Pale Emporer, I used to think they'd run out of anointed brothers too back when the teaching was those who were around in 1914 are "this generation." It was the one thing that always bothered me and the thing they used to definitely say the end was super close. Now it's an overlapping generation and you have younger people partaking at the memorial. The youngest GB member is younger than my dad. It's all made up madness that will never cease as long as they have a group of believers to string along.
Wait For It
JoinedPosts by Wait For It
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37
How Long Does This Religion Have Left?
by pale.emperor inthe generation that will be no means pass away have passed away.. the 144,000 were sealed up in 1935, oh, no wait, we got that wrong, we still have some.. russel is the faithful and wise servant... oh, no he wasn't it was me, rutherford... no, actually, we got that wrong it's knorr... erm, no we mean the governing body.. shunning is pagan, true christians would never do that (1946)... oh, actually, we should do that too.. the revelation book has been re-written.. the un is the satan's visible organisation.. wtbs signs up for fellowship with the un in 1991.. exposed in the guardian newspaper so ends it's fellowship in 2001.. the greatest man book is now obsolete and replaced with another jesus book.. the mags are reduced in pages.. encouraged to use tablets instead of actual books to save paper (money).
halls being sold off.. congregations sharing halls.. society owned buildings being sold off.. video pertitioning for money only last year to fund a new building.. bethelites reduced.. missionaries sent back home.. young members leaving.. long time members discovering the history and leaving.. how long do you think this religion has left?
i cant see it being here in another 100 years.
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70
Witness Carts - A Vehicle for Significant Decline
by slimboyfat ini was stalking to a jw today about her recent experience on the carts and with being a jw generally.
until this conversation i considered the carts as just an ineffective preaching method and a harmless waste of time.
but now i wonder if the effect of the carts might be to produce noticeable decline in jw numbers.
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Wait For It
What's interesting to me about the cart witnessing is that the JWs pick the most ridiculous places to put it. I thought they were only allowed to set up shop in crowded locations, but I've seen two carts with 4 JWs outside the front doors to my public library on a random Thursday morning. There was NO ONE in the library. I mean, who are they planning to chat with and why TWO carts? I'm really starting to think they choose low traffic times and places on purpose so they don't have to talk. I can't blame them, though, I hated service too.
My relatives who engage in their car "cart watching" witnessing say they only get out their car when someone flags them over. Shall we take bets on how often that happens?
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Witness Carts - A Vehicle for Significant Decline
by slimboyfat ini was stalking to a jw today about her recent experience on the carts and with being a jw generally.
until this conversation i considered the carts as just an ineffective preaching method and a harmless waste of time.
but now i wonder if the effect of the carts might be to produce noticeable decline in jw numbers.
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Wait For It
The JWs in my area don't even stand near their carts. They sit in their cars nearby and "cart watch" and "get their time." Really, that's all it means here: an easy way to rack up hours without actually talking to people.
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42
Feeling Sad After Uncovering TTATT
by pale.emperor inmy initial pangs of unease and doubt led me to research some things.
well, a lot of things really.
i've never felt comfortable using the bible to try to calculate dates (1914).
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Wait For It
Pale.emporer, I'm in a similar situation. My doubts about 1914 eventually led me to TTAT and I was so devastated, I was physically ill for a few weeks. It's been a few months since I first found out, but even still, I wake from sleep thinking about what I've learned with my heart racing.
We are grieving a lie and it'll take some time for our minds to "reset" from the years of forced thought and indoctrination. In the mean time, I'm allowing myself experience life, by actually enjoying simple things that I used to feel guilty for: sleeping in on the weekends, hanging out with my non-JW friends and not viewing them as "Worldly," spending more time on hobbies, and planning my career path for the future.
Doing these things has helped me to realize I have a lot to look forward to and helps me move on with my life instead of continuing to allow the Watchtower infiltrate my mind.
You can get through this.
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How to shake up Jdubs...
by Rather Be the Hammer ini didn't attend the meeting last night, but my in husband came home and was quite shocked because there was a letter announcing that there will be no wt-library cd-rom any more, and..... no more calendar.. he said there was a lot of talking and noise when that was announced.. i didn't expect the calender to go, by the way.
and my husband sounded really concerned, talking about how society is cutting down.
i love it when he says with a tone of surprise in his voice: 'you were right, now they want us to do everyting digital, and throw out the printed stuff.
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Wait For It
Freddo, you are correct. It's on a DVD. But have they still been producing CD and DVDs all this time?
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How to shake up Jdubs...
by Rather Be the Hammer ini didn't attend the meeting last night, but my in husband came home and was quite shocked because there was a letter announcing that there will be no wt-library cd-rom any more, and..... no more calendar.. he said there was a lot of talking and noise when that was announced.. i didn't expect the calender to go, by the way.
and my husband sounded really concerned, talking about how society is cutting down.
i love it when he says with a tone of surprise in his voice: 'you were right, now they want us to do everyting digital, and throw out the printed stuff.
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Wait For It
Wait. No more CD Rom? I heard about the calendar, but not this. The online watchtower library only goes back to 2000, while the 2015 Watchower library CD Rom goes back to 1950. I highly doubt they'll update the online library, so they would really be limiting old literature, which is ironic because they still quote magazines from the 90s in the Christian Life and Ministry Workbook. Of course, if you're using the app, it gives you that small quote so you don't have to look it up. It's clear that they are discouraging reading old light.
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Can anyone allay my suspicions?
by Nicholaus Kopernicus incan you allay my suspicions of wt associated activity?.
during the last 3 to 4 co visits, i noticed a predeliction on the part of the ladt few co's for taking photos at fs meetings and photos of cong at end of visit.
i'm beginning to suspect that such is not because the co's have a newly found socially engaging disposition (being cool).
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Wait For It
Yes, at my last CO visit, the CO and his wife handed out goodie bags to all the kids and asked for a pic of all the children (we have a LOT in our hall). He was relatively young, I wanna say early 40s. They were a very nice couple. I remember at the end of his final talk on Sunday, he stressed over and over that NOTHING is more important that our family, even if they aren't JWs, not meetings or pioneering, that it's our obligation. I was shocked because it seemed in stark contrast to the message that comes from the society. Everyone in my hall were so quiet after that. I wonder if he is awake...
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RC Was Worse Than I thought...
by JW_Rogue ini was visiting with my family and it seems the rc was worse than i thought.
now they all seem to think that "we are so close to the end" and that the "brothers are really preparing us for the gt".
some even saying that soon our message will change to a judgement message for mankind and talking about how we need to improve "everything we do".
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Wait For It
I've been hearing rumors that the preaching campaign is going to go in this direction and be announced at the annual meeting later this year. In fact, that is the exact wording used: "Judgement"Some even saying that soon our message will change to a judgement message for mankind and talking about how we need to improve "everything we do".
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38
Please sum up the last decade in JW history
by oldskool ini used to be a member of this site, but jumped off a good number of years ago (08?).
i don't have access to my old email, so i'm using a new account.. anyway, i was baptized jw in late 90's.
da'd mid 2000s.. when i left there were three meets a week plus field service.
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Wait For It
Oldskool, yeah, they are obsessed with "worship." JWs are particular with their labels! Family Worship replaces family study, but initially there was some confusion on that because I remember some brothers thinking it was in addition to family study.
There's not really any structure per say. It functions just like family study. Parents are free to choose whatever they want to go over, though it is suggested they use the different activities from the website.
In recent years there has been an increase in tailoring publications and new releases for young kids and teens. If you're wondering why the magazines and books are so simple, that's why! There's even a video series with two made up kids: Calab and Sofia along with whiteboard animations. So family worship is usually the time to use those materials to reach kids. Group or multi-family worships are also encouraged. Ive gone to a few myself and it's almost always geared towards the kids: Building an elaborate Ark, Bible Jeopardy, etc with dinner at the end.
The society never thought the org or world would be around this long and now their old advice to hold off on getting married, having kids and going to college is biting them in the ass. So now the focus is on indoctrinating as many born-ins as possible.
When I was growing up in the 90s, all we had was the My Book of Bible Stories. But now? There's a lot more books and pamphlets for kids. They even have one for toddlers with bright colorful pages and rhyming stories about Jehovah creating everything "for you and me!"
They are still pretty anti-college, but I've noticed the rank and file members have really stopped being as judgmental about it. About two years ago, Bethel was asking for brothers and sisters with tech skills to volunteer some of their time to assist with whatever. It was a VERY long list, many of which you'd have to have gone to college to learn or had dedicated a lot of self taught hours to master on your own instead of pioneering. I remember being quite angry because one of the fields I wanted to go to school for was listed.
Excuse me, I have to go vomit.
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38
Please sum up the last decade in JW history
by oldskool ini used to be a member of this site, but jumped off a good number of years ago (08?).
i don't have access to my old email, so i'm using a new account.. anyway, i was baptized jw in late 90's.
da'd mid 2000s.. when i left there were three meets a week plus field service.
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Wait For It
The way they count time is also different. Wives can now count family study as their time alongside their husband. However, only he can count it as a study.
I believe this change is to inflate their dwindling field service stats. So even if you have a mate who does not do service, they can still clock around an hour a week if your family is having its weekly Family Worship Night.
Family Worship replaced one of the weeknight meetings. The reasoning gave was to foster family bonds and to prepare JWs for the great tribulation where you might not have the luxury of attending meetings at a hall. My theory is that so many young people are leaving and they are trying to push parents to emotionally blackmail kids into "staying in the truth."
I've also heard that there are major changes that will be made to the preaching campaign later this year during the annual meeting. I'm unclear on exactly what it'll be, only that it'll be a stronger focus on Armageddon.