it has been a long time since i have been here, but i need you guys now.
my mother-in-law is on her death been; most likely will not make it though the night.
my husband and i have sat with her for the past two days, she is totally unconcious.
They won't hold the funeral in the Kingdom Hall.
A 'brother' can give the funeral talk at a funeral home - maybe someone that the family is still aquainted with. This would be seen as an opportunity to 're-ignite' the family back into JW activity.
Prepare for shunning if you're disfellowshipped...or love bombed if you quietly went inactive 30 years ago.
ginger
often on this forum there are posts about how the gb are obsessed with money and some people here often suggest this impacts every decision the gb makes i.e.
on my holiday thread it was suggested jws aren't allowed to celebrate holidays as it means spending money on presents that they want for themselves.. i however, do not think this is at all true.
the society rarely talks about money and as a percentage of income i think the vast majority of jws contribute a very small amount simply because the society rarely talk about it.. obviously money is important to the society in the sense that they couldn't run a major organisation without it, so they have to ask for it at times and factor it in to some of their decision making, but actually the gb live quite frugally and seem to worry much more about clinging to their authority and power than getting rich.. my controversial suggestion of the day is that saying the gb are obsessed with money must make us look silly to lurkers.. what does the jwn intellegentsia think then?.
WT's Governing Body is like the man behind the curtain operating the "Wizard" - the non-questioning JW members and the GB believe that the Org. is really Jehovah God. They believe their own fantasy and will maintain it's existence at all costs.
The individual GB lives as a volunteer 'minister' - they don't live like the religious super-rich. Oh yeah, they wear a nice suit and a visit the Branches around the world, but they're not living the highlife. They live off of handouts and favors.
The investments, real estate sales and building construction might be taken - by the average, working class citizen - as a sign that the WT is LOADED...
The strength of the financial position of the Org. is tenuous - it can't afford to lose court cases or keep aging Brooklyn properties up to NYC codes forever. The corp. is downsizing or "streamlining"... to save itself.
ginger
i was raised with this belief, that we would never die and actually make it into the "new system".
mu faithful jw aunt still talked about my mother (her sister) and her walking together into the great tribulation--- and never die at all!
she spoke of that 2 days before she passed away.. i believe most witnesses expect to die and then get resurrected.
So many assemblies are filled with elderly long-term Witnesses. These attend because that is their life's routine. Their children attend out of obligation. Their grandchildren are absent.
The older ones in the congregations sit quietly during studies...or give the obligatory single answer. Desperate, aging pioneers shuffle around in service. Parents and grandparents who did it 'right' according to the Watchtower's guidance - but are now left with disfunctional familial relationships, hard feelings, resentment, depression, stress and chronic physical illness.
ginger
according to the shepherd book.... .
the elders do well not to involve themselves in what individuals do with regard to petty gambling solely for entertainment.
they may need to give counsel if this becomes a cause of stumbling for others or affects the spirituality of the individual or the congregation.-w02 11/1 p. 31.. .
Another prime example of Watchtower pharisaical rule making.
It's okay for guys to have sideburns....but only "down to here".
A little 'accidental' viewing of soft porn is okay...if you don't do it all the time.
The Watchtower Society has been active in the stock market since the 1920's - according to two old timers I knew from Rutherford, NJ. Of course they won't call that gambling ... it's an investment i.e. making money off of your donations.
I told this to a long time elder in our cong. and he said "that's a lie. 'We' don't play the stock market".
But, by god, if you have a game at home you better keep score with a pencil - one or two beers max and forget about 'luck'.
ginger
weve all heard it.
a person starts studying with jehovahs witnesses and love what they are learning so much that they cant stop talking about it.
bubbling with enthusiasm, they spill everything they are learning with their friends and family...or anybody who will listen.
Becoming aware of the realities of the Organization, it's history and the origins of our beliefs is a very emotionally charged situation.
That opens up the danger of spreading the 'new' truth. I rattled the cages of a few family members in the beginning ... now I accept that everyone has to do this on their own.
Stopping the thought and behavior patterns I learned growing up as a Witness is the most difficult thing to accomplish.
ginger
i wanted to express appreciation to the members of this forum.
there are resources here that are deep.
like we heard from the stage, "what is your depth and breadth of bible knowledge?
Your background is much like our parents - young and hoping to change the world when they found 'the truth'. This religion dovetailed right into their hopes and dream. I was in grade school when 1975 approached - I was worried that I would never get to go to high school.
Over the years our parents have changed their outlook on the organization. My father in law asked me casually a few weeks ago if I ever read jwfacts.com. I about fainted... until he said he and the wife had been looking at it and they are pretty upset about what they've realized. They moved to where the 'need was greater' in 1973.
ginger
...that district overseers are now being used as circuit overseers!!
that was a comment at the wt study program.
another great comment was this: " you can go to bethel and have zero skills.
Confirmation bias in action !
At this point I do feel pity for these folks. They really believe this stuff....
ginger
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?aid=/20140322/biz/403220306 watchtower buys former motelgroup may also purchase site in tuxedo the former hampton inn on route 300 will provide housing for volunteers working on the watchtowers new headquarters being built in goshen.steve borland/times herald-record.
by james walshtimes herald-recordpublished: 2:00 am - 03/22/14town of newburgh the watchtower tract and bible society closed friday on the purchase of the hampton inn on route 300.. watchtower spokesman richard devine said the building will be used to provide housing for short-term volunteers working on the organization's world headquarters, which is under construction in warwick.. the sale price wasn't disclosed.. another property, sterling forest apartments in a rural area of the town of tuxedo, may also be purchased by watchtower.
that would provide housing for long-term volunteer construction workers at the headquarters.. "we talked to the owner there," devine said of the apartments, "but we're still investigating that.
I bet the ones in charge of the WT purse strings had plenty of long, heated arguments about purchasing this hotel.
Or, a long term purpose was rationalized for the purchase that justified the outlay of money - perhaps a place for WT branch representatives from around the world to be housed when visiting the 'world headquarters'...or the Society sees the income potential of owning a nearby hotel during assembly weekends.
If an experiment of this sort works, maybe it will be applied to many town that have JW owned assembly halls.
ginger
1)when did this war breakout or did i miss it.. many commentators conclude that the battle between michael.
and the dragon occurs roughly at the start of the church age.. some even argue that the battleground is the church itself.. others say this scene describes the dispute between michael.
and satan for the body of moses (jude 9) or the long-ago.
This 'war' takes place in the pages of the Bible.
Other cultures throughout history have verbal and written tales about wars 'in heaven' between spirit creatures/gods - Greek mythology is a common reference.
ginger
against my better judgement, i've decided to share the following as a response to guy pierce passing and the announcement of the elimination of district overseers later this year.. late in january (2014) i got an email from one of my contacts (a fader) who served at bethel for several years, but is no longer at wt hq.
he still has a lot of close contacts within the service department and in other departments at patterson and knows people in all of the ny offices.
i kept this email set aside on a flash drive and haven't shared it with anyone - figuring i'd publish an article about it later this year when i had more time to do it right.
The thousands of folks that were converted in the late 1960's and early 70's are now in retirement and facing the hard fact that they are going to die.
The Watchtower leadership realizes this fact and will change, change, change the 'truth' to make it more appealing to the hundreds of thousands who were born-in and raised by these converts. The "Millennials" generation of Jehovah's Witnesses are not engaging with the Organizational structure and many are (though baptized at age 10, 11, 12...) choosing to fade, drop out or move away from the religion of their parents.
ginger
