Posts by Socrateswannabe

38

US Zone visit: disappointing, depressing, discouraging

by sir82 in

jw
friends

i will have plenty of "snark" to post later on, but please indulge me while i get this out of my system..... suppose you are the leaders...yes, the leaders...there are only 7 of you...for the one true religion in all the universe.. jehovah the god of the whole universe speaks to you, you alone, out of 7 billion+ people on teh planet.. you have an opportunity, thanks to the advancements in technology, to speak to 750,000 of your followers "live", and another 750,000 or so within 24 hours.. 1.5 million people!

hanging on your every word!.

this is the first time in history you can simultaneously, or nearly simultaneously, address so many of your adherents.. what message are you going to present for this special occasion?.

Socrateswannabe

Sir82, I had the same thoughts as you about this video event but I could not have put it as eloquently, so thank you for posting your impressions. What a missed opportunity for these guys. If they could think of nothing meaningful to say (and the JWs were expecting that they would), at least they could have been encouraging. Instead, they came across as petty and demeaning. Why broadcast a spanking (or Spanxing?) of a few errant Bethelites to a million plus people? Even if their gripes against the Bethel family were legitimate, you deal with that kind of stuff one on one or within in the family. For the life of me I can't understand why these would be the major topics of a 3 hour meeting that was broadcast to over a million people who are not Bethelites. With all this technology that they're into, I thought maybe the Watchtower hierarchy had gotten a little more hip and sophisticated, but alas, not at all.

The JWs in our congregation ate it up, though.

6

Rationale for international conventions

by Socrateswannabe in

jw
friends

it's been kicked around already that the conventions were logistically disasterous and spiritually vapid.

my question, and i hope you will add your comments to mine, is: why?

why did the wtbs go through the trouble of putting these things on?

Socrateswannabe

It's been kicked around already that the conventions were logistically disasterous and spiritually vapid. My question, and I hope you will add your comments to mine, is: WHY? Why did the WTBS go through the trouble of putting these things on? We were told that our convention was 2 years in the making. So 2 years of blood, sweat, and tears for what? For the brothers? To encourage us? To feed us spiritually? No way! My guess is that these things are elaborate publicity stunts. They are attention getters. They attract the media. Somehow the GB goobers think this is a positive thing. I have a feeling the truth is that people who live in the convention cities have a markedly lower opinion of JWs, post-convention, than they had beforehand.

183

What are your favourite movie lines/quotes????

by karter in

jw
friends

''well there's one thing you got ta ask yourself punk....you felling lucky...well do ya punk".....clint eastwood dirty harry.. "it's life jim but not as we know it" capt kirk star treck..

Socrateswannabe

Marina, glad you liked it! I've been running that quote through my head for what...about 50 years...and I've never failed to laugh each time I think of it!

183

What are your favourite movie lines/quotes????

by karter in

jw
friends

''well there's one thing you got ta ask yourself punk....you felling lucky...well do ya punk".....clint eastwood dirty harry.. "it's life jim but not as we know it" capt kirk star treck..

Socrateswannabe

Put...ze candle...back! ~ Young Frankenstein

You leave me little notes on my pillow. I told you a hundred-and-sixty-eight times I can't .. stand .. little notes on my pillow! 'We are all out of Corn Flakes. -F.U.' It took me three hours to figure out that 'F.U.' was Felix Unger! ~ The Odd Couple

59

Books that changed your life-

by new hope and happiness in

i am not much of a reader as i have two many distractions, but i fancy a challenging read, so please list any book that has changed your entire world view on everything.

i remember as a teenager buying at a yard sale, norman vincent peales " the power of positive thinking" and at the time that had a big impact on me.

but i am a little bit more in to " realistic positive thinking" now..

Socrateswannabe

To Kill a Mockingbird. Name me one character in the bible who has the moral fiber of Atticus Finch.

7

Was Jehovah 40 years early

by Socrateswannabe in

here's a question for all you bible students out there, both critics and apologists: in 1513 bce the israelites were said to be in the wilderness, without food, so jeh gave them miraculous manna to eat.

exodus 16:35 says they ate it for 40 years.

the funny thing is that a year after they began eating manna, the bible book of leviticus, which wts says was written in 1512, records a mind-numbing litany of rules and regulations regarding sacrifices that were to be made at the tabernacle, which had just recently been put into use.

Socrateswannabe

Here's a question for all you bible students out there, both critics and apologists: In 1513 BCE the Israelites were said to be in the Wilderness, without food, so Jeh gave them miraculous manna to eat. Exodus 16:35 says they ate it for 40 years. The funny thing is that a year after they began eating manna, the bible book of Leviticus, which WTS says was written in 1512, records a mind-numbing litany of rules and regulations regarding sacrifices that were to be made at the tabernacle, which had just recently been put into use. What, according to Leviticus, were the Israelites to sacrifice? Their manna? Hardly! Among the foodstuffs to be offered up on the alter were bulls, sheep, goats, turtle doves, pigeons, grain, fine flour, oil, and bread. But all those goodies, according to Joshua 5:12, weren't available to them until they reached Canan, almost 40 years later! Was Jeh just wanting to make sure they were REALLY prepared, by giving them all these rules 40 years in advance?

35

Why the Clean out of top Management

by Poztate in

jw
friends

it has been commented here that "soon" the do's will be history.

the co level will be "retired" at age 70 and the latest development was that the cobe can not serve after age 80. it would seem that there is a "cull" of top management.

in secular companys that would signal a radical change of directions ???.

Socrateswannabe

Ignoranceisbliss, I am also skeptical of conspiracy theories. Most of what has been posted here is possible, but I'm in favor of a simpler answer as well. 80 year old COBEs and 70 year old COs are not going to cut the muster anymore, in a world of streaming videos and electronic communications. The WTS has surprisingly embraced technology because it drops their operating costs like nothing else can, and these old guys are probably resistant to the technology or the Borg thinks they are not tech savvy enough to keep up even if they wanted to. The same goes for DOs since most of them seem to be pretty old. Plus with the DOs, someone at World HQ woke up one morning and had the brainstorm that the DOs job was completely superfluous. That was the easiest decision they ever made. All of these decisions have been made without considering the human element (the heartbreak of ending careers for people who have given their lives to a cause), but that's the way big corporations operate, whose only consideration is the bottom line.

69

QFR August 15, 2014 - Resurrection and Marriage

by wisdomfrombelow in

the article addressed luke 20:34-36 and now they finally admit jesus could have been referring to the heavenly resurrection.

they said "put simply, the answer is that we cannot say" which is surprising because they have something to say about everything.

perhaps all the old people who are waiting the new world as widow and widowers want to know if they have a chance to be reunited with their dead loved one.

Socrateswannabe

Thank you Splash! I love it when someone compiles a list of the Society's doctrinal flip flops like you just did. How could anyone be so naive as to think these guys have the "truth"?

143

Letter to BOE: Adjustment in process for appointing elders and ministerial servants

by pixel in

hello, you read it here first!.

governing body of jehovah's witnesses.

to all congregations.

Socrateswannabe

Is it possible that this is another change based primarily upon finances? 110,000 congregations worldwide, averaging let's say 1 elder or ministerial servant appointment per year = 110,000 appointments to process. It's true that it is nothing more than a rubber stamp, but they do have to process the paperwork from the CO or congregation who submitted the recommendation, spit out a S-52 and a S-2 form to the congregation, and later mail a stamped copy of it to the congregation, and transfer the appointment to the database on jw.org. Worldwide maybe that doesn't require more than a few dozen people to handle all of this, but with this new "arrangement", the cost to the organization goes down to almost zero. The COs are already on the "payroll", so why not pile as much work on them as possible and make them earn those Buicks they drive?

1

Watchtower Society vs. General Motors

by Socrateswannabe in

what is the difference between the watchtower society and general motors?

even with its recent coverup of a deadly defect in the ignition system of one of its car models, gm may be more ethical and its leaders more scrupulous than the watchtower--at they lease they are no worse.

i don't see any difference in how the society is run than a major corporation anyway.

Socrateswannabe

What is the difference between the Watchtower Society and General Motors? Even with its recent coverup of a deadly defect in the ignition system of one of its car models, GM may be more ethical and its leaders more scrupulous than the Watchtower--at they lease they are no worse. I don't see any difference in how the Society is run than a major corporation anyway. On a corporate level it is all about results regardless of the price that people have to pay, and that trickles down on a congregation level. Your thoughts?