Posts by Journeyman

31

Jehovah's Witnesses no longer count time. How is this news affecting moral and meeting attendance at local congregations?

by Balaamsass2 in

no more watchtower and awake mags every 2 weeks to place.

no private home book studies.

no more "essential" spiritual food meals 5x a week.

Journeyman

How is this affecting "still in" JWs you know?

I looked around the audience for any reaction, but didn't see any. Kind of curious.

Word spread fast. The response has been to keep keeping on.

This is the interesting thing, and the big change from how I remember things used to be years ago.

Today, changes - even major ones - get barely any discussion among R&F from what I can tell. No buzz of excitement or desire to discuss what it means at length. I can remember we used to spend ages privately debating what each announced change, new release or new 'light' might mean and the implications or possibilities.

Funnily enough, these days I see more interest, speculation and excitement - for good or bad - on here and among other exJWs online than among active JW publishers whenever a change happens in the organisation.

I think that almost more than anything else shows how flat everything is now.

As for the meetings, a good proportion of the R&F are no longer attending in person and choose to stay at home on Zoom (usually between 25-50% of the congregation). Barely any of those have their camera on or try to comment. I suspect in the UK, USA and much of Europe, as we go into winter, attendance will get worse.

The change to reporting is just another nail in the coffin of any excitement or buzz that there used to be in congregations, as it will reduce the motivation and need for many to spend as much time supporting ministry groups, working with other publishers or getting up early on Saturday mornings, for example.

45

Ramapo

by Mit123 in

how much is ramapo going to cost?

my daughter in africa meets in a cow shed for her meetings.

i wonder how many khs in africa they could build if they dropped ramapo?.

Journeyman

What's the latest on this white elephant? Anyone got any updates?
(I mean Ramapo, not Mit123's daughter! )

I'm hoping to hear they're scaling it back, like they chose to with the UK's Chelmsford Bethel complex, but somehow I doubt it.

It's supposed to be their equivalent of Hollywood, Disneyland and the Pixar studios all rolled into one, so there's little chance of that...

2965

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

by Simon in

jw
friends

uh oh, looks like the mega thread gave up the ghost, so while i investigate / fix it just continue the discussion here .... it's been a long 9 years lloyd evans / john cedars.

Journeyman

His lowest was like 387 back in December

He hit 387 on January 1 and again on April 1 this year.

This isn't even a man on a plateau. He can't even maintain a status quo.
That's pretty impressive

So 386 is the 'magic' number that we're all waiting for and he's probably desperate to avoid, as it will show a new low in paid support for his channel since he pressed the self-destruct button on his career and personal life at Christmas 2021. At the current rate of 'progress', he's on target to hit that in early 2024...

2965

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

by Simon in

jw
friends

uh oh, looks like the mega thread gave up the ghost, so while i investigate / fix it just continue the discussion here .... it's been a long 9 years lloyd evans / john cedars.

Journeyman

Who knew that Thai prostitutes were so versatile?

Wow! Thanks to that NPR broadcast, you've hit on the next money-making option for Lloydy-Boy! He can try to get into cryptocurrency recovery, whilst still enjoying his trips to Thailand for, errr... scuba diving! 🤣

40

Steve Lett doesn’t look well

by Teddnzo in

jw
friends

as soon as you see steve letts talk at the agm you think to yourself “oh my, what’s happened to him?.

his hand has plasters and his skin doesn’t look healthy, like he has inflammation or something serious going on.. he had put on weight and is all bloated and puffy .

his skin really doesn’t look good, the kind of inflammation many people notice after the experimental covid vaccines.. there have been very high numbers of people reported inflammation after the experimental covid vaccines.

Journeyman

Journeyman, do you think that this Sanderson fellow (never heard of him when I used to be interested in all things Dub, two decades ago) is the main mover and shaker behind the changes in direction that seem to be making a "kinder/gentler" WT?

I don't know, but they certainly seem to be putting him front-and-centre a lot more for someone who is a relative newbie. Likewise with the newer three - Cook, Winder and Fleegle - they're already getting major roles. Probably in part because Losch and Herd especially (and possibly Lett) are becoming increasingly decrepit and unfit.

But it's odd that Splane and Jackson don't seem to have a higher profile these days. They've been around longer, and Splane was usually used as their 'teacher of new light' (ahem). Yet Sanderson seems to get a lot of prime features and talks (like the new brochure release), and appear in media-focused items (like the Russia court case).

I suppose time will tell as we see who gets more side-lined and who seems to get the prime assignments in the next year or two.

41

2023-10-13-Announcement (Reporting Field Service)

by Atlantis in

jw
friends

2023-10-13-announcements (reporting field service).

page 1. https://imgbox.com/96lgsfw4 .

page 2. https://imgbox.com/zynoa02m .

Journeyman

Teddnzo: It’s seems fat tony leaves and two new GB really shook things up
I get the impression that making him leave and bringing in the new people was the shake up.

I agree, Tonus.

These 2 new GB rub me the wrong way,,,more so than AM3.
Just just creepy,,or something. Hard to describe.

I know what you mean. AM3, for all his disturbing rhetoric, did at least seem 'genuine' as a character.

The new GB members seem to be cut from the typical, bland corporate style that is so common in leadership roles now - no apparent personality of their own. It does seem the GB is trying to remodel itself into a corporate board or something similar now which, to me, is not really much of an improvement on where they're coming from. It certainly doesn't seem more honest and genuine.

41

2023-10-13-Announcement (Reporting Field Service)

by Atlantis in

jw
friends

2023-10-13-announcements (reporting field service).

page 1. https://imgbox.com/96lgsfw4 .

page 2. https://imgbox.com/zynoa02m .

Journeyman

an elder who is a good reader

Haha! Sometimes the org really does excel in shooting itself in the foot saying stupid things.

In my congregation one of the elders is such a bad reader that once, in order to be clear, the COBE repeated the content of the letter or announcement he had just read...

I can believe it. I know of one local congregation where the COBE is so insistent that the announcements (including letters) are all read exactly as he prepares them for the chairman that it often backfires, making the brother more nervous and less confident in his delivery. They even sometimes read an announcement out then look up and say "Is that right, Brother X?" leading to moments of embarrassed silence and an awkward nod of agreement (or if necessary a brief correction) from the COBE himself! Crazy.

40

Steve Lett doesn’t look well

by Teddnzo in

jw
friends

as soon as you see steve letts talk at the agm you think to yourself “oh my, what’s happened to him?.

his hand has plasters and his skin doesn’t look healthy, like he has inflammation or something serious going on.. he had put on weight and is all bloated and puffy .

his skin really doesn’t look good, the kind of inflammation many people notice after the experimental covid vaccines.. there have been very high numbers of people reported inflammation after the experimental covid vaccines.

Journeyman

Lett's been looking ill for some time, but let's try and get over the obsession with COVID and vaccines which a lot of people on this site seem to have and look at the actual facts.

Puffy, bloated skin like that tends to be a symptom of problems with the heart, blood or other major organs and/or strong medication used to treat them, or to treat something systemic like cancer. Inflammation can be caused by lots of things, far more common than the supposed effects of COVID vaccines!

The man is after all in his 70s, and has probably had years of an unhealthy diet and too little exercise. Also, being in his kind of position takes its toll (and apparently he has a lot of money, so he probably stresses over that too - he should have followed the advice in the Bible about that! )

What do you think the plasters on his hands are for?

The plasters on his hands are probably to cover needle marks, likely indicators of him needing regular medication and/or blood tests. Pretty common for someone with a chronic health issue like lung, heart, liver, kidney or blood disorder. [EDIT: just seen a clip and it seems the plaster is near his knuckles, so more likely a wound - maybe skin disorder/damage (which can happen more frequently with chronic illnesses), or perhaps he had a fall or cut himself? Minor injuries are not uncommon for elderly and sick people as they start losing their ability to coordinate themselves, and they heal more slowly.]

I wonder if they were talking about the vaccines when they said “we do sometimes get it wrong when it comes to organisational direction”

Oh for goodness sake. There are literally dozens of things they could be said to "get it wrong" about when it comes to "organisational direction". Look at the change to reporting hours they've just done now - that's an example straight away. And they've already changed direction on so many things in the past 5-10 years since the newer members of the GB like Sanderson and Cook have arrived. (Watching recent events, I'm beginning to think that those who reckon Sanderson has quickly become influential in the GB may be right. I was doubtful at first, but it's odd how changes seem to have accelerated since he came on scene, and he is often at the forefront of major talks and events.)

It was the Feb 2017 WT where they first made that fascinating confession: "The Governing Body is neither inspired nor infallible. Therefore, it can err in doctrinal matters or in organizational direction " - long before COVID appeared.

2965

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

by Simon in

jw
friends

uh oh, looks like the mega thread gave up the ghost, so while i investigate / fix it just continue the discussion here .... it's been a long 9 years lloyd evans / john cedars.

Journeyman

I wonder if Lardo knew that people would still be able to see the number of paid patrons even after he opened it to free members. I'm betting he didn't realize that number would still show and he could go around bragging about how he picked up 100 new patrons overnight..

Haha! Yeah, the free tier is irrelevant really. Anyone can sign up for something they don't have to pay for - it happens all the time. The important thing is that the people who are actually funding his crap are still walking away from him. Despite him opening his free tier, his paid subscriber numbers continue to gradually fall - down to 439 as I post this on the night of 15-16 October. Each month he loses between 20-40 paid subscribers and only (re)gains around 10 or less.

I’m curious as to how and if he eases the new content in.

That's pretty much the only thing that's keeping me hanging on to watch this sorry soap opera of one man's ego crashing back to earth. To see how he makes the transition to this supposed 'new' Lloyd. I'm fortunate enough not to have been one of those targeted by his "criminal action" and other harassment, but I'm fascinated to see how far this loser will fall before he wakes up (if ever).

Will there be a redemption arc for him or will he go full-on batshit crazy and end up in a mental institution or prison? Or just become a sad, lonely old man sitting on a park bench somewhere ranting at passers-by?

LE: "I used to be a famous exJW, you know! I had hundreds of followers!"
Passerby 1: "Who are you, creep? Get away from me!"
Passerby 2:"Of course you did, grandad."
Passerby 3: "Whatever. Freak."
Etc...

🤣

2965

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

by Simon in

jw
friends

uh oh, looks like the mega thread gave up the ghost, so while i investigate / fix it just continue the discussion here .... it's been a long 9 years lloyd evans / john cedars.

Journeyman

Hmm... how has his Patreon just jumped up by nearly 100 members? It was at 439 the other day...