happy birthday 2 me!!.
sunday is my 76th birthday and i know that you want to know how it "feels" to have outlived my usefulness, to have lost my natural beauty (being reduced to wrinkles and flab), and constantly walking into a room not knowing why i'm there.
you also are curious as to how i can continue to find a reason to live since none of my kids think my opinions have any possible value, most of my facebooks friends i wouldn't recognize if i tripped over them on my way into starbucks, and my monthly expenditure on bird treats exceeds u.s. spending on the military.
Happy Birthday Terry !
I always enjoy your contributions here, and enjoyed your summary of what it's like to be our age, I am only weeks behind you ! Well, about 150 weeks but that's still close !
One big bonus for me in reaching this age is that I really do not give a F**K what anyone thinks ! (not that I ever did much).
Have a great day buddy, and keep on Posting ! here's birthday Drink for you, sorry it is "virtual", Cheers !
isn’t it about time they released the report for the service year?
or have they stopped publishing it?
did they released selected figures at the annual meeting as they usually do, such as the memorial attendance or record number of pioneers?
What I find great about the figures for "Jehovah's Worldwide Organisation",is that year on year, and this one is no exception, the global population outstrips their "growth", and by a not insignificant number ! Even percentage wise !
2022 grand totals.
branches of jehovah’s witnesses: 86. .
number of lands reporting: 239. .
What I find great about the figures for "Jehovah's Worldwide Organisation",is that year on year, and this one is no exception, the global population outstrips their "growth", and by a not insignificant number !
warning: this post doesn't belong to me, i took it from reddit and posted it here.
news.
+0.4% growth in publishers globally.
What I find great about the figures for "Jehovah's Worldwide Organisation",is that year on year, and this one is no exception, the global population outstrips their "growth", and by a not insignificant number !
i'm looking forward to this, having watched a trailer i think ex-jws will enjoy it https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/everyone-else-burns-simon-bird-first-look-exclusive-newsupdate/.
" Everyone Else Burns is a coming-of-age comedy about a Mancunian family and the puritanical Christian sect they are devoted to. Will patriarchal David Lewis (Bird) ever ascend the church ranks and become an Elder? Will dutiful wife Fiona (O’Flynn) deviate from her own dogmatic moral compass? Will their naïve 17-year-old daughter Rachel be allowed to go to university, and will 12-year-old son Aaron ever fend off his secular bullies? All could lead to damnation. Everyone Else Burns is a subversive, authentic and bitingly funny exploration into what it feels like to balance faith, family and identity in a world that could end tomorrow (but probably won't)."
2022 grand totals.
branches of jehovah’s witnesses: 86. .
number of lands reporting: 239. .
" I think the poor numbers and big decline will be buried under the COVID excuse. In fact it's a bit of a gift to watchtower in that sense."
Our Government, here in the U.K, are using Covid and the Ukraine War as an excuse for their policies failing, so I wouldn't be surprised at all for the W.T to trot out a similar excuse, what will prove difficult is when the two problems recede, and a huge number leave the J.W nonsense. Realising that "Armageddon" ain't gonna happen, they will say " Armageddon ouda here !".
isn’t it about time they released the report for the service year?
or have they stopped publishing it?
did they released selected figures at the annual meeting as they usually do, such as the memorial attendance or record number of pioneers?
Do they still list the number of Congregations by Country ?
i went back into this forum a little ways and found quite a bit of discussion on the walsh (1954) for those newly out or those who don't know of what i write, you should really check it out.
anyone who is a jw or studying with jw should see material from this trial.
my take away...the printed materials of the wtbts were to believed over the bible and if you didn't believe the wt teachings over the bible, ( even though they admit to false prophesy )you would be disfellowshipped and deserving of death.
Off Topic a bit, but Tonus O.H. also said these two perceptive things :
" They know that they are lying to you. They think they have to.
The GB are the original Twitter- they thrive on followers, not on honesty or truth."
isn’t it about time they released the report for the service year?
or have they stopped publishing it?
did they released selected figures at the annual meeting as they usually do, such as the memorial attendance or record number of pioneers?
I know that Slimboy and others will do a proper analysis, numbers are not my thing, but I was heartened to see that the ratio of J.W's in "Britain" , publishers to population ,is static.
To me that is NOT an increase !
psalm 110:1 (niv) “the lord says to my lord: “sit at my right hand until i make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”” .
psalm 110:1 (trv) “the lord god almighty says to a third of himself: “sit at my/our right hands until i make our/your enemies a footstool for our/your feet.”” (but don't tell the other third) .
I do think some here are still looking on the Bible as J.W's and fundies/Evangelicals do, as a unified whole, like a single Book. Now, now children, you KNOW it is not !
We see theology evolve through the O.T, and again theology and christology evolve as the N.T jogs along time wise, the Apostle Paul would not recognise the Christology in the Gospel of John as being exactly the same as his.
In the time between the completion of the N.T and the formulation of the trinity doctrine ideas had "progressed" some more.
To use the very anthropomorphic idea of god from early O.T writings, or even early N.T ideas about the risen Christ to "disprove" the Trinity makes no sense.
Unless you believe in Sola Scriptura in a very literal way, but one who does that is again ignoring the evolution of ideas we see in Scripture.
