i have a non jw friend that knows about jws only bc i related toher my experience leaving this abusive cult.
anyhoo, she went to starbucks yesterday and there was an older man on his laptop.
she sat next to him while she did work on her tablet.
Hopefully one of those STRANGE bros. we all used to encounter here and there when we were active. I hope this isn't the latest version of the carts, to help pioneers get their hours in. OTOH, with 'door-step Bible studies' who knows?
Maybe she should send him a note with site addys like this one, jwleaks, etc. from an anonymous email account. If he's independent enough, he might look at them!
respectful_observer's thread on guy pierce's death,.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/277198/1/heard-a-rumor-guy-pierce-died-this-morning#.uyq-pv21x1n.
got me thinking.
Got it—thx. For all:
He hated that many JWs had seen it, considering that it apparently promotes adultery (haven't seen it myself). And there's a nude scene. But Witnesses would hand-wave that away and justify seeing it because it was popular and wasn't rated R.
The truth is, he was right, it was hypocritical for JWs to act like the movie was okay. I still think that if someone is going to profess and preach certain beliefs, they should stick to them and not make excuses. But I had no idea that he gave the same rant at every Hall, that's really funny.
Edit: Cross-post. But look how well we remember his tirade!
just wondering, i enjoyed checking it out from time to time.
and i apologize in advance if it is still on here.
it wouldn't come up in my search.
Well, I'm certainly not a mod here, but it may be the same thread as here, with many of the same members as at this forum:
Robert7: funny!
respectful_observer's thread on guy pierce's death,.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/277198/1/heard-a-rumor-guy-pierce-died-this-morning#.uyq-pv21x1n.
got me thinking.
Apognophos,
This is choice:
I think there's a divide in anyone high up like that, between their own personality and the role they play in the organization as a facilitator. Notice how even Ray Franz upheld various teachings that he didn't agree with, while he was on the GB.
Very insightful... TYVM!
It reminds me of an experience on our BOE. One of its members, clearly the most intelligent, well-balanced, kind, and experienced elder (let's call him CV), fell afoul of powerful elders locally and out-of-town over a complex and nasty business matter. The guy had been a real heavy in the org, was tight with multiple members of the GB, etc. The cong PO (pre-COBE days) was good-hearted and harmless, but quite limited. Prior to CV's trouble (he'd been removed with possible judicial action pending), the PO had always just gone to CV, asked him what to do in any congregational matter, and taken his advice. I knew of no exception to this. But when this trouble began to brew, the PO was, like you described, divided. On the one hand, he knew CV very well, had always counted on him, knew CV had far more knowledge than he had himself, humbly considered CV his vast superior, and knew too that CV had never let him down. He found it hard to believe that CV could be guilty of what he'd been accused of. It was painfully amusing to see the dissonance going on in the PO's head. The poor guy, loveable as he was, was at a complete loss. Yet because he was pushed to the wall, not being able to figure out what was really going on in this case, he did what every good and loyal JW does in such a circumstance. He thought, "Well, I don't really understand all this, but one thing I know: Jehovah ultimately deals with me one way I can count on—thru his organization. I'll suspend my own thinking here and just do what I am told [by the CO and Brooklyn]." As you put it, the role he was playing in the org as facilitator. Of course, I've seen this multiple times before and since, but for some reason that experience came to mind.
So what did Friedman say about the moive Titanic? I'm probably not the only one wondering now.
in the usa the affordable care act/obamacare has kicked in and as of the end of this month, those without paying for health care coverage thru an insurance company, unless they're somehow exempt, will have to pay an increasingly steep annual fine for not buying into the system.. so how will this affect those jws in full-time service?
is the org paying the premiums of bethelites, traveling overseers, spec.
pioneers, etc.?
Bella, it may not be so simple. Posts here have reported that the org is actively seeking couples for CO work who have some money already, that is, such ones are not poverty stricken. THEY would not be able to claim no funds to buy insurance. Furthermore, since Bethelites and traveling overseers have for years had the org pick up their medical care, then will Uncle Sam sit by and not take note of this? The idea of the law is for all to take responsibility for their own medical care, to pay into the system enough so that all can get care. One may think that the GB will want to just shunt this off the the government, but it's hard to imagine that Brumley and his legal staff have not discussed the legal implications of trying this with the GB. There would have to be repercussions to such a decision.
One factor is the religious opposers and "apostates" who will latch onto any perceived corruption of the org and try and bring it to some kind of public attention. Will they just sit back and miss this opportunity?
Moreover, we are talking about federal law here, and in the eyes of some, more importantly, tax dollars. There are already so many opponents to this law that one can only expect such political adversaries to be on the lookout for those who could reasonably pay their share but are not (think of how the welfare system is the USA has been radically revised from the 1980s on due to political infighting). Will they just sit by and say, "Well, this organization has a record of having paid thousands of dollars for years to take care of the medical needs of their ministers, but now they don't pay their share. Yep, we outsiders will gladly pick up the tab for them! JWs are so much appreciated for their preaching work, anyway."? Thus it is not something that, in the long run at least, can be so simply dismissed.
I'm just wondering if anyone has some insight or inside knowledge of the matter, that's all. We reguarly get info here from inside the org, even from HQ itself. Is some available on this matter?
in the usa the affordable care act/obamacare has kicked in and as of the end of this month, those without paying for health care coverage thru an insurance company, unless they're somehow exempt, will have to pay an increasingly steep annual fine for not buying into the system.. so how will this affect those jws in full-time service?
is the org paying the premiums of bethelites, traveling overseers, spec.
pioneers, etc.?
In the USA The Affordable Care Act/Obamacare has kicked in and as of the end of this month, those without paying for health care coverage thru an insurance company, unless they're somehow exempt, will have to pay an increasingly steep annual fine for not buying into the system.
So how will this affect those JWs in full-time service? Is the org paying the premiums of Bethelites, traveling overseers, spec. pioneers, etc.? If not, then how are they getting around the law? Are they telling everyone to claim poverty wages so the government will pay for it? Anyone know anything on this?
Are any of the decisions that have recently been announced (like no more DOs, decreasing the number of bethelites) been at least partly motivated by this?
respectful_observer's thread on guy pierce's death,.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/277198/1/heard-a-rumor-guy-pierce-died-this-morning#.uyq-pv21x1n.
got me thinking.
Thanks JustVisiting. I never heard of him either. Here's what I found online about the guy.
1. JakeM2012 on jehovahs-winess.com posted the 2013 World Wide Report:
On Wednesday, 30 October, 2013, the US Bethel family enjoyed the following report by Brother Baltasar Perla, member of the USA Branch Committee.
2013 World Wide Report given at Morning Worship:
[then the typical blah, blah, blah stuff. It was also posted here by JakeM 4 months ago.]
Then this from the official website:
2. A GOOD REPORT FROM MEXICO
The first part on the program exemplified the unity of Jehovah’s people. Baltasar Perla interviewed three fellow members of the Mexico Bethel family regarding the merger of six Central American branch offices with the Mexico branch. Because of this merger, the Bethel family in Mexico has become more multicultural and international. The influx of fellow believers from different lands has resulted in an interchange of encouragement. It is as if God took a huge eraser and eliminated national borders.
3. On 26 June 2013 he gave the funeral talk in English for Charlotte Schroeder, wife of past GB member Albert Schroeder. She died on 19 June. He's got to be a trusted Bethel heavy to get that job, as well as be a good speaker.
4. From what's been uploaded on various hosts, he must be used to give many WT talks in Spanish. They're using him of late like they did Sanderson, so if he's anointed…
DOES ANYONE KNOW IF HE PARTAKES? MAYBE THEY REALLY ARE INTERESTED IN APPOINTING A SPANISH BRO. FROM LATIN AMERICA.(??)
Anyone in the know want to say more about Perla?
And R_O, regarding Herd. For certain the facial hair is cool! Is he now the oldest GB member? Various reports have him as the least influential.
Apognophos, why would you be shocked if Friedman got appointed? Do you think he's too nice a guy? I hear that Sanderson and Jackson are supposed to be nice guys. Let us know your insights, please.
Oubliette, agreed! Wasn't Gangas supposed to be Greek? and Potzinger was German? Was Lloyd Barry a Brit or Aussie (like Jackson is)? Isn't Losch Austrian? Anybody Canadian been there? There's no doubt that it's been a "European stock" leadership thing.
Thanks to all for the input...
here's an interesting article:.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2013/08/daily-chart-1.
among the french-language wikipedia articles, at least, "jehovah's witnesses" is among the most-changed articles on wikipedia.
Thanks. From the wiki article:
2001 Newsday listed the Watch Tower Society as one of New York 's forty richest corporations, with revenues exceeding $950 million.
So what is it now and where do they rank in 2014? That is, where within the top 40? Also how did Newsday come up with this figure when their real assets are kept secret?
instruction: press the 'skip ad' button top right, you should then see the download screen more easily.
no virus ;-).
boe district overseers- confidential pdf: http://adf.ly/glwdn.
Does anyone else wonder why this letterhead and signature are in Italian (from the branch in Rome) but the contents in English?? Is this sent from the Rome branch office to English speaking congos in Italy?
Do we have a new mole in Italy now, to replace the one recently caught at "world HQ"?
If it's genuine, it explains why they sent out a letter doing away with "district assemblies" a few weeks ago. Maybe we should have expected this change to follow.
There sure have been a lot of changes in the last few years, both in administration and doctrine, eh? Whazzup?
i must admit when i was in, the idea i had of an apostate, was an angry bitter person who would picket out side a convention.
i was looking on jwservey and found on the respondents to a servey that 54% were either active members or fading members.
this made me wonder is the organisation underestimating the extent of apostasy.
Choice:
Xanthippe's " Sounds like ... a totalitarian prison camp."
blondie's statment quoted by Vidiot, and Vidiot's " apostasy = thought crime."
