just saw a facebook post from an acquaintance who just went to the international convention in dallas, tx.
according to his post, there were approximately 50,000 in attendance on sunday, with 468 baptized.
there were an additional 9 conventions tied to this one, with an attendance of approximately 100,000 and 609 baptisms total, including dallas.
let's say that all 100,000 in attendance are JWs and they each reported 10 hours per month since the convention last year.
12,000,000 hours for 609 baptisms. Historically, half of all baptisms are children of JWs or others that were not converted due to door-to-door preaching.
12,000,000 hours for what MAY BE, at best, 305 baptisms.
Pathetic.
my thread was inspired by gentledawn's insightful comment about the effect the events in wales had on her jw husband.... hope any lurkers out there can filter out the signal (storys and experiences like this) to noise (the current trolls running amok on the forums) ratios.
this the problem with those who focus on outrageous fantasies about the watchtower.
it distracts from the real issues that need to be highlighted.. what happened in wales was for real.
He likes to tell everyone how much more clever he is compared to everyone
It is fair to say that, without exception, when a person has to tell you: how funny they are; how smart they are; how clever they are, etc...they aren't.
in some ways i just have to admire wt for the amount of crap they can take and despite this can keep it from the r&f, and still keep coming up smelling of roses.
you think about all the dramas they have had and can yet still keep showing an increase - all be it in internet deprived developing countries.
but even still an over all increase is still an increase.
You think about all the dramas they have had and can yet still keep showing an increase
Since WT has exclusive control of all data they publish, and no outside verification process exists to verify/contradict published data, who's to say what the real numbers are? IMO they are cooking the books to hide stagnation, or more likely, decrease.
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It is quite amazing how they've been able to keep many members in the dark about all this.
It is the predictable result when JWs are trained to never ask questions, never doubt, never do any critical thinking, do not accept any information as valid other than what WT publishes. Even if a JW has questions or has done research to learn facts, what outlet do they have to do anything about it? Answer: none.
there were many great comments on the " theist/suffering" thread, but terry's really caught my eye.
its the simplest way to describe what believers do.
we simply give the "god" of the bible a free pass.
"Silence is god's natural language. Everything else is a bad translation."
the term "watch tower" originated with the second adventists and was a carry over by charles taze russell to his own religious periodical and society.
even the proclaimers book admits as much.
in the footnote we read: "the expression 'watch tower' is not unique to russell's writings or to jehovah's witnesses.
I doubt many JWs, if they've even cracked open the Proclaimers book once , realize that CT Russell was nothing more than a re-warmed, re-labelled Adventist when he began publishing Watchtower. And, according to Proclaimers, CT Russell did what every other religion/sect/cult does to arrive at its own particular brand of theology: he looked around at that the various religions, adopted what doctrines appealed to him, and rejected what didn't. He took the "buffet approach" to his belief system- simply pick and choose what looked good and pass over the rest.
And, while condemning other religions for having some things right (according to his view) but many things wrong, CTR ended up being in the very same boat; but of course, as the 'faithful slave', he was too close to his own trees to see the forest.
There is little that's unique to WT other than what usually differentiates one wacky cult from another.
mark sewell convicted of eight historic sex charges, including rape.
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i can not copy the link, but go to walesonline.co.uk.
The church’s Child Pedophile Safeguarding Policy says that looking after youngsters pedophiles “is of the utmost concern and importance”.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/281227/1/watchtower-to-ban-pussies-july-14-this-is-not-good.
http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk/armageddon_art.html.
http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk/paradise_lost_2.html.
@ Focus: I wouldn't know. How do you know? Unless you meant "bated", I'd first change the brand of mouthwash, Shirl.
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(The "disappointed Focus doesn't get the jokes class")
'the terrible persecution of jehovahs witnesses by hitler, worse than that he inflicted on the jews, took place.
'' wt 1966 15th oct page 635.
Of course JWs have always felt they are the most persecuted people on the planet. But, when it comes to how many JWs died in concentration camps, WT has been all over the map. Regardless, the number of JWs in comparison to Jews isn't even a comparison by any styretch of the imagination:
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With these numbers in mind, let us then investigate what the Watchtower has claimed elsewhere. The above figures is from 1974 and was given the year before Armageddon (that was supposed to be in the autumn [October] 1975). Let us look at other figures:
1950
1951
1960
1964
1976
1979
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/281227/1/watchtower-to-ban-pussies-july-14-this-is-not-good.
http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk/armageddon_art.html.
http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk/paradise_lost_2.html.
You have a rapist's wit, Focus....
I wait with bait breath to read your Studebaker topic.
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("Awaiting to know the fate of internal combustion vehicular mode of transport class")
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/281227/1/watchtower-to-ban-pussies-july-14-this-is-not-good.
http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk/armageddon_art.html.
http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk/paradise_lost_2.html.
What's next? An article describing the future fate of bicycles, Studebakers and stoops?
