ThomasMore

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Posts by ThomasMore

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  22

  Do JWs Get Excited About WT Publications Any More?

  by NotFormer in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  memory from long ago: my old mate from high school lived next door to a jw and was often "treated" to the latest jw literature.

  when the "you can live forever in paradise on earth"* book came out, this neighbour waxed lyrical about how good this book was and how powerful the message was.

  he acted really keen about it, like it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

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  ThomasMore

  Beth Sarim - I think you are correct. Super PIMIs seem to be conspicuously silent, something relatively new. Maybe it’s my imagination working overtime but I don’t hear the bubbly assertions of yesteryear very often if at all.

  A decade ago, I compiled numbers that indicated a downhill trend in the cong that seemed to be accelerating. It was ignored by fellow elders and the CO’s. I dropped it. It was real and the trend continued to the present. From a business perspective, I thought many congs were at serious risk of disintegrating. When COs see this now, they consolidate pubs to offset the losses. This works for a while but seldom solves the problem.

  JWs are sliding backwards in attendance, activity and excitement, and don’t seem to be able to reverse the trend. Correspondence with PIMOs in other countries indicate a similar situation with only a few exceptions. Notably the absence of internet access may be a significant factor.

  Overall, the average number of elders by age bracket has gradually shifted upward, despite Bethel’s willingness to appoint younger men with less experience. Show me where I am wrong.
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  27

  LEAKED 2024 USA SERVICE REPORT

  by raymond frantz in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  https://youtu.be/lov1gsxj4tg?si=ze-fdc8yswirahwx.

  this is a mini report on usa that includes an update on ramapo as it was delivered during the british bethel inauguration few days ago....

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  ThomasMore

  I am certain that they were massaged. Local congregation activity fluctuated month to month as they were affected by season, weather, events and more - but national monthly and annual reports had little variation other than going up. If public corporations had a chart like Watchtower, they would defy every law of economics. That was a significant clue that they were fudging the numbers.
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  17

  How has 3 years of inflation affected WTC?

  by ThomasMore in

  1. social
  2. current

  the current u.s. administration and the fed says inflation is hard to tame.

  it was over 9% at it's peak.

  one of the greatest increases is price of food, something that everyone feels to some extent.

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  ThomasMore

  It has to be taking a toll on their finances. The Bethel families have scaled somewhat but they still have more mouths to feed than what are needed for what they actually produce (which is very little these days).

  I know that Purchasing negotiated for food but I never heard that they were hedging to keep costs even over time.

  It’s not an exciting subject but I have to believe it is taking a bite out of their discretionary spending.
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  17

  How has 3 years of inflation affected WTC?

  by ThomasMore in

  1. social
  2. current

  the current u.s. administration and the fed says inflation is hard to tame.

  it was over 9% at it's peak.

  one of the greatest increases is price of food, something that everyone feels to some extent.

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  ThomasMore

  The current U.S. administration and the FED says inflation is hard to tame. It was over 9% at it's peak. One of the greatest increases is price of food, something that everyone feels to some extent. How has this affected WTC since they no longer grow their own food?

  Some individual posts from one branch reported that the Bethel family barely had enough food, which was addressed by an unscheduled zone visit. According to some posts on Reddit, B'Lites were working second jobs to bring food back to the facility, mostly ignored by overseers who also benefitted.

  Food purchase strategy by the Branch is unknown for the most part. Do they have a plan that addresses inflation?

  Auto leases have also been affected as interest rates are much higher. Historically, congs pick up these costs (by resolution) but are they still keeping up since the money grab that started around 2013?
  
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  1

  Japan charges

  by Elena in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  japan jws were stuck in the 1950s.

  then the media made a big deal about discipline for kids and shunning ect.

  now three foreign brothers have been sent to serve on the japanese branch committee.

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  ThomasMore

  I just know that the Branch atmosphere had publishers at each others throats. Younger JWs were miserable as hyper-criticism is the norm.
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  18

  Know it’s not true but stay anyway

  by Elena in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  how many of the millions of jws know it’s not true but stay anyway?.

  my guess is most jws know it’s not true on a subconscious level to an extent but they don’t want to think about it too much and would never ever voice it out loud.. but this is probably true with all religions around the world?.

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  ThomasMore

  Sunken Cost Fallacy for many with over half their life involved. It reminds me of the saying: "At breakfast, the chicken is engaged but the pig is committed!
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  27

  LEAKED 2024 USA SERVICE REPORT

  by raymond frantz in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  https://youtu.be/lov1gsxj4tg?si=ze-fdc8yswirahwx.

  this is a mini report on usa that includes an update on ramapo as it was delivered during the british bethel inauguration few days ago....

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  ThomasMore

  Most Service reports were padded from the local level to the national level. Garbage in - garbage out.

  Secretaries do their darn best to get 100% activity, so numbers get exagerated by publishers under pressure to remain active. It's a pointless endeavor IMO.

  The U.S. Branch knew that the numbers were unreliable, and could never stand up to scrutiny. Still, they were plummeting after covid ended. The elephant in the room was an annual report that left the reasonably intelligent wondering how it could be so when they knew that few were actually doing any preaching. The changes on reporting were instituted for that reason.

  Publishers still misrepresnt their involvement, but they don't have to misrepresent as much...
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  12

  Current blood card?

  by carla in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  i have a question regarding the current blood card- did the blood card always have a spot where the jw gives the elders the authority to pull the plug (so to speak) and to admit them to a long term facility?

  as well as no blood, naturally.

  if the elders have no financial responsibility how is this possible?

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  ThomasMore

  The "Advanced Medical Directive" has always been a moving target. It is versioned by state in an attempt to go unchallenged. Some 1st responders have been known to discard it if found on the person - it is legally binding if signed and witnessed properly.

  End of life is covered since it can give Power of Attorney for (medical procedures only) to another person named if the card holder is incapacitated. There have been endless legal objections by non-JW family members over the decades, but the courts usually folllow the decisions of the cardholder.

  I am a firm believer in making my own end of life decisions so I don't object to that section at all. As for the stipulations on blood, it should be a personal decision made by the cardholder without any pressure from congregation elders, family, friends or HLC. Many JWs prefer not to carry the card because they disagree with the blood doctrine altogether, but are afraid to speak out. As a result, they often get no say in the decision-making if they lose consiousness before they can express their wishes.

  In the near future, I expect the AMD (blood card) to metamorph into something more akin to a simple DPA with little or no mentioon of blood and fractions. It would be the smart thing for WTC to do.
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  18

  Romans 10: 9 Simple Salvation - Not So Fast Says WT.

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  "if you confess with your mouth that jesus is lord and believe in your heart that god raised him from the dead, you will be saved".

  - romans 10: 9. i find it interesting that this simple requirement for salvation has been a specific target of wt since their beginning.. first, jw's call jehovah lord, not jesus.

  the fact that scripture calls jesus the king of kings and lord of lords doesn't seem to matter to them.

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  ThomasMore

  WTC was incredibly immature when it came to doctrinal pace-setting. It was as if they unable to see the domino effect of a teaching.

  I recall the hyper-criticism they piled on other religions that taught seminary. They claimed to hate titles yet they proliferated them (elder, ministerial servant, circuit overseer, district overseer, GB, pioneer, auxillary pioneer, etc).

  Even before I left, it was obvious that they were blind guides. At a Summer convention, I sat uncomfortably as the Bethel speaker announced a revised doctrinal position. I wondered why no one seemed to be reacting with skepticism. These days most of their nonsense spews out at the Annual Meeting first. When they have filed the rough edges off, it goes into print and into convention outlines. What nonsense!
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  24

  What is is your favorite REDICULOUS JW falsehood? :)

  by Balaamsass2 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i get a few good laughs from the ex-jw facebook site: " ex jw humor will set you free".. i was laughing over dinner with 3rd gen over this post tonight: "question for the audience: i was driving around today and it hit me...there are big falsehoods (armageddon etc.

  ) that we were told, but also ridiculous falsehoods.

  what is your favorite ridiculous falsehoods?

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  ThomasMore

  Vidiot - I was impressed when they occassionally said "We don't know". Most of the conjecture they promoted as "insight" should have never been discussed at all - it was purely unfounded speculation. But speculate they did!!! - to the extreme.

  I recall brothers I respected saying that "we need to take a position on every issue because we are the only true religion". I thought that created more problems for them as they were forced to reverse themselves twice a day.

  Publishers would occasionally write in an actual question (most were just made up at Bethel) and Writing Correspondence would reply after they called God on the red phone for the answer. They made a mockery of divine wisdom, arriving at the most outrageous replies/direction you can imagine. Sadly, their twisted, unscriptural responses often changed lives - for the worse.