I do not think WT is going anywhere in our lifetime. They will never run out of suckers who are foolish enough to be a member of organization having 140 years of failed records and incosistent doctrines. There are people who wants this world to be destroyed for personal problem and hope that God will do that in their lifetime. There are people who are desperate, lonely, sometimes crazy, and weak that they will stay in this organization regardless what WT has printed. They have Bible, yet they think that God is communicationg with GB. They are happy with selective cherry picking text in their WT and Awake and their service to God is distributing man made publications. Due failed 1914 nonsense, WT had reached saturation point in the countries that had JW presence in the past 100 years. Their hopes are within 3rd world countries that are unaware of the failed prophecies and changed doctrine. The old timers do not know anything else than stick with the KH until they die. 20 year later when most of the people die off they will get younger generations that are not associated with the past fiascos.
Posts by kaik
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28Has The WTS Reached Its Kobayashi Maru Moment?
by metatron inhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/kobayashi_maru.
they observe decline.
they cut back most everywhere.
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24
They are more focussed on the EVENT or ACTIVITY, rather than the substance of the information presented
by stuckinarut2 inhave you noticed how the org, and individuals are more concerned about the actual event such as the international conventions, rather than the content of the program?.
i often shake my figurative head (ok, literal one too!
), as i see the all the hype being generated by the act of attending, and think that most are not actually interested in the stuff that will be presented, but are more concerned about simply being there or getting there..... and, they are more focussed on the activity of a campaign, such as a tract work, or invitation hand out, rather than the actual content of the material.. .
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kaik
Large assemblies were drag. I really do not remember anything from them. As for the JWs I think the biggest social issue was to judge others. How much someone clapped, stayed on the same place, what they wear, talks like can you belief she/he is still in the "Truth"? And do not try question anyone in KH about hte program.
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29
Taking care of aging parents
by skeeter1 ini hear that a recent talk was about taking care of one's aging parents.
i agree.
generally, kids should take care of aging parents.
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kaik
Excellent points here. I think the issue with the elderly care is unspoken burden upon Western society because we never have to take care of so many elderly today as had before. Century ago, average lifespan was 46 and only a few people made it to 65-70. Today, millions of people reach age that was unthinkable before the Industrial Revolution. Society is not yet capable to cope with such influx of aging when many people have one or two children. Additionally 1/3 of all caregivers dies before the person they care of. This make care very difficult. I tried to secure financial well being of my mother and her husband. I paid their house off and they do not have to worry about the mortgage. They are still independent and healthy. However, sometimes it is not possible to take care of elderly. I have seen some horrors even in my family where we had relatives living to 85-95-100 and it was not physically possible to care for them anymore.
Problem many JWs face that they were never mentally, financially, and socially prepared for aging and death. They believed for decades that they will never die and will experience paradise in their lifetime. On top of it, they destroyed their social and family bond in the name of the cult and cared more about field service than taking care of their children and grandchildren. Now on wheelchair and one foot in cremation chamber need someone to take care of them. We had elderly sister that was very active publisher. She outlived both of her children, husband, but never made time to know her grandchildren. She was just busy with preaching door to door. How you expcet them to take care of granny that they never knew.
Unfortunatelly the issue with elderly care is not only problem for JW, but it is world problem. And it will get worse.
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27
What if you were a JW during WWII? Would you give in to Hitler and fight?
by Brother Mike inso i pose this question to everyone.
if you were a jw and lived in germany in wwii, how would you deal with the harsh cruelity of hitler?
would you join his side so you may have a chance to live (meaning you'd serve in the miliatry and be on the front line) or would you keep on serving god and be executed?
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kaik
Clambake, I heard that before 20 years ago. Some JWs after the war faced retribution tribunal for collaborating with the Nazis in Czechoslovakia. JWs defended themselves in the name of the strict neutrality and pacifism. JWs were employed in the camp as barbers and Germans were not afraid having their throats cuts with a razor. I knew JWs who were both in German camps and Stalin gulags. Under communism there was fallout between two groups of JWs, one that wanted suffer martyrdom and other that was for pragmatic appoach with the Czechoslovak government. This second view won, where JWs were tolerated since 1960's onward in underground and let state police read through their publications. Some JWs believed that their oppressors will be turned into the truth and what I heard it indeed happened. There are publications on that subject betwen 1965-1989 life behind the Iron Curtian. It is also possible to request from Department of Justice files that both nazies and commies had on JWs and who was collaborating.
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111
CONGREGATION FLEECING RESULTS?
by The Searcher inhow much did your congregation and its bank account get taken for?
share your horror story!.
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kaik
insidetheKH, still I stand by statement that my parents's KH was asked for money in the amount of 30000 CZK which was confirmed by both my parents and my sibling. As a Czech I probably know more JW there than you who was visting around. I grew up in it when it was still communism and they were illegal. I wonder if your visit was as overseer, so why do you patrolling apostate website? I am sure Z. or S. (last names abbr) would not be happy with it. They got people DFs for much less. I heard the same complains about dwindling donations last year. Both my parents are retired on very small Czech pension, yet my mom puts money into the fund every week. They do not care much about changed flip flopping doctrines and unfullfilled 1975-1989-1994 prophecies, but they feel upset when they are aksed for more money when they struggle to make end needs. I can again talk to them and my very extended family who are 3-4 generations of JWs about this specific case. In all these years, they were NEVER asked for money until last fall. When we build KH in my hometown, we donated money for it. I did EVERY week for several years, and I was looking for a day when it would be done. Today my JW family feels that the requests for money are unjust.
If the WT feels financial needs, they can sell their closed branch office in Prague on Bryksova street if they need money so much. Not to mention all the illegal stuff the elders in Bryskova got involved, from running brothel to money laundering which got couple DFs after Brooklyn visit, but not before until Police of the Czech Republic started the investigation. And this was not only branch property in Prague. They had couple other properties in central and western Bohemia.
BTW, I wonder how is possible for foreigner JW to patrol Czech KHs without prior approval. We had foreigner crazy lady from Australia with Mme Pompadour hairdo who decided to settle in my hometown (if you know her, you will know my hometown) and do field service. Of course, she did not speak local language and elders kept distance from her because she came on her own until she suffered a mental breakdown. The second foreigner visit ever I remember was really charming, super nice guy from Birmingham. I also spent a time with him in Strahov during large assembly there in 1991. When I was traveling all over the world in the 1990's before my departure from KH, I never was welcomed nor talked by local KH members even when I walked into KH. I do not think it had changed, and Czechs are not overly friendly people and I doubt they will share personal information with you. You were either someone from branch or you do not know all the sh.t that goes behind the scene.
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111
CONGREGATION FLEECING RESULTS?
by The Searcher inhow much did your congregation and its bank account get taken for?
share your horror story!.
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kaik
insidetheKH. I left JW world 20 years ago. My parents, siblings, cousins are still in the orgnanization from Prague to Ostrava some of them for 50+ and more years. I could put names of people who were my elders, and I could also name my DO and CO. You certainly know them. However, I was told by my own parents two weeks ago, that their KH was asked donating money -which they do not have- in the sum of 30000 crowns. I heard the same complaing last summer. I do not live in CZ anymore, but I go there every year or so. I do not think my parents neither my siblings would make that thing up. I can also go into the Czech JW and exJW forum and ask around.
BTW you know that branch in Prague is closed for couple years and Czech Republic is served from Slovakia. I know people who moved there to work from the branch office. When I will be in Czech Republic this summer, I will ask my relatives again. I am a faders, not dfs or da, so I could in theory talk to my cousins who are elders, but I do not want. They never where nice people as far I remember as a kid.
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111
CONGREGATION FLEECING RESULTS?
by The Searcher inhow much did your congregation and its bank account get taken for?
share your horror story!.
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kaik
I am not sure whe it originated, but I talked about it with my relatives last summer in Czech Republic. My siblings and my parents (who are trapped in JW world) told me that the branch office was demanding more donations. Last week I talked my mom who told me that their KH is Czech Republic got pledge and were required to donate 30,000 Czech crown every month to support the organization. This was money on they pay on top for necessary KH expenses like utilities, KH maintenance, and city services. 30,000 crowns equals 1,500 USD, which is a better salary in the Czech Republic. Outside Prague, people make about $1000-1200 and pensions are about half of that number. So for the local people it is huge amount. I may be heading to CZ later this year and I will ask my relatives in different KH and in Slovakia (they have Euros), how much they were asked to donate.
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36
The do not call list
by LisaRose ini have posted before about my experience trying to get on the "do not call" list.
despite repeated requests, a phone call to the hall and mailing a letter, and then giving a copy to a jw, they just keep coming by.
i was going to put up a no soliciting sign, then i can call the police on them, but my husband doesn't want me to do it.. so, i decided if they come back i would have some fun.
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kaik
Maybe my areas have too small homes for JWs to stop by and check if they made nice move-in after Armageddon.
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What is the key to free yourself from the Organization?
by suavojr inthey key to free yourself from the organization is having mental clarity of what is happening in relation to the watchtower, inside and out.
their basic concept is that they are god's sole organization on earth.
there really is no basis for anyone to make that statement.
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kaik
Everyone has different reasons and background. For me the big eye opening was study of the Revelation book, The grand climax at hand. We studied this book in 1991-1992 and I felt it was all BS. The doctrines did not make sense, did not alligned with the Scriptures, there were outright absurd. There were no critical thinking with this book. Prior this one we studied commentary to James, but at this point I looked around and everyone was eating that cr.p. I could not align a concept of 1920's conventions with world wide apocalyptic vision written in Revelation and I just could not accept it as a truth. Once I had felt that WT did not had truth, they could not be the God's channel of communciation. It was easy to see them as false religion. Two years later they started changing the doctrine of the generation, but I was already out.
I think once people realize that WT does not represent God organization, nor it serve him, it is easy to see the fallacy of their theology.
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The do not call list
by LisaRose ini have posted before about my experience trying to get on the "do not call" list.
despite repeated requests, a phone call to the hall and mailing a letter, and then giving a copy to a jw, they just keep coming by.
i was going to put up a no soliciting sign, then i can call the police on them, but my husband doesn't want me to do it.. so, i decided if they come back i would have some fun.
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kaik
LisaRose, maybe the JW wanted to check if your house will be habitable after Armageddon so they can move in once the earth is cleansed from unbeliever. So far, I had only one visit from JW in past 20 years, and no single one at my present location. Maybe you planted seed of doubt into the truth.