JakeM2012

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Posts by JakeM2012

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  25

  30 JWs baptized every hour

  by Calebs Airplane in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i just came across this gem on "the chatanoogan"... it was an ad/article about the 2013 dc at the nw georgia trade & convention center arena .... what i found most interesting was the fluff at the end of the article.... fast facts - jehovah's witnesses worldwide.

  6 - new congregations formed each day30 - people baptized each hour on average239 - lands where jehovah's witnesses currently preach595 - languages in which they publish bibles and bible-based literature111,719 congregations worldwide7,538,994 - ministers who teach the bible19,000,000 - people who attend their meetings or conventions179,000,000 - bibles published by jehovah's witnesses in 116 languages20,000,000,000 - pieces of bible-based literature published by jehovah's witnesses over the past 10 yearsare you kidding me?

  6 congos formed each day?

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  JakeM2012

  I wonder why they don't report how many per day are ceasing any activity or association with JW's?
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  17

  Fading & Feeling Lost ... Part 2

  by What Now? in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  sorry to keep dragging this on ... but this is really the only place to vent right?

  so basically it's going on 4 months now that we've had zero meeting attendance, and for the last 2 months we have not reported any service time (prior to that, when our service group overseer would send a text asking for our time, we would report 4 hours each, for our "family study").

  in my last post, i talked about how we were having a really difficult time beginning a new life outside the organization.

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  JakeM2012

  Hang in there, WhatNow. I can appreciate your situation as I'm in one similar. I have found the last few years difficult, but things are much better now, and I wouldn't go back to JW fairy-friendland for anything. I'm not dissassociated or dissfellowshiped, but in my family, all are still in except me, but there is no correspondence, talk, nothing. Actually, I enjoy the peace, as they did nothing but fight anyway. (Fine examples of Christianity) The fighting and the judgemental attitude of not only my family, but the majority of people in the congregations is what helped me awake and face hard facts.

  I know that temporarily having a diminished social network is difficult and depressing. However, any JW friendship is conditional and temporary, and is usually based upon work that you do. For instance, you could have friends from the mid-week service, working on the quickbuilds, mowing the grass, etc. But most brothers or sisters didn't act like true friends unless it was based on these works and limited to that time, meaning if you stopped working on the quickbuilds, you most likely would not have contact with your Quickbuild "Friends".

  You can put so much effort into being their friends and they will drop you like a rock when they are through using you. I recall the many get-to-gethers that my wife and I had, and rarely would anyone invite us over even if all they could afford was beans. The gatherings I sponsored were well organized, fun, and plentiful, and they were also a lot of work and money. I'm not the person that kept score that I had someone over x number of times and I expected x number of times in return. I'm just saying that I was socially active when I was a witness, and I invited everyone, not just a click of people. Now, I feel like I'm treated like having leprosy.
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  51

  Former Longtime Elder - Reflections

  by James Jackson in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the meetings are getting more boring to me.

  some of the elders during their parts just talk and talk and talk about uninteresting things.

  boring, boring.

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  JakeM2012

  Clarity, I agree, run like hell. You are playing with fire thinking that you know what your getting into and can handle the situation. If you play with fire you will get burned. Just saying.

  I gave over 47 years of my life, and look back on the sacrifices and think, "Why, what was I thinking"? When I was an elder I was always getting into it with the "Bulldozer" elders that were hard-line company men that felt compassion, mercy, or love was a weakness. I have some relatives in my family that still serve as these "superfine apostles".

  For me, the last 18 years of meetings were a stretch to attend. It irritated me that Bible Highlights would run for 12-15 minutes, absolutely no consideration for the time. Young MS servants or inexperienced elders would get up for the service meeting read 15 minutes of letters from the society, and then break into 2-4 magazine demonstrations running a 8 minute Service Meeting introduction into a 8 minute + 15 minutes overtime. I had no problems getting up to do the last part and commenting about the title of the part, and tell the audience that we were out of time. I would then introduce the song and have a very short prayer. It used to be there was some leaway for comments in your own words, bringing in brief experiences or things studied. Now, it seems that you have to comment using the exact wording in the paragraph or the conductor will ask the question again until he gets the exact paragraph wording. Reading the paragraph three times is boring.

  Observations of potential elders: I have talked with many brothers that have served as elders before, and they are not interested in doing the work. These were men that were reasonable and easy to get along with, but ended up on the other side of an adverse elder body. Elder bodies have purged anyone that wasn't a full blooded company man. Elders that had experience in the military seem to like being elders and thrive. If the elders think that you are smarter or have more knowledge in the truth than themselves, you will probably not be appointed unless there is some major butt kissing. The problem with this is that if everyone in the organization from the top to the bottom has to be smaller than their superior, then you end up with a mentally shallow group. The current state of elders is just that, a mentally shallow group that is lost.
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  79

  JWStruggle post: Bethel Layoffs Reveal a Kingdom without Clothes

  by Londo111 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  http://www.jwstruggle.com/2013/07/bethel-layoffs-reveal-a-kingdom-without-clothes/.

  despite everything, i still have a lingering admiration toward those who serve or have served in bethel.

  it is not that i believe it is gods organization in any way, shape, or form.

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  JakeM2012

  Interesting comments and points of view from all. Legacy mentioned that the Bible encourages people to count the cost, and you could throw in the illustration of building a tower. This is a good point, but the principle of "counting the cost" in your personal life seems to be minimized by several other ideas promoted more within the organzation.

  For instance, if a persons skills, trade, or education is needed, WT Bethel management will send people on a major guilt trip if they are thinking of leaving their assignments. The advice is to trust in Jehovah, he will give you the (fill in the blank) for you to fulfill your assignment. To back up their rhetoric, examples are used from the Bible like, the men carrying the Ark of the Covenant would walk up to a river and continue walking as if there was no river, and Jehovah would miraculously stop the water and the mens feet would not even get wet. (Insight page 167,So, at the crossing of the Jordan, when the priests carrying the Ark stepped into the river’s water, Jehovah stopped its flow, allowing them to pass. (Jos 3:1–4:18)) .

  The application used is that you must trust in Jehovah and he will take care of your needs and remove any obstacles for your success. You don't need to look ahead, Jehovah is looking out for you as long as you are in his service. The Levites carrying the ark had to trust in Jehovah, they did not stop at the side of the river and discuss the problems associated with 6 men crossing a river carrying an ark, like "how deep is it, or how swift the current was?".

  The constant preaching of the nearness of Armageddon by WTBTS can make people forget about looking out for themselves; people rationalize that the system cannot last that much longer, I still hear this expression from my family. Then the guilt trip of if you are worried about tomorrow, or just basically thinking about a lifelong plan and mention anything to do with tomorrow, you are being selfish and wanting to make a name for yourself. Again, you should trust in Jehovah. If you are worried about tomorrow, as in "I should make some plans for retirement", get married, raise children, get an education, skill, or trade so that you can support yourself, then you lack faith in Jehovah's promises.

  Regularly it is mentioned when you are in Bethel, that everything you do, all your energy and time, etc is given in worship to Jehovah, even if all you do is clean the toilets. Therefore, implying that if you do anything else, you will be less in Jehovah's eyes. Any selfish tendencies, like considering your future, is just that, a selfish tendency. Therefore, rational thinking is very much discouraged as Bethelites are led to believe they are involved in something much grander than common everyday living (serving in the congregation) by participating in the work that of Jehovah's spirit directed organization. Basically, the peer pressure can make logical thinking individuals think irrationally.

  I know of many Brothers that would apply to Bethel because they were struggling to make a living in the world, they WERE looking for a free ride. They reasoned, "well I might as well serve at bethel serving Jehovah sunrise to sunset, than just struggle in a mundane life".

  I remember trying to reason with a brother that had been at Bethel for over 30 years, since he was 18, and he was not happy in Bethel, but the mental "fences" that were created by the morning worship cultism, were too great for him to climb. As I tried to assure him that he had done enough at Bethel and could with a clear conscience pursue a life outside of Bethel, Oh,... and perhaps date a sister and even marry, he looked at me as if I had spoken apostate expressions. A few years later, when he was in his late 50's, he was sent home and is now struggling to make a living, he is single, and living in his deceased mothers home, with no money or ability to make enough money.

  I know that Bethel life in the U.S is like living at a resort compared to what I experience working at different branches around the world. But I must remember there are millions of victims that did not have a chance to develop their critical thinking abilities as a JW. But rather their critical thinking abilities were suppressed, (in fact, any thinking at all was discouraged). Personally, I don't feel sorry for all the victims, but I know of some unique situations that it is "just not right", basically to use someone up from when they were 18 to 60 years of age and then turn them out. Why didn't they just turn everyone out after a few years???

  In the first big "lay off" at Brooklyn, WT Farms, and Patterson, I remember Brother Barber?? saying that the brothers were being sent to the congregations for the final walking around Jericho on the seventh day for seven times. Well that was over 10 years ago, and the building of new executive offices is in full swing.

  This is what irritates me, if WT would send everyone home after x years of service, (lets just say 4 or 5), then I wouldn't feel sorry for anyone. Basically, "Buyer be aware". But to keep someone at Bethel for decades, is in itself is implication that you are a "lifer", and that Bethel will be there to assist you when your are old, (oh, if the system lasts that long, of course). But after "employing", uh, using a "volunteer" for decades and then sending them home when they are old, this is just not right. Watchtower should be ashamed.
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  49

  I lost my pet today...

  by tooktheredpill in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  she was a 12 year old maltese.

  the best pet in the world.

  my wife and i never had kids, so she was our only daughter.

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  JakeM2012

  Tookthe redpill, I am sorry for your loss. It was just tonight, (before reading your post), that I had said to my family that I missed Skipper, a dog that passed years ago. I get into trouble with the family when I mention Skipper, he was such a great dog. Again, I'm sorry for your loss.
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  73

  DID YOU KNOW the latest Brooklyn sell-offs will take total Watchtower earnings to $804 MILLION since 2004?

  by cedars in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi folks.

  i apologize if this is old news to some, but it's news to me.. i stumbled on a comprehensive list of all the sold properties on wikipedia on this link... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/watch_tower_bible_and_tract_society_of_pennsylvania#brooklyn_property_sales.

  it's just a mind-boggling amount of money, and useful information to have handy when talking to witness relatives.

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  JakeM2012

  On the way out, good point, every expense they have is passed on to the publishers through an expected "donation". If the CO's and Do's need cars, the expense is passed on to the congregation, and WT purchases enough vehicles to support the U.S. branch needs at Bethel.

  Health insurance for the Co' and DO's is passed on, and of course the WTBTS is self insured, meaning they take the premiums from the congregations and don''t payout any claims. Even when the missionaries are flown home every four years or so, there is a letter sent to the congregations with an expected donation over so many months to pay for the airfare. I wish that the government would hit them with being in the insurance business without the credentials.
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  16

  I feel elated - with last semester's results.

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in my studies, i've settled into a routine of two units per semester, which gives me time to explore interesting side-roads, away from the assigned readings.

  this semester past, i attempted on study unit at macquarie u and one at sydney u.. macquarie results were released last friday, and for that study unit (rome's persian wars) my aggregated mark was 78 and so a distinction.. and, at sydney u, released yesterday, my aggregated mark for, japan in asia from 1840 to today, was 90, which meant a high distinction.. .

  i feel so pleased, not only am i acheiving my goal of understanding the historical processes that have formed modern asia, but i am mastering the process of critical thinking that is the basis of modern scholarship.. so for semester 2, i've enrolled in byzantium at macquarie, and which will give me a chance to explore the way the christian church became a theocratic government in the eastern empire's cities.. .

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  JakeM2012

  " Zhu ni Qiantu guangming "...... 'Gongxi, Gongxi!!'.....congratulations!
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  73

  DID YOU KNOW the latest Brooklyn sell-offs will take total Watchtower earnings to $804 MILLION since 2004?

  by cedars in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi folks.

  i apologize if this is old news to some, but it's news to me.. i stumbled on a comprehensive list of all the sold properties on wikipedia on this link... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/watch_tower_bible_and_tract_society_of_pennsylvania#brooklyn_property_sales.

  it's just a mind-boggling amount of money, and useful information to have handy when talking to witness relatives.

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  JakeM2012

  Splash, funny, that is a great idea, but I don't think the current mentality at Bethel is ready for that. If they went that mainstream, I can just see the advertisement/comparison with Moses coming down from the mountain with the 10 commandments on a JW tablet. LOL
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  73

  DID YOU KNOW the latest Brooklyn sell-offs will take total Watchtower earnings to $804 MILLION since 2004?

  by cedars in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi folks.

  i apologize if this is old news to some, but it's news to me.. i stumbled on a comprehensive list of all the sold properties on wikipedia on this link... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/watch_tower_bible_and_tract_society_of_pennsylvania#brooklyn_property_sales.

  it's just a mind-boggling amount of money, and useful information to have handy when talking to witness relatives.

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  JakeM2012

  I wouldn't think that for each language printed that the plates have to be changed. With the sorting machinery they have, several languages could be printed from one plate because the magazines do have fewer pages.

  In languages where there is a minimal run, I would think that they are not using the large presses someone would see on tour. Perhaps there are some smaller presses for these languages with a minimal order.

  The Society has already had issues growing accustomed to the advanced presses they use for mass printing. They recognized that it took some time for the press to "warm" up and get the color right, and even changed their schedule in the press room to accomodate the presses. The problem was that they would just start to get the quality they desired and would have to shut the press down for lunch or the end of the day.

  Personally, they have such advanced printing presses that they probably are faced with over capacity on their printing needs.
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  10

  Life and the Universe Most Astounding Fact

  by still thinking in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  astrophysicist dr neil degrasse tyson was asked by a reader of time magazine...."what is the most astounding fact you can share with us about the universe"?.

  this is his answer..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=70fwivcntc4#at=207.

  video is 3min 50sec.

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  JakeM2012

  Thanks James Brown and still thinking, both videos were very informative. Thanks for posting.