Posts by Journeyman

773

Breaking News: Anthony Morris III no longer serving on the Governing Body

by WingCommander in

jw
friends

this has been announced on the jw's official website, in the "jw news" section.

this is not a joke.

anthony moron da turd is out as a gluttonous body member!

Journeyman

I noticed new material on the "Official" JW site yesterday pertaining to avoiding over drinking......

Yes, unless evidence emerges to the contrary, I do suspect drinking was the cause of, or at least contributed to, the situation. AMIII had been so obviously under the influence in a number of his talks. That and the infamous Bottlegate story of him buying large quantities of booze on a Sunday during the meeting time, though none of them conclusive of major 'sin', all added up to a suspicious pattern. Anyone who has struggled with alcohol themself or has known loved ones who has, could see signs that were pointing that way.

No doubt he'd received 'counsel' from the rest of the GB, if only to save them face, but he presumably didn't listen, and it's either that stubbornness or a specific situation where the alcohol caused embarrassment (others on this thread with possible knowledge have suggested what that might be) that tipped the scales and the rest of the GB decided to act.

I would bet Tony and they are milking their "sick" story and keeping a very low profile with online meetings...pretend or real. Tony strikes me as a proud pompous person who would be quite humiliated right now.

Indeed, which makes me wonder if we've not heard the last of this. His resentment, or lowering of his guard over time, might mean more information leaks out later, although it might not happen for some time. It also depends on whether he can actually get control of his drinking, or if he takes refuge in it more.

21

Joined an online meeting incognito

by joey jojo in

got a link for a zoom meeting and thought id share my experience about the mid-week meeting.. guessing about 100 - 120 in cong.. 50 on zoom, only 8 with cameras on - all elderly.

watching from a detached point of view it's so obvious at how it is nothing but a glorified sales meeting, all designed to promote the org.

inspirational videos about how everyone can/ should do more to help with projects, in particular how to look after the kingdom hall, complete with bar charts showing levels of achievement to aspire to.. interestingly, tonights book study is about alcohol..

Journeyman

The people that dont turn on their cameras are the same ones that trash talk and shun ex-jw's that dont buy into it anymore, yet they cant even turn on their cameras to encourage others?

I suppose, although I never bought into the whole "turn on your camera to encourage the brothers" thing during the meetings. Afterwards when they used to meet in breakout rooms, ok fine, but not during the meeting. After all, no-one sits facing all the congregation at the hall, watching their faces during a meeting (unless you're the 'brother' sitting on the platform to read the WT study, but that's another issue)!

It seemed just a way for the elders to monitor everyone was dressed appropriately and at their device for the whole time. Too intrusive. Some congregations were more aggressive about that during lockdown than others, but in my experience it seems now they're more interested in who is physically at the meetings - the elders around my way no longer bother making comments asking people online to turn on their cameras.

773

Breaking News: Anthony Morris III no longer serving on the Governing Body

by WingCommander in

jw
friends

this has been announced on the jw's official website, in the "jw news" section.

this is not a joke.

anthony moron da turd is out as a gluttonous body member!

Journeyman

Age and health definitely seems unlikely, given that all the other elderly GB members have stayed to the end despite their age or infirmity. As has been pointed out, Herd and Losch themselves are still there despite also becoming more frail and possibly borderline senile now. The GB usually get the best care from Bethel.

More likely, he either had a major difference over doctrine or procedure with the rest of the GB, or he was caught out in some indiscretion (possibly linked to drunkenness, as has been speculated). We may not find out for a long time, depending on how well the "friends" close ranks to protect him, but it will probably leak out eventually.

Smart move on Watchtower's part to be the landlord. Few people bite the hand that feeds them.

Also keeps him in their sphere of influence. He knows too much about 'where the bodies are buried' to be allowed to completely leave the circle of the GB. That also suggests that whatever he said or did, he's obviously not turned apostate, as some had wondered/hoped. What will be interesting is if he becomes resentful or careless over time, and lets slip some clues as to what happened.

11530

It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

Journeyman

Well, it seems our mutual friend's Patreon numbers have levelled off around the 590 mark - nearly 200 more since his Stephen-Lett-style begging video, which puts him back where he was about this time last year. However, as slim pointed out earlier, it's well short of his peak of nearly 900 patrons eighteen months ago, and how many will he keep as we get to the end of April - then May, June, etc? How many of those 200 will experience 'buyer's remorse' and pull the plug on their payments?

He might be celebrating now, but time will tell how long-lived his 'revival' proves to be.

For Dijana, who has already been treated like crap by him, and for Tibor, who might still get the sack if the numbers don't stay up, here's a handy t-shirt design to add to the merchandise...

33

July 2023 Study Watchtower - Great Tribulation is coming soooooooooooooon!

by BoogerMan in

is this the "great tribulation" which jesus warned he would bring upon the corrupt christian congregations worldwide, (revelation 2:22; 7:14) or is it the same 1st century g.t.

which he said would never occur again?

(matthew 24:21).

Journeyman

To be fair, the org says "inner rooms" relates to congregations not kingdom halls. It doesn't mean that everyone will be expected to physically go to a hall to hide.

That couldn't be right, as with all the hall closures in recent years, it's often necessary for witnesses to travel long distances to the nearest hall, and also the fact that most halls are not big enough to hold all the local witnesses together. For example, where I attend we have seating for maybe 200 people max, but multiple congregations meet there probably totalling about 400 people. How could they all come together in the one hall without attracting attention of the authorities, and without causing crowding problems? It causes enough hassle with the neighbours as it is on Memorial night with all the crowding in and out!

The NWT parallels the "inner rooms" verse with Exodus 12:22,23 where the angel passes over Egypt and strikes the firstborn while the Jews hide in their homes with the doorposts daubed with animal blood, and that WT paragraph itself says: "Consider what Jehovah instructed his people to do when ancient Babylon was attacked..." Again, that was a situation where the people were distributed in their own homes and places, not all gathered in one location. One old WT from 2009 said: "This prophecy may have had its first fulfillment in 539 B.C.E. when the Medes and the Persians conquered Babylon. Upon entering Babylon, Cyrus the Persian apparently commanded everyone to stay indoors because his soldiers were ordered to execute any found out-of-doors."

Also, it contradicts their portrayals in the bunker videos of 1) the authorities probably closing down halls and 2) witnesses taking refuge in private basements or attics.

As enoughisenough says, their actions during lockdown went completely contrary to the idea of congregations coming together, and even caused some to wonder if isolation at home would be a fulfillment of going to "interior rooms". That would seem to make more sense if it happens at all, but I suspect the org doesn't want to say that in case it encourages more to stay at home and just connect on zoom, so instead they imply congregations should be "together", despite their depictions showing the opposite (only small groups in private rooms).

A case of putting their own organisational desires ahead of what the scriptures actually suggest? If so, that wouldn't be unusual.

21

Joined an online meeting incognito

by joey jojo in

got a link for a zoom meeting and thought id share my experience about the mid-week meeting.. guessing about 100 - 120 in cong.. 50 on zoom, only 8 with cameras on - all elderly.

watching from a detached point of view it's so obvious at how it is nothing but a glorified sales meeting, all designed to promote the org.

inspirational videos about how everyone can/ should do more to help with projects, in particular how to look after the kingdom hall, complete with bar charts showing levels of achievement to aspire to.. interestingly, tonights book study is about alcohol..

Journeyman

In my experience, they don't announce attendance anymore in regular meetings (they only used to do it for the public talk and for the Memorial) but they still do at assemblies and conventions.

What they have is a monthly attendance form on the noticeboard (the org does love forms) where they write the in-person and online attendances separately (with combined total) for each meeting. That's how I know the general attendance rate around my circuit is about a 50/50 split these days.

6

"Look at the Artwork!"

by FadeToBlack in

from the back cover of the july 15th, 2013 study edition.. "look at the artwork!".

how many times have you said that to yourself or to others when you opened a new issue of this magazine?

i didn't use the same wording, but needless to say, i was stunned.

Journeyman

Found this old summary while thinking about the subject of artwork, linked to the proliferation of videos in meetings these days. The same points FadeToBlack made apply - the videos are often used as over-simplified indicators of what you should think/take away from the item.

What I find crazy is when some comments gush about the artwork (including videos, dramas) illustrating Bible scenes from long ago, as if it were real footage from the past. I remember one brother even said when commenting on such a picture in a WT article: "As we can see in the photograph..." I'm not sure if that was a slip of the tongue and he just meant 'picture', or if he really does consider these artist's impressions (or video director's imaginings) as if they were direct recordings of events!

I've never found the artwork that impressive on a 'teaching' level. Sure, it may be (mostly) well drawn/painted, but there are thousands of good artists out there capable of illustrating all kinds of imagined scenes - that doesn't make the WT artists' (or directors') take on Bible accounts the 'gospel' truth, if you'll pardon the pun. Especially when it comes to things like Bible character's hair or clothing colours, or what poses they were in, or how many were in a room, things which are usually total speculation as there is rarely that level of detail in Bible accounts.

Study article should be highlighted in multiple colors.

With the near-ubiquity of tablets and mobile phones at meetings now, at least the days of showing off how studious you were by having your publications highlighted in lots of colours have died out. Although some do carry over their highlighting obsession into the JW app on their devices, it doesn't seem to be such a mark of 'spirituality' as it used to be. At least that's one ridiculous thing that has gone away!

21

Joined an online meeting incognito

by joey jojo in

got a link for a zoom meeting and thought id share my experience about the mid-week meeting.. guessing about 100 - 120 in cong.. 50 on zoom, only 8 with cameras on - all elderly.

watching from a detached point of view it's so obvious at how it is nothing but a glorified sales meeting, all designed to promote the org.

inspirational videos about how everyone can/ should do more to help with projects, in particular how to look after the kingdom hall, complete with bar charts showing levels of achievement to aspire to.. interestingly, tonights book study is about alcohol..

Journeyman

With all the push for more brothers to step up, it is almost a joke in that the meetings are now mostly video.

I agree. They even have videos in the CO visit nowadays, the one time when it was supposed to be more in depth and targetted for the benefit of the local congregation. Every week, whole items consist of just showing a video, or having a video and then no more than 3-4 questions based on what happened in it.

D to D starts next monday in earnest

I thought D to D resumed on September 1st 2022? There was an announcement to that effect, and D to D has been back in full here in the UK since then, but support for in-person groups in my circuit has been much lower than before COVID, even for the recent Memorial campaign.

26

UK Hospital using Kingdom Melodies - complaint

by AEnEm in

i found out that a uk hospital (nnuh) uses kingdom melodies as hold music, apparently for some years!

i called and heard it myself.

i wrote an email to the complaints team and await a response.

Journeyman

"Thank you for your email, I have registered your comments on our reporting system and forwarded your concerns to our Communications team as feedback to look into and take appropriate action.

Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns with the team."

Translation: Go away.

11530

It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

Journeyman

I actually think he looks pretty good in this picture.

More likely he'd be the kindly old uncle who lets you sit on his knee... then starts touching you in non-consensual ways.