Posts by no-zombie

13

Kingdom Hall Insurance

by NotFormer in

that the wt "self insures" kingdom halls has come up in occasional conversations on here.

how exactly does that work?

do they* actually set aside a portion of the monthly remittance from each kingdom hall and save into a pool to cover damage etc.

In times long past, Kingdom Halls had insurance policies, just like our own houses and paid for under the hall's normal operating funds. Then as more and more Kingdom Halls became 'owned' by the society, the idea was floated that an insurance discount from a worldly firm was now possible because of the size of collective contract. But once all the halls were fully under the control of the Organization is term of being 'self insured' Kingdom Halls because a thing.

But really when the Society say 'self insured' what they really mean is, that they will take the risk and pay for the repairs themselves.

However when a hall is damaged or destroyed, the Governing Body may pay for the materials, but the labor is very often obtained free through the local RBC. Thus in the end, a type of double saving is made ... and maybe more if the congregations around the damaged hall are encouraged to donate funds for that project or the world wide work.

It not a scam ... but seeing the rebuilds continually done by local Brothers, when enough money was supposedly set a side to pay for an outside contractor, makes me believe that it is a policy decision.

30

Education video this midweeks meeting

by jehovaxx in

there is an item this week all about yang ones leaving school.. the two brothers go to a career advisor seminar.

one brother thinks it’s good to work hard full time while you are young and tries to encourage his friend to as well.. his friend (who is the good jw trust the gb no matter what they say)) he wants a part time job.. the video shows him dreaming about investing his money on his phone and the chart goes up, he drives a nice car and seems to be doing well financially.. then he reads the scripture in proverbs and next you see that investment chart go down in the red and he is so pleased he just got a low paid part time job.. this infuriates me.

how many of us are now struggling because we were told to get menial part time jobs and we were told the end would have been here by now.. i will never tell a young person to listen to the gb advice on this.

no-zombie

I know there are more important things to get upset about, however how the Governing Body treats professional education and professional careers, is my the one that personally sets me off.

And while I'm not going to into what qualifications I have, they were enough for me to work in the professional world all my life. However in all my years in studying and working, I never once heard anyone talking about how much money they were going to make or money they had made. In fact in my environment it was viewed as impolite to actually do so. People just got paid their worth according to their qualifications and experience, and that was it.

But why did the people around me, choose our profession? They did it because they loved the work ... and the so-called money, fame and recognition was NEVER considered as a factor.

But the pure hypocrisy of the the Governing Body is that, while they quite happy to pour the 'you know what' on the people who have gone to university, they don't hesitate in asking those very same people, who were now in a medical, legal or engineering field, to donate their time in a Bethel to help with 'the Kingdom interests'.

Its such a joke.

20

Waking Them Up When They Feel Safe

by KerryKing in

good morning all, i would love some genuine advice please.. i have an old friend who is still in the org, but has never been the very staunch type.

however, she is going through a very rough patch in life, (past deeds from youth caught up and now is in prison) and i reached out to her by old fashioned snail mail.. by her reply she sounds more pimi than ever and finding some sort of comfort in the literature.

would i be wrong to attempt to wake her up, would that actually be a cruel thing to do right now?

no-zombie

Witnesses in trouble are like WW2 hand grenades. They look safe ... until they take your hand off.

73

Did God know adam and eve would sin?

by gavindlt in

to all those on this forum, i would love to know what your take on this vital question is..

no-zombie

To aqwsed:

While my question was a genuine one (one that I have meditated upon for many years) my fear that you would legalistically answer has it, has unfortunately proved true. Much like when defending the Trinity through a voluminous text, one only finds the last sentence to ultimately read that "it is a holy mystery", at the moment your answer have proved to be unsatisfying vague.

No, the problem I have is simply ... WHY.

Why did our loving heavenly Father not say to Able "it is a good idea to not go out with your brother today"?

I ask this question because even my actual fleshly and sinful father warned me many times, not to climb on the roof, light fires in the garden or play on the road because I MIGHT have a accident ... but yet God did not warn righteous Able, especially when he a very, very good idea, what was going to happen next.

I could understand God's inaction if he felt that he'd done enough for Cain ... but no. As we learn latter in the Genesis account, Jehovah talked to Cain again and even arranged for his physical protection.

Thus it hardly seems fair that Abel led a life of self-sacrificing service, when he didn't get the same consideration as a sinner.

73

Did God know adam and eve would sin?

by gavindlt in

to all those on this forum, i would love to know what your take on this vital question is..

no-zombie

to aqwsed:

After going over a number of your posts, I've come around the to conclusion that you have received your education through a seminary college. Which is ok, as all are welcome here, however I would like to ask you to help me with a problem.

Assume for a moment that the whole Genesis account is not allegorical but true account of mankind's beginning. In Genesis chapter 4 it reviles to us, that Cain is warned by God, that his anger, hatred or jealously if unchecked will led to sinning against his brother. And that later, Jehovah was watching when he ultimately killed his brother Abel in the field.

So my serious but simple question is ... Why did God allow that murder to happen? Why did God warn the sinner Cain in advance but did not warn righteous Abel?

5

In Defense of the Crusades

by aqwsed12345 in

christians in the eleventh century were not paranoid fanatics.

muslims really were gunning for them.

by the time the crusades started, muslims had already captured two-thirds of the christian world.

no-zombie

To aqwsed:

It seems to me that you are a professionally educated person with some interest in early history. That being the case, I'd thought you may appreciate a little feedback on your posts.

While no one could deny the effort you go to in making your position. The shear mass of your posts could scare many away from reading it, without a precis at the beginning to explain why someone should. Personally I find thesis statements do not adequately suffice in this regard, as a result I try the more simpler approach of using leading questions or problems to help engage an audience. And I do think that it is important to consider our readers, for if we needlessly tire them out, our well intent labors may prove to be in vane.

regards

20

The Hell of the POMI!

by The Bethelite in

jw
friends

i called a jehovah's witness friend of mine a couple weeks ago, yes i still consider him a friend though he would not say the same of me.

i've known him for almost 40 years.

our families went on many vacations together including my only trip back to bethel in 1996. this trip was made with 40 other "brothers and sisters.

no-zombie

While I have nothing personal against this guy ...

Let us never forget that people just like him, would turn any one of us in to a body of Elders for just commenting on this site. We don't have to be an alcoholic, an adulterer, a child abuser or a murder ... no ... just the sin of thinking for ourselves would be enough to earn Jehovah's loving 'medicine', that he is should now be appreciative of receiving.

14

A Real Man

by Vanderhoven7 in

the meaning of true love from a man.. by elizabeth rossi, freelance writer .

i hate to say this but most women will go their entire lifetime and never experience the meaning of actual true love.. it's even slightly depressing to think that most people will never understand how powerful this picture actually is; a prime example of how men should be treating their partner with everyday that passes.. we unfortunately live in a generation with men who have no idea what it takes to be a real man.. let me give you a couple examples of a real man ....... a real man asks about your day and genuinely cares about the answer.. a real man respects your boundaries and never forces you to anything you're not ready to do.. he makes time for you, and takes that time to learn and understand who you are as a person.. a real man consistently shows you the definition of effort with every day that passes.. he will call you randomly throughout the day just to check on you and your mental health.. a real man is undeniably committed to you and looks for new ways to fall in love with you with every day that passes.. he makes protecting your heart a number one priority.. a real man never makes permanent decisions based on temporary emotions.. he never confuses you on where you stand in his life.. a real man apologizes when he is wrong and stays true to his character.. he doesn't mind hurting other people's feeling to protect yours.. a real man gives you affection without sexual expectation.. a real man refuses to entertain any women that isn't you.. he has genuine intentions with you from day one and shows you how it truly feels to be a priority rather an option.. a real man will help you heal from the trauma that nobody apologized for.. a real man values you and would never put themselves in a position to lose you.. take my advice and wait for the man that never let's you fall asleep at night questioning your own self worth.. .

.

no-zombie

I don't like at all this modern conversion on 'what is a real man' as its intention has never been at all to motivate men to improve, but rather used as an emotionally driven weapon to tear down and insult. Because who can live up to a series of idealized expectations continuously? No one of course, not a man or a woman for that matter.

But I know that I'm 'real' ... I might not be perfect, but I'm 'real' enough.

49

Q about Jesus' sacrifice

by oncebitten in

jw
friends

i have several jw family members.

i have been shunned many years now.

i was not baptized, but i was indoctrinated as a child.

no-zombie

Its sort of more complicated than my previous post because there is the concept in Witness publications that the Christian scriptures was written for the anointed ones. And seeing that the Great Crowd of worshipers who have an earthly hope came much latter in times ... we get our rewards only because of our association with the remnant of the 144,000.

This is why this discussion of who, when and why sins are forgiven is a little muddy (well a lot muddy the deeper you dig) in this religion.

49

Q about Jesus' sacrifice

by oncebitten in

jw
friends

i have several jw family members.

i have been shunned many years now.

i was not baptized, but i was indoctrinated as a child.

no-zombie

Most Witnesses are ignorant of the current views from the Governing Body, as things change often. As a result so see things as if they had taken a snapshot of their beliefs when they were baptized, and keep it as the basis of how they view the Bible throughout their lives. And there are others who have never bothered reading their Watchtower study articles thoroughly and only pick up the highlights, misunderstanding things along the way. So we should expect to encounter those like your family, who aren't in tune with current doctrine.

But to answer your question about Jesus and sin, more directly. Biblically you are 100% right, however because the Organization has chosen to push Jesus into the background (in favor of underlining the name of God), Jesus' roll is not generally elaborated at the meetings or discussion articles. The example of King David get more air time than Jesus actually. Thus even from this angle, we can see why Witnesses may be ill informed about the Messiah's place in our lives.