Posts by TTATTelder

14

Elders Can't Simply Go Back to Being Ministerial Servants...

by TTATTelder in

as a currently serving "awake" elder caught in the web of family, spouse, employer, etc.

etc..... i have often wondered why an elder cannot simply drop back to ministerial servant if he so desired (because of stress, circumstances, health).. on paper a currently serving elder in good standing more than qualifies to be a ms. that is obviously the case by their own hierarchy structure and definitions of qualification.. but...under their current arrangement....theoretically a man could give a district convention talk one week to 10,000 people, step down as an elder the following day due to stress, and not "qualify" to give a 5 min part on the next week's service meeting in front of 50 people.

doesn't make a lot of sense.. so my question is this.....why do you think the wt forces a man to drop all the way "down" to publisher if he no longer wants to serve as an elder?.

TTATTelder

I agree with many of the comments above.

I think it is definitely designed to entrap elders by not allowing them to slip down a rung. They are essentially punished for walking away and branded as weak, without-proper-zeal, etc. It is an all or nothing proposition. How can they defend this as "Christian"?

The announcement is the same as well. If a brother is removed for screwing a prostitute or simply steps aside because of stress, the anouncement is "Brother SO and SO is no longer serving as an elder" which, by the way, always sounds like a bad thing when read from the platform.

Check this out from the "Secret" Elder Book:

A brother resigns for personal reasons.

Two elders should first discuss the matter with him.
Why does he wish to resign? Is he Scripturally
disqualified? If his personal circumstances hin-
der him from doing what he would like, can the
elders be of any assistance and encouragement?
Until his circumstances change, perhaps they
can lighten his load for a period of time while
he continues to serve. If, after this discussion,
he still feels he wants to resign, then the Con-
gregation Service Committee should write the
branch office and give sufficient information so
that the reasons for resignation are clear. Full de-
tails should be provided as to why he chose to
relinquish his privilege of service.

(italics mine)

They see this man as dangerous. It's like a "you are either for us or against us" kind of thing.

Anyway, I think the topic is an interesting one. It is one of those things right under the noses of the JW's and never gets acknowledged.

It is a less-controversial subject that could potentially be brought up in an effort to get someone thinking.

-TE

14

Elders Can't Simply Go Back to Being Ministerial Servants...

by TTATTelder in

as a currently serving "awake" elder caught in the web of family, spouse, employer, etc.

etc..... i have often wondered why an elder cannot simply drop back to ministerial servant if he so desired (because of stress, circumstances, health).. on paper a currently serving elder in good standing more than qualifies to be a ms. that is obviously the case by their own hierarchy structure and definitions of qualification.. but...under their current arrangement....theoretically a man could give a district convention talk one week to 10,000 people, step down as an elder the following day due to stress, and not "qualify" to give a 5 min part on the next week's service meeting in front of 50 people.

doesn't make a lot of sense.. so my question is this.....why do you think the wt forces a man to drop all the way "down" to publisher if he no longer wants to serve as an elder?.

TTATTelder

As a currently serving "awake" elder caught in the web of family, spouse, employer, etc. etc....

I have often wondered why an elder cannot simply drop back to Ministerial Servant if he so desired (because of stress, circumstances, health).

On paper a currently serving elder in good standing more than qualifies to be a MS. That is obviously the case by their own hierarchy structure and definitions of qualification.

But...under their current arrangement....theoretically a man could give a District Convention talk one week to 10,000 people, step down as an elder the following day due to stress, and not "qualify" to give a 5 min part on the next week's service meeting in front of 50 people. Doesn't make a lot of sense.

So my question is this.....why do you think the WT forces a man to drop all the way "down" to publisher if he no longer wants to serve as an elder?

-TE

58

Major reversal for the Watchtower imminent - Countdown: only 5 left.

by Focus in

jw
friends

.

focus.

("armageddon" class).

TTATTelder

Nice post.

It continues to blow me away when I read older magazines and see how authoratative they made their pronouncements - to be such epic fails.

What a total embarassment for them. No wonder these magazines are nowhere to be found on JW.org.

*As a side note, I recently noticed the "All Scripture Inspired" book has disappeared from the the JW.org library. I'm sure the reasoning book will be gone soon as well.

-TE

20

BOE 2014-06-09 Adjusted approval and financing process to accelerate Kingdom Hall and Assembly Hall construction

by WatchTower87 in

2014-06-09 adjusted approval and financing process to accelerate kingdom hall and assembly hall construction.

to all bodies of elders.

the congregation secretary should arrange for this letter to be retained in the congregation permanent file of policy letters.

TTATTelder

A brother just came up to me and said that he will no longer be able to donate bathroom supplies because of the new arrangement of giving more money for construction.

So now the local expenses will now go up about a hundred dollars a month or more because "mother" is now getting that money.

This of course comes out after the commitments and resolutions have already been passed concerning how much will be sent to the branch.

The branch is sucking up every dollar they can and the local brothers are left holding the bag.

The fall out from all this will go on for months.

-TE

48

Florida' s Gold Coast-- Latest WatchTower REAL ESTATE

by rip van winkle in

http://gotoby.com/news/article/2245/watchtower-buys-former-faa-training-facility-in-palm-coast-for-$7025000.

watchtower buys former faa training facility in palm coast for $7,025,000the facility was owned by embry riddle and had been leased to the faa.

watchtower plans to use the facility in much the same manner as did the faa.by toby tobinadd a comment palm coast, fl june 30, 2014 watchtower, an entity ofjehovahs witnesses, purchased the former faa training facility in palm coast from embry riddle aeronautical university for $7,025,000.

TTATTelder

Its prob a new "School for Kingdom Evangelizers" training camp.

As you may remember this new "school" is open to retirees up to 65 and even single sisters (Gasp!), and of couse the normal single brothers and childless couples.

Latest letter said the enrollees have to go where the branch sends them, though.

So no more of the old MTS-grad shenanigans of just going back home to pick up chicks with the new title. LOL

-TE

51

Elders answer questions about the changes of the blood ban

by opusdei1972 in

some days ago two elders visited my sister because she has not been attending the meetings more than one year.

this time she prepared notes containing watchtower past teachings about the blood ban so as to ask them for those changes, and it seems that the elders were also prepared for her past questions.

for instance she showed them that "albumin" was considered "under scriptural ban" in 1956 (read the page 20 of awake, september 8).

TTATTelder

For those interested - There is some very interesting commentary on the JW blood issue on the Beroean Pickets website.

Here is the address:

http://meletivivlon.com/category/blood/

The 3 article series was insightful in my opinion.

-TE

48

Florida' s Gold Coast-- Latest WatchTower REAL ESTATE

by rip van winkle in

http://gotoby.com/news/article/2245/watchtower-buys-former-faa-training-facility-in-palm-coast-for-$7025000.

watchtower buys former faa training facility in palm coast for $7,025,000the facility was owned by embry riddle and had been leased to the faa.

watchtower plans to use the facility in much the same manner as did the faa.by toby tobinadd a comment palm coast, fl june 30, 2014 watchtower, an entity ofjehovahs witnesses, purchased the former faa training facility in palm coast from embry riddle aeronautical university for $7,025,000.

TTATTelder

What happened to building all those kingdom halls?

I thought that's why everybody had to pledge money.

-TE

71

Kate Wild

by quellycatface in

jw
friends

i've been given permission to post news of our friend.. kate hasn't been very well.

not well at all.

i think much of it has been a delayed reaction to her df'ing, the general fallout when leaving the wtbs and family issues.. i just wanted to give you guys the heads up and give you a chance to show how much we care about her.. thanks for listening..

TTATTelder

Lots of love Kate

remember it's ok to ask for help

TE

6

Need To Upgrade Captives of a Concept?

by Cameron_Don in

jw
friends

captives of a concept is based on the governing bodys pre-2012 interpretation of the most important scripture in their theology matthew 24:45-47. the book shows that when that interpretation is compared to the organizations history that relates to it, it becomes evident that the watchtower society has never been gods organization.

see chapter 3. their old interpretation was that the society had been so faithful and discreet about what they had provided in the way of spiritual food at the proper time that jesus appointed rutherford and his associates over all his belongings in 1919. therefore the society has been gods organization ever since.. their new interpretation is that the society had been so faithful and discreet about what they had provided in the way of spiritual food at the proper time that he appointed rutherford and his associates over his domistics in 1919. and therefore the society has been gods organization ever since.. notice that it doesnt make any difference which interpretation is used.

in order to qualify for the belongings appointment in verse 47 or the domestics appointment in verse47 the society had to have been faithful and discreet about what russell and rutherford had provided in the way of spiritual food at the proper time down till 1919.. but as captives of a concept clearly shows, they had not been either faithful or discreet which is why raymond franz expressed it this way.... it would be an insult to christ jesus to say that he (appointed) the society (over his belongings or domestics) on the basis of what it had been teaching as of 1919.. and so even though captives of a concept focuses on the pre-2012 interpretation and the belongings appointment in verse 47, what it says also applies to the post-2012 interpretation and the domestics appointment in verse 45.. and therefore the conclusion of either interpretation remains the same.

TTATTelder

ditto Vidiot

-TE

22

The new phonograph

by Pistoff in

way back in 20's or 30's, (someone correct me if i have the time frame wrong), the wt's strategy for witnessing was to give each publisher (or have them buy one) a phonograph to set on the householder's steps so they could play one of the judge's speeches.. flash forward and there was a testimony card that publishers handed to the householder, introducing them.. this gave way to the current model of the publisher being informed and able to discuss a subject with the householder.. .

that seems to be giving way to the new approach being used by the wt: the website.. the wt realizes that slick content is more impressive that a publisher talking, one who can't or won't keep up with the insane doctrinal changes.. publishing books and magazines is taking the back seat; the wt and awake have less than half the content they used to, and are published half as often.. the wt's trolley cart method involves not getting into discussions with people, but using an ipad to play them a video.. .

the past is the future!.

TTATTelder

Absolutely...the ipad is the new phonograph.

People were using a video (talked about at the convention) just this week in the door to door work with their ipad.

Supposedly, a couple of studies were started.

It has to be more effective than the dubs asking stupid questions and faking conversation, but it has a very cultish.

-TE