Posts by Drearyweather

8

"Watchtower" vs Jehovah's Witnesses

by NotFormer in

jw
friends

rattigan350, whenever someone brings up the failings of the organisation we refer to as "the watchtower", tries to define the argument away by saying that the watchtower is a corporate entity and has very little to do with the kingdom halls, the christian congregation of jehovah's witnesses.. could someone who knows their stuff please explain if this is a false dichotomy, using the literature which is used by r&f jws, if possible?.

it gets kind of tiresome when someone makes a point about something that the watchtower said and mr. apologist comes along and tries to define away what is usually a very good point..

Drearyweather

Why don't the board members of the WTBTS Inc. run the annual self-praise fest???????

The Annual Business Meeting is conducted by the board members of WTBTS of Pennsylvania Inc. (President: Robert Ciranko) and only the members of the corporation are present.

It's the spiritual program that happens after the Annual Business Meeting which is headed by the GB members.

For the rank and file, this spiritual program is called the Annual Meeting, which is separate from the Annual Business Meeting of the corp members.

31

Jehovah's Witnesses no longer count time. How is this news affecting moral and meeting attendance at local congregations?

by Balaamsass2 in

no more watchtower and awake mags every 2 weeks to place.

no private home book studies.

no more "essential" spiritual food meals 5x a week.

Drearyweather

'Sincere ones' - these are JWs like my mother who tow by the line and sincerely put efforts in their preaching work and count the actual time they preached, not like the fakers. She believes that nothing has changed because Jehovah will anyways know how much time you put in the work and will reward people for that.

It's her reasoning that if Jehovah can change the circumcision requirement and first-century Christians accepted it, who are we to complain about such a measly change in time reporting? and even if people (elders too) are slacking in accepting it, Jehovah will correct it too the way he corrected Peter through Paul.

Surely there are many who have questions, even the Elders?

Of course, people will have questions, but everyone is waiting for the annual meeting video that will be uploaded on Nov 6. and even if people don't accept then as the current CO said to the BOE last week - you either shape in or you ship out.

31

Jehovah's Witnesses no longer count time. How is this news affecting moral and meeting attendance at local congregations?

by Balaamsass2 in

no more watchtower and awake mags every 2 weeks to place.

no private home book studies.

no more "essential" spiritual food meals 5x a week.

Drearyweather

How is the change affecting?

No reaction in my congregation. Sincere ones are continuing the way they did before the change.

Just imagine how the congregants in the first-century congregations reacted when the circumcision requirement was done away with.

22

I think circuit overseers should have a job like the apostle Paul

by forzaitalia in

am i being mean, thinking that travelling overseers should get a part-time job like paul did, in order to not be a burden to the congregation?

i wouldn't put my hand up when we were asked to raise it if we were happy to give £50 from congregation funds to the c.o.

so that he could take his wife out for a meal.

Drearyweather

in order to not be a burden to the congregation?

Elders reimburse the CO out of the bank account funds they have. If they can't they can ask the branch and they pick it up.

I wouldn't put my hand up when we were asked to raise it if we were happy to give £50 from congregation funds to the c.o. so that he could take his wife out for a meal.

There is no such arrangement. If your elders did it, it was plain wrong.

18

Has The WT Allowed Outsiders to be Saved?

by NotFormer in

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/1734baj/they_just_had_a_huge_meeting/.

this reddit post suggests that the cessation of reporting hours isn't the only thing announced at the recent meeting.

can anyone in, or sufficiently well versed in jwdom confirm that the op's understanding of this announcement correct?.

Drearyweather

Are these Reddit posts real?

In one post, the poster says that his great-grandson called and said that two regular pioneers from a super PIMI family immediately quit pioneering after the annual meeting and no one from the family went to the meetings.

In another post, the same poster said that his grandson called and said that several elders and their wives from nearby congregations met together at that house after the annual meeting and unanimously decided that they were quitting as elders.

18

Judicial Committees are Sentencing Committees

by Vanderhoven7 in

this video starts slow, but is worth the watch.

.

https://www.youtube.com/live/oo6tyxodkvk?si=oduof8kkvjypkoyh.

Drearyweather

Vidiot:Maybe you’re using an older copy of the Shepherding book.

It's the April 2023 version of the Elders book, the most recent one.

For a JC to be formed, a person needs to actively share his apostate thoughts with others, and it will be formed after the person persists even after 2 official warnings by the Body of Elders.

Also, the 2 counsels and the JC will be formed only when there are 2 witnesses, with whom the person has shared his apostate thoughts actively.

18

Judicial Committees are Sentencing Committees

by Vanderhoven7 in

this video starts slow, but is worth the watch.

.

https://www.youtube.com/live/oo6tyxodkvk?si=oduof8kkvjypkoyh.

Drearyweather

An error in the last part of the video. He says that earlier people were disfellowshipped only if they spread apostate thoughts to others, but with the new elder's book, a judicial committee is formed even if a person has not shared apostate thoughts with anyone, but just has it in his mind.

This is incorrect.

SFL 12:39.3:

If one obstinately is speaking about or deliberately spreading false teachings, this may be or may lead to apostasy. If there is no response after a first and a second admonition, a judicial committee should be formed.—Titus 3:10, 11; w86 4/1 pp. 30-31.

125

Mandated Shunning is a Crime

by Lee Marsh in

mandated shunning is on the rise around the world with devastating effects on millions of people.

shunning that is mandated by organized groups to its members is a form of both physical and psychological violence against those people being shunned and cut off from their family and life-long relationships.

mandated shunning means that the shunning is ordered from the top down.

Drearyweather

The question is not if shunning is harmful or not. The issue is if it's harmful enough to have the government come in and legislate it.

Also, how do we quantify the harm it has caused? There is an untold number of disfellowshipped ones who have returned to JW's and have been the vocal promoters of this policy, given interviews in assemblies and conventions.

I sincerely hope that we are not advocating for setting a precedent that gives the government the power to beat down anyone that it doesn't like. I bet that at some point in the future, we will be on the hurting end of the power we gave to the government.

25

Were any congregation '' special privileges'' ever taken away from you?

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

if you don't measure up to the watchtower society ''high standards''... you might lose some ''special privileges'' .

miss meetings...lose ''privileges''.

don't meet the monthly 10 hour ''field service'' ...lose ''privileges''.

Drearyweather

If you don't measure up to the Watchtower Society ''high standards''... you might lose some ''special privileges''

Isn't that the case everywhere, in any group setting? You don't abide by the rules and certain privileges are taken away. On this site too?

miss meetings...lose ''privileges''

Why do people even want privileges if they are not attending meetings and going for fs?

I remember a person complaining here long back in a post that he was taken off the mic roving list since he didn't attend meetings for 2 months. But isn't that obvious? Shouldn't you be physically there at the meetings to be considered to do that work?

Also, I am amazed that people classify cleaning toilets, passing microphones, window washing as lowly jobs not to be done by intelligent people.

125

Mandated Shunning is a Crime

by Lee Marsh in

mandated shunning is on the rise around the world with devastating effects on millions of people.

shunning that is mandated by organized groups to its members is a form of both physical and psychological violence against those people being shunned and cut off from their family and life-long relationships.

mandated shunning means that the shunning is ordered from the top down.

Drearyweather

Example 4: One parent, caves in and signs the papers for the baby to get the care it needs. She is disfellowshipped and then shunned for saving the life of her child.

Again, if someone accepts blood transfusion under extreme pressure, he/she is not disfellowshipped. In fact, even a JC is not formed. Just some pioneering privileges will be withheld for a few months:

"If someone willingly accepts a blood transfusion, perhaps because of being under extreme pressure, a committee (not judicial) should obtain the facts and determine the individual’s attitude. If he is repentant, the committee would provide spiritual assistance in the spirit of Galatians 6:1 and Jude 22, 23. Since he is spiritually weak, he would not qualify for special privileges for a period of time." - Shepherd 18:3

Example 6: A JW finds out that her daughter who was disfellowshipped is dying of cancer. She has been shunning her daughter for 12 years. The mother desperately wants to see her daughter again but her elder husband keeps reminding her that he will shun HER if she goes to the hospital.

Again, disfellowshipping doesn't occur in this case. The elders guideline states:

If a publisher in the congregation is known to have unnecessary association with disfellowshipped or disassociated relatives who are not in the household, elders should use the Scriptures to counsel and reason with him. He would not be dealt with judicially unless there is persistent spiritual association or he persists in openly criticizing the disfellowshipping decision.