Posts by DJS

11

It's a "lose / lose" situation!

by stuckinarut2 in

so the org is on a big "beg for money" drive right?.

so either they are running out of money and will eventually cease to have as much influence, or, it is evidence of a lack of backing from "god", so they will eventually fade away?.

either way, it's a "lose / lose" situation for the org!.

DJS

Vidiot,

I voraciously absorbed all things Tolkien several decades ago. And King supplies a lot of my sick humor. Glad you noticed.

11

It's a "lose / lose" situation!

by stuckinarut2 in

so the org is on a big "beg for money" drive right?.

so either they are running out of money and will eventually cease to have as much influence, or, it is evidence of a lack of backing from "god", so they will eventually fade away?.

either way, it's a "lose / lose" situation for the org!.

The Dark Lords rode their business design to financial success for decades. It was built on free labor, no taxes, literature sales, donations and food sales at conventions and the money left to them by long dead widows and widowers who had bought into the false promises. Real estate purchases have also enriched them. Brooklyn was a dive for decades; it is high rent now and when they sold.

They still have free labor and no taxes. Selling off assets and either investing them or building new brick and mortar, as I've mentioned, are one time events. They won't use this for O&M costs. When they do they are desperate and dying.

They can't sell literature and sandwiches where it matters. That leaves donations and wills and return on financial investments (see the above). It becomes less likely with each passing day that the rank and file are going to bequeath anything to the Dark Tower; the older gen of dubs HAS to be resentful and angry. At least the ones with a functioning brain.

The rank and file at the congregation level likely also feel a lot of resentment to the Dark Tower. Most of them avoided college and decent paying jobs for low pay and no future. And the years keep passing. Retirement draws nearer and there isn't much in the retirement account. And paying for your kids to go to college? Forgetaboutit.

Do any of us think for a micro-second that the typical dub will change their views regarding donations?

The Dark Lords are delusional, IMHO.I hope they become more shrill and demanding in their pleas for $$$. It will be entertaining for us.

35

New on here

by Tony Stark in

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.

DJS

Welcome,

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

13

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

by defender of truth in

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.

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.

130

Atheist Miracles

by Perry in

jw
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.

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.

14

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

by James Mixon in

interesting read.

i wouldn't recommend you believers to read it.

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

DJS

Perry,

That's funny!

14

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

by James Mixon in

interesting read.

i wouldn't recommend you believers to read it.

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

DJS

I would say:

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

70

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

by nowwhat? in

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..

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.

72

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

by humblepotato in

jw
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.

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.

53

questions

by DanielC in

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?

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.