https://www.jw.org/en/whats-new/books-of-titus-and-philemon-study-edition-now-available-online/.
Titus and Philemon together take maybe 30 minutes to read, tops. Whether they're authentic or not, they're both pretty straightforward and require little 'interpreting' from WTBTS.
The WT can keep their 'notes' and 'study' edition. They just amount to more opinions of men which will be outdated old light in just a few years.
while back, not here on this net i don't remember.
i predicted that watchtower would allow you to buy your way into the kingdumb.
does anyone find this interesting?.
Anyone who demands regular payouts in order to be their friend sounds like a spoiled brat or a mooch -- someone whose friend I don't want to be.
And anyone who demands I pay them money in order to keep from being destroyed sounds more like a mafia kingpin.
lloyd evans has a livestream and must answer all questions.
the only catch.
you can only ask one question plus a follow up.. my fave so far is would you want your daughter to marry a man who was unfaithful every few months with prostitutes.. what would you ask him?.
Anyone who still follows Lloyd (and god forbid, sends him cash) should sing the following song to the tune of old Song 113 in the brown JW songbook:
We are Cedar’s witnesses!
We bankroll his lawlessness!
Lloyd’s a major a$$hole,
as he’s often shown.
Pro$titutes he likes to see,
They’re paid for by you and me.
For an excuse he looks all in vain.
Can his subscribership maintain?
We are Cedar’s witnesses!
Activism’s his business!
This perv is full of hypocrisy,
Patrons are starting to flee!
this question has been presented many times throughout the years.
somewhat recently, there has been much talk surrounding the "bite method" :.
"bite” stands for behavior, information, thought, and emotional control.. some examples were thrown at me, such as the decisions of who we associate with, discouraging any worldy media, encouraging our brothers and sisters to report any of our misbehaviours to the elders, our rejection of criticism on the truth, shunning etc.. what do we think about this?.
Sure, they're a cult. They have all the characteristics of one. If you're not sure if you're in a cult, just ask yourself, "How do they treat you when you try to leave?"
That being said, telling JW's they're in a cult is a fruitless endeavor. Like Bobcat said upthread, the word cult is a pejorative and viewed as more of an insult.
Telling someone they're in a cult is like telling someone they're an asshole. It may be true, but by using that word you've closed their mind and ended the conversation.
I've gotten used to telling JW's that their religion is just too demanding and controlling. Their religion is all about take, take, take. But their religion never gives anything back to its followers. That usually gets the point across.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w82evcjfybm.
Well, at least now we know what the “John” in John Cedars means.
here is a copy of loyd's facebook latest comment.
https://m.facebook.com/lloydevanscedars/posts/346085697519910.
Point 3b on his manifesto is amazing...
I want to assure everyone that I did not go to Thailand for its sex industry. My main reasons for choosing it as a place for reflection and self-discovery were its low cost of living (I didn't want to live exorbitantly if my trip ended up lasting many weeks), its amazing food and its natural beauty. If sex tourism had been my incentive I am sure I would have headed straight to Bangkok rather than Phuket and its stunning beaches. Suffice to say, not that its anyone's business but of those I met in Thailand, sex workers or otherwise, nobody was a minor by either Thai or US law and all were in their 20s or older.
So he starts by saying he didn't go to Thailand specifically for the sex industry, but rather for its natural beauty (wink, nudge). Then he adds that any sex workers he might have met were all in their 20s or older. So which is it, Lloyd?
If this guy were ever accused of a crime, he would be wise never to take the stand in his own defense.
i don't know if someone has already posted this, but lloyd has put up a video talking about his hooking up with hookers.
personally that does not bother me but the way he is handling it is such a god damn train wreck.
this guy is insane..
The problem with Cedars (sorry, I still call him that for some reason) is that he's a classic narcissist. Everything has to be about him. Any constructive suggestion is taken as a direct attack on him.
For a guy whose YT videos last hours, in which he criticizes every last bit of minutiae about the WT, he can't take any criticism, not even the constructive kind. In his eyes and in the eyes of his followers, he can do no wrong. That's why his fawning supporters have deleted any negative talk about the guy on exjw Reddit, even though he refuses to visit the place anymore. That's why he's burned every bridge he's crossed and run away angry from every discussion board he's ever been on, this one included. I have the feeling that if he had stayed on as a JW elder, he would have been the kind that would have had dozens of JWs running for the doors.
So does Cedars want privacy, or doesn't he? One year, he writes a tell-all autobiography revealing intimate details of his personal life and his exit from the WT. But now he demands privacy and says no one needs to know anything about his private matters. And he demands privacy while live-streaming a video to thousands of his followers telling them what he supposedly did or did not do. So which is it?
Cedars envisions himself as the modern-day Ray Franz. But as another poster said in another thread, "Ray Franz he ain't." Ray's reputation was squeaky clean, so much so that the WT had to make up lies about him. Cedars' reputation is toast. As was said upthread, you can't go on a sex romp in Thailand financed by donations from sexual abuse survivors and expect to be taken seriously on that topic ever again. Like the old saying goes, "Don't throw stones if you live in a glass house."
Cedars has a large following on YT, but it's mainly because he has been doing it for a while. His writing has potential, but he rambles on and on. The guy doesn't know the definition of concise. His videos are mediocre and quite amateur (as his most recent video shows), and if you've seen one of his 3-hour video 'commentaries,' then you've seen them all. Seriously, if I wanted to spend that much time on JW stuff, I'd just go back to the Kingdom Hall.
Lloyd sees himself as a full-time professional activist, and he has enough followers willing to throw money at him that he will probably still be able to make somewhat of a living off of it. It seems like he made a couple thousand euro on his video the other day in pure donations. I have a sinking feeling that Mrs. Evans and the children won't see a penny of it.
so much for jehovah blessing this new arrangement.
they are barely keeping up with the birthrate!
so basically the org spent millions of dollars on their website and broadcasting so the only growth they are still getting comes from born ins and illiterate and superstitious folks from africa.
Sorry, newdawnfades, but you’re the one who’s confused. WTS clearly states that the Cong Service Committee gets to decide who is allowed to participate in local cart witnessing, not just Metropolitan. Not just anyone gets to man a cultcart.
Their 2/1/18 letter to elders says:
8. Determining Who May Participate: The Congregation Service Committee will select qualified baptized publishers to participate in this feature of the ministry. Those selected should be known to present themselves in a dignified way. Their appearance and dress should be profes- sional, well-arranged, and modest. Those selected should demonstrate discernment and a will- ingness to witness in different public settings, should enjoy and promote good relations with oth- ers, should be committed to taking the assignment seriously, and should be willing to cooperate with the body of elders. If a parent is approved to participate in public witnessing, his well- behaved child may accompany him. The service committee should use good judgment in decid- ing whether a mature baptized minor may be approved to participate in public witnessing.
And from what I can tell, the ones selected are usually pioneers or pioneer wannabes. They consider it a privilege to sit around and chitchat while dozens of passers by ignore their cultcart.
with more and more kh's being sold off, will it only be a matter of time that there will be a push to build new ones?
greater emphasis on donating to build new kh's since some brothers have to drive long distances to attend meetings?
and that smaller communities should have a local kh that is visible to all in the area?.
The new one in my area looks like a Burger King. Maybe they can install a drive-through window, sell burgers and call it a Burger King-dom Hall.
this is my 192nd post, so i thought it'd be fitting to ask a somewhat banal question which i've occasionally pondered over the years.
does anyone know what's behind the wt's penchant for 192-page books?
is there some kind of logistical reason for this?
An old post from about 8 years ago
https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/193859/ode-192-page-book
Ode to the 192 Page Book
Once I wondered what life was all about
I struggled with faith, I struggled with doubt
But there it was, the last place I looked
Spelled out for me, in a 192 Page Book
Why am I here? What's my direction
Should I lay on my stomach when I have an erection?
My mom and dad said, "Son you should look..
In the pages of this here 192 page book."
Fresh out of High School, what path to choose?
My guidance counselor said I should follow my muse.
But my counselor was worldly, a geniune crook
Instead I followed the advice in a 192 page book.
Now I'm older, and my marriage is rocky.
I'm looking at porn and my figure is stocky.
I went to the elders and my priviliges they took
And sent me home with a 192 page book.
I'm a Senior Citizen now, and I'm in alot of pain
I'm really pissed that Armaggedon never came
When I die, where will I be?
Maybe the answer is on page 193
