DJS

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Posts by DJS

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  35

  New on here

  by Tony Stark in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  hey so i'm new on here.

  just wanted to introduce myself.

  in my 20's and was rasied one, and very popular among the jw community.

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  DJS

  Welcome,

  If you are really Iron Man you're going to do ok.
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  13

  Stephen Lett admits income/expenditure shortfall as he reminds Witnesses to donate “valuable things”

  by defender of truth in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  it's well worth taking a look at the article, it will only take you a few minutes.

  but i would particularly like to highlight this part: .

  if you are going to divulge a shortfall in funds, particularly with the aim of leveraging more donations (or valuable things) from a pool of supporters who are already lagging in this regard, the least you can do is treat them like adults and give some hard numbers.

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  DJS

  None of us ultimately know the financial status of the Dark Tower. As some of us have pointed out previously, many of their actions are typical of organizations facing a cash flow problem. Closing branches, convention centers, etc. and consolidating others suggests this. The streamlining of the org. (COs, DOs, etc.) does as well. The greedy grab for the congregations' accounts also strongly suggests a reactionary fear based mentality, as does the commitment from each congregation about 'donations' that I've read about here. Reducing and eliminating conventions is another tip, as they used to be cash cows to the Dark Tower. Reducing or eliminating these suggests the till isn't as full and they are either costing them $, they have found a 'break even' point or a point where they can maximize the profitability of each. If the conventions were continuing to be extremely profitable, they wouldn't be reducing their numbers or lengths.

  Throw in the potential costs of the abuse lawsuits and the Dark Lords may be operating in fear mode.

  Some point out the large real estate sales as evidence the Dark Tower is financially strong. They seem to be re-investing' this in other brick and mortar, so a lot of this may simply be a transfer. Even if they are squirreling it away, organizations avoid using capital gains for day to day operational and maintenance expenses. Doing so suggests a very weak financial position.

  That's where they appear to be hurting. Good for them. The rank and file should stop donating. Completely.
  
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  130

  Atheist Miracles

  by Perry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i reworded a variation of a common critique of atheists to my own liking.

  no, i do not hate atheists, i love them!

  they keep me from getting bored.

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  DJS

  Cappytan: "Perry, you and I need to go grab a brew or two at a local watering hole and have a nice time and show these folks that atheists and you can get along."

  I bet Perry is a good egg. Just don't mention Viviane.

  
  
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  14

  "What every atheist should say to God...if Judgment Day actually happens"!

  by James Mixon in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  interesting read.

  i wouldn't recommend you believers to read it.

  i don't think i. would have the balls to tell god that.

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  DJS

  Perry,

  That's funny!
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  14

  "What every atheist should say to God...if Judgment Day actually happens"!

  by James Mixon in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  interesting read.

  i wouldn't recommend you believers to read it.

  i don't think i. would have the balls to tell god that.

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  DJS

  I would say:

  "So you really do exist after all. You owe me an explanation and an apology, Bitch."
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  70

  CO says "WE ARE NOW AT THE THRESHOLD OF THE THE GREAT TRIBULATION!"

  by nowwhat? in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  40-50 years after saying "armegeddon is right around the corner" we are now making progress!!!.

  gotta have a sense of humor to deal with this stuff..

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  DJS

  All that is required to believe is to feel. The Dark Lords are employing a very old and effective strategy to keep the rank and file hooked. They have systematically discouraged and discontinued serious biblical discussions, both inside and outside of the KH. Thinking and researching didn't work out so well for them.

  Expect more of the same. They wouldn't dare to return to a thinking/knowledge based Borganization now considering the world wide web. Appealing to emotions and desires is all they got.
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  72

  Coping With Atheism (Long-ish Post...sorry!)

  by humblepotato in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  long time lurker (2009-ish), first time poster.

  first of all, i want to say thank you everyone who contributes to these boards and provokes stimulating conversations and thought processes.

  all the opinions and different perspectives are very enlightening.

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  DJS

  HP,

  First things first. We really need to get you out of this cult. Ok, now back to your OP. Take your time re: your theism is what I would say. Upon exiting the Borg over 20 years ago I researched and evaluated what it was in ME that allowed me to be controlled by the Dark Lords. I spent years conducting a methodical analysis of religion, the bible, god, the Borg and me.

  I was a theist, then an agnostic, then an atheist leaning agnostic, then an atheist. I wasn't in any hurry - there wasn't any need to be. As far as thinking or worrying about any afterlife or paradise, I think that took care of itself based on the process. By the end of the journey I was kind of like this scene from Forrest Gump:

  “That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I’d run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I’d just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I’d just run across the great state of Alabama. And that’s what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I’d gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I’d gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going.

  Forrest with background voice while running through the desert: "I had run for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours."

  [he stops and turns around]

  Young Man Running: "Quiet, quiet! He’s gonna say something!"

  Forrest: "I’m pretty tired… I think I’ll go home now."

  Potato, that's what atheism was to me. A non-event. I'm home.
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  53

  questions

  by DanielC in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  i've been dating a jw girl for about 4 years and we've recently had a lot of issues with the fact that her family doesn't like that i'm not a jw.

  i've been looking into the religion and am interested in it.

  but is it wrong to join just so i don't lose her?

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  DJS

  Clambake,

  I don't mean to be mean but I'm still waiting for you to make one single response on this site that makes any sense. Daniel has made it clear that he has "Never been invited over for dinner or ever invited to a family event." In my book that is called relationship destroying behavior.

  This is almost certainly the tip of the iceberg. This young woman is controlled by her family, and the family is controlled by the Dark Lords. Even if they are Dub-lite, the control exists and it can change, as many posters have noted, in an instant. That isn't likely to change. It is more likely that this situation will only get worse for Daniel.

  One of these days you just might say something that makes sense. I doubt it, but we can hope.
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  53

  questions

  by DanielC in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  i've been dating a jw girl for about 4 years and we've recently had a lot of issues with the fact that her family doesn't like that i'm not a jw.

  i've been looking into the religion and am interested in it.

  but is it wrong to join just so i don't lose her?

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  DJS

  Daniel,

  You should do what you need to do. You asked, however. I have no reservations telling you to RUN. There are billions of women on the planet; finding her replacement will be far easier than you think.
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  9

  "Christians are leaving the faith in droves" - Pew Research

  by EdenOne in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  according to this article, a recent pew research concluded that until 2050, an estimated cumulative net number of 65.050.000 will opt out of the christian faith, and the trend is accelerating.

  on the other hand, the "unaffiliated" will have a net growth of 61.490.000.. eden.

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  DJS

  D4g,

  Excellent comment. Thank you. Churches have been one of the primary springboards for those with political ambitions and political power bases for politicians for centuries, so it makes sense that state legislatures are overly stocked with fundies or the very religious. A lot of politicians are no doubt atheist or at the most, irreligious, but 'coming out' as such is political suicide. That is changing slowly, but it is changing.

  The perception in much of the US and the rest of the world, unfortunately, is that the irreligious and god forbid the atheists are soul-less, baby killing, war mongers. We used to see these types of comments every few weeks on this site, thankfully not much anymore.