NotFormer

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Posts by NotFormer

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  9

  2024-March-Announcements-Slacks-Ties-Jackets-Serious-Wrongdoing!

  by Atlantis in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  slacks.

  ties.

  jackets.

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  NotFormer

  "And a very slight relaxation on shunning, and more care on dealing with "wrongdoing" by the under 18's. None of this goes far enough IMHO to make them acceptable as to adhering to Human Rights, but I guess they think they will now be able to persuade a Court that this , just a fraction milder, set of Policies, do not mean they should, as an org. lose $$$. They will argue these are decisions made by individual Congregations in each case, and not mandated by the Org. "We only offer guidance in these matters"

  It's interesting how their"Bible trained conscience" only compels them to do the absolute minimum to avoid being kicked, rather than going the extra mile.

  They could change it all in a heartbeat and become squeaky clean and above reproach (more like a "Christian" organisation) but they seem to love the control too much for that. 😿
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  109

  Why disfellowship must be eliminated for the survival of the WT itself

  by TheScientist in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this topic i digress about why the watchtower relaxing the rules of disfellowship is essential for its survival.

  many things i'm going to say are not my ideas, some are, the point is, i'm condensing everything in a logical and concise way.. the first thing we have to keep in mind is that the wt's main objective in instituting disfellowship has always been not to lose members because of the damage that a dissident could do, or to avoid gaining new members because of the bad reputation of a confessed sinner in the his/her region.

  in the end, the more active members, the more money to the coffers.. in this case of disfellowship due to apostasy, to avoid any spark, texts were sought out of context that even prohibited saying "hi".

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  NotFormer

  TheScientist, I'm not sure that the changes are particularly huge. At best, they're designed to make the WT look a little less nasty to outside observers, i.e. governments.
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  194

  GB Update #2, March 2024: Women allowed to wear pants, no ties/coats required if not giving a talk, & now able to greet DF ones in the KH!

  by WingCommander in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  you heard me correct, this is not a joke, and it is not april fools day!

  the asl portion of the governing body updated #2 (march 2024) has been released a bit early and someone caught it.

  summary: .

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  NotFormer

  Another concern the wording raises is where they say that Christian parents and guardians can attend the meetings of the elders with the elders of the "offending" child. This is more code, strictly meaning JW parents, but designed to make government investigators think that it is broader than that. The hope is that the Norwegian (and other) government(s) will think that the word "Christian" will mean more than the WT's narrow definition.

  A problem I can see: while unlikely, there may be a minor who has become a JW from outside the organisation (he wasn't born in and his family are not JWs) and got baptised*. If he is called before the elders, they won't let him be accompanied by his parents.

  So, nothing has changed, they'll still be arseholes and stick the knife in when they can get away with it.

  *This is an unlikely scenario, but not entirely impossible.
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  194

  GB Update #2, March 2024: Women allowed to wear pants, no ties/coats required if not giving a talk, & now able to greet DF ones in the KH!

  by WingCommander in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  you heard me correct, this is not a joke, and it is not april fools day!

  the asl portion of the governing body updated #2 (march 2024) has been released a bit early and someone caught it.

  summary: .

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  NotFormer

  Vidiot: "This isn’t about retaining membership.

  It’s about keeping their charity status to stave off insolvency"

  Absolutely. All these steps towards a "kinder gentler " organisation seem to be illusions designed to look like a loosening of the reins. It's a smokescreen designed to look like the GB doesn't actually tell the R&F what to do and how to act.

  A big clue is in how they are telling JWs that they can use their "Bible trained conscience". That's code for: we still want you to be arseholes to the disfellowshipped, but if you are a bit less of an arsehole to them, we can present ourselves to "the World's governments" as lightening up on the disfellowshipping and shunning.
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  52

  Colossians 1:15-16 and the word "other"

  by yogosans14 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  "he is the image of the invisible god, the firstborn of all creation; because by means of him all [other] things were created in the heavens and upon the earth, the things visible and the things invisible, no matter whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities.

  all [other] things have been created through him and for him.

  " (col. 1:15-17, for context.

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  NotFormer

  aqwsed12345, is there a reason you're digging up these old threads?
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  15

  Petition against Ostracism Practiced by Jehovah's Witnesses

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  https://peticaopublica.com.br/pview.aspx?pi=br137007.

  petition against ostracism practiced by jehovah's witnesses.

  public petition: against ostracism practiced by jehovah's witnesses.

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  NotFormer

  The two witnesses rule almost guarantees that the elders* will not convict a child abuser (unless they confess. And what are the chances of that?) Parents who press the issue are in danger of disfellowshipment for gossip, particularly if they try to warn other parents within the congregation, among other things.

  * And this is one of the main sticking points: police work and investigation of crime is the purview of the superior authorities, i.e. secular governments. The various BOEs have no business in these matters.
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  9

  An april afternoon with Steven Lett in Amsterdam

  by Gorb in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in april, on a sunday afternoon the ajax soccer stadium in amsterdam will be filled with all dutch witnesses for a special visit of steven lett.. never done before in holland.

  ofcourse it will be better then ever.

  .

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  NotFormer

  Sounds like fun! 🧟🤮
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  15

  Petition against Ostracism Practiced by Jehovah's Witnesses

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  https://peticaopublica.com.br/pview.aspx?pi=br137007.

  petition against ostracism practiced by jehovah's witnesses.

  public petition: against ostracism practiced by jehovah's witnesses.

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  NotFormer

  Diogenesister, that list of yours makes a great point: the WT demands the shunning of people for reasons far beyond the scope of the "sins" Paul pointed out. Going beyond the written word, so to speak.
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  15

  1970's Russell Pyramid Photo!

  by Atlantis in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  1970's photo of the russell pyramid.

  the picture was sent to us by a former bethelite who was also the person who took the picture.

  of course, the pyramid is not there anymore.. .

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  NotFormer

  Wasn't he technically part of the 144,000? Why didn't he partake? 🤣
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  34

  Forget 1914, the 1975 generation are now passing away!

  by nowwhat? in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  we still have quite a few elderly here that came in as young families in the late 1960's-early 70's because soon, yes very soon they would enter the new system and never grow old.

  it's now one year away from 50 years since 1975. just in the last couple years i've seen them come down with alzheimer's, cancer, brain tumors, becoming invalid etc.

  the children of them that are now around 60 are just so distraught at seeing their parents deteriorate.

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  NotFormer

  Some do, some have turned their backs on religion altogether, some (like me) were never in and are here to understand those door-knocking people a bit better. You'll find that this is a "broad church"😉

  Some are still "physically in, mentally out" (PIMO). They can't leave because of the whole disfellowshipping and shunning mess.