Thirdson

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Posts by Thirdson

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  31

  WT Payments.

  by caspian in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just recieved a new letter from the society.

  it is another begging letter for contributions, in it they explain the british tax relief given to them as a charity .

  for every 1 pound donated the goverment will give them an extra 28p if it is donated under the gift aid arrangement.

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  Thirdson

  How is this different from the scheme the UK WTS has had in place for at least the last 10 years?

  JW giving has always been something done in secret and claiming tax back on contributions is difficult. This is because the pot of money at the Kingdom hall comes from a group of people not all of whom are income tax payers. To get around this the WTS agreed with the Inland Revenue that contributions could be made in numbered envelopes corresponding to a named person who was an income tax payer. The total contribution of the numbered envelopes was recorded each month and once a year the annual figure was filed with the Inland Revenue for a tax rebate. For Inland Revenue audit reasons the numbered envlope contributions could be linked back to a member of the congregation but only the congregation secretary kept the number/person list.

  What is different today? Will tax be claimed back from every member of the congregation who signs the form? Does the form include an annual pledge? The annual pledge is a powerful way to get people to pay and can be used to remind persons who have slipped in their contributions.

  When I was a JW, and lived in the UK I refused to pledge via the numbered method. I didn't want anyone knowing how much or rather how little I contributed.

  Thirdson
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  35

  Help the Elders are after me!!!!!!!!

  by auntiem in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  okay, an elder just showed up at my doorstep and he was wearing sweat suit and sweat pants and he was alone.

  whats up with that?

  is this a new tactic to get me to talk?

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  Thirdson

  Auntie Em,

  No elder should ever call on you alone. It is both inappropriate as a social call and certainly as a pastoral visit for a JW elder to visit with someone of the opposite sex. If this happens again you should not let him in and remind him he is breaking the WTS rules he is supposed to abide by. Better to not answer the door or be out at the next scheduled visit.

  THirdson
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  11

  Buahahahaha!!!!

  by Elsewhere in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  the constellation of the seven stars forming the pleiades appears to be the crowning center around which the known systems of the planets revolve.... it has been suggested, and with much weight, that one of the stars of that group is the dwelling place of jehovah and the place of the highest heavens;..... the constellation of the pleiades is a small one compared with others which scientific instruments disclose to the wondering eyes of man.

  but the greatness in size of other stars or planets is small when compared to the pleiades in importance, because the pleiades is the place of the eternal throne of god.. j. f. rutherford, reconciliation, 1928, p. 14.. .

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  Thirdson

  It is thought, and with much weight, that the Pleiades is the source of the comet we call today Hale-Bopp. Hale-Bopp periodically visits the Earth with an accompanying UFO that picks up cult members to take back to Heaven.

  In 1997, Marshall Applewhite and 38 followers committed suicide hoping to rendezvous with the supposed UFO accompanying the Hale-Bopp comet. When you consider the "Heaven's Gate" cult ideas they weren't that much different to a leader of our favorite cult we post about here.

  Thirdson
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  69

  Most ridiculous statements from the JW stage?

  by Smiles in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  we have all sat at jw meetings and heard some ridiculous statements that were either shocking or just plain old bunk.

  usually it is the same jw individuals that make those statements time and time again.

  you know the type..... you can almost expect such comments from them.. jws place great importance on what statements or persons are 'stage worthy'.

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  Thirdson

  At a Watchtower study a pioneer sister answered a question about why "peer pressure" can be such an issue. She said peer pressure is difficult because of the intense stares of opposers peering at Jehovah's Witnesses. I guess her pocket dictionary (often the wealth of books owned by JWs that are not from the WTS) was lacking in definitions, but it made me laugh, and I still think about this person when ever I hear the phrase "peer pressure."

  Thirdson
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  84

  Officially Disassociated Tonight

  by Princess in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  steve and i attended our very last meeting this evening.

  i wrote a thread a few weeks ago about our elder visit and their decision to announce that we were disassociated.

  they agreed to wait until we returned from our vacation so i could tell my grandma who still attends via phone link and so she wouldn't have to be alone in her devastation.

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  Thirdson

  Rachel and Steve,

  What a great way to leave. Good for you and I am glad you had fun.

  Judging by the photo, if they DA or DF many more there won't be any left.

  Thirdson

  "Would the last Disassociated person please turn the lights out on leaving."
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  8

  " ...our colored brothers."

  by MacHislopp in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  im sorry for the absence from this excellent

  board but for the moment im very busy in my professional life.

  nevertheless i would like to correct a statement

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  Thirdson

  I think the worst of this is the excuse the article made for not desegregating. As is seen throughout the history of the Watchtower Society, it is a religion of "do nothing." They don't provide hospitals, don't fund medical research, don't feed the hungry, don't provide clothing to the poor and don't provide shelter to the homeless. They certainly weren't going to to desegregate. The Watchtower took this attitude which was little better than some other churches of the time that sent paid missionaries to Africa but barred African-Americans from their churches in the USA.

  Once again the Watchtower Society has benefitted from social reform and civil rights not because they did anything but because of the courage and sacrifice of others. If the Watchtower Society had been around just a few years earlier I think they would have taken a neutral stand in the abolishing of slavery, after all the Bible doesn't condemn slavery and they are a Bible Based (tm) religion.

  Thirdson

  P.S. AGuest, I liked your thought on color, but remember, on the Watchtower's convention bus the light green brothers sat at the front, while the dark green brothers sat at the back
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  27

  Dubs Just At The Door! (After Two Year Absence!)

  by Stephanus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sitting at computer and hear two males talking as they come up our path.

  already suspicious, but when i peep out of my crack in the curtain, i see two blokes i don't recognise, wearing long-sleeved collared shirts and ties in what is strictly t-shirt weather.

  suspicion confirmed.

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  Thirdson

  Since JWs won the right for Girl Scouts to sell cookies in Stratton Ohio without the need to obtain a free permit, have JWs exercised their right to knock on doors?

  I wonder how many people in Stratton Ohio have asked to be on the do-not-call list? And also, what reaction do JWs get in Stratton Ohio?

  In Minnesota tele-marketers need to abide by the list of citizens who have registered not to be called via the telephone. Does this affect JWs who engage in telephone witnessesing?

  Thirdson
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  155

  Whats the dumbest reason youve been counseled?

  by avishai in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  my friend was counseled for having a bad attitude because he wore white socks w/ his suit.

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  Thirdson

  Wearing a paisley paterned tie.
  For allowing my wife to take her shoes off in the kingdom hall.
  For thanking the congregation for their contributions (by Alan Stokes - British CO)
  For sky-diving.
  Because of attending college and missing meetings because of some evening classes.
  For being liked by a worldy girl at work.
  For describing God's "purpose" as a plan in a prayer at the book study.
  For not bringing my 2 year old son to the meeting when his mother was at home.
  For not wearing a tie at the book study at my parents house. (I was 13)
  
  Lots more still.
  
  Thirdson
• 
  37

  How long were you baptized until you left?

  by YellowLab in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i'm interested to find out how long each of you were baptized until you decided to leave?.

  i was baptized december, 1989 and left six years later.. if only i didn't get baptized in the first place, then i could tell my family how wonderful the holidays were!

  yellowlab.

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  Thirdson

  Baptized in 1975, age 14. Left 22 years later.
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  25

  Did a stranger baptize you?

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  shouldn't it have been the person who gave you your bible study, that should have baptized you?

  in matthew 28:19,20 it says "go therefore and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit.. the way i see it, it should have been the one who gave you the biblical knowledge, that should have baptized you.

  making disciples is phase one, and baptizing them is phase two.

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  Thirdson

  I haven't a clue who baptized me. Although he was wearing trunks and requisite white shirt he looked like a CHEESE CRACKER MAN to me.

  Thirdson