leaving_quietly

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Posts by leaving_quietly

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  10

  I need to verify some information

  by JeffT in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there have been a lot of threads regarding changes in donations, kingdom hall ownership etc.

  and what it all means.

  i'm about to put on my accounting hat on and seriously consider the what it all means part (and why they may be doing it).

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  leaving_quietly

  1) Kingdom Halls are now owned by the WTBS and not the local congregation

  Not necessarily. There is a clause in congregation corporation bylaws that states that should the corporation evern be dissolved by whatever methods, the KH becomes the property of WTBTS.

  2) Mortgages have been canceled, instead of making loan payments to the Society, the local congregations are pledging contributions of roughly the same amount. Congregations that had already paid off their mortgage are expected to pledge an amount roughly equal to what their mortgage would be if they had one. These payments will never end.

  This is essentially correct. However, what is being donated on a monthly basis is to be reviewed every May. It might be possible that a congregation deems that the amount is lowered at some point in the future based on their own calculations as to when a loan would have been paid off.

  Personally, I see this as a response to an undisclosed legal issue. Likely something related to banking regulations. Possibly a lawsuit somewhere. Possbily something with some other organization and the WTBTS is trying to get a leg up on it. Who knows? I don't. But it has "legal" written all over it.
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  29

  International Convention

  by msconcerned in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  an email forwarded to a friend.

  what do you make of it?.

  below is a report about preparing for the seattle, washington international convention.

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  leaving_quietly

  I just happened to look at the lodging list posted on the information board at our KH today. There are no hotels in downtown Seattle on the list. None. Nada. Zip. The hotels are in Seatac (by the airport), Federal Way, Bothell, Kirkland, Everett, Bellevue and Kent, as I recall. But not a single one in Seattle. The most expensive rate on the list is $124 for a 4-person occupancy. Most rates fall between $79 and $105 per night. And these are for hotels that normally are perhaps a little more expensive than that. They probably gave a block-rate discount that they'd normally give to anyone who books a block of rooms. That's just normal hotel business. The hotels on the list do NOT go for $385 per night at any time of year. We're talking Holiday Inn, Mariott, Red Lion, and hotels like that. The Red Lion by the airport is currently going for $79.99 per night (just saw the sign a week ago). Their summer rate is likely a little higher, but not by too much. Just thought I'd provide an update based on official informaion on the official lodging list provided by the Society.
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  29

  TTATT in a Can... finally finished!!

  by ILoveTTATT in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ok so... how to condense all the flip-flops and doctrinal changes, and show graphically how the different doctrines changed, and when?.

  ttatt in a can!!.

  enjoy ;).

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  leaving_quietly

  marked... thanks for the spreadsheet, too.
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  35

  The GB are really going out on a limb with this DF decision

  by Quarterback in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this is how a do explained the family business policy re relatives of df/da members.. he said that the expression, "necessary family business," is really not a scriptural term.

  it is nowhere found in the bible.

  but, out of the kindness of the gb's hearts, they have gone beyond what is written and allowed association among families for necessary business.

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  leaving_quietly

  But, out of the kindness of the GB's hearts, they have gone beyond what is written and allowed association among families for necessary business.

  Hmm. What, exactly, IS written? Let's quote from the NWT:

  1 Cor 5:9-13: In my letter I wrote you to stop keeping company with sexually immoral people, 10 not meaning entirely with the sexually immoral people of this world or the greedy people or extortioners or idolaters. Otherwise, you would actually have to get out of the world. 11 But now I am writing you to stop keeping company with anyone called a brother who is sexually immoral or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man. 12 For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Do you not judge those inside, 13 while God judges those outside? “Remove the wicked person from among yourselves.”

  Why, they're right! There IS nothing written about not shunning family members. Then again, there nothing written about shunning ANYONE, either. The only place shunning comes into play is with the antichrist.

  Shunning and "keeping company with" are two VERY different things.

  Of course, the other take on the DO's comment can be found at 1 Cor 4:6: "Now, brothers, these things I have applied to myself and A·pol′los for your good, that through us you may learn the rule: “Do not go beyond the things that are written,” so that you may not be puffed up with pride, favoring one against the other. "

  So, by the him admitting that the GB is going beyond the things that are written, well.... I think the point is proved.
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  8

  New Hall Funding Arrangement

  by thedog1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well our local needs part on this went very uneventfully.

  the brother read it out in such a way that the main thrust was the new arrangement with only two donation boxes in the hall.

  then, almost as an afterthought to the proposed resolution to send exactly what we used to send as the loan repayment, he casually mentioned that we would no longer be paying a loan.

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  leaving_quietly

  We had the letter read, too. Of course, I played dumb the whole time. I gave a very puzzled look when I saw the attendants handing out slips. When the elder was explaining it, I started to shake my head just a little. My wife leaned over and said not to write ANYTHING down and we'd discuss it later. Let's just say that this whole thing is obvious, even to the most loyal JW. At home, she called it a tithing (yep, she came up with that on her own), and said, "we don't do that!" She would continue to contribute, but would absolutely not commit to a set amount every month. She told me she even chewed out an elder after the meeting over this and said it really takes the willingness out of the picture and that the Society was wrong on this one. I suspected she wouldn't want to do this, knowing her as I do, but I didn't expect her to call out an elder. That was funny. Anyway, she said it was my decision, and I said we're not turning in the slips at all, and if they force us to, write down $0. I gave her the scriptural direction from Matt 6:3, which she agreed with this time. We didn't even have an argument over this. She made her own decision and I played dumb the whole time and just let her. It was quite fun to watch play out.

  I did get a chance to explain about how the KHs will be owned now, and alerted her to how much money the Society raked in with the closures and sales of branch offices and their Brooklyn properties. She didn't much care about who owns the KHs. I also asked her to do the math on how much the Society stands to make. And when I did that, I realized something... most JWs probably only think at a local level. I told her to figure the amount if each publisher only give $1 and she said, "Well, that's $100 per month." I then said, "No, no, no... think globally." Then I walked her through the math and at the end said, "That's $96 million dollars in one year. Surely that could build a LOT of Kingdom Halls. This is a cash cow for the Society." Whether she thinks on that any more or not, I won't know right away. But the Society set it up so that this topic can be freely discussed. Maybe it will lead to other things. She did comment that there's a LOT of big changes happening and she doesn't like it. However, even with all this, it will take a lot more to wake her up. Since we use the wake vs. sleep illustration, you can still be sleeping and have bad dreams without waking up.
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  34

  I be a walkin......

  by out4good3 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  across that stage tommorrow dressed in graduate garb picking up a masters degree.. .

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  leaving_quietly

  Nice!
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  103

  That does it ! I'm leaving ! ! !

  by Billy the Ex-Bethelite in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  leaving the university with my degree!.

  exams are finished and it's just a matter of days before i walk.. i was certainly stressed about doing this.

  i'm older than my classmates and armageddon was sooooo close!

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  leaving_quietly

  Very cool!
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  103

  Additional BOE Letter: Please Be Advised that Further Direction Will Soon be Sent to the Bodies of Elders...

  by TTATTelder in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  dear brothers:.

  we are writing as a follow-up to the letters dated january 24, 2014, and march 29, 2014,. to all congregations regarding the adjustments now underway to accelerate construction of king-.

  dom halls and assembly halls.. .

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  leaving_quietly

  If a survey is needed to determine the amount that can be contributed for local congregation expenses...

  The "confidential survey" is not for every congregation, only those that do not already have a loan with the Society. If they have a loan, there's no need for a survey. Just send the loan amount (or more if the congregation so chooses.)

  Again, though, "confidential survey" does not mean "anonymous survey".

  But you, when making gifts of mercy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing
  — Matt 6:5
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  103

  Additional BOE Letter: Please Be Advised that Further Direction Will Soon be Sent to the Bodies of Elders...

  by TTATTelder in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  dear brothers:.

  we are writing as a follow-up to the letters dated january 24, 2014, and march 29, 2014,. to all congregations regarding the adjustments now underway to accelerate construction of king-.

  dom halls and assembly halls.. .

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  leaving_quietly

  Exactly what I was thinking, nicolaou.
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  21

  The Cat out of the Bag: the story of the release of the NEW WORLD TRANSLATION

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  when jehovah's witnesses began distributing door to door the new world translation beginning in the early 1950's a firestorm of protest broke out in mainstream churches.

  the alarm cry was "they've changed the bible to fit their own crooked teachings!".

  you can imagine the discord as church members tried to figure out how jehovah's witnesses could prove by reading from the nwt the king james version was full of omissions and errors and outright fraud concerning, for instance, the trinity doctrine or the name of god!!.

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  leaving_quietly

  This is one of the best posts I've read here in a long, long time. Thanks!