At the end of 2007 there were nearly 2225 congregations in Germany (see 2008 Yearbook). Since 530 out of them were foreign-language (FLC), ≈1700 were ones German-language (GLC). Notices of creation, renaming and dissolution of congregations are published in Amtsblatt. Thanks to this, it is possible to count that the number of GLC has decreased by ≈210 whereas the number of FLC has increased by ≈90 over the past decade. So, now there ≈1490 GLC and ≈620 FLC.
Corney
JoinedPosts by Corney
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Corney
I have only a quote from Watchtower Library - Deutsch (available on jw.org):
*** km 2/08 S. 7 Können wir den veränderten Bedarf im Gebiet berücksichtigen? ***
In den letzten Jahrzehnten sind viele Menschen aus den verschiedensten Ländern in unser Land gekommen und haben hier die Wahrheit kennengelernt. Jehova hat seinen Segen ausgegossen, sodass als Ergebnis heute 531 Versammlungen und 272 Gruppen in 30 Sprachen existieren. Insgesamt sind über 36 000 Verkündiger im fremdsprachigen Gebiet tätig. In Arabisch, Chinesisch, Türkisch und Vietnamesisch gibt es noch Bedarf; an einigen Orten auch in Deutscher Gebärdensprache, Persisch, Polnisch, Tamil und Tigrinja.Google translate:
In the last decades, many people from different countries came to our country and got to know the truth here. Jehovah has poured out his blessing, resulting in 531 congregations and 272 groups in 30 languages today. In total, more than 36,000 publishers work in foreign-language areas. In Arabic, Chinese, Turkish and Vietnamese there is still need; in some places also in German Sign Language, Persian, Polish, Tamil and Tigrinja.
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EU Court Ruling Against WT on Data-Protection
by cofty intoday's london times reports on the july ruling of the eu court that forces the organisation country to comply with data protection.. the action originated in finland but the ruling will affect every eu country.
the cult tried unsuccessfully to argue that the notes taken by jws in the door-to-door work were personal and not accessed by the congregation.
the court ruled that they are acting under the auspices of the congregation and therefore they must comply with data-protection laws.. keeping lists of do-not-calls also falls under this ruling.. why does the cult always feel that it is above the law?.
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Corney
Adam Chapman (Kingsley Napley, Partner and Head of Public Law Department) described the CJEU's approach as "maximalist, and probably to many people a counter-intuitive". "The obvious and immediate consequence of the two [on Facebook pages and D2D note-keeping] decisions is that a considerable number of organisations which, up until now, had not considered themselves to be joint data controllers will have to review that assessment", he added.
Another interesting legal blogs:
CJEU rules on joint controllership - what does this mean for companies?
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Corney
Bitterly disappointing. To spend 10 minutes talking in platitudes about two simple facts - and to fail to mention the number of created congregations and distribution of merged and created ones by language (not to mention that the correct number of mergers is 300, not 321). Remember, it was always possible to know how the number of congregations changed since these figures were published in Yearbooks (now in annual reports). The really interesting fact is that the number of German-language congregations has reduced by 1/8 during the past decade (compare the data from 2009 Yearbook, Amtsblatt, and German February 2008 Kingdom Ministry (p. 7)) - whereas the number of foreign-language ones grew and now they make up nearly 30% of all German congregations.
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138
JW org collapses
by I Faded Twice inok so this is a topic i've pondered and go back and forth on.. i can easily see a point where lawsuits cause massive deficits in the organization.
honestly i feel like we are seeing the tip of the iceberg in regards to lawsuits on child abuse.
to me it looks like the property sell offs are to be able to get ready for this.
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Corney
There are also interesting income data from 2016 Australian census: https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5704887365009408/aust-census-incomes-jws-falling-further-behind
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ngiBqNs3fk9XgxYFfTrv9acCKi5LWZnbysIAQ1_2wnY/edit?usp=sharing
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138
JW org collapses
by I Faded Twice inok so this is a topic i've pondered and go back and forth on.. i can easily see a point where lawsuits cause massive deficits in the organization.
honestly i feel like we are seeing the tip of the iceberg in regards to lawsuits on child abuse.
to me it looks like the property sell offs are to be able to get ready for this.
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Corney
The most recent (AFAIK) data from 2014 U.S. Religious Landscape Study are really awful.
http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-tradition/jehovahs-witness/
On other hand, the margin of error is nearly +/- 8.5 percentage points (Report, p. 93, 96).
As to the question, it was:
Last year, that is in 2013, what was your total family income from all sources, before taxes? (Report, p. 195)
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67
Russia Uses Nerve Agent to Assassinate Spy
by cofty inwhat started as news of a man and woman being found unconscious on a park bench 12 days ago is escalating into an international incident.. sergei skripal had worked as a double agent for british intelligence mi6 before he was discovered and imprisoned in russia in 2006. he was later flown to england as part of a spy-swap in 2010. on sunday 4th march he was discovered along with his 33 year old daughter yulia close to a shopping centre in salisbury.. since then the story has become increasingly bizarre.
a policeman who was first to attend the scene also became critically ill and remains in hospital.
government scientists at porton down have confirmed that the cause is a russian military-grade nerve agent novichok.
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Corney
Just for the record.
Thus far, the suspects' identities were revealed.
A Russian active measures agency aka RT/Russia Today/Sputnik presented the most ridiculous version ever: the men are businessmen (without biographies or relatives, friends, neighbors, clients or anyone else who would sell info to newspapers) who spend entire weekend just to see the Salisbury Cathedral.
It was revealed that, inter alia:
the suspects' passport dossiers contain "top-secret" markings;
a man having similar passport was involved in the 2016 coup plot in Montenegro;
some persons with similar passports indicated on different documents that their home address was 76B Khoroshevskoe Highway - GRU’s Moscow HQ.
Wondering what Russia apologists think about this.
Links:
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/09/23/yeah-it-s-the-gru-hq-so-what
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162
Lorenz Reibling gives interview about real estate
by OrphanCrow inthis interview was posted april 16, 2015 on youtube.
lorenz reibling's replies to the reporter in argentina are in english.. lorenz reibling is intimately connected to the watchtower society and, according to some sources, is a jw himself.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3ssa-9yvii.
so who is lorenz reibling?
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Corney
As to alleged connection between Kaya Holdings, Inc. (KHI) and the Reiblings.
Two things are known.
First, the brothers were owners and directors of KHI's pre-pre-predecessor in 2002, and it's the most recent proof of the connection.
Second, non of them was mentioned as an officer or a major (5% or more) beneficial owner in annual reports of KHI and its predecessor, Alternative Fuels America, Inc. (AFA), for the period 2011-2017 (all available reports); links:
http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com/displayfilinginfo.aspx?FilingID=9236683-139845-142791&type=sect&TabIndex=2&companyid=866655&ppu=%252fdefault.aspx%253fcik%253d1530746 (filed 4/24/2013);
http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com/displayfilinginfo.aspx?FilingID=9921275-139378-142019&type=sect&TabIndex=2&companyid=866655&ppu=%252fdefault.aspx%253fcik%253d1530746 (filed 4/15/2014);
http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com/displayfilinginfo.aspx?FilingID=10628496-181369-184138&type=sect&TabIndex=2&companyid=866655&ppu=%252fdefault.aspx%253fcik%253d1530746 (filed 4/15/2015);
http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com/displayfilinginfo.aspx?FilingID=11392559-267052-269429&type=sect&TabIndex=2&companyid=866655&ppu=%252fdefault.aspx%253fcik%253d1530746 (filed 5/16/2016);
http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com/displayfilinginfo.aspx?FilingID=11998779-123333-128701&type=sect&TabIndex=2&companyid=866655&ppu=%252fdefault.aspx%253fcik%253d1530746 (filed 4/17/2017);
http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com/displayfilinginfo.aspx?FilingID=12688853-144613-149904&type=sect&TabIndex=2&companyid=866655&ppu=%252fdefault.aspx%253fcik%253d1530746 (filed 4/17/2018).
See also this merger agreement between Netspace International Holdings, Inc., Alternative Fuels Americas, Inc., and its shareholders. Looks like Craig Frank and Neil Swarz were the major owners of AFA (or the only ones?) in 2010.
Please correct me if I'm wrong or missed something and there are relatively recent proofs of the connection.
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Oktoberfest exJW Community: Saturday 22nd September 2018
by Darth FayDehr inread all about it in this pdf: https://1drv.ms/b/s!arekzxkzlp8yettbolw5x5vy73s.
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Corney
Hmm, really? By my reckoning, the correct number of mergers is 300 and you missed nothing. Anyway, may the Force be with you!
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Star Tribune: Jehovah's Witnesses accused of mishandling abuse in Montana
by Tahoe inhttp://www.startribune.com/jehovah-s-witnesses-accused-of-mishandling-abuse-in-montana/493779331/.
helena, mont.
— two women who say they were sexually abused as children have alleged that the jehovah's witnesses failed to report their abuser to authorities in montana and instead punished him internally by expelling him from the congregation until he repented the following year.. a trial begins monday in the tiny city of thompson falls for one of dozens of lawsuits filed nationwide in the last decade over claims of child sexual abuse in jehovah's witness congregations.
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Corney
The case was previously discussed here: https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5480640985169920/judge-orders-jehovahs-witnesses-turn-over-internal-documents-re-childhood-sexual-abuse
For further reading:
Supreme Court of Montana, case OP 18-0534 - WATCHTOWER BIBLE & TRACT SOCIETY OF NEW YORK, INC., CHRISTIAN CONGREGATION OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES, and THOMPSON FALLS CONGREGATION OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES, Petitioners, v. TWENTIETH JUDICIAL DISTRICT, SANDERS COUNTY, HONORABLE JAMES A. MANLEY, Presiding Respondent (Watchtower v. 20th Judicial District)
Petition for writ of supervisory control and motion for stay of proceedings filed by Watchtower, CCJW, and Thompson Falls congregation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_PlopfQcg_vtT1vfcahTnfQF-_TLG1oN/view?usp=sharing
Response to petition (James A. Manley, presiding judge): https://drive.google.com/file/d/12wF53oorT53ZnNQJDNKhAvOeU6OBaV9b/view?usp=sharing
Order denying and dismissing the petition for writ: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nxl_uTp7sFld_DlQDmBoTBhfghMuQ2QK/view?usp=sharing
The first two documents are very informative.