Posts by john.prestor

The article's got all the telltale tropes we know so well. Anybody else see the story where a nameless couple stops working when the government bans Jehovah's Witnesses, and the wife quits a good-paying job to pioneer even though they got a young kid? Then a nameless Elder says that the ban attracted people's attention and so inactive Witnesses came back and got 'reactivated.' What are they, gift cards?

Does anybody else think that besides Russia the Governing Body fears more governments banning Jehovah's Witnesses for failing to protect the victims of child sex abuse? I might be reading into it but I'm not sure I am. I got that vibe from a mention of governments spreading false stories.

23

I dont understand why KH's are less attractive than churches

by nowawake14 in

jw
friends

i mean, come on.

if they call themselves the "true", then why are most kingdom halls not as attractive as churches and dont do any better?.

john.prestor

It mostly comes down to money, American Witnesses make less on average than other Christians, Pew published a study a while back showing that, and so a congregation can't afford to make their Kingdom Halls ornate; and like Bad Wolf said what money Witnesses do offer up goes right to the top. The Governing Body even demanded halls empty out their bank accounts except 5k and send the remainder to help with 'building kingdom hall's (i.e., to Warwick) back in what, 2016? 5k doesn't leave much wiggle room for pillars or painting if you need to fix up the roof or replace some windows.

That being said where I live I've seen some nice Kingdom Halls, nothing like a basilica or synagogue, but gardens grow around the property, they put ottomans in the foyer, they frame the TVs in the sanctuary with wood paneling, the carpet's sleek and colorful, those kind of little touches that go a long way. Credit where credit's due.

10

Mexico--- Abuse

by ZindagiNaMilegiDobaara in

dont know if anyone has picked up on this news.

putting it out there anyway.. http://www.zocalo.com.mx/new_site/articulo/permitieron-en-iglesia-abuso-de-una-joven.

translated into english (by someone on reddit).

john.prestor

Enough already, this cannot keep happening. Lock the Governing Body up until they reform their policies, it's time to take the kids gloves off.

29

Jehovahs Witness n Retention rates !!! Check this out.

by ZindagiNaMilegiDobaara in

jw
friends

a study of religious retention rates–that is, what percentage of people raised in a particular church or religion stay with it when they are grown–is quite interesting.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/geneveith/2012/07/religious-retention-rates/.

jdubs have alittle over 36%.

john.prestor

I'm not surprised, they run you ragged until you collapse or break one of their petty little rules and they kick you out. And a lot of kids run for the hills as soon as they get out of the house.

10

That Awkward Moment When ....

by Sea Breeze in

you realize that your spiritual leader may be wackier than previous suicide cult leaders.

.

jim jones in happier times.

john.prestor

He looks like he's a circus clown who left the tent.

8

Who invented your faith?

by TTWSYF in

by some estimates there are up to 40,000 different christian religions.

everyone of them started by a man or a woman.. shakers {ann lee} , quakers [george fox], baptists [john smyth] , mormons [joseph smith] , jws {charles russell] etc, etc can all trace their history to a singular human.. all can do this except for one religion.

catholic church was started by jesus or the apostles or both?.

john.prestor

Try either, neither Jesus nor the apostles founded the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church came into existence in the second century, before that we know of Gnostic groups with widely different beliefs and practices like the Cerinthians and the Carpocratians. The Catholic Church pretends, like every other Christian group pretended in the second century, that its teachings came from Jesus and the apostles. They didn't. Go read the church father Irenaeus' 'Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching' where all the guy knows about the apostles comes from 2nd century books like Acts of the Apostles.

3

Not attracted to "spiritual" people?

by nowawake14 in

jw
friends

i was always into boys that had "wordly" tendencies, like giggling at innopropriate jokes, watching scary/horror movies, scary video games, and just being open minded.. even if i ever get together with anybody, he's either gonna be an "awake" jw that is not a stupid pioneer, ministerial servant, elder, etc., and is not as active in the org.

if they're not a jw, maybe i could find someone i could get along with somewhere.

it takes time.

john.prestor

In my experience most young 'spiritual men' come across is inhibited, weird, or shy... or all three.

29

Funeral Fashion

by ThinkerBelle in

i have a funeral to attend for a non jw family member and the jdub family member reminded me that i should not wear black.

for the life of me, i can't recall where this belief came from in jw teachings and i'm born in.

is there something in print or is that just a personal opinion belief?

john.prestor

Great quote Atlantis, thanks for digging that up. I almost laughed when I read the part about in some parts of the world a person's entire life involves some spirit or deity...

Like Jehovah's Witnesses, who let 'Jehovah' decide their life from sunup till sundown?