i've been curious about something.
anyone has speculation or fact why the wts doesn't register their books with the isbn?
(www.isbn.org) every book worth anything carries an isbn number.
>I guess you have to pay a fee to the ISBN-Organization. And it only makes sense when orders are taken through the normal book store. As we all know this is not the usual way of selling WT literature.<<
Perhaps but it is a small fee as even small publishers ISBN their works. Must be for act of getting your work cataloged and issued a catalog number.
The WTS is a billion dollar corporation.
today, a friend of mine told me that a letter was read at his last service meeting, that brooklyn bethel was moving all printing operations to watchtower farms (if that's what they sill call it).
has anyone else heard about this?
i suspect that this move might be a way to downsize brooklyn bethel, perhaps with the idea that they can start selling much of their large, high-value estates in brooklyn, to compensate for their decreasing donations.
>> Today, a friend of mine told me that a letter was read at his last Service Meeting, that Brooklyn Bethel was moving all printing operations to Watchtower Farms (if that's what they sill call it). Has anyone else heard about this? <<
Yes, it is true. It's been in the grapevine for over a year. Even longer.
>>I suspect that this move might be a way to downsize Brooklyn Bethel, perhaps with the idea that they can start selling much of their large, high-value estates in Brooklyn, to compensate for their decreasing donations.<<
As the Olympics coming in ten years and the Big Apple most likely to get it, all those high-value estates will go up in value. And let's admit it, their Brooklyn properties are prime. A great deal is either waterfront or prime skyline view. They can rake in millions just on rentals. I really doubt they will sell. I think they will rent. But if they do sell, then we are talking MEGA millions!
You can also bet on Bethel layoffs. You won't hear it, of course. But the poor idiots that gave up on college and career to serve for years in Bethel will get the royal boot with no severence. I don't know if to laugh or take pity for them while the WTS laughs all the way to the bank.
last night i talked to an elder that resigned early this year and he told me that he resigned as an elder because of 9--11. he felt that after seeing thousands of people dying in such a horrifying way, there was just no way god would destroy 99 and 9 tenths of the world and only spare jehovah's witnesses.
he also felt that since the kingdom message could not be adequately preached by a handful of jw's so that people could get life, the whole thing is a sham.
he no longer goes to meetings and his wife crys to everybody about her husband.
James2300 >> ...One brash young Bethelite guffawed at these words. The interesting thing is that no one else laughed with him. <<
I enjoyed your Bethel exprience a great deal, James2300. What I especially liked was your final words. Glad to see that at the very center of ground zero WTS propaganda that for every 1 self-righteous Bethelites there are still 99 Bethelites that are human beings.
There is hope yet!
wall street journal, december 9, 2002. marketplace section in an article about mormons.... "the mormon church, of course, isn't the only religion to shun or cast out dissenting members, scholars say.
the vatican has excommunicated catholics for disobeying papal edicts.
many orthodox jews disown family members for marrying outside the faith.
NameWithheld >>As regards voting, what's in writing and what policy is enforced, is two different things. It was made clear at least in the US, that voting is still 'not allowed' from the COs onstage. <<
That was strange. I guess that is why I still remember it so well. After that WT article came out, when our CO came for his visit he basically contradicted everything that article said without saying he contradicted it. Strange smoke and mirrors.
Makes me wonder if that WT article was a strategic ploy for 'public' consumption rather than for the rank and file JW to use and, heaven forbid!, think for themselves.
Getting back to the WSJ article.
True, take blood and you are instantly DA.
DF or DA - different bullets, same gun, same result. More smoke and mirrors!
here are the reasons why jehovahs witnesses are shunned from the internet!.
beans.
http://www.quotes.jehovahswitnesses.com/internet.htm.
Elsewhere >>Sending emails to each other is a GREAT idea!!!<< ... >>Oh SH*T... that was a bad idea!!!<<
LOL! I think that is what happened.
Still, I can't describe how stupid they tried to make us rank & file JWs feel like. The WTS has no clue what the JWs thought of the article in private.
I think the Pharasees were more honest. They held their contempt for the stupid common folk plain and openly. They weren't bother with 'political correctness'.
if anyone was ever able to visit patterson and get a tour behind the service department's door, you would have noticed this display among the cubicles:.
and the answer to - "where should the nail be?
" you will notice that they do not even attempt to answer the question of the plurality mentioned in the bible regarding the nail(s) through only his hands; they attempt to throw you off by mentioning his feet too.
>>If anyone was ever able to visit Patterson and get a tour behind the Service Department's door, you would have noticed this display among the cubicles<<
Thanks for the information.
Since the WTS has no professional researchers with none of them having any kind of degree or certification for any element of their work there, I'm rather doubtful they even came up with the idea that the nail(s) didn't go through Jesus' center of his hand(s) but elsewhere. Of course, this wonderful new insight is accredited to the old men of the GB as "new light".
joy2bfree's post on cults got me thinking.. was anyone else told that certain harmless things (harmless in my eyes) were satanic.. i know you have all mentioned smurfs, but i was also told that the 'my little pony' toys were demonic because they were designed by a wizard?????
did i really believe this rubbish - my daughter always wanted one but i wouldn't buy one for her cos i thought i would be inviting demons into my house - i feel really rotten now!.
also wind chimes (which i always wanted cos i love the sound), anything written by sir arthur conan doyle (and i love sherlock holmes and felt so deprived), the beatles, john denver - can't think of any more at the moment but there were quite a few.
.
if the catholic church goes bankrupt, as some media sources suggest may occur... what do you think that would mean for the current jw doctrine on the 'destruction of babylon the great'?
Smiles >> If the Catholic Church goes bankrupt, ...<<
I can believe a Catholic church or diocese going bankrupt but not the Catholic Church. Furthermore, I believe a Catholic church or diocese will appear bankrupt on paper in order to hold law suits at bay from legitimate and illegitimate victims looking for large sums of money. But is anything but.
i've been curious about something.
anyone has speculation or fact why the wts doesn't register their books with the isbn?
(www.isbn.org) every book worth anything carries an isbn number.
I've been curious about something. Anyone has speculation or fact why the WTS doesn't register their books with the ISBN? (www.isbn.org) Every book worth anything carries an ISBN number. Even books published by private publishers. Given the publishing capacity of the WTS organization, I'm rather surprised that all their books lack ISBN. Seems strange.
Any thoughts?
let me know if this was just a local / uk thing.. the elder's children in our area weren't the youngest to get baptised.
there were, in fact, many baptisms much younger than what you would expect, however, there was talk amoung elder's children of "making sure you are ready" and "making sure you are old enough".
now these i call children are 18, 19 even 21. there were ordinary children being baptised at 13, 14 and ocasionally 10.. did these elders and their children know something we didn't.
Prisca >>I was raised as an elder's daughter, and our parents raised us with the expectation that when we were old enough to make our own decisions we could get baptised. This was assumed to be around the age of 18, the age of adulthood in Australia. We weren't pressured to get baptised at an early age. In fact, if I'd been 13 or 14 and wanted to get baptised, my father would have had a very serious talk with me to make sure I knew what I was doing. <<
I think your dad was reasonable an responsible. How could a youngster get baptised and realize how this change of status will govern his or her life indefinately.
>>It's only been in the last 10 years or more that I've noticed young ones (ie. between 10-15) getting baptised. Maybe it's a trend, or maybe some congregations think differently to others.<<
It's a trend. At my district assembly they had a 9 year girl on the stage who was baptized that morning. They said some theocratic stuff and the audience applauded. I shook my head.
I think baptism of minors shouldn't be allowed nor should it be 'theocratically' binding.