Posts by The Searcher

20

240 'Lands'

by Jeffro in

jehovah's witnesses are purportedly 'active' in 240 'lands', quite a remarkable feat for a planet with only about 200 sovereign states (206 if you count all that are recognised by at least one un member, of which jws are present in 166).

more than half of all jws worldwide are in just 10 countries.

over 90% are in 45 countries.. to achieve this mathematical miracle, various places that are not separate countries are counted as 'lands'.. tahiti is counted as a separate 'land' though it is part of the society islands, which is part of french polynesia, which is part of... france.

The Searcher

"There are lies, damned lies, and statistics."

The Org employs all three!

26

What's the status of this org financially?

by megaboy in

soooo... i think the main strength of this group is having the finances to keep this con game going.

i'm hoping that the pedophilia cases are draining them dry so we can be rid of this stumbling block from an organizational stand point.

how is the constant surge of bad news getting out on them effecting the everyday person in this organization?

The Searcher

KAIK - Either way, WT is somewhere bleeding.

FINKELSTEIN - I've never seen so much money grabbing and pleading coming out this organization.

PEPPERHEART - And some of the things that the borg have come out with have been priceless [inexplicable?]

BETH SARIM - it has to be paying for something, which the rank and file have no idea about!!!!

I agree 100% with all of the above!!

Are the Org's draconian cut-backs and sell-offs the result of an enforced new business structure, to appease mega-creditors who could bring down the WTBTS?

Potential paedophile lawsuits do not justify or explain the desperation and panic to amass more cash - as BETH SARIM suggests.

63

Watchtower crackdown on anointed expansion - are they reaching for a solution to the expanding numbers problem?

by slimboyfat in

if this has been discussed i missed it.

i think the january study watchtower is a concerted attempt to reduce the numbers claiming to be anointed.

but i love the sneaky way they go about it this time.

The Searcher

"Those called by Jehovah do not wonder whether they have been invited or not! They know!"

OK G.B., I used to wonder if I was part of the F.D.S - now I know!! :)

(just as one or two of your "helpers" will no doubt be realising.......sooooooooon!)

Will you please get my apartment ready at the Warwick Country Club?

26

What's the status of this org financially?

by megaboy in

soooo... i think the main strength of this group is having the finances to keep this con game going.

i'm hoping that the pedophilia cases are draining them dry so we can be rid of this stumbling block from an organizational stand point.

how is the constant surge of bad news getting out on them effecting the everyday person in this organization?

The Searcher

"The WTS is about to enter its most richest state in its entire history...."

Finkelstein, I would amend that statement to read, "The WTBTS has amassed the greatest amount of wealth in its history, but paradoxically, is producing the least amount of literature in its history - all things considered.

So why is the Org in absolute convulsions, continually trying to extract more & more money from J.W.'s? (and their kids!)

51

Your Opinion Pleeease

by thankyou in

jw girl non-jw guy.

tenuous boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.

what is more likely to strengthen a relationship?.

The Searcher

It can't work, and it won't work!

She has to give up the Org or the guy. I'd bet it's the guy.

19

"Freeness of speech"

by Wonderment in

this was posted on another thread (http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/6040010839031808/christmas-tree-word-appreciation), but wondered about how others here would see this with one experience i had as an elder now as ex-jws.. when we were jw's we had to be extremely careful with what we said around the brotherhood.

if someone said anything out of the ordinary, relationships among the involved were halted immediately, or were never the same afterwards.

in this place, one can say almost anything without the fear of having a truck run over us.

The Searcher

"Even Thomas doubted the Lord"

Not only Thomas - Matthew 28:17 - "When they saw, him they did obeisance, but some doubted."

Imagine Nazism, communism, and the McCarthy witch-hunt combined - that's the "spiritual paradise."

Every J.W. knows how evil & apostate they'd appear, if they voiced an "independent" opinion.

38

New Word Coined In April 2016 WT!

by Naoscillator in

and the word is... .

canaanitelike!.

here it is in context, just in case you're curious about how to use this new word.. article: being faithful leads to god's approval.

The Searcher

Nearly as bad as being parasiticlike!

21

CoBE Joins those Elders Deserting the Sinking Ship

by The Searcher in

from a reliable source:.

a young cobe - late thirties, maybe forty - has resigned in december 2015, both as the cobe and as an elder.

word is that he is a man with a young family who is stressed out and has had enough.

The Searcher

From a reliable source:

A young COBE - late thirties, maybe forty - has resigned in December 2015, both as the COBE and as an Elder.

Word is that he is a man with a young family who is stressed out and has had enough.

That now makes six ex-elders in the same West country circuit in England.

6 out of 21 in only 10 months. (including the congregation that got disbanded.)

Perhaps those in the "elder-class" are starting to smell the coffee!

25

When did district conventions become regional conventions and why?

by slimboyfat in

i think it was gary and heather bottings' book the orwellian world of jehovah's wifnesses that noted the function of the habit of the watchtower organisation of changing organisational terminology periodically.

congregations became companies and then back to congregations again.

circuit overseers became circuit servants and then back again.

The Searcher

"District" conventions were last mentioned by the Org in the October 2013 Kingdom Ministry.

If my memory serves me correctly, I think "regional conventions" were revealed in a letter in January 2014.

My suspicion at the time - which now appears confirmed here in the U.K.) was that greater numbers of J.W.'s were going to have to travel greater distances within a "region", as opposed to a "district".

Many J.W.'s in England now have to book into hotels for their "regional" convention", because the daily travelling time/distance involved is prohibitive.

31

Yearbook 2016: Annual Report (15177 Partakers)

by Designer Stubble in

the 2016 yearbook is up on jw.orgbranches of jehovahs witnesses: 89 (was 90)number of lands reporting: 240 (was 239)total congregations: 118016 (was 115416)worldwide memorial attendance: 19,862,763 (was 19,950,019) decreasememorial partakers worldwide: 15,177 (was 14,121 in 2013:13,204) large increasepeak of publishers in kingdom service: 8,220,105 (was 8,201,205) minor increaseaverage publishers preaching each month: 7,987,279 (was 7,867,958)percentage of increase over 2014: 1.5 (was 2.2)total number baptized: 260,273 (was 275,581)average auxiliary pioneer publishers each month: 443,504 (was 635,298) huge decreaseaverage pioneer publishers each month: 1,135,210 (was 1,089,446)total hours spent in field: 1,933,473,727 (was 1,945,487,604) decreaseaverage home bible studies each month: 9,708,968 (was 9,499,933)

The Searcher

As far as the "congregations" figures are concerned, it's important to bear in mind that the Org is continually pushing the sheep to learn new languages in order to form new "groups". These groups - e.g. sign language, Chinese, etc., can eventually be classed as a separate "congregation" within an existing congregation, and simply has its own meetings in the same K.H. on alternative days. Increase!