Posts by FFGhost

32

Sanderson’s “Young People” convention talk

by FFGhost in

so did anyone else have the misfortune of listening to sanderson’s talk corresponding to the saturday morning convention program?.

full title is “young people - choose a path that leads to peace!”.

the basic idea is, hey you teenagers, you ought to be pioneers, wt construction workers, and/or bethelites.. i tried to put myself back in time an embarrassing number of decades…if i were in this talk’s target audience, how would i respond?.

FFGhost

Oh and while I’m thinking of it, something else that chaps my hide…

Sanderson claims that he had “scholarships” to assist him with university tuition, as well as “several grants”.

This is a common lie propounded by the GB in these types of talks. That universities and government institutions are so eager to give away free money that they go out looking for anyone & everyone, attempting to throw gobs of cash in their lap.

Meanwhile, in the real world….

Scholarships and grants must be applied for. There are rigorous requirements and lots, often dozens, of pages of paperwork that must be filled out.

If Sanderson really had the goal all along, as he stated in his talk, of pioneering right after high school, why did he spend dozens or hundreds of hours applying for grants & scholarships?

Or…..more likely: he dreams that maybe he got good enough grades and he’s “pretty sure” he would have gotten “something” for a university. And over the intervening decades, that somehow has become “I coulda been a star! Turned down scholarships left & right! All to serve Jehovah!”

Moron.

32

Sanderson’s “Young People” convention talk

by FFGhost in

so did anyone else have the misfortune of listening to sanderson’s talk corresponding to the saturday morning convention program?.

full title is “young people - choose a path that leads to peace!”.

the basic idea is, hey you teenagers, you ought to be pioneers, wt construction workers, and/or bethelites.. i tried to put myself back in time an embarrassing number of decades…if i were in this talk’s target audience, how would i respond?.

FFGhost

DW,

Of course! Why didn’t I think of that!

So, the solution for the couple hundred thousand jW kids is, pioneer, work your way up the ladder, and join the GB just like Sanderson. Seems legit.

Of course, they’ll need to change their policy and allow women on the GB.

And they’re going to need a bigger conference room to hold those hundreds of thousands of GB members for their Wednesday meetings.

But otherwise, hey, yeah, worked out for Sanderson so of course it will work out identically well for everyone else who follows his path.

32

Sanderson’s “Young People” convention talk

by FFGhost in

so did anyone else have the misfortune of listening to sanderson’s talk corresponding to the saturday morning convention program?.

full title is “young people - choose a path that leads to peace!”.

the basic idea is, hey you teenagers, you ought to be pioneers, wt construction workers, and/or bethelites.. i tried to put myself back in time an embarrassing number of decades…if i were in this talk’s target audience, how would i respond?.

FFGhost

So did anyone else have the misfortune of listening to Sanderson’s talk corresponding to the Saturday morning convention program?

Full title is “Young People - Choose a Path That Leads to Peace!”

The basic idea is, hey you teenagers, you ought to be pioneers, WT construction workers, and/or Bethelites.

I tried to put myself back in time an embarrassing number of decades…if I were in this talk’s target audience, how would I respond?

The answer that jumps to mind: why on earth should I listen to this fat, greasy, dumb, smirking Gen-Xer who has obviously never worked hard for even a single day in his life, and wouldn’t qualify for “Southern New Hampshire University “ much less a real school?

Then the adult in me says “It’s really shallow to criticize the guy’s physical appearance and (lack of) mental acuity. Far better to criticize the substance of his message.”

Only problem is….there was no substance.

Here’s the summary:

— you should be a “full time servant”, Jehovah will magically take care of you

— If you’re worried about finding employment, just take vocational courses in high school; then magically employers will fall all over themselves to hire you

— If you experience any unexpected challenges in your full time service, just suck it up, buttercup. Jehovah will magically help you to endure.

That’s it. No really - that is somehow supposed to motivate folks in their late teens to forego any semblance of normality and jump into the never ending hamster wheel of JW full time service.

To say they are “clueless” and “completely out of touch” is an understatement on par with “the Black Death was something of a challenge for European peasants in the 14th century.”

The talk was virtually identical to every “Hey you kids, forget about college” talk given for the past 50, yes, 50 years.

All delivered with quite possibly the most insincere smirk/grin I think I’ve ever seen.

That’s all, rant over.

11

14 Document Pack--Talk Outlines-Data Information-Announcements!

by Atlantis in

jw
friends

14 document pack.

talk outlines in english and spanish, announcements, personal data information which includes:.

see document number 13instructions for use of personal datarefusal to sign notice and consent for use of personal data"the publisher should be informed that the congregation or branch office may not be able to evaluate his suitability to fulfill certain roles within the congregation or participate in many congregation activities, such as serving as a regular pioneer, a ministerial servant, or an elder.https://www.filemail.com/d/sobkuyhiasjogql orhttps://we.tl/t-cudhivn75uatlantis!

FFGhost

“The branch will handle payment requests”?!?!?!

That sounds a little….controlling.

Probably shouldn’t be surprised though. I’m sure they’d love to just immediately and directly accept all accumulated funds from all congregations worldwide

34

History repeated: pre-1975 trend of selling homes to ‘downsize’

by LongHairGal in

jw
friends

i saw this thread on reddit.

i think the reason for this is that the 1975 fiasco is never mentioned in the jw religion.

nobody mentioned it to me when i came in the years after.. the problem with this is that all the sad stories were never told (or hushed up) of people who sold off homes, etc.

FFGhost

I know of a 50ish JW woman who moved to upstate New York to serve as a "remote" full time Bethel volunteer (i.e., she is responsible for all of her own expenses). She's living off her 401(k) account that she accumulated during her working career (and, yes, as she not yet age 59-1/2, is paying the 10% early withdrawal penalty).

She sounds happy to be there, but I shudder to think what her life will be like when the money runs out, very likely before her eligibility for Social Security benefits (and even that would almost certainly be insufficient to live on).

Bethel, of course, will be more than happy to continue to accept her labor, but their wages ($0) will remain unchanged.

13

PIMA sitting on the fence

by PimoElder in

technically, an atheist is someone who doesn't believe in a god, while an agnostic is someone who doesn't believe it's possible to know for sure that a god exists..

FFGhost

Flat earth, moon landings in the 1960s

may All be true may not be

Thanks for clearing up that you are a troll. No longer any need to interact with you.

48

What is the harm or downside of being PIMO?

by PimoElder in

what is the harm or downside of being pimo?.

i get all the good things about being in the cong, good social life lots of invites to bbqs and meals out.

lots of interesting gossip 🤣🤣🤣🤣.

FFGhost

Well, just so long as YOU are fine. Screw everyone else, amiright?

48

What is the harm or downside of being PIMO?

by PimoElder in

what is the harm or downside of being pimo?.

i get all the good things about being in the cong, good social life lots of invites to bbqs and meals out.

lots of interesting gossip 🤣🤣🤣🤣.

FFGhost

Is it just me, or is Pimo's reasoning about the most selfish thing you've ever heard?

"I'm fine with it, lots of benefits for me, screw you and everyone else".

11

Jehovah’s witnesses and compulsory voting in Australia.

by Longlivetherenegades in

what do jehovah’s witnesses do during election period in australia?

i learnt voting is compulsory in australia and those who choose not to vote are fined.

do jehovah’s witnesses pay such fines?.

FFGhost

Here is the official JW position from the "Keep Yourselves in God's Love" book, page 213:

What should a Christian do in lands where voting is compulsory or in a situation where feelings run high against those who do not go to the voting booth? Remembering that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went as far as the plain of Dura, a Christian, under similar circumstances, may decide to go to the booth if his conscience permits. However, he will take care not to violate his neutrality.

The basic message (which they are too cowardly to put into print for fear of lawsuits / fines / taxation) is, "go to the voting booth, yes into the literal physical booth itself, but don't actually vote for anyone".

I think I've heard anecdotes about JWs producing write-in votes for "Jehovah", "Jesus Christ", etc.

25

Resistace to going back to meetings

by truthseeker in

jw
friends

lot going on.

i had a covid divorce last year over zoom.

not pretty but i got a good deal.. anyway,.

FFGhost

Just tacking onto my earlier post:

Think about all the infants & toddlers now, everyone under the age of 4 or so. None of them have likely ever been in, or can remember, small enclosed places with 50-100 other people around...much less ever been required to be quiet and near-motionless for 2 hours at a time.

10's of thousands of JW infants & toddlers, suddenly getting an overwhelming sensory overload.

"All these people! The colors! The sounds! The smells! Hey, I think I'll celebrate by shouting for joy just like I do at home! Let me crawl over there, that looks cool!....

"Hey mom & dad, why are you shushing me now? I'm just doing what I've done for literally my entire life! Hey! Wait! Don't swat me! Don't...."

Yet another generation of JW kids, as the pattern repeats.....