Posts by gcc2k

26

Remodeling the Kingdom Hall

by sandy in

jw
friends

i always wondered why we remodeled our kh.

there wasn't really anything wrong with it.

i could see painting or putting in new carpet when needed.

gcc2k

This story leads me to a couple of questions.

1) How does the Society justify charging interest on these loans to the congregation, which is clearly unscriptural? Surely there has been a "questions from our readers" about this?

2) Who holds the property deed? Is it the Society, or the local congregation? I don't mean a lien - if the WT holds the mortgage, they have a lien on the property, of course. But my house is "mine" as long as I make the payments, with the deed in my name. Whose name is on the deed for most halls?

3) Francois - you claim that the Society was listed as a secondary insurer. If they are able to provide insurance, they must be registered as an insurance company. This doesn't show much "trust in Jehovah with all your might", hmm? If you can find proof that they are an insurance company, they must have an AM Best rating. I was unable to find any reference to the WT at ambest.com.

19

Those with mates still in

by tech 597 in

jw
friends

i got home a little late from work this evening, and my wife was getting ready for the bookstudy.

she was quite happy and we began to discuss the days activities.

things were going great.

gcc2k

Tech,

All I can tell you is, yes, it's hard. You can try to sit down with her and calmly explain your feelings. I still have a hard time watching my wife pack up the kids and go, and although I always help her get out the door as much as possible, I still feel like I'm letting them down by not going, or perhaps by not forcing them all to stay.

Just try to keep talking, and emphasize your love for her. Not all marriages can survive this kind of rift, but it's worth working for, right?

21

Critique volunteers for letter to the Society?

by Jourles in

i have finally completed my letter to the society and am looking for a few volunteers to help critique it.

by suggestion from the elders, they said to keep it simple and to the point(one said to just bullet my questions and leave it at that).

well, i veered slightly off from those two parameters a bit but i had to do so to make my points clear.

gcc2k

I have not received anything.

12

I need help like I've never needed it before.....

by zenpunk in

i had a big conversation with a presiding overseer and brooklyn bethelite who called me after 8 years (since i left).

he invited me to the memorial and i explained why we are no longer jws citing the jw's investment in rand corporation as the number 1 reason.

he married my husband and i and we were once very close.

gcc2k

Any additional update on this? Clearly the burden of proof is to show that either:

- the WT Society knowingly held stock in a company involved in military activities

or

- the 10K filings are incorrect. I believe there is a process to amend these filings, so wouldn't the WT be doing this if there had been a mistake?

The company is publically traded, and as such, must be audited. I wonder what information the auditors would be able to share to prove that their audit was accurate?

18

Is the WTBTS still an NGO????

by Tashawaa in

is there proof?.

i know they "disassociated" from the dpi, but did they also disassociate completely from the un as an ngo?

i wrote and asked the wtbts, but never got a response.

gcc2k

Hmm, this died a surprising death.

28

Theme park for JEHOVAH's WITNESSES

by pandora in

jw
friends

.

i hope this works!

http://home.kc.rr.com/abush/ps/themepark.jpg.

gcc2k

No Bethel visit? How could it be a vacation?

21

More Watchtower Begging And Dumbing-Down

by metatron in

jw
friends

the latest kingdom ministry (may) has a few changes.

first, it has an insert called "international kingdom hall building in some european lands" - designed to extract more $ from the friends.

the announcement section tells people how to write checks payable to "jehovah's witnesses" for donations - but...

gcc2k

JT,
Given your history, where do you think the money goes? There is no doubt in my mind that the WT is building up a huge empire of cash and assets (such as the Patterson farm, Stanley Theatre, etc.) The question is, why? If the motivation were genuine, the wealth would be distributed more evenly among the congregations worldwide, and yet even the US congregations seem to barely have enough to cover their mortgages.

32

Quote from the WT, i.e. Yoga. Opinions?

by unique1 in

"so once again we ask: 'can yoga be practiced simply as a physical exercise to develop a healthy body and a relaxed mind, without any involvement with religion?

' in view of its background, the answer would have to be no.

ok, i know yoga comes from a religious background, but i have been taking a yoga class for several months, and if there was any thing religious i would have stopped the class, but there is nothing.

gcc2k

Megadude,

Not sure I understand your question. My wife was semi-horrified that I would take a Yoga class, saying it's a religious practice. I told her "nonsense, it's just stretching" but have been trying to think about it objectively.

I'm in a religious limbo at the moment, and certainly not searching for anything. But, I have to admit that from what I've seen about yoga, it could lead into a spiritual, as well as physical, practice. It's no coincidence that a local yoga studio is called "The Yoga Way".

I don't think I can truthfully say to my wife "I'm taking this class because I am confident that there are no spiritual or religious undertones." Contrast that to say acupuncture or herbalism, which both have similar origins, but in practice have no religious undertones that I am aware of.

126

New Light on the United Nations (U.N.) (Scarlet Beast)

by UnDisfellowshipped in

jw
friends

there appears to be "new light" in the latest watchtower magazine (june 1st 2003 issue).

several watchtower publications for the last 50+ years have said that the united nations (u.n.) organization ("the scarlet-colored wild beast" of revelation) would definitely be the organization that will carry out jehovah's judgment on "babylon the great" (false religion), and then, under satan's [gog of magog's] direction, the united nations organization would become "greedy", and try to attack the remaining remnant of the "anointed" jehovah's witnesses and their companions, the "great crowd" of "other sheep", and then jehovah and jesus would destroy the united nations organization, along with everyone else who was not a jehovah's witness.

here is a quote that shows this: .

gcc2k

No activity on this thread today? Who's got the real story?

32

Quote from the WT, i.e. Yoga. Opinions?

by unique1 in

"so once again we ask: 'can yoga be practiced simply as a physical exercise to develop a healthy body and a relaxed mind, without any involvement with religion?

' in view of its background, the answer would have to be no.

ok, i know yoga comes from a religious background, but i have been taking a yoga class for several months, and if there was any thing religious i would have stopped the class, but there is nothing.

gcc2k

Have you ever taken a kickboxing class? You can do the cheesy aerobic type, taught by fitness instructors who only focus on getting a good sweat and moving to the beat. Or, you can take it from a real martial artist, who will focus on your form, correct your punches and kicks, etc.

In the yoga classes I've been taking, the instructor dims the lights almost to darkness, we focus for a few minutes on breathing and clearing the mind, and then from there into the yoga routines.

Again, I'm not posting to make up anyone's mind, that is for you to decide. But I see a conflict of beliefs.