They do the music, but everyone is on mute (or at least they are supposed to be).Everybody just sings along at home.
It sounds really awful, due to differing bandwidth and connection speeds, to try to harmonize 60, 70, 80 devices that typically join in for a meeting. So they just mute everyone.
What's funny is to watch them sing as they are muted. Some folks really apparently get into it. I think to myself "poor neighbors..."
each eye-opener in my awakening had nothing to do with apostates.
it was always by looking directly at the so-called spiritual food that helped me awaken.. in 2019 they changed the wording of the second of two baptismal questions which are answered aloud before the audience.
now i realize that these questions have been adjusted over the years.
Do you understand that your baptism identifies you as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in association with Jehovah’s organization?
Full question, with the implied part fully written:
Do you understand that your baptism identifies you as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in association with Jehovah’s organization, and therefore you voluntarily and completely agree to give us carte blanche to use the threat of disfellowshipping and the implied subsequent loss of association and affection of all of your family and friends as emotional blackmail to coerce you into doing what we demand?
i remember when i was a jw, drinking a good wine or other liquor was looked down upon.
it’s better to put that money towards the worldwide work donations i always got told.
so the best thing i ever got was johnny walker red back then (johnny walker is cheap blend).
I remember when I was a JW, drinking a good wine or other liquor was looked down upon.
Hoo-wee, I can tell we never belonged to any of the same congregations.
In most if not all of the congregations I attended, your popularity was directly correlated to the quality of the booze you provided at your parties drinking bouts get-togethers.
You knew you were "in good" with Brother X if he pulled you aside, or invited you to stay a bit longer after everyone else left, and he'd pull out "the really good stuff".
i just watched that stupid talk by gary while e bro on not using a gun for self defense but it went deeper.
i was that you don't defend yourself against violence.
well ain't that great from an asshat living in a gated and guarded compound.
How a Christian chooses to protect himself, his family, or his possessions is, of course, largely a personal matter
They seem to be suggesting a sort of "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding what measures a JW might employ, short of firearms.
I know an elder whose "open secret" was that he kept a baseball bat under his bat for any unwelcome visitors.
As I understand, a bat is considered one of the best defensive weapons in the case of an intruder not carrying a firearm.
spiritually mature Christians choose not to keep a firearm for protection against other humans.
Translation: Keeping a firearm for the purpose of self-defense will get you removed from any "privileges" (elder, pioneer, etc.) but won't get you DF'ed.
going to preach in countries where jehovah's witnesses are banned is a sign of faith!
powerful by faith 2021 convention of jehovah's witnesses - friday morning.
the latest video is about a sister preaching in a country where there are only 3 publishers.
experience of a SINGLE SISTER sent to a Country where the work is banned.
It may have been slightly more subtle if they would have put a flashing red & black chyron occupying the bottom half of the screen reading "This is China. This sister was in China. CHINA we said".
they wear jewelry like they are some don from the cosa nostra.
watches and rings like some cheap pimp.
hey they are cheap pimps.
Pinky rings! All the best dons wear them.
so all the bs and hyperbole aside, to me it really looks like the cult is in trouble.
shrinking member, selling halls.
the move to televangelism is really strange to me.
On the one hand, folks on forums such as these have been predicting the demise of the WTS for many years and they are still here.
On the other hand, I think they are in for a shock once "real" Kingdom Hall meetings start up again, and after the novelty wears off in a month or 2, attendance plummets. And similar for the door to door ministry - excitement and novelty for a couple months at best then a nosedive.
How will they respond? Carrot or stick?
so in the latest leaked video, splane goes on this crazy delusional rant about how faithful witnesses should never research their faith.. he criticizes the worldly court system and says they are not fair toward witnesses and the organization.
he says the court system is rigged and witnesses who get convicted, (implied child sex abusers) are innocent.
he is literally trying to justify child molesters and elders who cover them, as good people in "god's eyes" even though "human authorities" may judge them and put them in jail.
What "leaked video" is that? There's nothing new by Splane on the JW.Borg broadcasting site.
I don't doubt that he rants about it, I just don't know how to access the video.
I am quite sure that Splane views himself as "the boss". He projects the pomposity and delusions of grandeur of someone who thinks he is the most special guy in the room. It is clear that he views himself as the smartest of the bunch (not exactly a high bar to clear) and that he thinks he is tremendously gifted with the ability to explain "deep things" to those whom he views as morons.
Can you tell I don't have a high opinion of him?
most churches are back to in-person worship.
not jehovah's witnesses.
is watchtower still managing to fleece the flocks as the sheeple no longer get literature, no longer go to the kh, no longer walk past the donation box?
numbers were higher than they’ve been for years - for the first few weeks - then it began to drop off to lower than prepandemic levels.
This is exactly what will happen with JWs.
The novelty will be there for maybe a month. Then the tiresome drudgery sets in, and attendance will plummet. It will no longer be "special".
Concerned elders will have meeting after meeting. JW Broadcasting will produce urgent videos extolling the importance of meeting attendance.
Won't make any difference. Attendance will drop and stay down.
If there are any with a modicum of intelligence left at Warwick, they have to know this is precisely what will happen.
most churches are back to in-person worship.
not jehovah's witnesses.
is watchtower still managing to fleece the flocks as the sheeple no longer get literature, no longer go to the kh, no longer walk past the donation box?
It's tough for them to figure out, I'm sure.
On the one hand, with Kingdom Hall expenses at near or absolute 0, virtually all contributions to the local congregation end up being forwarded to the WTS instead of going toward electricity, water, etc.
On the other hand, without in-person meetings, it is much harder to maintain control over the flock.
On the 3rd hand, contributing via the website makes it extraordinarily easy - you can even set up recurring payments.
On the 4th hand, old-timers, the ones who tended to contribute the most, are more likely to be technophobic and not want to "send money over that danged interweb or watchamacallit". Such folks were far more likely to drop cash in the box at the KH.
Which do they value more - money or control? I'm sure it's a question they continue to wrestle with.
