Posts by JWTom

41

A Salute to Petra/Atlantis

by Slidin Fast in

jw
friends

whilst i have never quite understood whether petra and atlantis are one or multiple entities i recognise the value of their work and web of contacts.

i think it is fair to say that no-one has consistently contributed more solid gold intelligence to this site.

no one has reliably passed on more bomb shells and solid news as well as day to day minutiae.

Meeting Workbook - I am your inheritance - April 5-11

by JWTom in

similar to the bethelites being dismissed topic for march/april 2020 is the article for april 5-11 related to the idea "if you just do what jw.org says....then someone is going to slide cash under your door and it will all be good related to your future finances" (link below).. i know current jws that believe this and have pimi family that believe this.

they believe these even though they have endlessly challenging finances even struggling to pay bills.

the reality is that anyone struggling financially as a jw is going to be in a state of poverty just trying to survive.

JWTom

Similar to the bethelites being dismissed topic for March/April 2020 is the article for April 5-11 related to the idea "if you just do what JW.org says....then someone is going to slide cash under your door and it will all be good related to your future finances" (link below).

I know current JWs that believe this and have PIMI family that believe this. They believe these even though they have endlessly challenging finances even struggling to pay bills.

The reality is that anyone struggling financially as a JW is going to be in a state of poverty just trying to survive. No financial security will come from JWLand. That has been proven true...again and again and again....

https://www.jw.org/finder?wtlocale=E&docid=202021095&srcid=share

34

Are there more Bethel layoffs in the immediate future?

by LongHairGal in

jw
friends

i just saw a post on reddit: ‘wt are prepping the r&f for changes in the march/april meeting workbook’.. in the post the person noted what they read (for march 8) and it mentioned bethel adjustments and reference was made to 2015 when bethelites were let go.. if this happens (yet again) another bunch of people are being sent home to fend for themselves in the big bad world at an advanced age with little to no preparation.

even though this doesn’t surprise me, it could not come at a worse time with a global pandemic and massive job loss everywhere..congregations are already in turmoil because of so many who reached retirement age totally unprepared because they were told armageddon would be here before they reached that age.

this is in addition to all the other ‘needy’ and troubled types in the congregations looking for as$istance.. i hope any bethelites there have a plan and some people they can contact.

JWTom

Thanks for the tip that this was out there. Likely some changes are coming....exactly what is hard to say from anything in the meeting workbooks.

I was at Bethel during the first real "layoffs" in the 90s. These work in fairly predictable ways: 1) Over 50 and <10 years bethel service typically end up with as SPs as mentioned; 2) Under 50 and >10 years bethel service were given like 1-3 months to make plans to leave, get a job, etc. Of course there were lots of exceptions to the above but that was a general theme. The "dead wood" was at the top of the list regardless of age/seniority and also people with consistent/chronic health problems.

During this time there was a younger couple (40ish) with professional skills that filed a lawsuit related to being dismissed after 10 years of being at Bethel. They won a judgement of $175,000 related to their case that the "Living Together in Unity Bethel Manual" basically says "come here and make a career of being at Bethel", "stay forever, make this your home forever", etc, etc. And in the 90s it did say that. The couple alleged they did what was encouraged and after many years devoting their professional skills to Bethel they were being booted or something to that effect. Most Bethelites that are getting booted do not have the balls or resources to do something like this - but it was a legitimate complaint especially if you had valuable skills and were thinking you could stay at Bethel forever.

Fortunately my wife and I left on our own terms after less than 10 years. We did not need help getting back into the job world or making money. However, this discussion is a cautionary tale on what the JW.org will do to you after it has decided you are no longer needed.

14

April 30, 1993

by pistolpete in

this year was actually “the beginning of the last days for the watchtower.

before this year, there were very few that questioned the watchtower.

they were truly god’s only channel.

JWTom

@bluesbrother

For many the collapse of the generation teaching of 1914 and also the falsehood of the "Millions now living will never die" teaching (oops, all those many millions have all died). Also, at US Bethel there were some prominent members of the Gilead School that left when the decision was made that not all of the anointed were selected prior to 1935 - and that more anointed were being selected in current times (of course this had to be changed since all of the 1935-era anointed were about to die off, leaving none on the earth). The 1935 selection of anointed teaching was also a bedrock belief that has gone to the trashcan.

23

So what have the rank and file been saying now that a vaccine is being given. What happened to Armageddon

by goingthruthemotions in

a vaccine is here!!!

the light at the end of the tunnel is visible!!!

so what happened to armageddon?.

JWTom

In JWLand there will always be a reason for the next thing or next view of what is happening. There is an explanation or scripture that will be used to justify a random position regardless of what reality is.

17

Reading the Watchtower publications will give you an university education.

by Overrated in

jw
friends

the watchtower said that reading their stuff would get you a college education.

can anyone recall that gem?

my parents sure bought into that crap.

JWTom

@howthebiblewascreated @ funky

To be fair, there is a great deal about human nature, values and in some cases commerce that can be learned from a study of the bible. Also I would agree that in the magazines published from 1950s-1980s there was a great deal of interesting and educational content published that would benefit an average person in building knowledge.

Sadly though, what you need to survive in the world we live in is a well rounded education across many topics that are relevant in holding down a job to pay the bills. What WT offered never provided that.

Double sadly, in the U.S. for many years if you didn't have a piece of paper saying you went to college then you were also black-balled as someone that was not worth hiring for professional roles.

29

Publisher's Record Cards

by Faded4good in

jw
friends

okay, i haven't been to a meeting in over 17 years and i don't live anywhere near the place i grew up.

i have had minimal contact with my jw family, essentially just occasional phone conversations.

i think they could easily guess that i'm inactive but they pretend not to know and they've never shunned me.

JWTom

Faded4Good - Yes, but also many of them are likely being trashed after 5-7 years. I was in a congregation for 16 years that was constantly a revolving door of elders, ministerial servants and publishers. The idea that anything was kept track of or organized is laughable.

29

Publisher's Record Cards

by Faded4good in

jw
friends

okay, i haven't been to a meeting in over 17 years and i don't live anywhere near the place i grew up.

i have had minimal contact with my jw family, essentially just occasional phone conversations.

i think they could easily guess that i'm inactive but they pretend not to know and they've never shunned me.

JWTom

I was recently called by a random congregation several hundred miles away to validate that a person that used to be in the a local congregation when I was an elder was actually there and was in good standing at the time. I was the only person that this inactive publisher could remember from the original congregation due to being inactive for 5-7 years and the elder that called me said the original BOE could not even remember this person - much less find a PRC for her.

I would bet money that local BOEs cannot find a PRC after 3-5 years or won't expend the effort to find one even if it is buried somewhere in a local file cabinet.

Also, I continue to post this on here again and again. If any JW contacts you about ANYTHING that is a disciplinary matter....you simply need to say:

"I need to consult an attorney before talking further with you about any matter or before disclosing any personal information. Please contact me in 30 days to discuss further and during that time I will meet with my attorney and engage them for further discussion."

You will NEVER hear from that cong/brothers again since the JW Org runs from legal problems like scared rabbit.

You don't actually need to have an attorney or ever contact one....just say you need to have an attorney involved and they will drop it like a hot potato.

14

Past Watchtower Society Comments On Vaccines

by BluesBrother in

today there is a lot of hope placed in a vaccines to immunise against covid 19 , and relief that they are soon to be available.

that will be shared by the eight million or so jws in this world.

they should be thankful that the wts has moved away from its teaching ,that lasted for decades , proclaiming that vaccination was wrong, and a tool of satan.

JWTom

You know, I would bet the vast majority of them are blissfully unaware of this strange doctrine in their past......

Most JWs have little knowledge about the crazy past of WTBTS, little understanding of the orgs. position on blood/blood fractions and no understanding of the detailed doctrinal beliefs (things like Joels prophecy).

14

Meetings

by pontoon in

so remember how assembling together is a command and no man or government can stop us, even if it means going 'underground', even if means being arrested, jailed, beat....can't stop us from assembling together----until covid.

now it's "false regligion" fighting for their constitutional right to meet together while the jws seem to be perefectly happy zooming their lives away..

JWTom

In another post I brought up thoughts around "can you see the end of the JW Org based on either Financial or Legal problems".

Most commented that a slow decline of the JW global org is most likely.

My thought is possibly Covid and the current state of affairs within the JW org could hasten the decline/exodus of people.

For anyone that was part of JW Org in the 50s, 60s or 70s....the organization today is unrecognizable compared with how things were back then.

Many, many realize this and at least in their minds are thinking "all of this makes no sense and why is the JW Org in the ditch".

Unfortunately, there are so many liabilities in trying to leave JW Org and many that are older have few options or support outside JW Org that they are stuck. A sad but true reality for many.