Topics Started by mariu

25
What happened to the "Witness" part of Jehovah's Witnesses?
by donny in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
i just got back from my afternoon walk/run and about a block from home i saw two sets of jw's going door to door handing out invites to the memorial.. the first pair walked past me and only said "good afternoon" as they passed.. about two minutes later the second pair approached me and handed me an invite to 2014 memorial on april 14. i asked them why they chose the jw's as their church of choice and was told "we'd like to chat more but we have a set number of invites we have to get out before the memorial.

if you contact the kingdom hall listed here, they will tell you more... on how god's kingdom will rid the world of satan and the evil associated with him.".

i replied "you can't talk now?".
52
Has a critical mass of exJWs been reached?
by truthseeker in
1. jw
2. friends
it took the better part of 15 years but i believe we have finally arrived at that point where there is now a critical mass of former witnesses.. thousands of exjws come together on forums like this one and discuss findings, ideas and research.

there have been documentaries and even a movie made about life in the jehovah's witnesses.. ex jw websites, online forums, and discussion boards that set the wheels in motion in the early to late 90s have matured into powerful tools of social change within the organization.. the lies and false doctines taught by the watchtower bible & tract society are plainly accessible with just a cursory google search.. active elders leak boe letters, often weeks before they hit the notice board in a kingdom hall.. social media has allowed exjws to connect with those still in as well as those who have left.. the society have no game plan because information is power and they have lost the information war.

all they can do is cry wolf and warn the rank and file not to listen to apostates.. i don't know what future the society will face in the next ten years, but changing world events, social trends, and reactionary change from headquarters based on their own faulty biblical chronology has got them cornered like a raging animal.. it doesn't look good..
33
Special Assembly Day - tepid applause
by sir82 in
1. jw
2. friends
just got back from a recent sad.. after most talks, the applause was, at most, tepid.. it was striking in its tepidity, if that is possible (and if that is a word).. affter most talks, applause lasted literally no more than 5 seconds.

its volume was scarcely above a whisper.. it wasn't acoustics - the bethel speaker was technically a polished speaker (although presenting the same old boring info), and his talks generated noticeably louder applause.

but even still - that applause was maybe 10 seconds, and about normal-conversation level.. but local speakers - the applause was not much more loud than the hum coming from your refrigerator.. there were 1300+ people there.. it was just so weird - my previous large-group experience was at the agm, where people were nearly apoplectic & drooling with delight over their new "silver bibles" (which very few have read, i'd wager).. these guys were just "zombified".. speaking of bibles - bethel dude called it a "platinum bible".
22
Top evolution researchers agree: There is A Creator! The Watchtower is Right!
by mariu in
1. jw
2. friends
okay, it's just one scientist: http://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/g201404/frederic-dumoulin-interview/.

but he's a very eminent one!.

for more than a decade, frederic dumoulin has worked in the field of pharmaceutical research ... studied the effects of medications and toxins on living creatures ... such design simply could not have evolved.
33
Morris in Italy
by Achille in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
morris in italy, january 5, 2014. http://forum.infotdgeova.it/viewtopic.php?p=281371#p281371.
15
District Assemblies and Circuit Assemblies getting farther away from home
by never a jw in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
20 years ago the da's were in dodger stadium, 10-15 minute drive from home (east part of san fernando valley, los angeles area).

then moved to long beach, 45 minute drive.

now in 2014 they are moving to san diego, 2 1/2 hr drive.
31
2013 Report - difference in av. pubs compared to % of baptisms
by likeabird in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
i just took the first page of the 2013 report and added two new columns to look at alternative ways of calculating the 'increase'.

first column: 2013 av.

pubs minus 2012 av.
35
2013 Publisher Statistics now available from 2014 Yearbook.
by jwfacts in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
the 2014 yearbook is out, and i have scanned the publisher figures into a more readable format at 2013 service year report.

i have updated some of the graphs at http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/statistics.php and will do the rest tonight.

there are no real surprises, with very similar results as during the last couple of years.
30
Non JW girl with a JW guy
by Accio in
1. social
2. relationships
i want to talk about my story because i need help and advice and most impirtant a lot of comfort.. one year and a half ago i met a wonderful guy.

he was really nice and supporyed me during hard moments.

i slowly fell in love with him.
70
2014 YB Up. Partakers 13,204
by LostGeneration in
1. jw
2. friends
that is all.

link.