JakeM2012

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Posts by JakeM2012

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  26

  Off to tell the family...

  by Gypsy Sam in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the day i've been waiting for is here.

  i'm flying home to see family and some old friends, most of whom are jw.

  since learning ttatt a few months back, i came to the decision i would have to tell my parents that we are no longer active and don't have any plans to return.

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  JakeM2012

  Gypsy Sam, interesting update, thank you. I wouldn't rock the boat, sometimes family will just bury in the sand as they might be having doubts also. With some witnesses, just the fact that we are 4 months away from 2014 is too much to talk about.
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  27

  Integrity over living a lie....

  by Happier in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey to everyone here... so i have never been one for writing much of my feelings down for other people to see.

  this however has become so important to me and i may be able to help someone who dares go looking for answers some place other than the jw.org website.

  first of all i would like to thank anybody and everybody who had the courage enough to write their experience in the organisation.

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  JakeM2012

  Happier,

  Thank you so much for telling your story. I am so sorry to hear of your situation. Please, do not think that you experience is insignificant. You have been treated horribly. Many are abused mentally and some are abused physically. I wish the best for you and your family, and your welcome to contact any of us personally via email for more support or collectively here. Many of us have struggled with healing, you will find others here with similar experience.
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  16

  Advertising the District Assembly on the Radio

  by RubaDub in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  is this just a local practice to south florida or is it done in other areas too?.

  i'm driving to work last week and on one of the most popular radio stations (primarily talk and politics) they were advertising the district assembly in west palm beach florida for next week.. it was about a 30 second spot and was the typical "everyone is invited ... no collections taken" .... etc.

  etc.. is this common in other areas ???.

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  JakeM2012

  Desireous of change, That is the ticket... One elder in our hall was in charge of "news service" (I believe it was called), the local elder handling it would send a short message to radio and TV stations and sometimes as a service to the community they would make the announcement. No guarantee of home many times, etc, generally it was a one-time deal. But as pointed out by RO it did more advertising than all the invitations cramed in the door. Most radio stations will handle community service announcements. You can be sure that WTBTS isn't paying a dime.
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  9

  Charitable Planning/Brochure is here

  by stephenw20 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  namaste........ i recieved my brochure the other day from the legal department of the wtbts in patterson ny.. i have not had devoted time to look at all 32 pages with the most critcal eye, but will share my most immediate observations.... first, we are not talking about some newspaper type document.

  in my opinion, it is the finest layout and printing job done by the society to date.

  the copy i have is copyright 2000. the fund that orginally peaked my interest is not mentioned anywhere i can find.. of the 32 pages only 6 have no color pictures on them.

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  JakeM2012

  Thanks Julia, After briefly reviewing the brochure, Probably good tax friendly advice at the time of printing advice in 2000, 14 years ago. WTBTS is using their tax free status as a charity to intercept funds that the government would receive, uhmmm, make the most out of your giving. Interesting that the brochure hasn't been updated since 2000 because U.S. Tax laws have changed alot since 2000. For instance, this is an excerpt from an article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahljacobs/2013/01/02/after-the-fiscal-cliff-deal-estate-and-gift-tax-explained/

  "Who has to pay federal estate tax? Once you’re worth more than a certain amount, taxes shrink your estate. Under the 2010 tax law, we can each transfer up to $5 million tax-free during life or at death. That figure is called the basic exclusion amount , and it is adjusted for inflation. In 2012 it was raised to $5.12 million per person. The new tax law does not change how much you can pass tax-free. On Jan. 11 the IRS announced that, with the inflation adjustment, the estate tax exclusion amount for deaths in 2013 would be $5.25 million."

  "How does this relate to lifetime gifts? The lifetime gift tax exclusion and the estate tax exclusion are expressed as a total amount – currently $5.25 million per person – and it is possible to use this exclusion (sometimes called the “unified credit”) to transfer assets at either stage or a combination of the two. If you exceed the limit, you (or your heirs) will owe tax of up to 40%."

  "The IRS expects you to keep a running tally and report these gifts so it will know how much has already been used up when you die. For example, if you have used $1 million of the exclusion to make taxable lifetime gifts, the unused exclusion if you die in 2013 will be $4.25 million, rather than $5.25 million."

  "Here too, couples get a special break: they can share the basic exclusion during life (this process is called gift-splitting) and give more to the kids now, tax-free. But of course this also reduces how much of the tax-free amount will be available when they die, either for their own use or to be carried over by the survivor." (Bold/italics added)
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  13

  New York Tourist Crap Highlights The Watchtower buildings in Brooklyn

  by steve2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well i'm a day shy of having spent one week in new york - my first time.

  what a dazzlingly vibrant and noisy city - one that never sleeps.

  new yorkers rightly proclaim this metropolis as one of a kind.

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  JakeM2012

  Thanks Steve for the update.
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  25

  Your Baptism

  by Aunt Fancy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we have been going through our literature and throwing away a lot of it which feels great.

  my hubby came cross the program from my baptism in 1986. the divine peace dc held in the astrodome in houston, tx.

  he always wrote the attendance and the amount baptized so on that day there were 30,894 in attendance nd 531 baptized!

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  JakeM2012

  Aunt Fancy, I was in attendance at your baptism in 1986 at Astrodome.
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  30

  Black Friday Stampedes VS. District Convention Morning Gate Openings

  by Mr. Falcon in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  has anyone had a jw rant to them around christmas time about how "horrible" it is to be a "worldly" person at that time of year?.

  certian jws love to use the infamous black friday shopping riots that tend to occur as examples to back up this argument.

  now, while those incidents are indeed disgraceful, they are hardly isolated to the "world".. among my "priveliges" was to be an attendant at a few district conventions.

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  JakeM2012

  Black Friday, or even the running of the bulls. You figure out who is the bulls??...
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  10

  Do you think the Watchtower corporation can be "helped" to come clean?

  by Fernando in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  it seems all humans and groups suffer from the universal problem of being able to see what is wrong with others, but not themselves.. so how to "help"?.

  maybe some paraphrasing of what the watchtower has written about others, which equally applies to them?

  *** w09 6/1 p. 9 they loved the word of god ***[ray franz' book "in search of christian freedom"] was not welcomed by the [watchtower corporation].

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  JakeM2012

  I can truthfully say that I have NOT seen a jackass or donkey turned into a great horse. WTBTS will not tolerate reformation. Keep dreaming.
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  26

  NEW UK BETHEL - START SAVING

  by St George of England in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  a letter was read tonight at the meeting with this information.. apparently, three years ago the gb authorised the uk bethel to consolidate all the uk resources.

  so far over 300 sites have been looked at but more information will be forthcoming.. in the meantime we can work to this end by saving so that we can contribute to the new facility.. also skilled and unskilled trades people can register for volunteer work, collect an application form from the secretary.. to me it seems like they are going to move out of london (mill hill, bittacy hill etc), get a cheaper area, pay for the new facility with donations and free labour.

  they will then sell all the high value property and probably send the money to the us.

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  JakeM2012

  Saving???? Just bend over, thank you very much!
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  15

  The ones who participate in CONvention...is it all a load of hypocrisy?

  by MissConfused in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am talking about the ones who get special mentions or interviews or part in assemblies and conventions, they are usually stars of the congregation at least as acknowledged by boe.

  when i had interacted personally with these people, i did not find them special in any way.

  they neither reflected any true love for j, but were quite the very opposite and ambitious to be the best in "the organization", with very little humility.

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  JakeM2012

  Julia, I hope that you got some recognition for your years of service, regardless of whom it is from.

  My mom was interviewed a few years back; she was baptised at 6 at the convention in1941 where Rutherford "gave" the Childrens book out. She EARNED her recognition and the brief applause, and I'm sure you did also.