Posts by likeabird

8

Time for a quiz! Guess when this happened!

by likeabird in

jw
friends

let's enjoy yet another meeting-free tuesday night with a quick quiz.. .

here's your clue:.

in the space of ten years, this religious organization produced and distributed over 23 million publications.. .

likeabird

Sorry for the delay.

For those that want the answer to the above question, I have just put the answer in a new post:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/255095/1/Is-WTBTS-really-imitating-the-first-century-apostles-Or-could-they-just-be-copying-something-far-closer-to-home

For those that want to keep guessing, or find the answer yourself (it is searchable via Google), be my guest

10

Is WTBTS really imitating the first century apostles? Or could they just be copying something far closer to home?

by likeabird in

the borg likes to go on about how everything they do is in imitation of first century apostles.. .

that's what i usually asked myself.

i just couldn't imagine the apostles having to lug a heavy bag of literature door to door like we did.

The borg likes to go on about how everything they do is in imitation of first century apostles.

But is it really so?

That's what I usually asked myself. I just couldn't imagine the apostles having to lug a heavy bag of literature door to door like we did.
I never vocalised my thoughts to anyone. Until today.

I've been doing a bit of reading, and even if it is unrelated to the borg, somehow they keep floating into the picture.

You see, in the 18th and 19th centuries, in England, there was an influx of religious groups springing up and they were producing and distributing masses of literature to the people. Most of it was free or very cheap, but it was in great quantities and some was also distributed by pedlars or colporters as thy travelled far and wide, house to house, selling their wares.

One example was the Religious Tract Society (does it sound like anything you know?) which in the decade of the 1840s, produced and distributed over 23 million pieces of literature. Another organization, the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) was active throughout the 18th century. In 1850 they were distributing around 4 million items annually.

These two examples are for England and it took just thirty years before C.T.Russell started his own religious literature distribution outlet.

In America, it appears that the American Tract Society had been active in the since work since 1825 and that they sprang from the New York Tract Society (1812) and the New England Tract Society (1814). Their history doesn't date as far back as England's (the Religious Tract Society started in 1799 and SPCK in 1698), John Wycliffe's teachings having been distributed in tract form from as early as the 14th century. In any case, there does seem to be a lot of Tract Societies running about.

My question to you is, was WTBTS following the apostle's example, or were they just jumping on the bandwagon?

23

Does the borg really produce great readers? How much did you actually read when in?

by likeabird in

jw
friends

i've been reading a lot and learning even more (project deadlines to meet), getting this overwhelming satisfaction and feeling good.. and then i stopped and realised that i never got that feeling when reading borg publications.. i also realized that i have probably read more non-fiction books in the last month than i did during my whole life in the borg.. for all my reading (and i was fully in) i read no more than two wt books cover to cover.

none of my study books were studied cover to cover and wts were usually quickly underlined and rarely properly studied.

magazines were usually flicked through and resolutions to read them cover to cover rarely lasted more than a few weeks.. i did manage to read the bible through once - but that was because i was always afraid someone door to door would ask me if i had, so i figured i should just crack on with it.

likeabird

I've been reading a lot and learning even more (project deadlines to meet), getting this overwhelming satisfaction and feeling good.

And then I stopped and realised that I never got that feeling when reading borg publications.

I also realized that I have probably read more non-fiction books in the last month than I did during my whole life in the borg.

For all my reading (and I was fully in) I read no more than two WT books cover to cover. None of my study books were studied cover to cover and WTs were usually quickly underlined and rarely properly studied. Magazines were usually flicked through and resolutions to read them cover to cover rarely lasted more than a few weeks.

I did manage to read the Bible through once - but that was because I was always afraid someone door to door would ask me if I had, so I figured I should just crack on with it. Attempts to read it a second time never got me past the first five chapters of Genesis.

So for all the bravado for making great readers out of us all, how was it with you?

How much did you read when in?

51

Family is drawing the line in the sand

by dissonance_resolved in

jw
friends

so my family has obviously been noticing over the past several months that i've been missing meetings and fs.

i've had excuses sometimes, but not others, so my parents are definitely getting that this is more than a long bout of illnesses or fatigue.

i just received an email invitation to join them in service this weekend.

likeabird

I would say don't play the emotional game with them. Just pick and choose which emails you reply to and they will understand with time. You can always say you didn't get round to answering it and in any case you weren't free.

Also do as Blondie said, it is good advice. Make a life for yourself outside, even if it just means doing stuff you like that you used to put off doing for the borg. This is what can make you happy and when your family sees that you're happier than before, it's a little hard for them to go against that.

Worse case scenario, just tell them you need a little me-time, that's all. They don't need all the details.

62

So, Whats the real reason JWs are no concessions open at the DC and are discouraged from supporting nearby vendors?

by BU2B in

jw
friends

so ever since they discontinues the food service at the assemblies and dcs, jws have been "lovingly encouraged" to pack a light lunch to eat.

the secretary at the hall that i am held hostage in said during the service meeting that even a sub would be too heavy to eat, and that a light salad was the best option.

what do you fine people think is the real reason why, in the absence of food service, jws are told to not leave the building at lunch?

likeabird

I can remember announcements being made from the platform which forbade anyone even

eating during the program!

Even sweets were not allowed! That was the only way to stay awake! Whatever were they thinking!

I remember taking a study to the assembly once, and when they saw there was nowhere to go to eat and masses of people, they were already making plans to set up shop and make some money from their time there. Unfortunately I was still programmed at the time, else it would have made for a great story!

287

What about your vow to Jehovah?

by a watcher in

did you get baptized without being dedicated?.

why did you allow men to come between you and jehovah?.

why were you serving jehovah at all?

likeabird

Did you get baptized without being dedicated?

I was fully dedicated when I got baptised, but I do remember doing it and it felt a bit bizarre just making a promise into the air. No question there of not believing, I was just afraid of not doing it in the right way and it not being valid.

Why did you allow men to come between you and Jehovah?

I didn't. It's just one party to the vow turned out to be non-existant and annulled everything automatically.

Why were you serving Jehovah at all? Out of love, or for other reasons?

Out of love and because I sincerely believed it was the right thing to do

"Whenever you vow a vow to God, do not hesitate to pay it...What you vow, pay. Better it is that you vow not than that you vow and do not pay." (Ecc 5:4,5)

Don't accuse me of not paying my vow. I paid it and paid it very very dearly.

29

Looooooooooong Prayers...

by likeabird in

let's have a bit of a laugh.. .

who of you rolled your eyes when brother never ending prayers was called up to give the closing prayer?.

who of you then proceeded to tap your feet, fidget loudly or start doing balancing acts off the back of the chair in front of you while waiting for it to end?.

likeabird

Those stories are priceless! Thanks everyone.

I cannot get my head around the concept of 45 minute prayers. Incredible. How did you survive it?

I remember one of the first threads I ever read on JWN was about prayer and repetition of the name Jehovah. One poster said he would count how many times people said Jeehovah in their prayers. I would love to find that post again, it was so funny. I mean from the start of any prayer, it's quite clear who the recipient is. When we're talking to our boss, imagine if we were to use their name in every single sentence if not twice.

It's like they expect fairy dust to fall on them every time they say the magic name.

(If anyone knows what thread I'm talking about, I would love to get the link)

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