Posts by Skimmer

12

607-1914 being phased out?

by Moxy in

jw
friends

years ago, when i first figured out the problems with the 607 chronology, i began to think that the society was mentioning the 7 times link to 1914 less and less in recent pubs.

after all, the knowledge book gave it less space than the live forever book, and the fluffy require brochure doesnt mention it all.

could it be, i wondered, that they are gradually phasing this teaching out?

Skimmer

Note how the WTBTS "apology" places the blame on all JWs and not where it belongs, the governing body.

Did any of the rank and file ever contribute dates, doctrine, or anything besides cash and slave labor to Brooklyn? Where any of the rank and file asked to sign approvals to the material coming out of the writing department? How many times were any of the rank and file invited to attend any doctrinal discussions of the governing body? What happens to any rank and file JW who publicly endorses any doctrine which is at odds with the current "light"?

The only thing the rank and file JWs can be blamed for is their uncritical acceptance of the bovine feces output by the WTBTS printing presses.

12

607-1914 being phased out?

by Moxy in

jw
friends

years ago, when i first figured out the problems with the 607 chronology, i began to think that the society was mentioning the 7 times link to 1914 less and less in recent pubs.

after all, the knowledge book gave it less space than the live forever book, and the fluffy require brochure doesnt mention it all.

could it be, i wondered, that they are gradually phasing this teaching out?

Skimmer

Yes, I believe that the WTBTS is once again engaged in the practice of "silent dropping". Instead of admitting an error in a doctrine, they slowly stop writing about the doctrine. This is particularly true for their chronological speculations.

Perhaps the final notice before officially dropping some teaching occurs whenever a new bible study book for potential converts is released. If a core belief is not mentioned, then for sure it will be revised as "new light" at the next assembly.

I'd be interested in reading the reference counts to other dates over the past twenty years. For example, how often is 1935 mentioned as the sealing date for the FDS? I think that one is going to be dropped soon. And how about 1919 as the date when the WTBTS was "chosen" as God's Only True Channel? And do they sill mention 4026 BC as the creation date?

I don't doubt that the WTBTS has an already established game plan for silently dropping all their chronological speculations. They're just spreading it out over time as a form of damage control.

Isn't it a bit odd that so much of the "new light" is given to "apostates" before it shows up in Brooklyn?

8

WTBTS literature for free or else

by Skimmer in

jw
friends

i came across this little tidbit on the united states postal rate commission web site: http://www.prc.gov/documents.asp?docid=26246.

they reference a legal brief ( http://www.prc.gov/docs/26/26246/watchtower-brief.pdf) filed by the wtbts where the brooklyn boys want their postal rates to stay as cheap as possible.

the brief is full of technical details, but there is one sentence of note early on in the document.

Skimmer

Please do not feed the troll.

8

WTBTS literature for free or else

by Skimmer in

jw
friends

i came across this little tidbit on the united states postal rate commission web site: http://www.prc.gov/documents.asp?docid=26246.

they reference a legal brief ( http://www.prc.gov/docs/26/26246/watchtower-brief.pdf) filed by the wtbts where the brooklyn boys want their postal rates to stay as cheap as possible.

the brief is full of technical details, but there is one sentence of note early on in the document.

Skimmer

I came across this little tidbit on the United States Postal Rate Commission web site: http://www.prc.gov/documents.asp?docid=26246

They reference a legal brief ( http://www.prc.gov/docs/26/26246/watchtower-brief.pdf) filed by the WTBTS where the Brooklyn Boys want their postal rates to stay as cheap as possible. The brief is full of technical details, but there is one sentence of note early on in the document. The WTBTS says "... our literature is distributed for free to all who wish to read it".

So if for some reason you want to get a subscription to the WT/Awake, the WTBTS can't refuse on the basis that you're not worthy. As long as you can convincingly demonstrate that you really do want to receive it(regardless of the reason), they have to send it. Else, they risk losing their bulk mailing permits and maybe have a charge of perjury as well.

6

I Learned Something New!!!

by NikL in

jw
friends

well i did indeed learn something new from the public talk last sunday.

while drifting in and out of consciousness, hoping for time to quickly pass, i picked up on a very important point.

the words being spoken from the monotone bore machine at the podium had lulled me into a lethargic semi comatose state when all of a sudden one sentence cut through the fog like a hot knife cuts through butter.. he said "the moon is our closest planet".

Skimmer

Some minor points:

Earth radius: 6,400 Km
Moon radius: 1,700 Km

Earth volume: 1.1e+12 Km3
Moon volume: 2.1e+10 Km3

So the volume ratio is about 60 to 1. The mass ratio is slightly higher, about 80 to 1 due to the greater density of the Earth.

The Earth-Moon system is not a double planet because the center of mass of the system is always inside of the Earth.

The WTBTS should stay away from science.

13

Would you forgive the shunners?

by nojw86 in

jw
friends

if after all the years of being shunned by family , friends , would you forgive or forget them and all the misery they handed you, or maybe let them think about it for somtime before you talked to them again.

of course this can only happen freely if they left the org.

Skimmer

Of course I would forgive them. In fact, I forgave them long ago, although they still want nothing to do with me.

Think of the following citations:

"Forgive them, for they know not what they do."

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

"Forgive not seven times, but seven times seventy."

Forgiveness of organizations is a different story. The WTBTS would first have to print seven years of detailed apologies and then liquidate itself with the assets going to current and former members. I might consider forgiving them at that point. Maybe.

22

Newly DF'd/DA'd

by praying_mantis in

jw
friends

over a year ago i divorced my husband.

he is the son of an elder, was addicted to pornography, and started doing drugs before i called it quits.

since then, i have met someone else.

Skimmer

Guilt is a useless emotion. It is just a waste of time and does no one any good. In fact, feeling guilty eats up emotional energy that one could be using for much more constructive tasks. Feeling bad about past events is of no practical purpose, unless you happen to have a time machine that you can ride into the past and change things.

The sinister side of guilt is that it can be used by manipulative and controlling persons to force others' behavior. And guilt trips can be sponsored by organizations as well.

Why don't you ignore the WTBTS for a moment and take a look at your bible in the book of John starting at the last verse of chapter 7 and moving through the first part of chapter eight. Read what Jesus did and then ask yourself if he endorsed guilt trips when he said, "Go, and sin no more". Just the opposite, it seems to me.

22

Newly DF'd/DA'd

by praying_mantis in

jw
friends

over a year ago i divorced my husband.

he is the son of an elder, was addicted to pornography, and started doing drugs before i called it quits.

since then, i have met someone else.

Skimmer

Hello praying_mantis, and welcome to the discussion board.

Many of us here know all too well how you are feeling. Although the details may differ from case to case, it's all still pretty much the same and you'll see this more clearly as time passes.

Do not worry if you are DA'ed, DF'ed, declared apostate, or just silently shunned. You are not responsible for what goes on inside of the elders' heads. But you are responsible for what goes on inside your head, and you are being irresponsible if you allow others to control your thoughts.

You are now in the process of finding out which friends are real and which are just hypocrites. It can be tough, but it's better to know than to engage in self deception.

24

since i sent my DA letter

by jurs in

jw
friends

things have certainly been eventful since i sent my da letter.

it hasn't been announced at the meeting yet, but plenty seem to know!!!!!

monday a pioneer sister called me.

Skimmer

Hello jurs:

Who knows? Perhaps you have started Sister Pioneer onto the path to the real truth.

29

Did the elders keep secret files on us?

by XJWBill in

jw
friends

howdy all,.

i've recently discovered all the great ex-jw sites on the internet, and i've enjoyed reading other people's stories.

but a few passing comments in some stories have made me wonder: do or did the elders keep files on individuals in each congregation?

Skimmer

Of course the WTBTS keeps secret files on its members. How else could they run a police state?

At the local level, there is the "congregation file". This contains just about everything of note including member contact information, service records, reproof records, DA/DF records, committee meeting notes, and copies of correspondence with the branch office. Also, local financial records not connected with an individual are kept there.

At the branch level, all of the DA/DF records are permanently stored, even after a member's death. So much for the spirit of forgiveness. Probably, all correspondence records are kept as well except for those purposely destroyed due to fear of legal discovery.

The DA/DF records (WTBTS Forms S-77/S-79) no doubt contain plenty of juicy details for certain cases. This may change (may have already changed?) so that Brooklyn won't get caught in cover-ups of known wrongdoing if their records are subpoenaed.

A while back, Brooklyn hired some information security IT specialists to help keep their secrets secret. You may draw your own conclusions as to why they felt this was necessary; my guess is that they are afraid of moles inside of Bethel.

For some locales outside the United States, the rules are a bit different due to legal restrictions on unwelcome record keeping.