ThomasMore

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Posts by ThomasMore

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  51

  Jehovah's Witnesses lose registration as a religious community in Norway

  by RULES & REGULATIONS in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  https://www.statsforvalteren.no/nb/oslo-og-viken/folk-og-samfunn/tros--og-livssynssamfunn/jehovas-vitner-taper-registrering-som-trossamfunn/.

  published december 22, 2022. the state manager in oslo and viken has decided to withdraw jehovah's witnesses registration as a religious community under the religious society act.. .

  we sent a notice to jehovah's witnesses about possible loss of registration on october 25 this year.

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  ThomasMore

  Vidiot, WTC is making more than their share of unforced errors. This is an indicator that they are panicked, have lost control, are desperate. They are spooked over apostates, attendance in person, government inquiries, CSA lawsuits and more. Their reactions speak volumes about the dire state of their situation.
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  51

  Jehovah's Witnesses lose registration as a religious community in Norway

  by RULES & REGULATIONS in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  https://www.statsforvalteren.no/nb/oslo-og-viken/folk-og-samfunn/tros--og-livssynssamfunn/jehovas-vitner-taper-registrering-som-trossamfunn/.

  published december 22, 2022. the state manager in oslo and viken has decided to withdraw jehovah's witnesses registration as a religious community under the religious society act.. .

  we sent a notice to jehovah's witnesses about possible loss of registration on october 25 this year.

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  ThomasMore

  Beth Sarim,

  That is probably true. Here are some other possibilities:

  1. WTC was leveraged to some financiers who made acquisition of those properties possible for many years. I am told that they told WTC that they had to be paid back when the properties were sold. It was a large amount.

  2. Warwick ran so far over budget that WTC finally took off all constraints and told Construction to "just finish it - don't worry about the cost". It is thought to have exceeded $1 billion when it was completed. Some buildings remain unfinished.

  3. CSA settlements have exceeded anyone's expectations, but they pale in comparison to other costs. Nevertheless, they are cash expenditures so the pain is severe. Non-JW attorneys have been hired to field many of the cases, and they are very expensive compared to free JW attorneys. Legal is overwhelmed by all the cases as statures of limitations are lifted in one place after another.

  4. WTC was heavily invested in hedge funds that lost lots of money in the downturns of 2008, 2015, 2018, and 2020.

  5. WTC had billions in offshore accounts and had to abide by US laws that allow such investments but have many rules on how long the money must be invested before being removed. The losses were heavy as they were unable to move the money as market downturns occurred.

  6. The aging Bethel families, CO's and SP's have stipends and health coverage direct from Watchtower. The costs are significant. Efforts to reduce costs include retirement homes with dedicated nursing/doctors where costs can be more predictable. Some SP's have been dropped from the coverage and many Bethelites have been sent out to fend for themselves. Young Bethelites have been invited in to reduce costs but it is not a solution. The down-sizing continues.

  6. Donations are down because so many are leaving. Elderly who were the largest contributors are passing away. Younger JWs do not contribute as much as their parents did.

  7. Special projects like the Argentina facility have been pricey, built with commercial labor. They are the "GO BAGS for the GB" in all likelihood.

  There are other drains on their cash but these are the big ones. If there was malfeasance in Treasury, it is not known at this time. They are hurting financially, thus the continual pleas for money. What comes in is considerably less than what is needed and they cannot get a handle on spending.
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  18

  Do the old boys on the GB actually report their field service hours?

  by eyeslice in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  this came to mind as my 71 year old wife got up at 6:30 to drive 1.1/4 hours to meet the field ministry group.

  we live a long way from the kingdom hall and the traffic is horrendous where we live!.

  somehow, i doubt the good old boys do much themselves.

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  ThomasMore

  I only knew one GB member who ever went D2D while at Bethel. He took another B'Lite with him in the Heights and spoke to a few people. Maybe he did it on a dare.

  If what Dan Sydlik said was true, the GB did not even have time to read the Bible so why would they go in the FS?
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  25

  How are things in bethel right now?

  by Hellothere in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  any news how things are at bethel just now?

  been thinking, strange they have gb members giving speeches when they look so depressed.

  but maeby there is not many others too choose from.

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  ThomasMore

  I know a lot of the B'Lites that were sent out. Trust me, it had nothing to do with their attitude or actions. They were getting older and approaching the point when they could not be sent out. They were replaced by younger persons who could provide the labor that older ones could not. Younger B'Lites are less expensive also as their medical care is less demanding.

  In rare cases, elites were invited as favors to large contributors. Anyone who tries to say that the ones asked to leave had bad attitudes does not know what they are talking about. More will be asked to leave - and it will be for the same reason.

  I know what I am talking about on this matter, even if I am not speaking for God or directed by holy spirit.
  
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  32

  DID YOU KNOW - about Event 201? (Two months before the virus outbreak a simulation/discussion among the elite)

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  (event 201).

  “event 201” was an exercise organized in october 2019 to simulate what might happen if there was a severe pandemic.. it invited people from business, government, and public health to simulate coordinating a policy response to a theoretical pandemic.. .

  what was the event?.

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  ThomasMore

  Who died and made Bill Gates one of the richest men in the world??? Oh - wait, I think I helped with that. Nevermind.

  After the anthrax attacks, some officials turned to think tanks for playbooks on managing specific disaster scenarios. Governments have plans in place for earthquakes, meteor strikes, pandemics, revolution and even alien invasion. I suppose the case could be made that they are hiding sinister plans, I don't know. I think that most officials are in the dark just like the rest of us when it comes to what tomorrow will bring. Except for Paul Pelosi - he knows exactly what will happen. I wish I knew where he gets his info...
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  19

  What does Watchtower think of being Medically Assisted in Death (MAiD)?

  by Vanderhoven7 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  there has been much political controversy in canada over the acceptability of maid.

  what, if anything, has watchtower said about this issue?.

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  ThomasMore

  I know of many suicides among JWs. Officially they are against it but realize that some individuals may be pushed beyond their limit. Medically assisted suicide is more common in hospice situations than most personnel will admit. I don't criticize. When my time comes, I would like for it to be on my own terms - and I trust that the God of comfort understands us well.

  Blondie is spot on. If legalized in the US, WTC would prohibit it for members, despite their degree of suffering.
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  17

  Hour Requirement for Regular Pioneers

  by iloowy.goowy in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  elders to meet with meet with regular pioneers asap and review their progress.

  announcement.

  december 12, 2022. for elders.

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  ThomasMore

  Once again, the Governing Body has painted itself into a corner. They are about to preside over the largest reduction in pioneers in the history of the organization, a result of not reading the situation during the pandemic. They will likely have to discontinue publishing the hours in service or risk lying outright about the state of affairs.

  A teenager could have seen this coming.
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  33

  Pioneer couple sense of entitlement

  by nowwhat? in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so there's this middle age pioneer couple.

  he works part time and the wife doesn't work at all.

  their daughter is getting married and even though it is known they go on multiple vacations a year, they expect the grooms parents to pay for 100% of the wedding!

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  ThomasMore

  The last time I gave, I actually prayed for forgiveness. I realized that I was enabling the shielding of molesters. I never gave again. Those who give to WTC do not understand where the money is going since there is no accountability and no transparency. They would be very frustrated to see how much is spent on CSA settlements, non-JW attorneys, fines and other line items not related to the preaching.
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  12

  Similarities Between JW's & Mormons

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  over the years, i have found it helpful to see the similarites between jw's and mormons to help me understand what happened to me and my family as jw's.

  robert bryan discusses this in one of the best presentations i have heard on the topic.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wok7e3utzy8&ab_channel=bibleready .

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  ThomasMore

  More similarities than most JWs will admit. WTC needs to get into the inner garment business - that's where there is some money still to be made for their 4.5 million members.
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  11

  Any news on Blood?

  by Fisherman in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  i haven’t seen anything in the news lately and wt position remains the same, so no change.

  except, that when there is massive blood loss, my family mds have told me that without a bt there is practically zero chance of pulling through—short of an act of god.

  jw know this and have decided beforehand.

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  ThomasMore

  JWs talk less and less about blood as their case is impossibly convoluted:

  1. All plasma fractions are a conscience matter but plasma as a major component is not

  2. Many pharmaceutical companies add horseshoe crab blood to their drugs as an indicator for bacterial contamination - WTC silent on the matter

  3.Some HLC can explain WTC positions but most can only follow what they are told

  4. White blood cells from mom are found in abundance in mother's milk

  I could go on but I will not - my stomach begins to turn...