april 15, 2017 to all bodies of elders re: kingdom hall and assembly hall construction worldwide.
versions: us, great britain, ireland.
@JW GoneBad: Like Donald Trump, the GB of the WTBTS are beginning to realize that things are a little more complicated that they first thought!
Yeeeessssss! OMG, stuff actually costs money! And the great god of the universe isn't making it fall off trees! Whatever to do? Can't wait until they all get twitter accounts!
april 15, 2017 to all bodies of elders re: kingdom hall and assembly hall construction worldwide.
versions: us, great britain, ireland.
And yet, when we were all growing up, they were always so proud that they never "passed the plate". They are so far gone from that now.
this was the first memorial that i declined to do any work for the memorial.
i was assigned as a parking attendant after getting downgraded from doing the sound and had no intention of doing either task but i had to attend for my family and continuation of my fade.
i sat there last night listening to the talk and couldn't help but shake my head as my brain attempted to process the bs.
I have to say I always thought the Memorial was boring and stale. We once belonged to a congregation where everyone dressed up, but went out afterwards. (If you were special and a part of the "in" crowd you were invited.) At least that gave the occasion some spark.
Having said that, last night's Memorial was incredibly dull and boring. The talk had none of the details that btlc mentioned. I don't believe anything was mentioned about how many partakers worldwide either. Some references to what is going on in Russia in the beginning of the talk, and then droning on about vague details. No time to look up scriptures! (that was new). Couldn't wait to get out of the hall, and it seemed like everyone left in a hurry, not just us.
No one was especially dressed up, lots of noise even during the talk and wandering back and forth to the bathroom. Several "worldly" relatives just going to please JW family. Two I happen to know that are inactive (but still somewhat connected to the congregation) did not show. No partakers. No one knew how to sing the new songs.
Really, if this is the highlight of the year, it was especially flat.
i heard recently that there was a talk given at the kh about having a 'go bag' ready because the big 'a' must be soooo close as evidenced by syria and the russian jobo thing.. does anyone know if this 'go bag' thing is substantiated in publications or just a local nut job being paranoid and attention seeking?.
i also wonder about this 'go bag' thing, apparently, you need to make sure your biscuits (that's cookies to my over the pond friends), are not out of date.
don't carry water, it's too heavy.. too many questions do i have.
I hadn't heard about the go-bag thing until I started helping my mom.
Regardless of how it started, everyone in this corner of the world thinks it's to be prepared for when the Big A hits, because everyone will be in meeting clothes in a bunker somewhere, living off their go-bags. Yikes!
As was mentioned, I think this might have started as one thing, but has become useful as a distraction and a focus of fear. As we all know (I heard this statement the other day), Trump being elected will bring on Armageddon. Get ready!
the society loves to talk about how adam and eve abused their gift of free will.
doesn't free will mean the freedom to choose?
how can exercising that freedom to choose then be classed as abusing the gift?
I agree with all the posts above. The JW version of "free will" is just ludicrous.
Awhile back I was involved in a conversation where the JW was saying someone was "in trouble" with the brothers for something they'd done. (Not God mind you, but with "the brothers".) The statement was made that this person should have "known better" but they felt they were in the right, and we all have free will. My comment was "yes, but we all know what the real rules are (aka the unwritten ones you know you really have to follow)." This was met with a grumpy silence.
JWs don't have "free will" but they have been brainwashed into thinking they do. How sad is that.
my wife was recently cornered by the elders about her blood card because she didn't have one.
so one elder witnessed her sign it and he signed it and one elder made himself her health care agent.. with the memorial coming up i am thinking of maybe having a life insurance policy drawn up, maybe in the amount of 300 or 400 dollars a month and i will ask these two dipshits if they would like to sign it.
it only seems fair they should be finicially responsible for my son since they made my wife sign a document endangering her safety.. what do you think?.
I've seen this before, but really, there is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON for a brother to make someone designate him as their "health care agent" when there is family available.
I would visit an attorney, have the appropriate documents drawn up (it's not that expensive) and distributed among relatives, doctors, etc. as appropriate (unless they are JWs, of course) and tear up the other stuff.
Should an emergency happen and they show up at the hospital waiving papers around ask the nursing staff to call security.
If an emergency never happens, they'll never know.
BUT-it is OUTRAGEOUS that they would ask to be her "representative".
jw special conventions.
who's going?.
are you "special" enough to be chosen?.
Is this one of those occasions where you have to apply to go? Not everyone is accepted?
That was one of the first things that made me "check out" of being a JW, never being very "special" in the eyes of the elders, I just quit trying and never looked back.
But, a lot of JWs will scrimp to save up to go, so they can bring back trinkets and pictures and be special in the congregation.
Reminds me of a MLM company where people pay to belong, pay to attend, pay to...... do everything. I guess it must feel good to be a part of a group, but obviously it's just a moneymaker for the people at the top.
@FedUpJW, they said that people in your part of the US weren't invited? Harsh! How did that go over?
i've been thinking about this the past few days and curious what the honest consensus is here just for fun.. show of hands,.
is the governing body.... a: completely sincere.
they really do believe what they teach.. b: somewhat sincere.
Perhaps at one time, but not any more. But why leave? You have people worshipping you and you have power (among the cult).
Plus, where else is one of them going to get a job? If they don't stay, it's poverty time. Look what happened to Ray Franz.
So, they are sincerely in it...... for their own good.
i was thinking about this.... in my congregation, i was literally the only one with universitary education, out of a cong from around 110 people.... and we're very close to a very big university, which makes it even weirder.. on the other hand... sooo many here with their own business, mostly small cleaning businesses.
cleaning windows, or cleaning somewhere else... painters.... all have jobs that do not require any education level, cos they never had a decent education.. how is the composition of the jw people/congs that you know about?.
how many painters... cleaners... compared to people with jobs that require higher education?.
Hi Long Hair Gal,
Yes, it was worth it, although I have to say if I had felt I had choices when I was younger, I would no doubt be in a different (read: more interesting to me) field of work. But, I do take responsibility, I should have just "put my foot down" and gone to college as soon as I graduated high school. I still have bad dreams about feeling left behind when my high school friends all went on to college.
But, as bad as that is, I think as far as education goes, the JWs are sliding even farther downhill. Sad.
i was thinking about this.... in my congregation, i was literally the only one with universitary education, out of a cong from around 110 people.... and we're very close to a very big university, which makes it even weirder.. on the other hand... sooo many here with their own business, mostly small cleaning businesses.
cleaning windows, or cleaning somewhere else... painters.... all have jobs that do not require any education level, cos they never had a decent education.. how is the composition of the jw people/congs that you know about?.
how many painters... cleaners... compared to people with jobs that require higher education?.
@LongHairGal,
I agree with you. The path of least resistance is very appealing, especially if you don't have a personal inclination towards higher education. Back "in the day" you could find a decent job.
If an adult doesn't want to get extra education, that's their choice (and frequently it is). I really do think a lot of people my age used religion as an excuse for lack of ambition. Their choice.
But, I hate to see kids not get an education because of lack of ambition on the part of their parents. If they try hard (like I did) they can make it up later. But it won't be easy, especially if they can't even read at a high school level, and have no math skills.
