Posts by FFGhost

26

Drinking during Prohibition

by Davros in

jw
friends

during a recent conversation i had with someone, a question came up that i really don't know the answer to.

did jw's still drink during prohibition in the us during the 1920's until it's repeal in 1933?

was alcoholic beverages considered forbidden and possibly subject to disfellowshipping?.

FFGhost

Earnest,

Thanks!

I wonder if there is documentation or history of any actual early Bible Student "church trials".

The Proclaimers book mentions "on rare occasions" - how rare? Was there an "official" procedure that was to be followed? Who made the final determination?

What happened if the person was found "guilty"? The New Creation book mentions "withdrawing fellowship", but what did that mean in practice? Everyone, including family? Did "fellowship" mean within the walls of the meeting place, or outside it as well? What was the procedure for one found guilty to be "restored"?

I would imagine that "rare occasions" indicates vanishingly rare, but I'd love to see documentation (if any exists).

I'd bet it does exist in some dusty, forgotten corner of the Bethel archives.

26

Drinking during Prohibition

by Davros in

jw
friends

during a recent conversation i had with someone, a question came up that i really don't know the answer to.

did jw's still drink during prohibition in the us during the 1920's until it's repeal in 1933?

was alcoholic beverages considered forbidden and possibly subject to disfellowshipping?.

FFGhost

"Disfellowshipping" wasn't invented until the mid-to-late 30's, well after the end of Prohibition.

And even that was just for "exceptional" cases. The invention of disfellowshipping in the form like it is today (judicial committee of 3 elders, 2 witnesses or confession required, appeals, reinstatement, etc.) wasn't invented until 1951 or so.

There really wasn't any sort of "enforcement mechanism" for undesired behavior until well into the reign of Pappy Knorr.

The stifling stranglehold on "acceptable" behavior arose only slowly, slowly, over decades, like the gradual boiling of the proverbial frog in the pot of water. In the 1920s it was still just a small group and generally the few in at that time had more freedom.

It would be an interesting research project, though, to see what the 1920's literature had to say about alcohol and prohibition.

12

The WT will now produce a Jesus Movie (Series)

by HowTheBibleWasCreated in

i'm actually looking forward to their warped view of matthew, mark, luke and john for this.

the drama from 2015 wasn't that bad.

however.... yeah steven lett mentions othe films about jesu are plagued with false religion.

FFGhost

the GB has just cancelled the next two years

by neat blue dog in

even some democrats are advocating for reopening society, and are at least hoping for some point in 2021, but the governing body just announced that they're canceling the assemblies in 2022 as well, aiming to restart in 2023. .

they're really milking this 'pandemic', because as soon as things go back to normal that sense of urgency will start to die again, and publisher counts / meeting attendance will go down as well.

i wonder how many jws are suffering form (additional) depression from this as well, because with meetings, assemblies and conventions at least you could see and meet new people, as well as socialize.

FFGhost

It's in the announcements to be read at this week's CLAM meeting. Some folks have already had their CLAM this week.

28

the GB has just cancelled the next two years

by neat blue dog in

even some democrats are advocating for reopening society, and are at least hoping for some point in 2021, but the governing body just announced that they're canceling the assemblies in 2022 as well, aiming to restart in 2023. .

they're really milking this 'pandemic', because as soon as things go back to normal that sense of urgency will start to die again, and publisher counts / meeting attendance will go down as well.

i wonder how many jws are suffering form (additional) depression from this as well, because with meetings, assemblies and conventions at least you could see and meet new people, as well as socialize.

FFGhost

My guess is they are hooked on the money they are saving. My guess is in the last few years
assemblies are costing more than they take in.

As noted above, only special conventions are cancelled through 2022, No announcement has been made on "normal" regional conventions.

Conventions are by far the biggest cash cow the WTS has. They make many many MANY millions off the contributions of grateful JWs. There is virtually no expense other than the small "off season" rental of the facility (typically a basketball arena that sits empty for most of the summer) so the profit margin probably exceeds 90%.

And the international "special" conventions are an even BIGGER gobs-of-money-maker. In addition to the contributions from attending JWs, they almost certainly get kickbacks from JW-friendly or even JW-owned travel agencies charging exorbitant rates for JW travelers' airfare, hotels, and transportation.

They will open up regional conventions as soon as possible. They must have absolutely hated to lose the special conventions for 3 years in a row (2020 - 2022).

28

the GB has just cancelled the next two years

by neat blue dog in

even some democrats are advocating for reopening society, and are at least hoping for some point in 2021, but the governing body just announced that they're canceling the assemblies in 2022 as well, aiming to restart in 2023. .

they're really milking this 'pandemic', because as soon as things go back to normal that sense of urgency will start to die again, and publisher counts / meeting attendance will go down as well.

i wonder how many jws are suffering form (additional) depression from this as well, because with meetings, assemblies and conventions at least you could see and meet new people, as well as socialize.

FFGhost

the Governing Body just announced that they're canceling the assemblies in 2022 as well, aiming to restart in 2023.

The actual announcement is that special conventions are on hold until 2023. No announcement has been made about "normal" regional conventions or circuit assemblies.

"Special conventions" are those mega-sized international do-ups that feature talent shows by JWs, special field service arrangements for delegates, overpriced airfare & hotel arrangements for delegates, etc.

19

new series "The Good News According to Jesus"

by neat blue dog in

this concept was leaked here not too long ago, and it was just announced at the next section of the 'annual meeting' on jw broadcasting.

they allude to it being a half hour series and say that it will cover literally every detail in all four gospels in chronological order through the course of all episodes.

they also insinuate that it's the most ambitious project yet (i guess making use of that new media production facility).

FFGhost

Can't wait for the dialogue where Jesus tells his disciples, "This generation will by no means pass away....actually, before I go any further, let me tell you guys that by 'generation', I mean two groups of people who just happen to have a couple of months or years of overlapping lifespans, so, for example, someone born 70 years after another person was born, but whose life overlapped the life of the older guy, well, see they're really just one generation, and even though the first guy died at age 99 30 years earlier, if the younger guy is still alive, then that generation is still the same, see, and...WAIT! Hey come back guys! I'm not done yet, I haven't even touched on the part where it's not only their lifespans that have to overlap, but their period of 'being anointed' has to overlap too, see, and....Huh. Where did everybody go? Hmmm, maybe next time I'll make a chart."

19

new series "The Good News According to Jesus"

by neat blue dog in

this concept was leaked here not too long ago, and it was just announced at the next section of the 'annual meeting' on jw broadcasting.

they allude to it being a half hour series and say that it will cover literally every detail in all four gospels in chronological order through the course of all episodes.

they also insinuate that it's the most ambitious project yet (i guess making use of that new media production facility).

FFGhost

Fffffpht - "support".

i.e., "give us gobs and gobs of money".

20

Profanity on Surrey Kingdom Hall

by lssjr in

if it is a non-jw who did this as a result of their pandemic campaign (letter-writing and telephone calls), jehovah’s witnesses really need to check themselves.

they have been directed by their new york headquarters (since last year shortly after the start of the pandemic) to send letters to only people they know.

people don’t like receiving unwanted, unrequested, unsolicited letters and phone calls, especially from jehovah’s witnesses.. if it is a former member who received a letter as a result letter-writing pandemic campaign- most former members do not like being harassed by active jehovah’s witnesses and have been directed by their new york headquarters to send letters to and call only people they know.. .

FFGhost

People have been getting peeved by JWs for many decades, I dare say centuries.

Kingdom Halls all over the world have been vandalized hundreds or thousands of times over the last 50-60 years.

It's not clear why you think this particular vandal did this as a result of recently receiving a letter.

34

Anyone notice how when some of us older ones were in the cult.......

by mickbobcat in

when i was a kid in the late sixties the type of books we would study was very intense compared to the bull shit pablum that they put out today?

i mean the finished mystery and others now its these stupid books that don't dive deep into the beliefs.

.

FFGhost

It would be great if a WT reference to this teaching could be found.

"Ask, and ye shall receive".

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1999323#h=14:0-15:594

God’s people once understood that the first phase of the great tribulation began in 1914 and that the final part would come at the battle of Armageddon.

However, in later years we have come to see things differently. On Thursday, July 10, 1969, at the “Peace on Earth” International Assembly in New York City, F. W. Franz, then vice president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, gave an electrifying talk.

Then a significantly adjusted explanation was offered: “To correspond with the events of the first century, . . . the antitypical ‘great tribulation’ did not begin in 1914 C.E. Rather, what took place upon Jerusalem’s modern antitype in 1914-1918 was merely ‘a beginning of pangs of distress’ . . . The ‘great tribulation’ such as will not occur again is yet ahead

You can get a whole long list of "clarifications" here:

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200277174#h=1:0

"Let the reader use discernment" as to which is wackier - old beliefs, or current beliefs.