some years ago, we had this difficult bible study with a guy who was unofficially a witness for about 40 years, yet he would never make the step of becoming an unbaptized publisher.
we pushed him at some point to tell us the reason, and the reason was this: he didn't agree with the field reports practice.
he said he did a lot of preaching by himself but didn't see any reason to report it to the congregation.. of course, we told him that the reason we hand in field reports is so that we have statistics, and know how much work is done worldwide and bla-bla-blah.
The WTBTS is much more interested in numbers and stats than anything else. The very first question considered when a BOE meets to discuss new 'appointments' of brothers for either elder or MS is: "How much time does he get in FS?" "Is he 'visible' in FS?" The organization has created a beaurocracy on 'bean counters'.
How much real, actual time is spent preaching verses time 'out in service'? lol
eyeuse2badub
why do we have assemblies?
was the topic of the book/brochure study last week.. the answer not presented is that they are the organization's black friday.
stores do black friday as a loss leader to get people into the stores to spend money on more pricey stuff, not discounted.. assemblies are put on to give away books and other literature and have dramas to get people in to donate and contribute more than normally done.. yes, religion is a business.
Blondie;
You hit it exactly on the head. JW's are compared more to the nation of Israel than to the Christian congregation in WTBTS literature. No where in the NT do we read of large 'assemblies' nor 'conventions' of Christians. Christian meeting were held in privat homes, not churches nor kingdom halls. Conventions are time wasters and expensive. To think that I used to take my family vacation and go to a 'cornvention'. Sad indeed!
eyeuse2badub
i was never good at spelling and probably worse at grammar.
so if jesus really ment that the phrase "this generation" was an over lapping of generations then what would of been the proper way of saying it, if at all????
?.
Let us all be thankful on this day of Thanksgiving. Clearly, we should be very thankful that the current ruling GB has laid out such an impossibly ridiculous explanation of "this generation". Evidently, very few are really buying this 'overlapping' bs of an explanation. Apparently, many are now waking up to the WTBTS gimmick explanations and cover ups. I know that "overlapping generations" was the final,final nail that caused me to say 'enough'.
So, rather than rant about this stupid "overlapping generation" fiasco, let us be thankful for it's enlightening power to expose and free many.
eyeuse2badub
first there was the ministerial training school ( mts), then changed to the school for single brothers.
most recently the school for christian couples (replacing gilead).
all of a sudden news comes out the all these schools are consolidated under one umbrella: the evangelizing school --open to single brothers, single sisters, married couples all the way up to 65 years of age.. i wonder as to the motive behind all these changes this year..
Since interest in 'reaching out' is waning among qualified brothers, 'nu-lite' has revealed how to get the sisters and older JW's to 'reach out' for privileges. Throw 'em a bone so to speak. Something has to be offered to keep up interest in this ever changing cult.
eyeuse2badub
long story short - my in-laws know that i strongly disagree with their blood doctrine.
i received 3rd degree burns as a toddler and without blood, i would have died.
no doubt this is much of the reason that i feel the way i do.. my mil sent me an article, saying that i might find it of interest - in other words, it is an example to 'refute my contradictions about blood transfusions'.
Don't die for some stupid misguided, misunderstood, and misinterpreted teaching. If you're 'still in' and fear df'ing play the 'cave in' card. If blood is the absolute best option to save a life, take the blood and later "explain" that you just 'caved in' under the presure of the circumstances. It's easier to ask for forgiveness (may the holy WTBTS forgive you) than to ask for permission.
eyeuse2badub
are there any direct quotes from the watchtower's literature that discourages investigation into their past doctrines and practices?.
As usual, Blondie finds the hidden treasures. TY Blondie.
In April 1973, I attended one of the first 'Elders Schools' in Norco California. It was 2 very intense weeks of study, role playing, and general JW indoctrination. I remember clearly one of the sessions when we were talking about the history of the org. Most of us in the class were relatively young, 25-40, and not much interested in the history since Armagedon was so near. Anyway, Brother Dixon was our instructor and he made the comments that we should not encourage the brothers and sisters to be reading the older publications, i.e. Rutherfordian stuff. Didn't give it much thought then.
eyeuse2badub
i heard this said, asserted in the 60s, early 70s from a super- ambitions, reaching -for- the -top pioneer, quoting out of his note-book from his.
"i am smarter than thou" repertoire..
Subject, of course, to 'nu lite'. As the leadership of the WTBTS changes, so does it's 'current truth'. I just love that expression, "current truth".
eyeuse2badub
i know, i'd jump into this topic by saying, "heck yeah.
they're the ones saying they've been appointed by god based on what they were doing back around 1914-1919.
" but i'm trying to help someone out who has reached a roadblock with his wife.
If a brother or sister in a congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses has a known past of being a child molester or sexual predator, can they be appointed as an elder, MS, or regular pioneer? Ah! So the past does matter!
eyeuse2badub
are there any direct quotes from the watchtower's literature that discourages investigation into their past doctrines and practices?.
Actually the "Proclamers" book helped me get started on the road to freedom. Reading about Russell's 'pyramid' belief, Rutherford's Beth Sarim and 'Millions Now Living" got me started doing 'independent' research which led me to sites such as this. Thank you "Proclaimers" book!
eyeuse2badub
are there any direct quotes from the watchtower's literature that discourages investigation into their past doctrines and practices?.
The great masses of the people in the very bottom of their hearts tend to be corrupted rather than purposely or consciously evil … therefore … they more easily fall a victim to a big lie than to a little one, since they themselves lie in little things, but would be ashamed of lies that were too big. —Adolph Hitler
“Those in power write the history, while those who suffer write the songs.”
― Frank Harte
