Posts by NotFormer

51

2024-08-August-Edition-of-Watchtower!

by Atlantis in

jw
friends

it was translated so make sure everything looks ok.. 2024-08-august-edition of watchtower magazine.. .

https://smallpdf.com/result#r=c90d948913ed99d72872c0a1c609f388&t=share-document .

leopold.

NotFormer

So it's more decoding of the secret code. Elders don't mark people any more (probably because doing that leaves a trail leading to Bethel, is against various privacy laws and could lead to lawsuits).

WT is at its heart a lover of control and is not going to relax that control in any meaningful manner. So the new "arrangement" is to have the R&F do the marking. How exactly do they decide to do that? Is there a congregational meeting where the congregation meets to discuss the matter as set out in Matthew 18?

I'm hazarding a guess that the answer is no. That the elders still decide on marking and somehow communicate their will in a way that doesn't leave a paper trail that is usable in court.

PIMOs, how is this sleight of hand performed in this day and age?

25

What is that?

by Achille in

.

NotFormer

Judicial Committee (justice) boner?

25

Who is this Guy?

by Slidin Fast in

jw
friends

the ra is underway and there is a common thread through the first day.

they have a "presenter" who comes across as an educated historian handling early bible fragments and translations as if he knows what he's doing.

the impression given is that he is an unassailable font of all knowledge, with his rich scottish accent he prints himself as across as professor gravitas.. i find this disturbing, we have no idea who he is or what if any his qualifications are to speak such with authority.

NotFormer

Slidin Fast, that's interesting. The R&F, not tertiary educated, for the most part, will probably believe that they are privy to great insights by some great scholar. The bottom line is, is he making any particularly profound points?

Is he doing a sort of "show and tell" of manuscript fragments*? What point is he making? That the NWT is the bestest translation evaaaah? 🙄

Do they make these convention talks available as videos later?

Would he be the Andy Schofield of FA's last post?

* They would be facsimiles; not even the WT could afford real manuscripts.

17

JWs obtaining fake degrees from a US institution to teach English as a foreign language

by truthseeker in

jw
friends

teaching english as a foreign language in asian countries is quite popular for those looking to travel and explore and make some money.

if you have the tefl qualification you're pretty much good to go and don't need a degree.i don't know how lucrative these overseas jobs are but i do know one jw from my congregation in england who decided to move to the caribbean and teach english as a foreign language.

i'm not knocking this individual.

NotFormer

ndcenterdiplomas, novelty fake diplomas? How novel! 😮 The website says not to be used as anything but a joke, but I doubt that every customer will follow that rule.

Decades ago there was a webpage something like "X* Reasons why you may Watch too much Iron Chef*". One of the points was that you have a Rosanjin Scholar diploma on your wall. 😸

* I don't remember the actual number.

** Original Japanese (but dubbed) version

17

Italy goes after Protestant religions re taxes due

by blondie in

jw
friends

https://cne.news/article/4320-small-church-in-rome-goes-to-the-big-court-in-strasbourg-to-find-justice?push=null .

the evangelical church in rome will move to strasbourg to seek justice from the european court on human rights (ecthr) to eliminate the huge tax burden.

in the meantime, protestants all over the world are amazed by what is happening in italy..

NotFormer

"but do you know why central bethel relieved all the italian leaders of rome and moved to bologna?"

Knowing American slang as I do, I have to confess to finding this way more amusing than I should. 😸 andr, I apologise for my peurility. 🥴

17

Italy goes after Protestant religions re taxes due

by blondie in

jw
friends

https://cne.news/article/4320-small-church-in-rome-goes-to-the-big-court-in-strasbourg-to-find-justice?push=null .

the evangelical church in rome will move to strasbourg to seek justice from the european court on human rights (ecthr) to eliminate the huge tax burden.

in the meantime, protestants all over the world are amazed by what is happening in italy..

NotFormer

'italy isn't about "behaving"'

From the Yes Minister episode The Writing on the Wall, concerning a European I'd card:

Minister: How will the other countries feel about identity papers? Won't they resist too?

Sir Humphrey: The Germans will love it, the French will ignore it, and the Italians and the Irish will be too chaotic to enforce it. Only the British will resent it.

https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_scripts.php?tv-show=yes-minister-1980&episode=s01e05

5

Blondie's "highlights" from the May 2024 Study WT Paragraphs 11-17 (PART 2)

by blondie in

jw
friends

blondie's "highlights" from the may 2024 study wt paragraphs 11-17 part 2. may 2024 study article comments #2. what we do know.

paragraph #11. what basis will people be judged at armageddon….

a) “people will be dealt with on the basis how they have treated christ’s brothers” (but those know that christ’s brothers are only jws who believe they will go to heaven?).

NotFormer

" (but those know that Christ’s brothers are only jws who believe they will go to heaven?)"

I'm of the opinion that the definition of Christ's brothers is going to be narrowed down to refer only to the GB.

So this: “People will be dealt with on the basis how they have treated Christ’s brothers”, particularly this "...how they have treated Christ’s brothers” will mean "how obedient they were to GB dictums".

It's a hunch I've had since they've been pointing out Jesus' brothers in their articles. Them being called "future kings" by sycophants doesn't ease my suspicions.

Jesus may have returned invisibly, but his brothers, the GB (🤮), are fully visible, and are to be obeyed the way you would obey Jesus.

I'm still very interested in what's in the August Watchtower.

14

Blondie's "highlights" from the May 2024 Study WT Paragraphs 1-10

by blondie in

jw
friends

i have not read a wt for many years, but a comment on jwn prompted me to check out this one study article #19. i was stunned, they addressed many observations i have made in the "comments you will not hear" over the years.

this segment will contain comments on the section called what we do not know paragraphs 1 through 10. i will post what we do know” in another original post covering paragraphs 11 through 17”.

1) definition of "king of the south" and "king of the north.

NotFormer

I agree with Atlantis. Great to see you posting this sort of thing again, Blondie! 👌👍🖖

25

JW s were here today with convention invite

by enoughisenough in

i thought i would tell this story: 2 gals and a guy came by with invitation to convention.

i am in the yard.

the gals get out and are wearing pants.

NotFormer

"Even the literature now resembles North Korean propaganda"

The latest stuff turns two millennia of understanding of passages about showing kindness to others (the Good Samaritan, be doers of the word, etc.) and focuses those to being about "supporting" Jesus' brothers*, i.e. the GB.

*Their twisting of that term. For two thousand years Jesus' brothers have always** been understood as being the followers of Jesus. It was Rutherford who created the two-tier, two-caste system out of whole cloth.

** One of the apologists for the Watchtower understanding digging out a quote from some obscure church father notwithstanding.

13

There is no 1900 year old faithful and discreet slave

by Longlivetherenegades in

now that the long-expected kingdom had become an established reality in heaven, surely its growing interests in the earth after 1919 would not be left in the hands of a novice organization of spiritual babes.

and that proved to be true.

it was the 1900-year-old “faithful and discreet slave,” the old christian congregation, that was entrusted with this precious kingdom service.

NotFormer

"Now I know that there have always been anointed ones on earth for the last 1900 years..."

BTW, I'm betting on a change of doctrine on the 144,000/FDS/annointed/Jesus' brothers thing. The way they've been spinning things lately, I reckon that eventually only the GB will be the representative of any of those classes (if there was any difference between them).