Posts by somebody

20

Month -to-month statistics for U.S

by Joker10 in

jw
friends

these are the number of publishers in the u.s. 9excluding alaska and hawaii) for every month of the 2000, 2001, and 2002 service year.

just take a look at the number of publishers in may of 2001 compare to that same month of 2002. a whopper!

an increade of 4%!.

somebody

First of all, numbers and stastics do not impress God, or they could be powerful proof of blessings from God.... depending on when one asks.

Jan 15, 2001 Watchtower
Of course, the number of those associated with Jehovah's Witnesses is not a criterion for determining if they enjoy divine favor;nor do statistics impress God.

May 15, 2001 Watchtower

Consult the current Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, and note the lands now reporting from 100,000 to nearly 1,000,000 Kingdom publishers. This is powerful proof that the Kingdom-preaching work is being blessed by Jehovah.

And one more thing regarding publishers of the WBTS.

The Watchtower society has changed it's rules so that it can play with numbers. For example, there was a change not long ago regarding some kind of "15 minute" deal so that a publisher can carry over and count time that might not have been counted otherwise. I'll look for the change and try and get back to this. Also, the REQUIRED BY THE SOCIETY number of hours for the different ranks of pioneer publishers keeps getting lowered over the years, so that they won't make their numbers of pioneers go down. Therefore, they can make it easy to play with their stastics to suit their wim at any given time.

I don't trust any statistics printed by the WBTS anyway. If they can't keep track of 144,000...then how can they keep track of 6 million?

peace,

gwen

Edited by - somebody on 22 January 2003 18:26:50

170

MAJOR TV SHOW TO DISCUSS JW CHILD ABUSE

by Scully in

major canadian tv show to discuss jw child

abuse scandal

this is to alert the jw world that a major tv documentary is set to go in canada on the jw child sex abuse issue.

somebody

BTTT

Thank you all who let us know that we can probably watch it with realplayer after it airs.

peace,

somebody

24

quote search: recognize His people by their love

by Jacqueline in

jw
friends

i am desperately searching fo rthe bible qoute which tells you that you shall recognize his people by the love amongst themselves.. i have not found any love amongst any witnesses in our hall, never ever...and we have attended this hall for nearly 2 years.

i am still a study, my hubby grew up in the truth.

elders are coming over tomorrow night to discuss our lack of meeting attendance.

somebody

I find the use of the words "among yourselves" in verse 35 in the NWT interesting. Why? Because the Watchtower tries to imply that this verse is speaking to JWs ALONE by translating "one another" to " among yourselves".

NWT reads....

34 I am giving

YOU a new commandment, that YOU love one another; just as I have loved YOU , that YOU also love one another. 35 By this all will know that YOU are my disciples, if YOU have love among yourselves."

peace,

somebody

31

Who are the best vocalists?

by heathen in

jw
friends

recently the rock and roll world declared that robert plant is the all time greatest vocalist .

i think i agree with this but i also think guys like elvis and paul mcartney diserve a place in that catagory .

who else do you think would qualify for mention here?

somebody

Hi Gopher!

I agree that Judy Garland had a beautiful voice, but Barbara grates on my eardrums in a bad way. lol

Did you ever see the movie "For The Boys" ? Bette Midler (?) sang a lot in that movie and she definately has great pipes too!

peace,

somebody

31

Who are the best vocalists?

by heathen in

jw
friends

recently the rock and roll world declared that robert plant is the all time greatest vocalist .

i think i agree with this but i also think guys like elvis and paul mcartney diserve a place in that catagory .

who else do you think would qualify for mention here?

somebody

I'd say Roy Orbison was the best male vocalist. I like Andy Williams too. I love his soothing voice!

Best alltime female vocalist? Hmmmm....I'll think about that. If Celine Dion didn't sound so much as if she were screaming, I'd probably say her. I'd probably say Martina McBride.

tough choices!

peace,

somebody

7

Truth or Malarky?

by somebody in

jw
friends

12/1 1990 wathtower:.

why do you not operate hospitals or clinics and engage in relief work and other social services as many religious groups do?jehovah's witnesses quickly respond to emergencies in the aftermath of war or natural disaster when they can.

in fact, usually they are among the first on the scene with food, clothing, and volunteers to help with rebuilding.. .

somebody

hi blondie!

yes,,, I do get the picture. very clearly!

zev,

I knew it wasn't true because back in the 7Os I remember being taught to help ONLY fellow JWs in times of need. And not to give donations to any charities but to the society and the congregation. And even then, the Society was telling us rank and file members to help only each other. I doubt very much that the multi-million dollar Society helped any JW families in need. Do you remember that family from your old Kingdom Hall who was burned out of their home? The newspaper article said that firefighters and the Red Cross were on the seen to help the family with clothing, to house them, and to help any way they can. When a family is burned out of their home, and now own nothing more than what they happen to be wearing, it's tramatizing and it IS an emergency. Do you think the congregation wrote the society telling them what happened? Do you honesly think the society would pitch in with the congregation and cut the family a check to help them or tell the congregation to take such and such an amount from the congregations fund and make the family out a check?

I'm not saying that JWs didn't help the family because I know that they would ( unless they were disfellwshipped of course! ). But I'm saying that the Red Cross can say they are usually among the first on the scence to help and they are not lying. I've seen it over and over again. I've NEVER seen JWs show up to help others who aren't "of their sort" or "one of them". I've NEVER read in the paper that JWs were the first on the scene to help either. Not even ONCE.

I'm gald you've had flashes of light for the past 5 years.

peace,

somebody

PS....Only 2 more hours!

7

Truth or Malarky?

by somebody in

jw
friends

12/1 1990 wathtower:.

why do you not operate hospitals or clinics and engage in relief work and other social services as many religious groups do?jehovah's witnesses quickly respond to emergencies in the aftermath of war or natural disaster when they can.

in fact, usually they are among the first on the scene with food, clothing, and volunteers to help with rebuilding.. .

somebody

12/1 1990 Wathtower:

Why do you not operate hospitals or clinics and engage in relief work and other social services as many religious groups do?

Jehovah's Witnesses quickly respond to emergencies in the aftermath of war or natural disaster when they can. In fact, usually they are among the first on the scene with food, clothing, and volunteers to help with rebuilding.

Oh PPUUULLLLEEEAAASSSEEE !!!!

However, Jehovah's Witnesses do not operate hospitals or clinics, any more than they run fire departments or police forces, which are also for the preservation of life.

Why don't they? They can operate hospitals and fire departments and clinics for JWs only. This way here they won't have to preserve the lives of any wordly people of satan's organization. I'm sure satan's wordly people would still donate their blood to their hospital so that JWs can break it down and save only the fractions the bible says is ok to accept when needed to keep the sanctity of life. Seeing as how they can't donate blood, they can rely on us for the blood to be broken down into fractions.

I'm glad all humankind aren't Jehovah's Witnesses. If ALL people had the view they do, the reality would be that their would be NO hopitals...NO fire departments...and NO clinics for the preservation of life. There would be no body to operate them! I thank god for wordly people!

peace,

somebody

14

The Prodigal Son and JW Justice

by eyeslice in

it was towards the end of 1998 that i believe there was a watchtower article on the prodigal son.. about that time, i handled a number of problematic judicial cases and got to wondering about the rightness of elders judging others.

before each case, elders are instructed to read certain chapters of the shepherding book, but my opinion was, they would be better re-reading the parable of the prodigal son.. lets look at some of the points from the parable and compare it with jw justice.. 1. the prodigal was never judged and condemned by his father immediately after leaving home.

there is no indication that he would have at anytime been shunned by his father and family.

somebody

Room215,,,,so true!

I wanted to add that the father had a feast for the son who returned home. The society instructs it's follower not to as much as clap, let alone have a feast, when a df'd person is reinstated.

peace,

somebody

14

The Prodigal Son and JW Justice

by eyeslice in

it was towards the end of 1998 that i believe there was a watchtower article on the prodigal son.. about that time, i handled a number of problematic judicial cases and got to wondering about the rightness of elders judging others.

before each case, elders are instructed to read certain chapters of the shepherding book, but my opinion was, they would be better re-reading the parable of the prodigal son.. lets look at some of the points from the parable and compare it with jw justice.. 1. the prodigal was never judged and condemned by his father immediately after leaving home.

there is no indication that he would have at anytime been shunned by his father and family.

somebody

eyeslice,

I had the same thoughts about the whole judging system set up buy the WBTS for it's elders to follow. First of all, I don't believe the practise of disfellowshipping fellow sinners is taught by Christ. If anything, Jesus was given ALL AUTHORITY of the heavens and the earth and told us not to judge one another. he even said that not even the Father judges. The Father gave the job of judging us to his SON. Therefore, my opinion of the flock book is that the JWs human leaders printed the book to instruct it's elders on how the society wants elders to judge others by trying to read their hearts to judge wether the sinner is repentant or not. If the judging committe judges the sinner as not repentant, they condem them to disfellowshippment and are to be treated as the antichrist. I think that is a sin in itself because Jesus said not to condem each other either. One more major point to add is that the prodigal son illustration proves that the reinstedmeant process isn't scriptual either. Di the son have to write letters pleaing for forgiveness/ reinstatement to be approved? NO. He was RIGHT AWAY forgiven by his father and taken into his arms and there was even a feast in welcoming him back. He was welcomed back with open arms even though they KNEW what he was doing with his inheritance while he was gone!

If a JW gets disfellowshipped, they can attend meetings but they aren't welcomed back. They are completely ignored as if they don't exist, until the elders give their permission for everyone to go back to showing love and mercy to the sinner by approving the written reinstatement pleas. For a disfellowshipped JW to attend meetings and put themselves through the humiliation of that kind of cruel treatment, in my opinion, that in itself should show the elders and his or her so called "friends" that they are repentent for whatever sin they commited. Why is there paperwork to be approved by elders first? Where is that procedure or "arrangement from Jehovah" as the JWs human leaders have termed it, found in scriptures?

The whole list of what is considered to be "sins" in the flock book is amazing in itself. Seems to me that pedophiles are treated better than cigarrette smokers or adulterers.

I have a question for you that I'd like to ask as soon as I word it right. It does involve something I read in the elders manual, but I'm not sure I'm understanding it right. I'll ask it in a new post so that I don't steer this thread off topic.

peace,

somebody

27

Awake! Saved My Life!

by Funchback in

so said an italian man on page 31 of the 2/22/03 awake!

magazine:.

awake!

somebody

LOL@Farkel

Hi Funchback,

I remember reading quite a few "from our readers" sections in the AWAKE! rags, that it saved peoples lives. One in particualar had to do with lead poisoning and how no doctors could figure out what was wrong with the child having convulsions daily.

Here are a few of my favorite AWAKE quotes.

3/22/98
You must forgive me for forgetting to renew the subscription for the good magazine Awake! It is an informative, educational, and factual magazine with inspiring and awakening topics. I want all the back issues I've missed. I cannot miss even one. Thank you for patiently helping to fight ignorance.
N. S., Sri Lanka

8/22/87
College Education?
When I first read your article "College Education-A Preparation for What?" I thought to myself: 'Another put-down for a college education.' (January 8, 1987) But after careful consideration, now that I have finished college, I can truly appreciate the advice given. Although it's too late for me, I hope young people who read the article realize that a college education prepares you for absolutely nothing. I look back and regret those years of my life.
S. B., United States

peace,

somebody

Edited by - somebody on 22 January 2003 11:31:50