Posts by FFGhost

5

Covid 19 Vaccine at Bethel?

by Iamallcool in

jw
friends

is it a requirement for all bethelites to take the shots?

just wondering!

.

FFGhost

That's an interesting question.

On the one hand, yes, the WTS says in every one of its missives regarding the vaccines, "medical treatments are a matter for personal decision, we do not make rules for others".

On the other hand, The WTS views its Bethel workers as a sort of "family", and the bosses (GB, branch committee members) are the "family heads". And in WT-world, "family heads" have the authority to set "family rules".

As an example, in the US Bethel, it is absolutely forbidden to watch "R-rated" (age 17+) movies, a restriction that is not written out explicitly for non-Bethelites (a non-Bethelite might get "strong counsel" from the local elders, but that's really different).

Breaking a "Bethel family rule" is grounds for dismissal.

In WT-world, a "family head" can make medical decisions for his family.

So....on the one hand, the sooner a sort of "herd immunity" is reached, the sooner things get back to "normal". Vaccines are the quickest, safest way to "herd immunity". On the other hand, it's a broad ethical issue - can employers require their employees to receive the vaccine? It is an open question, there will probably be lawsuits in the future regarding this.

I have no idea what the WTS will do.

27

Do local JWs want in-person meetings back in your congregation?

by JWTom in

jw
friends

i realize many here think that in-person meetings will return as soon as things are safe with covid.

but many acknowledge it will likely be 2022 or later when this happens.. surprisingly, many pimi jws in our congregation are not shy about saying they are fine with zoom meetings forever and do not want to go back to in-person meetings.

many speculate similar thoughts that are on this site....such as a combination of in-person and zoom meetings.

FFGhost

With zoom you can multitask to stay awake

At a recent meeting I counted less than 20% of the video cameras turned on.

Lots of "multi-tasking" (AKA eating breakfast, watching TV, reading a book) going on, I suspect.

27

Do local JWs want in-person meetings back in your congregation?

by JWTom in

jw
friends

i realize many here think that in-person meetings will return as soon as things are safe with covid.

but many acknowledge it will likely be 2022 or later when this happens.. surprisingly, many pimi jws in our congregation are not shy about saying they are fine with zoom meetings forever and do not want to go back to in-person meetings.

many speculate similar thoughts that are on this site....such as a combination of in-person and zoom meetings.

FFGhost

Given the way that JWs celebrated with unbridled joy whenever meetings were cancelled due to inclement weather even before the pandemic, I suspect most are not especially looking forward to it.

"We notice you've been missing a lot of meetings, Brother Bob".

"Oh, I wouldn't say I've been missing them, Brother Obnoxious".

15

Google Street view: Will I get disfellowshipped?

by StephaneLaliberte in

yesterday, while having a smoke outside my house, i saw the google street view car drive by.

so here i am, wondering when this picture will make it to the web and when a jw sees it.

even if they blur the face, i bet it will be really easy to make out who's smokin' outside.

FFGhost

Were there 2 people in the car (2 witness rule)?

If not, you should be OK

61

Awake Magazine - No Longer Being Printed?

by JWTom in

jw
friends

someone made reference in another post that the awake magazine had ceased publication.

maybe i missed it since i have not been on here as much in the last 6 months.

is this true?

FFGhost

Agreed that the magazine has long outlived its usefulness (if it ever had any).

What's weird is that they simply stopped publishing it and didn't bother to tell anyone about it.

Quite possibly even weirder is that, to the best of my knowledge, no JW is talking about it. In fact, I'd wager that probably less than 10% have even noticed.

It almost makes me wonder if it is some sort of test by the WT bigwigs - "how much do people really pay attention? If we suddenly just stop publishing a magazine that has been in continuous circulation for 100+ years, will anyone notice?"

61

Awake Magazine - No Longer Being Printed?

by JWTom in

jw
friends

someone made reference in another post that the awake magazine had ceased publication.

maybe i missed it since i have not been on here as much in the last 6 months.

is this true?

FFGhost

it is obvious that some of you did not pay 100 % attention at the mid-week meeting last November

Maybe not but.....

my guess is that all the presses are busy with the new study brochure

It is obvious that one of you has not been paying 100% attention. There are no "presses" involved with creating digital copies of a magazine.

It's a matter of creating content and formatting it on a computer, and then clicking the "upload" button. Literally no "press" involvement at all.

61

Awake Magazine - No Longer Being Printed?

by JWTom in

jw
friends

someone made reference in another post that the awake magazine had ceased publication.

maybe i missed it since i have not been on here as much in the last 6 months.

is this true?

FFGhost

Dear brothers, we are pleased to inform you that because of unprecedented growth we will no longer be printing the "awake" magazine!

LOL.

Jut like the announcement regarding the old "Pioneers Assist Others" program back in the 90s (not making this up - not an exact quote but the spirit was something like this):

"The Pioneers Assist Others program has helped thousands of our brothers to accomplish more in the ministry and has been a phenomenal unqualified success! Thus, we are hereby discontinuing the program. Praise Jehovah!"

16

U.S. Announcement at CLAM w/o March 3 - Donation of Trailers Needed

by JWTom in

jw
friends

at our clam meeting this past week there was a rather lengthy announcement asking for the donation of travel trailers.

needed to be at least 22 feet long and not older than a 2005 model year.

lots of other details were in the announcement about what was desired related condition of the trailer, etc.

FFGhost

Probably to house temporary workers for their 4-5 year project to build a video production studio in Ramapo NY.

61

Awake Magazine - No Longer Being Printed?

by JWTom in

jw
friends

someone made reference in another post that the awake magazine had ceased publication.

maybe i missed it since i have not been on here as much in the last 6 months.

is this true?

FFGhost

TBH, I never really noticed there were no 2021 issues - but indeed, nothing is on the website.

And no official announcement has been made.

It is indeed quite bizarre - to end a magazine printed for over 100 years (a significant achievement in any event, regardless of whether a JW publication or not) by just simply not printing it anymore.

I guess the practice of quietly dismissing things that have outlived their usefulness (such as middle-aged Bethelites) continues even into the publishing field.

46

The camp of Israel and the problem of pooping

by FFGhost in

so, in a couple weeks, the jws move on in their bible-reading slog to the book of deuteronomy.. take a gander at deuteronomy 23:12,13:.

a private place should be designated for use outside the camp, and there is where you should go.

13 a peg should be part of your equipment.

FFGhost

ancient sources always overestimated the size of armies back in those days, the bible writers were no exception.

That's the point of my thread!

Bible writers used huge numbers all the time, and never really cared about accuracy or being taken literally.

But the WTS (and other Biblical fundy groups, to be fair) ties itself into knots by accepting those weird numbers as absolutely factually true, which leads, paradoxically, to a lack of faith in the Bible because anyone with at least 3 functioning brain cells (I modestly include myself in that group) can see that it's a load of codswallop to think it literally happened exactly as written.

If the WTS were to come out and say "obviously, there weren't 3 million Israelites wandering around over a few hundred miles of desert for 40 years - but the writer is trying to convey XYZ message by saying so" then they'd be approaching reasonableness.

But of course if they were to do that, they couldn't claim that all the world's problems were caused because a talking snake persuaded a naked lady to eat a piece of fruit, and their whole house of cards would collapse.

So they prefer to reinforce the absurd notion that the Bible's stories are literal, factual, accurate reports and thus remain in power. Big fish, little pond, etc.