yes, you read correctly..... all appointed men have been told in a new letter that they have to pioneer to "set the lead" whenever there is a "special" campaign month.
they use some scripture saying that these ones have to show by example.... so for any of us who are appointed and have learned ttatt, it is going to be very hard to fade during this time!.
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I hope this is true. I love it when new control measures come out. This will result in all sorts of local posturing. Just wait till the CO visits to see which servants pioneered. Each one will have his qualifications reviewed. Lots of peer pressure.
This is a golden move by the GB and/or Service Dept. They are already begging for more men to step forward (reach out) and along comes more disqualifying requirements. You gotta love it.
this is the story of how i ended up here on this site.... .
i was stuck in a situation where reaching out took forever, an eternity.
it was ridiculous - no matter what i did, there was always more to do.
That goes to show that you were a goat all along. Self-seeking, haughty, and puffed up with pride. The holy spirit knew all along and was working with the elders to keep them from recommending you.
Sorry, I fell back into JW mode for a minute.
i'm a non-witness who is doing research on jehovah's witnesses (and has been for several years).
i just got out of a meeting with an elder and his wife.
i'm still somewhat stupefied.
A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep. (Their's, not yours.)
i was a little too honest with a super close friend who is one of the most important people in my life.
my mistake.
she talked to an elder about my doubts...i know she had my best interests in mind and i hold nothing against her.
I feel for you noonehome. But at the same time, YOU are the master of your destiny, YOU are the captain of your own ship. No one can do that better than you.
From my persepctive, you did absolutely and totally the right thing on the phone with your friend. She asked, you were up front and honest. As soon as you can own that, you will feel your power come back to you. You did nothing wrong and you have nothing to back down from. Just be nice, as I am sure you are.
I realize that you are still young, but this is also the time of life to realize that you have to make your choices and decisions. This is not being unkind and not being not nice to the people that you care about. For what it's worth, here is my reply to the elders. "I am declining the offer to study. You guys are great, and I thank you for the offer, but I already know what is in the brochures. Reading them again will not make any difference. Thanks just the same." It might sound condescending, but I would be inclined to add, "I know this is the best you have to offer, but the brochures are one-sided and leave out any facts that make a case for the other side."
i have been trying to engage and talk to my mother and her "natural" personality as much as possible.
she has obvious concerns about the jw's, and we do discuss issues almost every time she visits.
we didn't see her for long stretches (months at at time, and suddenly a year had gone by...) we have now both committed to a minimum of a monthly visit, and we will work toward more.
Faithful W......yeah, please give your mom some space on this one. I understand where you are coming from about her not replying and then having sort of a sarcastic bent when she did reply. But your mom is mid 70s, AND been sick and likely taking some meds for it, AND working too. I know it sounds like making excuses for her, but an email relationship can surely miss a lot.
besides a cult, everyone knows the watchtower is a business disguised as a religion.
from a business viewpoint, i would certainly hate or lobby against those who dislike my product and warn other people of my product.. i made a calculation based on information from jwfacts, and the results are just astounding!.
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/statistics.php.
I wonder if there is a silent majority of low/non contributors that have lost confidence in the Org and just go along to get along.
just to share a little about me:.
i was recently appointed an elder, about 6 months ago now, and that is exactly two years after my awakenning, but funny that the appointment came also about 2 years after i had completely lost all faith in god and had been leading a full time anti-jw life .
makes you wonder the role of the holy spirit in the entire nomination or appointment process.. .
My hat is off to you. I couldn't do it and didn't, BUT.....
This goes to demonstrate that brothers and sisters at all levels in the organization can be performers and non-believers. Elders, COs, DOs, Branch Committees, and yes even the GB. Especially the GB. Some of them HAVE to have seen what was behind the curtain once they were invited behind the curtain.
hey all - i was wondering if we can use this thread as an ongoing one to detail branch closings of the last 5 years or so and any moving forward?
i had a discussion with some members of my family, who are still dyed in the wool jws, and they didn't believe me about numerous branch closures in recent years.
i was trying to look up some threads that talked about it here (on my phone), but couldn't find a thread quickly.. thanks in advance!.
The list of closures above are the Branches that did not generate much income or send much in contributions back to World Headquarters.
(Me speculating but guessing there is some truth to it.)
i am a newly unbaptised publisher.
recently i found out i need to have major surgery and the jw's tried to rush a blood card in my hand.
i was so relieved when the elders said i could not have one until i was baptised.. but they rushed to get me copies of the blood videos.
Please accept some friendly advice. Unfortunately, I have some experience with this.
Make sure to tell your surgeon, your anesthetist, and anyone else that makes decisions on your surgery team that you are NOT one of Jehovah's Witnesses and that you DO accept blood components. Tell them that your husband is one of Jehovah's Witnesses and that he could possibly be pressured by his JW associates to speak against the use of blood products while you are unconscious and try to override your wishes. Tell them that while you are unconscious, no one can override your wish to have blood products if deemed medical useful.
just looking for some pointers, as i was never a jw.
i have an elderette coming over on friday, for another performance.. last week, i was under the impression that she was coming to answer some questions i had.
it quickly became clear that she came with a plan for the "conversation," and we went on an expedition from one passage of the bible to the next, while she made leaping claims, argued with herself and kept me confused and always with more than one question lingering in my mind, while she continued talking and talking.. when i have a conversation with someone, i tend to stop talking when they are speaking.
The other nice people have already said it some form, but I will add to it.
1. Sister K is coming to preach TO you, emphasis on TO you.
2. She is not coming to have a conversation. She is the self-appointed teller; she has appointed you as the listener.
3. She is not interested in anything you have to say. She has already demonstrated that.
There are many stumper questions. You have already asked one that she deflected. Another question to pin her on is:
How and when did the Faithful and Discreet Slave first realize that Jesus had picked them? Press her on it.
