Phizzy

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Posts by Phizzy

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  13

  How long before we see a Bro. wearing one of THESE ??

  by Phizzy in

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  2. humour

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  Phizzy

  I doubt this, in Pic. above, will happen in the USA but maybe in Europe ?

  I remember, well over 30 years in our Congo. a Bro. started wearing one, along with slightly long hair, he was just making a come-back after an absence from attending, and was about to give a Bible Reading on the TMS, some of the Elders thought that he should not be allowed to give his Reading, but the TMS Overseer reasoned with them and he was allowed to, and wore it for a number of years.

  He was eventually D.F'd for a minor matter, and after he got re-instated I noticed he had removed it, for obvious reasons I guess, to speed things up. He had a "smart" (shortish) haircut too.

  But now ? How long before some do ? and how could any Elder do anything about it ?

  "You won't be considered for "privileges" will not carry any weight, and maybe it will be a way for Bros. to AVOID "privileges" in the future ,as wearing a beard no longer works !
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  13

  How long before we see a Bro. wearing one of THESE ??

  by Phizzy in

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  Phizzy

  
  
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  44

  Thoughts on Likely Upcoming Changes in the Org.

  by Phizzy in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am thinking that the "ten year plan" that some have spoken of is the most likely scenario.

  the org.

  has to both attract new members and retain as many existing ones as possible.. so i think they will let the recent changes "bed in" for a while, maybe a year ?

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  Phizzy

  " Depends on how panicked they are."

  I was wondering that, if they perhaps have realised they need to retain JW's, and perhaps make a few converts, QUICKLY because if they don't, in a short while they would face a massive Cash Flow problem
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  44

  Thoughts on Likely Upcoming Changes in the Org.

  by Phizzy in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am thinking that the "ten year plan" that some have spoken of is the most likely scenario.

  the org.

  has to both attract new members and retain as many existing ones as possible.. so i think they will let the recent changes "bed in" for a while, maybe a year ?

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  Phizzy

  I am thinking that the "Ten Year Plan" that some have spoken of is the most likely scenario. The Org. has to both attract new members and retain as many existing ones as possible.

  So I think they will let the recent changes "Bed In" for a while, maybe a year ? before introducing the next "Biggie".

  I think that may well be a relaxation on celebrating Birthdays and Christmas, which can be introduced as a "Conscience Matter", thus new converts can carry on, and J.W's that want to can celebrate those events too, those that don't can refrain, and feel superior.

  I have spoken to a good number of ordinary normal people, in J.W Speak "Worldly" people, who mentioned not being able to celebrate as they have for all their lives being the main reason for their rejecting the J.W org.

  Thoughts ?
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  11

  The first rule of beard club...

  by GrreatTeacher in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  ...is you don't start growing a beard in the spring!

  you start growing it in the fall, keep your chin warm in the winter, and then shave it off for warm weather.

  at least that's how it works in my household and in the northern hemisphere where the gb are.. i have the sneaking suspicion that there is going to be a steep learning curve for many.. will they know to trim it along their jawbone properly?

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  Phizzy

  The thing that makes me laugh about this reaction to being allowed to grow a beard, and the mass taking up of the opportunity by J.W's, is that it is behind the curve again.

  The motivation was to get the J.W's to look less weird and more like normal people, not some weird Cult.

  But in the rest of the Western world, beards are far from ubiquitous, and it seems now far less fashionable than a couple of decades ago.

  The J.W guys have made the Org. look more like an Amish type community !

  The unforeseen consequences of every move by the Org. are really hilarious to watch !
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  7

  The changing teachings if Jehovah’s Witnesses

  by Vanderhoven7 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the changing teachings of jehovah's witnesses .

  menacingmistral writes:.

  "jehovah's witnesses often, not only change 180° from what they used to teach, they change from things they vehemently asserted were absolute truth.

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  Phizzy

  Thanks for putting this together Van, this is useful for reference, many of today's J.W's are in denial that any significant changes have occurred.
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  54

  If the org. Is being advised by consultants, is a name change in the works?

  by nowwhat? in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  let's be honest, there's a stigma to the name jehovah's witness.

  if they are going more mainstream.

  i imagine the first recommendation was a name change.

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  Phizzy

  What would they change the name to ? As many of the thousands of denominations have "Christian" or "Christ" in their name, some have "Jesus."

  The LDS/Mormon Church has both already ! as do minor denominations.

  They have tried to distance themselves from the name "Jehovah" in the minds of the public, with the JW org Logo, but that didn't work.

  I think a re-branding including a change of name, could work for appealing more to the public, but it would be so blindingly obvious what had gone on to all existing J.W's I think they will hesitate to do it.

  Maybe I will be proved wrong, they may simply be waiting to see how these new things are taken up blindly by the JW Gullible Drones, and then doing more dramatic stuff.

  The G.B has such disdain for the ordinary J.W they may say to themselves, " We can now get away with anything".
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  10

  New light isn't that new outside the USA?

  by KerryKing in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  all this recent new light etc has everyone talking but none of it is that unusual here in ireland.

  i've been df'd for 15 years, my parents started talking to me again when i had my first child nearly 13 years ago now.

  last year my sister in law started talking to me again also, at the one meeting i attended last year quite a few people chatted to me and said hello.. i'm just wondering if all this is only a big deal in the usa or is this neck of the woods just particularly rebellious anyway?

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  Phizzy

  I understand how naturally different things would be in Ireland, i have a good number of relatives there, love the place and the people.

  In my own Congo. here in the the U.K things were much as you describe in Ireland many decades ago, I was a M.S giving away talks, wore a beard from 1975 on, and never wore a suit on the Platform.

  But we were an unusual Congo. with a rare bunch of sensible Elders,we were rural, and countryfolk didn't bother with all that fancy towny stuff. When I joined the Congo. in the early 70's the C.O told me he had a hell of a battle to get the bros to wear a tie on the Platform !

  Our Elders were of the opinion that " we'll have none of that nonsense here". A new C.O to us told me that previous C.O's had told him they dreaded coming to us, because "Everywhere else they accept what the Society says". We didn't.

  But not far away were Congo's so very different, towing the line, and led by Nazi Elders, hence over the years J.W's gravitated to our Congo. , known for being " Liberal".

  So despite being Rural, and we should have been a small Congo, we were joined by many who lived in the territories of surrounding Congo's , so we split in to two, in the middle of the 2,000's.

  All of this shows that if the Org. wants to retain members their latest moves make sense, but they should have done so decades ago.
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  32

  Will recent dress-code changes affect the WTS negatively?

  by Wonderment in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in a span of a few months time, we have had many unexpected changes announced by the jw organization.

  some here have expressed the belief that a great number of witnesses will leave the religion.

  in fact, there is a great probability the opposite will be true.. yeah, ancient hardliners will have a hard time assimilating these changes, but the younger generation will likely welcome these changes.

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  Phizzy

  One thing that I doubt the GB or their "worldly" advisors have considered, that may well be a negative result, and quite a dramatic one is this ;

  For many years the Org. has been trying to distance themselves from the possibility of being held accountable for Shunning etc. by saying it is each individual J.W exercising their own conscience, and that the J.W's are not controlled by the Org. This has worked to some degree in Court.

  But with the sudden wholesale adoption of the new Dress and Grooming Guidelines, the J.W rank and file have starkly shown just how DIRECTLY controlled they really are, and how unable they are to exercise their individual consciences !
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  4

  Shunning etc. Good Meme

  by Phizzy in

  1. watchtower
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  Phizzy