Posts by committeechairman

89

Poll--How Many Believe In God, Do Not Believe or Are Not Sure Of His Existence?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i believe in god but i'm not sure of anything....what about you?.

committeechairman

I am certain that God exists and that he influences our lives. I am illegally broad-minded. I believe that all of what is in the Bible and maybe other religious books has a concrete scientific explanation that we will eventually discover. I think that if everyone were to suddenly be given specific understanding of all of what we can't see, I believe that most people would immediately say "Oh, I get it!" I believe that God's nature is not what most religious people portray it to be. What God requires is not what many, especially super-conservative religious people, believe it is. I'm pretty sure God facepalms all the time as he sees and hears about activites performed in his name and I'm sure he says "That's not what I meant! Grrrr!!!" In fact, ultimately, I believe God will say to those who are just crazily ultra righteous that they can relax (which they won't believe for a while) and he will say to others who are completely without any standards at all that they need to adhere to some basic, reasonable standards to ensure that we all get along. And, of course, truly evil, wicked people (of which I believe that there are only a small number) will just be eliminated because they only want to hurt everyone else for their own benefit.

However, and this is the most important part of this post, I believe I could be entirely wrong about all of this. I think this is what would get me in the most trouble if I were to express it honestly within the organization. That I believe that just as the first century Christans and Israelites got it wrong a lot, we also have a lot of work to do to adjust what we're doing to God's thinking. Does God really require disfellowshipping and the complicated, legalistic judicial activity that happens now? Does he truly require all of the quickly increasing load of work to please him? Is it possible to please him by adhering to the golden rule, trying to appreciate him more, and gathering in small groups to just talk about it without an outline from the branch to control everything that is said? I don't know the answer to these questions. However, I think that when things shake out (which I'm pretty sure they will soon do) there will be a lot of people saying that we made this way too complicated to meet God's requirements.

CC

29

Online Higher Education

by SonoftheTrinity in

since the faithful and discreet slave class now opposes higher education because it allegedly brings with it 'bad association', i wonder what their take is on online education.

let's remember that distance education was pioneered by fundamentalist saudi arabia and apartheid south africa for the very reasons that the jehovah's witnesses criticize higher education.

my wife is one of the faithful and i fear for our kids future, that they will see no point in keeping their grades up.

committeechairman

The reason is not just "bad association". The other, bigger, issue is that according to the governing body (intentional non-capitalization) is materialism. They do not want witnesses to be wealthy. You figure out why.

CC

34

How big a fee does the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society get for booking Jehovah's Witnesses into Convention Hotels?

by Balaamsass in

curious.

i know travel agents and on-line sites get a kickback or fee for booking hotels.

how much is this fee?.

committeechairman

So, in speaking to a friend of mine who has worked in rooming for a number of years, there are two benefits to the convention desk at the branch booking room blocks with the hotel. One is the comp rooms (usually 1 comp room to 20 booked rooms in the block) which has already been spoken about here. the other is that most all of these blocks are booked with the caveat in the agreement that the rewards points for all rooms booked with the chains that have loyalty points is credited back to an account at the branch office. Also, the chains are required to give standard loyalty points to the publishers who book the rooms - so they are not shortchanged on this somehow.

I think I've commented on this before, but the comp rooms and room points mainly benefit people who are in "special full time service". Typically, this is bethelites, traveling overseers, special pioneers, field missionaries, etc. This is mainly a way to reduce costs. You may have seen in the Yearbook the 8 figure amount that the organization spends on supporting these folks in their assignments. These comp rooms and room points for free rooms are typically used for folks in special full time service traveling on branch assignments.

For example, each one of the international conventions has three branch representatives from the branch broadcast department attending and these points or comp rooms would allow them to stay for free during the convention. Saves money basically.

I'm sure someone will completely flame me for the comment but the practice appears innocuous to me.

CC

79

Your final WTF? Moment!

by restrangled in

jw
friends

it was a long time coming for me.....when i read about the extened generations, after being raised on1914 being the be all end all, and millions would never die....that was the end.

i was part of the 1975 fiasco, the 6 month only truth book studies, suffered through a disifellowshipping and their version of a rewind.

i finally am free and hope others can eventually look in instead of inside looking out!

committeechairman

LoisLane:

Generally, if an elder got inappropriate with his question, since I usually ended up being the -ahem- committee chairman, then I would excuse the accused individual and straigten out the elder who couldn't respect someone else's dignity. Then we would apologize as a committee. I was partially or directly responsible for more than one elder being removed for this reason. I take it seriously.

Someday I'll have to explain in more detail what my handle, CommitteeChairman really means. It is, at the least, triple entendre.

CC

10

SERVING ELDERS - WHY THE NEW DONATION ARRANGEMENT?

by The Searcher in

in case you didn't notice the false reason given to you, i've highlighted the 15 times you were told directly, and the 3 times indirectly in the letter from the g.b.!.

so why didn't you reason on the addendum you were given by the org to read out to your congs, which "legalised" this deceptive money-grab from those whom you are supposed to be protecting?

shame on every last one of you for not explaining what was really going to happen to the donations!.

committeechairman

This is a matter of trust. Most of Jehovah's Witnesses and elders trust the Governing Body when they say that they want to balance worldwide and want to take control of construction to expedite in areas that really need it. An, indeed, at first glance, most bodies of elders were not following previous direction received that told them to hold off requests for remodels and new KHs where this wasn't absolutely necessary. So, funds weren't available (even in the US) where they were needed.

Remember that most elders are also not aware of many of the issues exposed on this board and others. They loyally follow direction and don't read sites like this and so have no reason to doubt that when the GB says they will use the funds wisely if the donations go to general funds. Others of us are more skeptical.

In any case, something interesting is developing. In talking to several elders I know across the US, the publishers are not really turning in the anonymous slips that they are supposed to for the congregation to determine what to commit to in a resolution. I think this is fascinating. I'm also not sure of the reason - and neither are they. Is it that the directions were so complicated everyone just said "HUH?" and went on with their lives? Or is that publishers have finally had enough of this crap and just aren't going to commit again? Time will tell.

CC

16

Who Will the Circuit Overseers "Report" to Now???

by RubaDub in

jw
friends

i still do not understand the new structure at this point.. there has to be something between thousands of co's and the gb.

i know there were zone overseers that the do's reported to.. i have spoken to a couple of elders i can talk to frankly and they both said they have no idea.. rub a dub.

.

committeechairman

Specifically, the circuit overseers have always directly interfaced with the Service Department and a specific desk at the branch. For instance, in the United States each desk covers one or more states, such as the Texas desk or the Florida desk. Some states have two as I understand it. So I would imagine that the arrangement wouldn't change. The district overseers basically were overseeing Circuit Assemblies, doing workweeks with the circuit overseers (typically the week following a Circuit Assembly) and doing PQRs (Personnel Qualification Reports - a kind of Annual Performance Appraisal) on the circuit overseer and his wife (if married). Also, they had some oversight responsibility for the Regional Building Committees (which are also going away).

I think (not sure) that the review/workweek function might be filled by "branch representatives" that just travel out from the branch. I doubt very seriously that the Governing Body will allow circuit overseers to float free without any kind of review. It may not be apparent but the more responsibility you have in the organization the more control you have to endure. You go from "high control" to "ultimate control". Things that you previously could not be counseled for sudden become fair game - you along with your family. It is hard to describe but if you understand how mid and upper echelon people functioned in the old USSR/Soviet Union then you have a fair idea of how it works in the mid to upper levels of the organization. Only in this case it is labeled "unity" and "loyalty". Better toe the party line or you'll find yourself discarded socially or worse removed/deleted and shunned - disfellowshipped without being disfellowshipped. I've seen it happen many times and I've watched it break men better than me.

CC

44

New Financial Arrangements

by Joe Grundy in

dear friends.

i never was a dub.

i am not a qualified lawyer or accountant.

committeechairman

As I understand non-profit accounting SOP and IRS tax regulations, the pledges (if the branch office is notified of them - I'll have to re-read the letter) would consitute "income" and would have to be treated as such at the time the pledge is made. If the congregation fails to live up to the pledge, those amounts must be written off in a manner similar to bad debt. If the pledges are NOT reported officially to the branch office, as I understand it no income would be recorded except for actual contributions being transmitted/sent in.

As for the loans, previously they would have had to be carried on the books as loans receivable assets. If the loans were forgiven, then the receivable balances would have been written off as allowances, contributions (most likely), or bad debts (which they really aren't - this is the result of a policy change). Once these assets are gone off the books, this would relieve the organization of some kinds of jurisdictional property tax reporting requirements (which they probably do not owe taxes on but are required to report nonetheless).

So, just thinking out loud, it kind of looks like the organization just cut down the size of their tax/income/regulatory radar signature to something much less detectable. I wonder if that's the overarching strategy at play here. For sure there must be an angle. What it is will become clear very soon, I think.

CC

38

Two points of entry for the Dallas Convention?

by CaptainSchmideo in

jw
friends

anyone else hear about this?

i got this second hand from my wife, who got it from her mom.. .

apparently, there will be two points of entry to the convention.

committeechairman

Contacted a friend of mine in that area who is involved with convention administration and he said that all of the entrances will be handled the same way...no lapel card required but a Homeland Security bag search and wanding is required.

41

Could you get disfellowshipped for simply asking questions?

by LogCon in

if so, what would be some examples?.

.

only questions that show a higher degree of thought and intelligence please..

committeechairman

I agree with BluesBrother. I think with the right elders on a body in the right congregation (not referring to right as "correct" but as the ones who would react in the way I'm going to describe) they could view questions that clearly were designed to make other think carefully about what they believe as apostate teaching. I could see them counseling a publisher about asking others these kinds of questions (even if the publisher had been speaking to elders) to cease and desist, using Galatians 6:1 (" Brothers, even if a man takes a false step before he is aware of it, you who have spiritual qualifications try to readjust such a man in a spirit of mildness. But keep an eye on yourself,for fear you too may be tempted.") Then, if the publisher didn't stop, they might disfellowship on grounds of either "brazen conduct" or straight-up apostasy. If they choose to disfellowship for apostasy, that carries such a connotation with it that it would be unlikely to win an appeal, get the branch office to reverse, or even get reinstated, because a disfellowshipping for apostasy (note that this is different from disassocation voluntarily) carries in the minds of all elders who handle the matter later that the accused is deceptive, manipulative, and basically like Satan - looking to destroy individuals and the organization.

Not sure if those comments help but just wanted to provide some insider/elder observations from real-life experience.

45

After leaving did the feeling go away?

by committeechairman in

the feeling that you're never good enough.

the feeling that you're wicked and evil.. .

because i'd give anything not to feel this way.

committeechairman

The feeling that you're never good enough. The feeling that you're wicked and evil.

Because I'd give anything not to feel this way.