Tech49

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Posts by Tech49

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  30

  There is something I don't understand about the selling off of Kingdom Halls

  by Tameria2001 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have been reading where the watchtower is closing down kingdom halls.

  there is something that i don't understand, or maybe i am just misunderstanding it.

  can someone clear this up for me?

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  Tech49

  Yes, you are correct. When a KH is sold, ALL of the proceeds/profits go to the Watchtower corporate entity. Even when land has been donated by some elderly couple, to build a KH on, it all goes into the pockets of WT when it is sold. Nothing, zero, gets returned to any of the congregation or volunteers.
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  13

  Blondies Thoughts on Generous Giving WT article for Octobeer 21, 2018

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  quotethe word christ signifies anointed.

  anointing means designation to official position in god’s arrangement.

  the christ is the instrument or channel for the blessing of mankind.

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  Tech49

  I would like to make a comment about paragraph 18, the one that "quotes" researchers, with no notations as to source material. Firstly, just horrid writing skills, again with the 5th grade level writing.

  Here we see a typical method of quote mining, one that I absolutely hate. No where in life would you get away with writing a paper on a subject, quote someone else's work, and then not cite your source. Except for WT writers. I remember way back when they listed the sources for their quotes on the back page of the magazines. Ya, not any more. The sheeple just lap this stuff up and never check any sources! Its almost comical.... any time I see this stuff, I pull out my phone and do a quick search!

  Here is why they don't quote their source on this particular item. If you do a word search for the phrase in paragraph 18 that is "quoted" (people report a significant happiness boost after doing kind deeds for others), it brings up only 1 article on Altruism from a UC Berkley website, with that phrase intact. The reason, in my humble opinion, that they don't cite the source, is that the same article says a whole lot more. It discusses evolutionary processes that contribute towards this activity in the brain. It also discusses this as a positive effect on higher education, success in achieving financial benefits, and also a key to having good sexual relationships, and MORE SEX
  .

  There is a whole lot more, here is the direct link, so that you can see for yourself: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/altruism/definition#why-practice

  The other 2 phrases "quoted" in the paragraph are from different sources, but all can be found in other Berkeley articles on psychology. Or maybe just freelance writers that have been published on UCB websites? Now, we couldn't have all you JW's reading about any of THAT stuff, so lets just take one tiny partial sentence out of context from several different source articles, and insert it into our study to "prove" our point. Its almost as bad as quoting their own literature to "prove" a point. Ridiculous and sad. I'm definitely NOT saying that the point they are trying to make is not genuine.... but why go to such lengths to "not disclose" the source materials?

  Again, as someone else on this site mentions frequently, if you have to cheat to show that you are right, then maybe you are just a liar.

  Furthermore, WHY do it in the first place? Just to make yourself look learned and scholarly, like your writing department knows more than everyone else? Anyone with half a brain can do a quick fact check! Classic example of treating their subjects like simpletons. Then again, if the shoe fits...…...
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  9

  "New Kingdom Halls Being Built Around the World.........."

  by The Fall Guy in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  that's what a very elderly jw sister said to me this afternoon, in response to all the sell-offs.

  i didn't contradict her - she's far too close to the end, but if it had been a younger jw i'd have suggested this:.

  "isn't it a pity that the society doesn't have a section on its web site where it could post photographs of all the new kingdom halls that are getting built every week/month?

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  Tech49

  HaHa! Nope, it will go to the woman in Montana that just won the sex abuse case, and will be shared with her lawyers. No Kingdom Halls to be built with that money! Millions and millions going to settle child abuse and sex abuse lawsuits all over the world. Shame shame, WT.
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  92

  Montana jury awards two women $35M in sex abuse lawsuit against Jehovah's Witnesses

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  https://missoulian.com/news/local/montana-jury-awards-two-women-m-in-sex-abuse-lawsuit/article_1bcabb7c-7381-574b-a2ba-e011cc0250a6.html.

  montana jury awards two women $35m in sex abuse lawsuit against jehovah's witnesses .

  a jury in northwestern montana awarded two women $35 million wednesday in their lawsuit against the local jehovah’s witnesses congregation and its worldwide headquarters.. .

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  Tech49

  The remainder of the article, if you don't want to go to the website:

  Earlier in the case, Judge James Manley ruled that Reyes’ criminal acts were foreseeable to the church leadership when they allowed him to return and that the congregation’s elders were not exempt from Montana’s mandatory reporting law when they learned of the allegations against him and didn’t turn him over to law enforcement.

  In the weeks before the trial, Watchtower’s attorneys asked the Montana Supreme Court to consider overturning Manley’s rulings and stalling the trial, but the request was denied.

  
  

  Media reports and testimony from a comprehensive investigation into the church by the Australian Royal Commission have criticized the Jehovah’s Witnesses for policies that direct elders in local congregations to handle matters internally, rather than alerting authorities or congregation members about known sexual predators. The policies from Watchtower leadership also require accusers to have two witnesses to the sexual abuse for proceedings to begin against the accused.

  
  
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  36

  Here is what silly looks like

  by Sour Grapes in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  for shits and grins, i looked at an online sunday meeting a few days ago on youtube.

  i was in disbelieve on just how silly everything looks with the watchtower reader reading from his little iphone and the watchtower conductor holding up his iphone to ask the questions.

  then the conductor asked the reader to read a bible verse and of course, he reads from his little phone.

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  Tech49

  Remember, it wasn't that long ago that now suddenly it was OK to count your placements, if you "attached" them in an email. Now, mass email messages and you could count 100 placements! When I was a secretary in the congregation, we had a guy placing 200 books and 300 mags in a month. Everyone was just in awe over his "placement" levels! He was just SOOO SPIRITUAL !!!!

  When I questioned him about it, and pointed out that it was pretty much an impossible number to do in the DTD work, he confessed that he was sending them as "attachments" , per WT guidelines! "facepalm" moment for sure.
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  36

  Here is what silly looks like

  by Sour Grapes in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  for shits and grins, i looked at an online sunday meeting a few days ago on youtube.

  i was in disbelieve on just how silly everything looks with the watchtower reader reading from his little iphone and the watchtower conductor holding up his iphone to ask the questions.

  then the conductor asked the reader to read a bible verse and of course, he reads from his little phone.

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  Tech49

  Oh for sure..... I remember when, in the early 90's, when the WT Library first came out, we would manually type in all the scriptures for the WT lesson into the search bar. Then you could move all the scriptures over to a Word document, format them with paragraph numbers, print it out and have a quick reference for the WT study on Sunday. Then, my wife and I got hauled into the back room, and told how "inappropriate" it was to do that, it wasn't showing "respect" for the bible, and just how would it look to new ones??!! Then we had to have parts on the Service Meeting about how wrong it was to use anything but the bible itself. One time, a brother took a laptop up on the platform, and I thought that heads were going to explode! Audible "gasps" and all!

  And, in not so many other words, stop doing it, or lose your "privileges". Oh how times have changed. Nowadays, if you don't have an iPad or tablet, you are not worthy of Holy Spirit in your life, and you certainly must not be following instructions!
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  36

  Has Cart preaching over taken door to door?

  by blownaway in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have not had a jw at my door [don't get me wrong this is great] for a few years.

  is cart preaching the why its all done today?

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  Tech49

  Yes, I believe it is replacing door-to-door work. In my area, I know of many "pioneers" that make their time by just standing next to a cart. It is very common to see them on the corners of the highway intersections, where there is ZERO foot traffic. They stand there, talking to each other, drinking coffee, next to the cart. The cart is so far away, there is no way anyone driving can make out what it says. By the time you see it, its just a blur. Even for those of us who know what it is, its still just a blur. I drive by them almost every morning. But they sure do make their regular pioneer hours!

  The other day I saw a couple with a cart next to a 4 lane (2 each way) highway, not even at an intersection, but off to the side on a rarely used sidewalk, facing the traffic lanes. Cars going by at 50 mph. "facepalm/eyeroll".
  

  Oh, and at the small regional airport, saw a couple of older gentlemen next to a cart in the baggage claim area.... at 1:00 in the morning.....cause that has to be effective....
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  35

  Female JW parking "attendants"

  by neat blue dog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i was shocked recently to see on social media a couple pictures of jw sisters at a convention working as parking "attendants".

  i put that title in quotation marks because they still don't get the official attendant badge like the male parking attendants do, only the reflective vest.

  has anybody else heard of this .

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  Tech49

  Yes, at our convention this year, sisters were being used as helpers/attendants at the entry area and the drop off. However, they did not have an official title, and were instructed that they would not receive or be able to use any type of badging or lanyard to designate them as "official" in any capacity.
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  25

  Can You Make Sense Of Jehovah’s Witnesses?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as a child growing up, i would see different arguments to defend a certain belief.

  it may have required mental gymnastics in order to make a point but there was an actual attempt to explain, teach, and educate....even if the belief or teaching was bogus.. nowadays, it appears that jws couldn’t explain any belief.

  they are drones and do as “mother “ has directed..

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  Tech49

  I tend to agree with Magnum 100%. I remember when the REASONING book came out, as a High School student I was so thrilled to finally have a book that you could actually use to discuss difficult topics with people. The Ministry School focused for years on learning HOW to discuss, how to reason (albeit from WT viewpoints)...

  But now, no way no how. We are told to NOT discuss. Reasoning book is gone. Just place the paper pamphlets (mags) and direct people to the website. So lame and pitiful. Even witnesses that have been in for decades no longer know WHY they should believe something. There is no thought process any more. Deep discussions are frowned upon, and definitely discouraged in any group format. Just mindless cart work and driving in circles.

  Even the "School" is just a weak pale shadow of its former self. No more self-made talks on a particular subject. Remember when we used to get an assignment with just a TOPIC? And we had to do all the research on our own? Nowadays, a "talk" assignment is just a quick presentation, or a return visit, or maybe a scripted "bible study" from a few paragraphs out of a book. No more freedom of expression, freedom to make up your own talk. Even the "bible reading" is just that..... walk up on stage, read 10-15 verses, walk off. No comments, no application, nothing.

  BLAH. Drones for sure.
  
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  16

  Continuing congregation mergers

  by Are you serious in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the area i live in the pacific northwest, three spanish congregations we're merged into two a couple of years ago and in the next month or so four english congregations will be cut down to three.

  both situations happened because of lack of growth.

  a few years ago, i would never have imagined spanish congregations disappearing or merging but it's happening.

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  Tech49

  Are you serious.....

  Send me a PM, I too am in the PNW.

  Where exactly are you? Sounds just like what is happening in my area also!