Frazzled UBM

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Posts by Frazzled UBM

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  53

  If Someone Mocks Jehovah's Witnesses Does That Bother You?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  every once in a while i hear people purposely make fun of jws, calling them hovas, jeehoovers, etc.

  i don't think that's a good way to reach them..

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  Frazzled UBM

  I agree with the idea that Witnesses take themselves too seriously and that is why they take offense at being mocked. But not taking themselves and the Governing Body so seriously is part of the process of waking up, so why should we pander to them taking themselves too seriously? If they are taking offense, it probably means they are not ready for JWN yet.

  And emeth BTW 'either' is not spelt with a 'g'. Spelling is sometimes use as a gauge of intelligence/education though as I am slightly dyslexic and too lazy sometimes to spell check my posts for typos I will not cast that aspersion on you in the same way you did to WTWizard for fear it will backfire, as it did for you.

  Cheers Freaz
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  43

  Is it all about the money?

  by Laika in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  often on this forum there are posts about how the gb are obsessed with money and some people here often suggest this impacts every decision the gb makes i.e.

  on my holiday thread it was suggested jws aren't allowed to celebrate holidays as it means spending money on presents that they want for themselves.. i however, do not think this is at all true.

  the society rarely talks about money and as a percentage of income i think the vast majority of jws contribute a very small amount simply because the society rarely talk about it.. obviously money is important to the society in the sense that they couldn't run a major organisation without it, so they have to ask for it at times and factor it in to some of their decision making, but actually the gb live quite frugally and seem to worry much more about clinging to their authority and power than getting rich.. my controversial suggestion of the day is that saying the gb are obsessed with money must make us look silly to lurkers.. what does the jwn intellegentsia think then?.

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  Frazzled UBM

  I think the main way the WBTS has benefitted from members is through unpaid labour and the donations for the publications but I think they are going through a crisis and increasingly will need more cash donations to manage liabilities. They can only realise the value of downtown New York real estate once. There may be a sort of Faustian pact whereby they expect less service time from members in return for more cash donations. I think one of the recent studies hinted at this. It will be a risky strategy given how much they condemn other churches for handing around plates etc.
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  22

  College Class about JWs .... book suggestions?

  by Shepherd Book in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i have the opportunity to take an independent study class through my university this summer.

  my advisor, a history professor, suggested i choose jehovah's witnesses as a topic.. we are now trying to formulate a syllabus.

  she suggests i write two papers: one on the history of jws, and another on their doctinal approach.. so now my question is...what books/articles/videos do i list on my syllabus as sources i intend to read and use for the papers?.

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  Frazzled UBM

  As it is a history course you should try to go to the original source documents if possible. You could structure it as 1. pre-Russell Millerite/millenarian background, 2. Russell and the Bible Students, 3. the Rutherford coup and restructure of the organisation, 4. the Knorr consolidation and 5. the post Knorr empowerment of the GB. The theme should be to show how it went from being about the individual leaders and what they believed to being about the organisation such that it has become a self-perpetuating organisation. You should look at what Max Weber, the sociologist, says about bureaucracy and organisations and see if that applies. Also look at what was happening at the time the organisation was born and how that influenced the authority structure - is it simply a coincidence that fascism and communism developed as political systems around the same time?
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  11

  Double standard of JWs

  by exWTslave in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  jws shun many practices like birthday citing their pagan/evil-spirit connection.

  if they are honest with their claim, they wil have to leave this world altogether:.

  1) in their bethels, brothers should compulsorily wear a neck-tie, which is actually a phallic symbol!.

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  Frazzled UBM

  It is almost tautological to talk about JWs and double standards there are so many.

  My absolute favourite is the way they encourage people of other faiths to question the teaching of those faiths when they are trying to get them to become Witnesses but once they become Witnesses will not allow them to question their teachings.

  "We are The Truth but don't you dare test the veracity of The Truth!"
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  11

  "Draw Close To Jehovah" study - strange logic..

  by BluesBrother in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  what do you think of the reasoning in this paragraph from this week's meeting study?.

  draw close to jehovah - chapt 4 .

  21 consider jehovahs self-restraint from a different angle.

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  Frazzled UBM

  "Jehovah simply has no interest in service performed out of coercion or out of morbid fear of his awesome power." In fact in the world according to the WBTS that is exactly what he does. The capacity for self-deceit is unbelievable!
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  15

  Need an ex-elder or someone who knows

  by Roberta804 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  it has been a long time since i have been here, but i need you guys now.

  my mother-in-law is on her death been; most likely will not make it though the night.

  my husband and i have sat with her for the past two days, she is totally unconcious.

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  Frazzled UBM

  Make Lemonade - it seems they were lucky you were the elder - I suspect other elders would not behave in this way and would use the opportunity to push the WBTS agenda and ignore discussing the deceased's life. I will make very sure my wife does not have any elders speaking at or attending my funeral. Fraz
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  45

  2014: do you see Witnesses ramping up activity? What will the aftermath be in 2015?

  by JimmyPage in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  jw's often say they don't serve with any dates in mind.

  but the fact is many of them can't fathom why the end just hasn't come yet.

  since 2014 marks 100 years of invisible rule many witnesses can't help but think this has some special meaning.

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  Frazzled UBM

  good point Jethro
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  20

  3 year olds giving talks now....

  by EndofMysteries in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i thought i was young giving one at 6 or 7 years old, now there are 3 year olds giving talks.

  .

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnyjkzxg-j8.

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  Frazzled UBM

  Maybe they are trying to raise the intellectual level of the talks...
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  175

  Where Do You Think That Plane Is?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what do you think happened?

  ?.

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  Frazzled UBM

  Great conspiracy theory tailspin - chances of it being correct: 0%
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  43

  Is it all about the money?

  by Laika in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  often on this forum there are posts about how the gb are obsessed with money and some people here often suggest this impacts every decision the gb makes i.e.

  on my holiday thread it was suggested jws aren't allowed to celebrate holidays as it means spending money on presents that they want for themselves.. i however, do not think this is at all true.

  the society rarely talks about money and as a percentage of income i think the vast majority of jws contribute a very small amount simply because the society rarely talk about it.. obviously money is important to the society in the sense that they couldn't run a major organisation without it, so they have to ask for it at times and factor it in to some of their decision making, but actually the gb live quite frugally and seem to worry much more about clinging to their authority and power than getting rich.. my controversial suggestion of the day is that saying the gb are obsessed with money must make us look silly to lurkers.. what does the jwn intellegentsia think then?.

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  Frazzled UBM

  It is a self-perpetuating organisation - the GB get the power and prestige because they serve the interests of the organisation. The GB members remain as GB members for as long as their interests are aligned with the organisation. Money is necessary to sustain the corporation but it is not an end in itself. The organisation is "Rutherford's Monster". He created it in its modern form to serve his personal agenda but it has taken on a life of its own.