gingerbread

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Posts by gingerbread

• 
  67

  3 more branches closed?

  by Viva la Vida in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it seems the finland branch has taken over the work from estonia, latvia and lithuania (see http://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/offices/finland/).

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  gingerbread

  You are correct Scotoma. Of course it all depends on the 'slice' of the statistics that are examined - especially in terms of percentage of gain.

  For example, when a small country is cited in the Yearbook with publishers increasing from 12 to 24 over the previous year...oh my! They've had an increase of 100%. That's not such a 'big deal' when it's realized the the country's population is ten million.

  In 1980 there was just over 2 million active JW's. Twenty years later the numbers jumped to 6 million. In the eyes of all of us active during those years, 'we' had grown beyond our wildest imagination. During that time the money was filling the contribution boxes and the push to build additional branches came with it.

  From a personal perspective, I can only remember back to the time when Jehovah's Witnesses had 1 million publishers.

  ginger
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  29

  Am I in a "cool hall " or what?

  by ?me? in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  anybody else in the situation i am?

  me and the wife go to a hall that is pretty "hands off".

  i have not really been out in service for probably 1.5 years and my wife has went out maybe 3 times in the last year.

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  gingerbread

  ?me?

  I'm assuming that you still turn in a monthly service report - there's no way they would allow an inactive JW to work with an RBC. That's strictly against their 'rulebook'.

  ginger
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  49

  What's in it for them? (GB)

  by SyntaxError1974 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if the wbts is just another business?

  then what do the gb get out of all this?.

  tim cook (ceo apple) makes around 378 million a year.. donald trump makes around 60 million a year.. i understand the wbts may have vast property holdings, stocks, bonds, and revenue from donations.. but i can't grasp the incentive for the gb to make this stuff up.

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  gingerbread

  Remember too that it is only through the direction and training of the anointed / GB that the 'great crowd' can received the paradisaic new world & everlasting life.

  Now that's some power!

  ginger
• 
  67

  3 more branches closed?

  by Viva la Vida in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it seems the finland branch has taken over the work from estonia, latvia and lithuania (see http://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/offices/finland/).

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  gingerbread

  When economic times are good the WT historically expands. When the world economy contracts, the WT (like any other international company) will downsize/streamline.

  I suspect the expansion of facilities and 'staff' in the 80's and 90's was also induced by emotions. The JW membership was growing like crazy (compared to the previous 50 years) and the big cheeses saw this as a sign from heaven to get big, big, BIG...

  A circuit overseer expressed to us (about 8 years ago) that the organization was "now more than ever" being run like a business. They began paying particular attention to the "balance sheet".

  ginger
• 
  49

  What's in it for them? (GB)

  by SyntaxError1974 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if the wbts is just another business?

  then what do the gb get out of all this?.

  tim cook (ceo apple) makes around 378 million a year.. donald trump makes around 60 million a year.. i understand the wbts may have vast property holdings, stocks, bonds, and revenue from donations.. but i can't grasp the incentive for the gb to make this stuff up.

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  gingerbread

  The men who now make up the governing body haved always LOVED the organization.

  They come from different parts of the world and all have different backgrounds. But the organization is the tie that binds them together.

  Rising through the 'ranks' of the organization to a seat at the board of directors table is a dream come true. They LOVE their jobs & their lifestyle.

  And they - individually and collectively - will protect the organization and their positions.

  Of course there is always exceptions to this rule - Ray Franz being the obvious example.

  ginger
• 
  293

  AGM 5 OCTOBER 2013 (UNOFFICIAL RUMORS)

  by WatchTower87 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  - 23 day to go .. annual meeting unofficial rumors.

  - new bible.

  - new nwt (revision).

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  gingerbread

  Another thought -

  Have you noticed that even the 'headquarters' in the United States is now officially refered to as 'the Branch'?

  Perhaps a 'new idea' to be revealed next month is that the REAL headquarters is in .... HEAVEN.

  All directions, rules and regulations are made in heaven and distributed through the Warwick, NY Branch...

  Long time faithful members will say 'we always understood that to be the case'.

  Imagine the legal department using this argument to release them of the responsibility of sexual abuse cases...

  ginger
• 
  293

  AGM 5 OCTOBER 2013 (UNOFFICIAL RUMORS)

  by WatchTower87 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  - 23 day to go .. annual meeting unofficial rumors.

  - new bible.

  - new nwt (revision).

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  gingerbread

  jgnat -

  Good point - although I don't see this idea as Annual Meeting worthy. However, 'loyalty' has always been an underlying theme in WT publications and talks.

  With an emphasis on strict obedience to 'theocratic arrangements' lately, I can see a directive from the GB that either a person is an active, book bag carrying Witness ..... or he will no longer be considered a Jehovah's Witness.

  No fade into inactivity allowed...

  ginger
• 
  88

  If the big change at the AGM meeting is dropping the literal 144,000...

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the best conjecture seems to be that the gb are going to drop the literal 144,000 teaching, especially in view of the december watchtower that pointedly does not mention the 144,000 number.

  if they are dropping the literal 144,000 number, but still claim that only a small number are anointed, and can partake, and that only a few are left on earth, then it is fair to ask what has really changed?

  they are simply clearing up the embarrassing situation that there were obviously more than 144,000 "anointed" believers from 36 ad until now, and that the number of partakers has been increasing in recent years.

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  gingerbread

  Whatever the 'changes' may be talked about at the upcoming AGM, I'm sure any new thoughts or ideas to be revealed will strengthen the authority and power of the WT leadership.

  Perhaps a new version of the NWT bible will be released. If this happens, the wording of scriptures have been modified to fit WT thought. We've been hearing with word 'brazen conduct' (in place of 'loose') in articles and talks for a couple of years. That could be changed in the 'new' version. Of course, there is nothing new about a 'new' release of the NWT. It's been done before - in the 1980's.

  Two things that won't change - building projects and 'the preaching work'.

  I also don't see the GB leadership changing doctrine or policies with an attitude of openess and acceptance. They - and most JW's in power positions - want roles clearly defined - with lots of rules.

  Any changes that effect the JW publisher will be even more confining. See Aug 2013 WT (study edition) 'You Have Been Sanctified' & Dec 2013 WT (study edition) 'Will You Make Sacrifices for the Kingdom?'.

  ginger
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  103

  Quick Poll - How many are...

  by mrhhome in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  how many here are (a) ex-jw, (b) non-jw with jw relatives or spouses, (c) inactive jw, or (d) active jw who stay in for your own reasons?.

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  gingerbread

  Irregular on paper. Fading carefully with a purpose.

  ginger
• 
  17

  When Jehovah's Witnesses changed from Society to Religion and why

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  [if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng /> </o:officedocumentsettings> </xml><![endif].

  [if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>normal</w:view> <w:zoom>0</w:zoom> <w:trackmoves /> <w:trackformatting /> <w:punctuationkerning /> <w:validateagainstschemas /> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:saveifxmlinvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:ignoremixedcontent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext> <w:donotpromoteqf /> <w:lidthemeother>en-us</w:lidthemeother> <w:lidthemeasian>x-none</w:lidthemeasian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>x-none</w:lidthemecomplexscript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables /> <w:snaptogridincell /> <w:wraptextwithpunct /> <w:useasianbreakrules /> <w:dontgrowautofit /> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark /> <w:enableopentypekerning /> <w:dontflipmirrorindents /> <w:overridetablestylehps /> </w:compatibility> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont m:val="cambria math" /> <m:brkbin m:val="before" /> <m:brkbinsub m:val="&#45;-" /> <m:smallfrac m:val="off" /> <m:dispdef /> <m:lmargin m:val="0" /> <m:rmargin m:val="0" /> <m:defjc m:val="centergroup" /> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440" /> <m:intlim m:val="subsup" /> <m:narylim m:val="undovr" /> </m:mathpr></w:worddocument> </xml><![endif].

  judge j.f.

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  gingerbread

  An interesting post Terry.

  I found the scan of Enemies by J.F. Rutherford on archive.org. In the chapter that you quote from, Rutherford's condemnation of religion primarily focuses on the Catholic church.

  He states "The Catholic Church organization in America holds title to property valued at more than two billion dollars." Their wealth is spread across the world in the amount of "many billions." Rutherford raises the question of where does that tremendous wealth come from...."from people who put themselves under the dominating control of that organization."

  This book was written during the darkest days of the 1930's depression. Perhaps the Watchtower leadership was coveting it's religious neighbors wealth?

  ginger