No. I started to investigate when I became aware of paedophile allegations that were known to people outside the WT. I started to investigate where that originated from.
Eden
EdenOne
JoinedPosts by EdenOne
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231
NEWBIES are leaving like crazy! Be very afraid WT
by clarity in# 3 newbie post.
first of all, the newbies have set a record here!.
have you ever seen a 4pg post where 21 new members reply!
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24
New Light related to Watchtower Society Isolation closing the shop? A scenario
by Gorbatchov ini was thinking about the next scenario:.
the united states (and western world) are losing influence compared to china, india and other new economy's.. with this decline of influence, the watchtower society, a true american religion and it's subsidiary's corporations are losing profits and losing it's base in much country's under china / india / indonesia / brazil influence.
what i see is that the watchtower society is selling it's main assets: landmark buildings in optimal condition.
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EdenOne
I don't think they will be closing shop, ever, as long as the masses still believe. They are simply reorganizing themselves and bracing for the next challenge: How to keep the believers believing in this information era where you can no longer withold secrets and science brings certain dogmas under scrutiny and discredits old ideas about religion. They obviously forecast that massive amounts of people will leave, which will shorten their income for a while, while they regroup and reorganize. Then, once they come up with a new set of "new light" adjusted to modern times, they will be ready to grow again.
Eden
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124
Does your Theology Align with Reality?
by cofty inthesits are fond of reminding us that science cannot prove there is no god, and in this they are correct.
however, science should not be dismissed so lightly by anybody who values a faith that is more than a mere fantasy.. theologians like john shelby spong have shown the intellectual honesty to embrace the truths that science has discovered and adapted their religious beliefs to take account of reality.
sadly many theists lack the courage to do likewise.
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EdenOne
'Reality' as we know it is defined by observation. There is reality that escapes observation. This can be demonstrated by theoretical mathematics and physics.
Science deals only with reality as it can be grasped through observation and/or experimentation. And even then, that 'reality' is a floating concept subject to interpretation.
Eden
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6
Is it Ok to name a baby ' Messiah'?
by rip van winkle in.
a tennessee judge has ordered a baby boys name to be changed from messiah after deciding it is a title that has only been earned by one person and that one person is jesus christ.. .
on sunday, jaleesa martin, the babys mother, told the station that she planned to appeal the decision.. i never intended on naming my son messiah because it means god and i didn't think a judge could make me change my baby's name because of her religious beliefs, she said.. http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/12/19986524-baby-cant-be-named-messiah-judge-rules?lite.
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EdenOne
In my country "messiah" (in local language version) isn't such an uncommon family name. No biggie.
Eden
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50
Well I gotta go......
by punkofnice in...i might drop in every now and then but i hope you all enjoy life, escape the watchtower(r) and live prosperous lives.. i can't say i contribute much here anyway (and i'm not attention seeking).. i'm just going to get on with life away from the constant reminder of the mistakes i made being a jw zombie drone.. i guess i'm just going to fade.......rather quickly.. of course i didn't need to make any posts here to disappear but i thought it'd be polite and very british to bid you all a fond farewell.. see you all sometime.....maybe.....maybe not.....maybe....... bye!.
ps.
don't pm me as i won't be checking the pms.. .
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EdenOne
Whatever you do in life, be happy, PON.
Fairwell
Eden
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124
Does your Theology Align with Reality?
by cofty inthesits are fond of reminding us that science cannot prove there is no god, and in this they are correct.
however, science should not be dismissed so lightly by anybody who values a faith that is more than a mere fantasy.. theologians like john shelby spong have shown the intellectual honesty to embrace the truths that science has discovered and adapted their religious beliefs to take account of reality.
sadly many theists lack the courage to do likewise.
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EdenOne
Positive initial post, Cofty.
Eden
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183
Article: It's Time to Outlaw Extreme Shunning in Modern Society
by AndersonsInfo inhttp://gilmermirror.com/bookmark/23272594/article-extreme%20shunning#.ufwjurllscm.facebook.
extreme shunningthe gilmer mirror.
its time to outlaw extreme shunning in modern society by: richard e. kelly .
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EdenOne
The way i see it (and I may be completely wrong in this, so will an expert correct me if that's in order), is that it will be next to impossible to use the law against the WT for the practice of shunning upon disfellowshipped people. However, the threat of disfellowshipping over those who breach the rule of shunning disfellowshipped ones (which is a personal liberty, after all), wouldn't THAT constitute an unnaceptable restriction on personal liberties?
Eden
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83
There are more Jehovah's Witnesses in Portugal than there are Scientologists in the whole world
by cedars init would be nice if this little nougat of information could be more widely known - especially by journalists.. the quoted figures for scientology are taken from tony ortega's 2011 article in the village voice, which quotes former scientology pr executive jeff hawkins as saying.... "i know that event attendance internationally was somewhere in the region of 25,000 to 35,000. the international 'bodies in the shop' (people actually in the orgs that week for service) was 16,000 to 18,000. ias was struggling to get 40,000 members.
based on this and a lot of other information i was privy to, i estimate the actual number of scientologists at a maximum of 40,000. that's on the high side.".
portugal is one of 33 countries with more than 40,000 active jehovah's witnesses - demonstrating the gulf in size between the two faiths.. the following list shows all countries with more than 40,000 jws according to their reported peak publishers for 2013.. .
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EdenOne
The only viable way to determine accurately how many active members there are is:
1. Pick ONE month in a year. Only ONE month. This month should be the same month every year, consistingly. (This is actually the methodology adopted by the census. They take a "snapshot" of ONE day.) Not the peak month in a year, but the same month every year. I would suggest May, since it's not overly affected yet by school holidays and the Memorial "fever" is gone, and the campaign for the DC still hasn't started.
2. Then, measure in that month how many have reported field service.
3. From that figure, determine:
Growth rate (positive or negative) since same month the previous year.
How many of those who reported are baptized. Again, measure that igure against last year's figure.
How many in that congregation are irregular that month.
How many in the congregation are inactive in that month.
Percentage of baptized active members versus population
Percentage of active publishers versus population.
Only when you have the "snapshot approach" you can get accurate results.
PS. Been sick, haven't been able to follow up or participate much lately.
Eden
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83
There are more Jehovah's Witnesses in Portugal than there are Scientologists in the whole world
by cedars init would be nice if this little nougat of information could be more widely known - especially by journalists.. the quoted figures for scientology are taken from tony ortega's 2011 article in the village voice, which quotes former scientology pr executive jeff hawkins as saying.... "i know that event attendance internationally was somewhere in the region of 25,000 to 35,000. the international 'bodies in the shop' (people actually in the orgs that week for service) was 16,000 to 18,000. ias was struggling to get 40,000 members.
based on this and a lot of other information i was privy to, i estimate the actual number of scientologists at a maximum of 40,000. that's on the high side.".
portugal is one of 33 countries with more than 40,000 active jehovah's witnesses - demonstrating the gulf in size between the two faiths.. the following list shows all countries with more than 40,000 jws according to their reported peak publishers for 2013.. .
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EdenOne
Cedars
How could they know this?
No idea how, but I was intrigued by the number so much that I took note of it in the program.
Eden
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37
When "The Persecution" Comes - What a Let Down that turned out to be!
by cofty inwhen i was young there was endless speculation about "the persecution".
i have very clear memories as a child sitting in the old kingdom hall in coatbridge hearing it talked about from the platform.
it was a frequent topic at home.. sometimes there was lurid detail about what sort of torture "they" might use against us to make us betray others.
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EdenOne
Very true, Cofty.
I've heard countless formal and informal talks about the topic. It still is lying around, now and then. less present, true, but still out there. However, I doubt that the outcome of the child abuse cases will be any more damaging for the WTS that it has been to the Catholic Church.
Eden