to them and fed them false light? According to Rom. 3:4, wouldn't that make them the real liars, destined for the "lake of fire" in Revelation?
3. They claim that when you go "give a witness" you are guilty of bloodshed. But because they are bearing false witness, won't that make them even more culpable?
4. Aren't they also calling Jesus a liar by claiming they are God's earthly organization? Jesus was quite clear about there being NO EARTHLY ORGANIZATION, when he was speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well. At John 4, the woman claimed her forefathers worshipped on Mt. Gerazim and the Jews in Jerusalem. So did Jesus say that worship would move to Brooklyn, Patterson, Warwick, or some other earthly location? No. He said, " 21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” From these words, it is clear God would have NO EARTHLY organization. God isn't even looking for those who seek out an earthly organization.
5. Where is the humility of the GB members? The Bible describes Moses, David and others imploring God when they made mistakes. It's in the scriptures for all of us to see. Where is such humility of the GB? Like Satan, there is no humility before God.
So are these old uninspired men the faithful and slave, or are they a better fit of the selfish and sluggish "evil slave"?
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Where does the Governing Body say "old light" comes from?
by matt2414 inthe governing body claims they've received "new light" from jehovah every time they change their doctrine.
so where did the "old light" come from that's being replaced?
if the old light is incorrect, could it have come from god?
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matt2414
The Governing Body claims they've received "new light" from Jehovah every time they change their doctrine. So where did the "old light" come from that's being replaced? If the old light is incorrect, could it have come from God? If they do claim that new light comes from God but later it proves to be wrong, don't they owe God a public apology? If they don't apologize, aren't they basically claiming that God misdirected them? Romans 3:4 says, "let God be found true, though every man be found a liar."
Of course, this raised the question, Is the Governing Body really giving spiritual "food at the proper time," if it was a lie?
What a can of worms!
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The Savannah Disputation
by creativespirit insaw a new play at the penguin rep theatre, located in stony point, ny - rockland county, this afternoon, called "the savannah disputation".
it was, i am sure, patterned on jw's knocking on doors and their views on the catholic church.
a lot of the dialogue was exactly what i used to preach, although, at one point they pointedly say, oh no, this is not jw's, jw's is the watchtower.. many of the plays that start here eventually make it to broadway.. this plays thru 6/8.
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matt2414
That sounds like an interesting play. But it looks like it played in an off-Broadway theater in 2009.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/04/theater/reviews/04sava.html?_r=0
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Vacation Destination: Looking for Input
by confusedandalone inso when the kids get out of school we plan on going away for 3 to 4 weeks for vacation but we want to go somewhere that is actually enjoyable and not just packed full of things for the kids to do.
cruises are out, to confining.
i live in the u.s. so i want to abroad an continue to get the kids passports stamped so they can be exposed to as many cultures as possible.. .
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matt2414
I was also going to suggest Argentina. Buenos Aires has lots to see and do including seeing gauchos at the Fería De Mataderos, experiencing a Tango, visiting Palermo, checking out the National Museum of Fine Arts, as well as traveling to Iguazu Falls (spectacular), and then heading across Rio de la Plata on a boat to see Montevideo, Uruguay, as well as its beautiful resort city of Punta del Este or even Piriapolis. Of course, Argentina is heading into winter now, so the weather won't be the best.
A second choice would be Los Cabos, Mexico, which includes the resort cities of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo on the southern tip of Baja California. Actually, these are trips that I would like to make myself, so I'm living vicariously through your travels.
Problemaddict: It sounds like you are quite familiar with Argentina. When were you down there?
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Any gay exJW's?
by Trapped in JW land inwas just wondering how many gay exjw's were on this site, and how did you deal with being in this organization?
and also, how did you end up leaving?.
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matt2414
Since leaving the JWs behind, I've undergone a wonderful transformation. I used to be proud to be a Witness and ashamed to be gay. Now I'm a proud gay man, and an even prouder ex-JW. I now have real freedom and enjoy real "truth." No more living lies. I feel more of a "brotherhood" with all of you here than I even did as a Witness. Life is good. Thanks for the post HOAB. I always enjoy Timmy's, Fernando's and Quendi's comments. You guys are awesome!
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Any gay exJW's?
by Trapped in JW land inwas just wondering how many gay exjw's were on this site, and how did you deal with being in this organization?
and also, how did you end up leaving?.
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matt2414
Thanks HOAB, I appreciate your kind comments. But sometimes I wish I lived closer to other gay ex-Jdubs. It would be interesting to have a gay ex-JW support group. lol