old timers, or careful readers of the proclaimers book, are familiar with the "testimony card" used in the early days of rutherford-era door to door witnessing.
the jw would traipse up to a house, knock, hand the card over to the householder, and wait while he read it.. well, it seems that "everything old is new again".
here is an excerpt from a recent boe letter:.
For those who want a scan of the letter... I can assure you this is real. An elder told me this same thing over the weekend.
It's true. Letter was read tonight. Of course the majority bobbed their heads, smiled their brain=dead smiles, and then clap clap clap clap.
the annual meeting of the governing body of jehovah's witnesses will be in october 2014.. .. in november 2013, just after the last one they published this now famous statement in the 15th of november 2013 watchtower page 16 paragraph 17 says:.
"at that time, the lifesaving direction that we receive from jehovahs organization may not appear practical from a human standpoint.
all of us must be ready to obey any instructions we may receive, whether these appear sound from a strategic or human standpoint or not.".
FWIW
I believe that soon "nu-lite" will be trotted out that the Revelation number of 144,000 will be determined to be symbolic, as is every other number in Revelation. There will be THREE groups of people, not just TWO as is taught currently. The "little flock" Jesus referred to will be the first century Christians who were actual contemporaries of Jesus and his hand picked apostles. The great crowd (Rev. 7: 9) will be an unknown number of Christ's followers who will be in heaven. The "other sheep" will be those who believe they will live forever on earth. The teaching of the generation that saw 1914, and now an overlapping generation, will be quietly dropped.
That would explain away the growing number of partakers at the KH's and buy quite a few more years of waiting for the end to come "soon".
i am hearing this more and more and it is like nails on a chalkboard.
i hear it from the wt, from elders, from my parents and from jws in general.
this had to be jehovahs spirit!
Its always "jehovahs spirit etc" when things go a certain good way!
But when things go bad it is just God letting you be tested? At the same time they will tell you there is no such thing as karma or fate. Either God and the devil control your every action or they don't. Can't be both ways.
as jw's we are constantly reminded that we sin each day due to imperfection.
but when bringing up the specifics, i have never gotten a good answer.. several times i have even mentioned to others of my getting up on a sunday morning, reading the daily text, studying the watchtower for the afternoon meeting, driving to the meeting (under the speed limit), answering at the meeting, (not using more than one towel in the restroom), going out in service later in the afternoon, coming home, having dinner, and then in the evening preparing for a part for the ministry school.. i didn't recall scheming in my heart about doing something bad or anything like that.. so, specifically, where does the "sin" come in?
and if what i did was sinful, how can i improve on it?
Is just being alive actually committing a sin?
Yes.
I see that you didn't mention worship of the GB in your post...now THAT is a big sin in WTland.
paragraph 20 out of the article in the sept 2014 study wt about fulltime service says this.... .
"full-time servants age, and so do their parents.
when parents are witnesses, likely their fondest wish is for their children to stay in their assignments.
The thread topic says it all.
The new thoughts and rules arre pretty well summed up in these words...those back home may help those in the full-time ministry
That seems to be the new current touchstone for ANY help. Full-time door knocker! If you are not a full-time drone you will be forgotten, spoken against, and basically shunned as weak, disloyal, and undesireable!
i don't know whether i should laugh, or run screaming into the night.. tonights "local needs" was titled "are you following 'the slave' "?.
the theme scripture was 1 peter 2: 21. it was applied that by following jesus steps closely we would then be able to keep up with 'the slave'.
now i don't know about others, but if i were to follow one person and that meant to keep up with someone else, it would mean that the person i was following was following the other person.
I feel for the poor old people on fixed incomes who have no clue about technology and no way to buy it.
The poor older, new widower, fellow in front of me was struggling to figure out his brand spanking new tablet. But he was sure proud that he had one finally.
Another comment from the stage was that, "thanks to jw.(b)org the kingdom has been proclaimed in the remotest parts of China and Africa." I thought many of those people can barely feed their families, how the hell can they afford the latest electronic gadget, let alone the electricity to run them all?
From the audience in the last part came the comment that the invites to memorial, RC, and the flyer advertising the web site are, "proof that Jehovah's chariot is speeding up because a territory that used to take a month to cover with the magazines can be whipped out in half a day now. So we see proof that the end is near, and the work is speeding up." Good gawd, think how fast the territory could be covered if one were to just toss the flyers out the vehicle window as you drove down the street.
i don't know whether i should laugh, or run screaming into the night.. tonights "local needs" was titled "are you following 'the slave' "?.
the theme scripture was 1 peter 2: 21. it was applied that by following jesus steps closely we would then be able to keep up with 'the slave'.
now i don't know about others, but if i were to follow one person and that meant to keep up with someone else, it would mean that the person i was following was following the other person.
I don't know whether I should laugh, or run screaming into the night.
Tonights "local needs" was titled "Are You Following 'The Slave' "?
The theme scripture was 1 Peter 2: 21. It was applied that by following Jesus steps closely we would then be able to keep up with 'The Slave'. Now I don't know about others, but if I were to follow one person and that meant to keep up with someone else, it would mean that the person I was following was following the other person. As in following Christ to keep up with 'The Slave' would imply, to me, that Christ follows 'The Slave'.
I guess the GB has been officially elevated to second place in 'the kingdom"?
Four main points were stressed locally.
1. We can't follow 'The Slave' if we are not using technology to show people videos on jw.(b)org in the recruiting work to start "Bible" studies. I'll be hanged if I am going to run out and buy all sorts of electronic gadgets and phones just to keep seven elite JW's in New York happified while I do my token service to keep family off my ass!
2. The congregation took in over 1,200.00 less in June than was spent. You brothers need to keep up your commitments for "voluntary" donations, even IF you had to pay through the nose for the RC, and green handshakes for the CO last month!
3. The congregation has most of what is needed to stream the branch visit...except for the big screen and the projector. But everything else has been bought. The problem is that the nearly 1,000.00 brand new desktop PC that was forced down your throats three months ago with the sales pitch that it was all that was needed is not capable of connecting to the big screen and projector. So now you get to buy a brand new laptop, and anyone who wants the PC can buy it. I am sure it will disappear just like so much other electronic hardware over the last few years that always seems to show up in the home of the elder who pushes for the new gadgets.
4. Are you aware brothers that all our wonderful publications that 'The Slave' has lovongly provided can be downloaded? Keeping up with 'The Slave' is easier if you brothers download all your publications off jw.(b)org. That way 'The Slave' will have more funds for the preaching work.
A final comment was made about the "historic" month of August with the promotion of a web site, and how people have been "conditioned to accept invititations and tracts". I know it will be historic for me, because it will be the very last August in 2014.
how's these comments in this weeks study?.
i understood that i had neglected my children when they most needed my guidance and affection, admits eduardo.
i had not been there to read them bible stories, to pray with them, to cuddle them, and to play with them.
My two cents worth:
Par. 4 "If he had, I probably wouldn't be in Jehovah's organization today."
Well so much for training your children to want to be a JW on their own. She admits serving God for her dad, not out of any genuine love of God.
Par. 9 "We should not...strive...for future financial security."
That's right. Someone else can pay for our way! So much for the proverb counseling to, "Go to the ant, you lazy one."!!
Par. 10 "...money cannot...sustain us the way godly wisdom can."
Try eating 'godly wisdom when you are hungry and see how full your belly gets, or drink it when you are thirsty. Try buying gasoline for your vehicle, or paying your light or heat bill, or taxes with 'godly wisdom', and see just how far you will get.
Par. 10 "...avoid going into debt."
I wonder how much those three brand new vehicles in the parking lot cost, and if the MS and elders paid cash for them? If they paid cash, why didn't they make do with 'sustenance and covering' and use the cash to help needy 'widows and orphans' in the congregation? If they incurred debt, why do they think they can ignore the FDS and the rank and file cannot?
Par. 11 "...did not spend money on nonessentials."
So did they buy food and clothing, or go without so they could make "voluntary" contributions to the organization?
Par. 16 "My husband even had to step down from servng as an elder...a decision that is contrary to his (God's) will..."
Evidently then, according to the WT, being an elder is God's will, but not being an elder is against God?
Par.17 "Seek Jehovah's direction BEFORE you make decisions and commitments..."
What a good excuse to refuse help to the poor, the widows and orphans in the JW congregation. "I prayed about it, and it seems that Jehovah's will is I buy that new car for myself, instead of helping you. After all it's for field service of course."
Par. 17 "Ask the elders for...advice, and...trust in Jehovah's promise to help you by following his counsel."
So we now see that the elders have been elevated to equals with God himself?
Par. 19 "People comment how happy Jehovah's Witnesses are."
Really? Who? In my recent observations JW's are anything but happy. They are the most miserable, beat down, crippled, welfare dependent, Sad Sack looking individuals I see.
it really is pretty sad that the gb and their "fair-haired-boys" cannot get their stories straight even from one day to the next.. friday, while touting the greatness of jw.org the rc speaker bragged about the web site being translated into over 400 languages.
on saturday splane bragged about it being translated in 369 languages.
while that is close to 400 it surely isn't over 400.. then yesterday one of the speakers said, "the mormon church is investing on internet web site outreach.
It really is pretty sad that the GB and their "fair-haired-boys" cannot get their stories straight even from one day to the next.
Friday, while touting the greatness of JW.Org the RC speaker bragged about the web site being translated into OVER 400 languages. On Saturday Splane bragged about it being translated IN 369 languages. While that is close to 400 it surely isn't OVER 400.
Then yesterday one of the speakers said, "The Mormon church is investing on internet web site outreach. WE do not do that! WE go from house to house."
Yeah right! From house to house promoting the internet!
Gawd Im glad I only have one more day of this to put up with. Even my dear parents are beginning to get fed up.
so the bro.
who yapped his way through the final prayer recap yesterday made this statement, "thank you jehovah for the governing body and the it brothers who have made the technology we have used to tie in with the ic.
we know that technology, has through their hard work creating it, made it possible for hundreds of thousands to be united together at the same time.
So the bro. who yapped his way through the final prayer recap yesterday made this statement, "Thank you Jehovah for the Governing Body and the IT brothers who have made the technology we have used to tie in with the IC. We know that technology, has through their hard work creating it, made it possible for hundreds of thousands to be united together at the same time. Thank you again for the brothers who have made this technology."
And here all along I thought that technology existed prior to the IC. And I didn't know it was JW's who created internet technology??? I thought it was Algore
