The program is on the borg website also. You know the ones they pass out when you walk in? You can get the digital version on their website under "publications".
-TE
i've been out of the religion for a little while now but my family is still "strong in the truth".
i got a call today asking if i could stop by to have a discussion.
they just had their circuit assembly and this is typically when they decide to talk to me, while they're spiritually energized hah.
The program is on the borg website also. You know the ones they pass out when you walk in? You can get the digital version on their website under "publications".
-TE
this week's service meeting, the whole 30 minutes, is devoted to the "new songs" foisted upon jws.. note this from paragraph 8 of the km article that is to be considered:.
we will conclude our meeting today with the new song entitled the kingdom is in placelet it come!
this song, which was featured at the recent annual meeting, was specially composed to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the kingdom.. .
“The Kingdom Is in Place—Let It Come!”
The title alone is enough to make you drink. Why the he!! would you set up a "kingdom" and then let all the earthly subjects die?
The Bible Students were chosen in 1919 because they were so special...I'm pretty sure it says so on their tombstones!
The lie just keeps growing... (just like we were taught in kindergarten)
-TE
i met an aging, well, late sixties, pioneer sister a few days back, from a congregation four removes away, and a different circuit to my old congo.
i have known her since i was a kid.. i wasn't quite sure at first if she knew our "status" as we exchanged pleasantries, but it soon became clear she knew exactly our situation, that we walked away a few years ago.. she asked me about my views on life now, and listened respectfully, and said she appreciated my view, but a couple of questions that she threw at me, as in the thread title, showed that she was surprised that mrs phizzy and i had not gone off the rails after we left.. the mind control goes so very deep does it not ?
she was surprised that our marriage hadn't failed, and that we were now happy.. i wonder if she will ever make the connection that the jw org has lied to her about those of us who leave ?.
If people can just get their heads around the fact that it's just another religion turned into a business - with just another theology / belief system and corporate structure, so much will begin to make sense. They will no longer be plagued by questions such as:
Why is Phizzy happy and still married?
Why did that elder get away with an affair for a solid decade before ever getting caught?
Why did that obvious butt-kisser get appointed instead of this other brother that is obviously 10 times more spiritual and a better person?
Why do we not engage in charity work of any kind beyond disaster relief for mainly our own members?
Why can't the GB keep their story straight about what God revealed to them as eternal truth?
Why has the organization covered up child abuse instead of doing the right thing and leaving the rest in God's hands?
etc. etc.
-TE
what is the watchtower organization leaving behind for all the kingdom halls after their done siphoning them dry?
who is going to pay for a lawsuit or damages when some incompetent elders or three are busted for something very bad?
will the watchtower help or leave them alone for the sharks to shred to pieces?
The WT is trying to muddy the water with the new policies and they may cause some confusion, but the facts are the facts. The elders are essentially branch controlled robots. The branch controls ownership of the church property and the exact qualifications and procedures for the elder position.
The secret elder book is exhibit A. Exhibit B is the form that is sent by the BOE to the CO a month before his visit listing any brother that is being looked at for appointment. Next evidence is getting their hands on leaked procedures that are followed by the CO in the month between getting the form from the BOE and holding the meeting with the BOE to go over potential appointments.
What happens is this: The CO contacts the branch to go over the listed recommendations. So it is just a shell game. The branch still tells the CO whom he can and whom he can't appoint.
The WT has essentially created a few artificial layers between themselves and the elders, but it's still business as usual. I suppose they are giving their legal department something to play legal games with - i.e. lie about in court - when the time comes to determine liability.
So much for "leaving things in Jehovah's hands".
-TE
today's text repeats the declassification of all the hard work of of the "feeders of the sheep" prior to 1919,-- to not being the f&ds.
the "slave" exists only in the " last days" according to matth.
the "lords day"**, as per the whole book of revelation.
the "Wild West world" of Wt doctrine contortionists
love it lol
-TE
i have updated the article at memorial partakers with the figures released for 2014. no surprises here, it has risen yet again, this time by 6% over last year, and is now 14,121.. .
.
Steve2:
That's exactly right. Whatever happened to the remnant? How many times did we hear "the remnant and the other sheep"?
Since when does a remnant increase repeatedly year after year? It's hilarious.
Remnant defined: a small remaining quantity of something.
i have protestants, jw's and mormons praying for my soul, (think you very much).. what do you say when you are told that??
i am so much better since i left the borg, physically, mentally and financially.
but just in case the protestants(jesus) are right or the mormons or maybe jw, if i meet my maker i will tell him or her i plea insanity.. my deity, i knew not who's prayers was being answers on my behalf, my eyes were open but didn't know where it came from.
God is welcome to communicate with me anytime he wants to. Like I have said before - if Ashton Kutcher can communicate with 16 million people with a single twitter account, God could certainly figure out a way to communicate with whomever he chose. How about have us wake up with a note taped to our heads that only we could read?
As far as the prayers - just thank them for their thoughts.
As far as the different christian religions, I don't think you have anything to worry about. If God really wanted to sacrifice his son for all humankind, then he would have left him dead. Like Simon said in another thread, it's just a badly written story. People just want to believe in something I guess.
-TE
believe what we will, we still live in the real world and what happens to us proceeds from confrontations unavoidable.. the christian scientist can die from an illness which (to him) does not exist.. the hindu can starve to death in a pasture full of sacred cattle.. the jehovah's witness can sell his house and pioneer full time as he tears the pages from his 1975 calendar in exasperation.. and many is the parent who prays for mercy over the child who dies.. to think or not think is our choice.
the content of our thought can be real or illusory.
the progress report comes at the end of each day as we lie in bed and count the costs of our beliefs.. .
Wow history definitely repeats itself! Humans will be humans.
Thanks for the reference...
-TE
wt seems to be helpless in really dealing with the failed prophecies, pending dates, overlapping groups--.. what if they declare victory, blame jehovah, in that he allowed the nations to come to their senses and not further escalate the use of weaponry, "destroying [life on] the earth"?
in a second fulfillment of .
the "repentant ninevites, disappointed jonah" bible story?
Dubs want to believe in a fantasy. - Data-Dog
Totally agree. The WT takes advantage of the human tendency to want to be included in an elite group with inside information - a special class set aside from the masses with a secret key to wealth or eternal youth. Throw in a little - "you're a good little boy or girl - God approves of you" from people that claim authority - and you have a recipe to scam people out of billions.
It's a sick ploy.
It's no different from somebody like Madoff. He took advantage of similar human tendencies in his billion dollar scam.
Think about it. Why would a woman in her sixties or seventies - 100+ lbs overweight - bad health - of little means - drag herself to an assembly where she will have to walk 20 times as much as she normally does, probably ache through the whole program, and suffer for several days recovering from the experience? (I just recently went to a CA and saw plenty of these types)
Are the talks that good? No not really. Is the association enjoyable? So so.... it's a mixed bag for most. There are more people you don't want to see than those you do want to see. So what's the motivation? Why would she go through so much pain and struggle?
My answer - to get her prize money. She thinks she might miss out on the payout. Eternal youth, beauty, wealth in the new world.
I know it sounds cynical, but there's a lot of truth to it.
Shame on the WTS for letting these poor, uneducated people line up to worship them. The GB are con-artist crooks. I hope they are publicly exposed and humiliated for what they've done and continue to do.
....To answer the OP, I don't think they would ever try the Jonah thing. Too many JW's would give up.
-TE
as a result of my fading from the jw religion, i have taken an interest in the mormon religion.
personally i think mormonisim is a bigger con than the jw religion.
with all knowledge i've been acquiring, i was interested to find out what the followers of the mormon religion knew about the churches history.
I agree with ShirleyW.
Firstly it's hard to say one is a bigger con than the other. They are both selling absolute fiction as the secret truths of the universe.
I use the Mormons often as a good reference point for JW's that think the "brotherhood" is the greatest thing since sliced bread. If you have ever been to a middle-size or smaller town in Utah, the Mormons have accomplished exponentially more in the way of building community than the WT ever will. It is like walking around in a modern day "Leave it to Beaver" episode.
Basically, JW's have a conservative group of relatively passive people that are supposed to be living by basic christian standards.
Mormons have that in spades! I would say the Mormons have JW's beat hands down in that department. They might not have the racial diversity, but i think generally speaking the average Mormon is a better and more devout person than the average JW.
Oh and ditto what Terry said above...
-TE