Posts by Nicholaus Kopernicus

57

Reasons for Stagnation in Growth. AKA YearBook Numbers!

by ttdtt in

so why has the growth flatlined?

why is less time spent in the ministry?

why have aux pios droped by 1/3rd?.

Nicholaus Kopernicus

A significant factor could well be the environment shaped by the GB and their officers. The meetings, literature, and JW websites are hardly the positive and "uplifting" environments which their authors believe them to be. The study WT has especially deteriorated markedly in recent years. I now more readily understand why the WT statement of purpose on the inside front cover disappeared without announcement from the Jan 2013 study edition onwards.

Additionally, the WTS seems to have enterred into an era of capriciousness and is therefore an "unsteady" ship where individuals can easily loose their footing and "stumble". (I for my part, cannot give a reposte to those who opine the ship is sinking.)

Further, those providing "leadership" locally are most likely doing so poorly as their minds are held somewhat captive to the "legalism" of the GB rather than the refreshment of the Christian message.

The path they are following cannot lead to other than progressively poor outcomes.

20

Little "oops" in today's WT Study article.

by stillin in

jw
friends

paragraph 12 recommends that we meditate on the weekly reading for the theocratic ministry school.

ok, i'm splitting hairs here.

but there will be no more tms in a week.. somebody isn't keeping up with jehovah's celestial chariot..

Nicholaus Kopernicus

I'm 99% convinces the rearrangement of these deck chairs for the mid-week meeting were simply to get the name "school" out of the program, thus an end-around any governmental authority.

I think you've got something there Lostgeneration. There was only a matter of several weeks between the new Jan 2016 arrangement being announced (no more TMS - at least in name) when items about illegal/unregistered schooling started appearing in UK news items. These items mostly referred to Madrasses and Jewish schools - with OfSTED (government schools inspectorate) undertaking investigations. So I'm guessing that someone in JW HQ received advanced legal advice and they made the changes accordingly. So the reasons given by the WTBTS / GBoJW may well be false, as they were for the "simplified arrangement" years ago, and for other changes embarked upon more recently.

20

Little "oops" in today's WT Study article.

by stillin in

jw
friends

paragraph 12 recommends that we meditate on the weekly reading for the theocratic ministry school.

ok, i'm splitting hairs here.

but there will be no more tms in a week.. somebody isn't keeping up with jehovah's celestial chariot..

Nicholaus Kopernicus

I noticed that too. It gives us a little window into the capricious state of "the organisation". If one were able to calculate from the time the article was authored until the time of the letter being released about the elimination of the TMS, then we could see how rapidly they can change when it suits them. No change however on DF'ing or blood transfusion abstinance - things which are really important to many.

You mentioned the celestial chariot. An elder in my congregation stated from behind the lectern that it is getting difficult to keep up with the chariot. So their rapidity of change - doctrinal, financial, structural, may have the beneficial effect of helping some individuals to see what the leadership of "the organisation" is truly like.

5

Superb advice from the WTBTS!

by Nicholaus Kopernicus in

(insight vol.

the reader must put his heart into it, be absorbed in study of the material, meditate deeply upon it, and seek to benefit from it personally.pr 15:28; 1ti 4:13-16; mt 24:15" this is a fascinating statement from the insight volume.

i accept that "the help of god's spirit is necessary for real discernment and understanding of god's word.

Nicholaus Kopernicus

(Insight Vol. II pages 754-755)
The help of God’s spirit is necessary for real discernment and understanding of God’s Word. (1Co 2:9-16) To get understanding and other benefits, a person must approach the reading of God’s Word with an open mind, throwing aside all prejudice and preconceived opinions; otherwise his understanding will be veiled... (2Co 3:14-16) Superficial reading is not enough. The reader must put his heart into it, be absorbed in study of the material, meditate deeply upon it, and seek to benefit from it personally.—Pr 15:28; 1Ti 4:13-16; Mt 24:15"

This is a fascinating statement from the Insight volume. I accept that "The help of God's spirit is necessary for real discernment and understanding of God's Word." So why is it assumed that this discernment and understanding can only he had as a result of reading the publications of the WTBTS /GBoJW's. The cited scripture (1 Co 2:9-16) underpins that the WT publications are surplus to requirements. So too does the "fully competent, completely equipped" statement of 2 Tim 3:17.
I also accept that I should read scriptre with an "open mind, throwing aside all prejudice and preconceived opinions" so that my understanding won't be veiled. As a result of this approach, I cannot accept...

the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses is the Faithful & Discreet Slave. My rationale for such is several fold including that Christians should not be governing others. Additionally, the GB are neither faithful to God's Word, nor are they discreet. Rather, they seek do dominate man to his injury - causing people to abstain from blood transusions, exacerbating the mal-experience of child abuse victims and protecting the perpetrators, and also competing for the time of appointed men against the interests of family life and the individual's mental and physical health.
that the organisation of Jehovah's Witnesses is the vehicle chosen by God for salvation of man as there is no such scriptural justification for such a claim. God's spirit does not need to be chanelled through any institution and the GB seem to be thinking more of themselves than it is necessary to think by magnifying their organisation. Quite idolatrous!
the repeated claim that one needs to be obedient to the WT elders. The actual teaching of the Bible is not to be a follower of men or men pleasers. It is also now widely known that the Heb 13:17 scripture involves being persuaded. This is easier if the officers of the WT yield to scripture. Yet they tend to make much more of WT publication references and thus I am under no obligation to obey them and be a man pleaser.

So putting my heart into it, being fully absorbed in the study of the material, meditating deeply upon it, and seeking to benefit from it personally is proving liberating. Now, my money goes on my family rather than the WT. Now I feel released from WT "privileges" such as running up and down with microphones, KH security, attendant duties, TMS assignments, reading assignments. I don't feel in the least guilty for abstaining from their so called "privileges". I read any translation of the Bible I like - now seldom the NWT. I understand that when the WTBS extols unity, it actually means uniformity! This paragraph in the Insight Volume is certainly good advice - but with outcomes not intended by the WTBTS!

19

"Freeness of speech"

by Wonderment in

this was posted on another thread (http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/6040010839031808/christmas-tree-word-appreciation), but wondered about how others here would see this with one experience i had as an elder now as ex-jws.. when we were jw's we had to be extremely careful with what we said around the brotherhood.

if someone said anything out of the ordinary, relationships among the involved were halted immediately, or were never the same afterwards.

in this place, one can say almost anything without the fear of having a truck run over us.

Nicholaus Kopernicus

My experience is that a talk is interesting or not depending on how much the speaker incorporates into the outline from external references. When he adds information and references it, this gives weight to what he is saying. It is tragic that there are influences around who seek to extinguish individuality on the one hand, and genuine desire to refresh, stimulate, and encourage the audience on the other hand. Innovation in other words. But then again, when an organisation at the top is dysfunctional, it can be disconcerting for those dysfunctional leaders see others do the right thing.

In my experience, there are few interesting talks given anymore. It's becoming a desert of sorts. The "famine in the land" is not really in the realm of Christendom as I was led to believe, but right there in the kingdom halls. The leadership of the WTS is addressing meeting attendance in the April 2016 edition of the Watchtower magazine.....

"REASONS TO ATTEND MEETINGS

They educate us.

They encourage us.

They bring us under the influence of holy spirit.

They give us opportunities to show our brothers that we love them.

They unite us with fellow believers.

Our attendance gives Jehovah what he deserves.

Our attendance shows Jehovah that we want to draw close to him and his Son.

Our attendance demonstrates that we support God’s sovereignty."

I can't agree with any of the above. It's just not my experience any more. I grew weary of RC ritual and repetition many years ago. Yet in many respects, WT meetings are becoming mere ritual and repetition and underpin the sovereignty of the GB, and neither encourage or educate.

42

Beards

by HowTheBibleWasCreated in

i have a beard.

i spend a month on vacation with no worry from the congregation overseas of course.

i grew a full beard now and with glasses i finally have posted my picture on facebook og me... next to half life 2 cover showing i look like gordan freeman lol.

Nicholaus Kopernicus

This is taken from the 1942 text called "The New World". So the WT's antipathy towards beards is/has been quite extreme. I have met a Bro from Scandinavia with a beard. He hasn't encounteted problems. Very problematic in UK and USA however.

That Jesus is not only depicted here as clean shaven but also caucasian and blond, and with the marching body language of a GI Joe is gross. Then again, all these years later, the WT Society excells in being gross/eggregious/arrogant/hierarchical.... and so on.....

5

Harvesting of cash

by Nicholaus Kopernicus in

in the wt handbill/invitation coloured brown, it clearly states "no collections" on the left and right sides of one of the pages.

however, on the newer and replacement handbill/invitation coloured blue/gray, reference to there being no collections is entirely absent.

i'm not sure if this is because of the present cash harvest or a sign that something even more direct may be under consideration at some time in the future.

Nicholaus Kopernicus

In the WT handbill/invitation coloured brown, it clearly states "No collections" on the left and right sides of one of the pages. However, on the newer and replacement handbill/invitation coloured blue/gray, reference to there being no collections is entirely absent.

I'm not sure if this is because of the present cash harvest or a sign that something even more direct may be under consideration at some time in the future. Yet, even before the brown handbill was released, there was a white handbill which still had "No collections" printed on it in bold. So this most recent redesign with the statement being omitted may well be a significant sign of preparatory and future intent.

21

Pictures in the Watchtower

by Sour Grapes in

jw
friends

after sitting through last sunday's watchtower i got so sick of seeing the bobbing/nodding heads when talking about the pictures.

they act like god himself took the picture.

there must have been 10 comments about the group in service and the one brother was looking at his phone with a smile, which is a dead give away that he was reading something interesting.. what got me was how the older brother in the posed picture had a bible in his hand had a stern look on his face looking at the young brother.

Nicholaus Kopernicus

There is much more attention given to the pictures than there used to be. I can't help but think that this attention to the pictures increases as the content of the literature becomes more dull and boring.

There is also a tendency to attribute too much importance to the pictures - rather like the JW.ORG emblems which are appearing at KHs and in lapel and tie pins, key fobs etc. Simply idolatrous and showing the authors at the WTBTS as increasingly bankrupt spiritually.

24

Following Christ "from a distance."

by New day in

luke 22:54.

"then they arrested him and led him off, and they brought him into the house of the high priest; but peter was following at a distance.

" i am still raging because this verse was used at a recent circuit overseer's visit.

Nicholaus Kopernicus

Another good riposte to those seeking to guilt trip us into "reaching out" is this quotation from the w14 9/15 page 3 (Are You Reaching Out?).....

"Some believe that they are successful only if they get this privilege or that appointment. Such thinking is erroneous and can turn into an obsession. If you serve Jehovah faithfully wherever you are and whatever you do, you are a success." [bold mine].

I don't reach out, don't give money, don't have "privileges" and don't care what any temple police officer (elder) or high priest (circuit overseer) thinks!

40

Boredom at the Kingdom Hall meetings

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

put aside all the stupid rules,beliefs,doctrines and practices of the jehovah's witnesses.this is one of the main reasons why i stopped attending all meetings!

boredom.

monotone speakers.

Nicholaus Kopernicus

Some years ago, I remember attending a circuit elders' meeting where most of the time of the meeting was given over to presenting meeting parts and the audience giving feedback. The purpose of the meeting was to look hard at presentations and make them as interesting as possible. We were all informed that the rationale underlying such a focus was the perennial problem of troughs in mid-week meeting attendance. This of course implies that much of the responsibility lay with those presenting the information - true to an extent. However, there was no reflection whatsoever on the content of the meeting parts. Of course, to this day, the content of meetings is as it has always been - completely centralized. Thus, if the authors of the meeting produce outlines etc which are rather boring, then the meetings are going to be boring. Hardly rocket science!

Earlier in 2015 and perhaps 2014 too, I remember there were several episodes of KSM's having a part where several verses of scripture were read out and then open questions put to the audience. In my congregation not only did many hands go up, but the hands were held really high. I interpreted this as the audience being really enthused to participate. These items disappeared however. I don't detect enthusiasm at the meetings. Nobody says - "Oh wasn't that a nice talk..... wasn't that an interesting thought." No, the authors of the content and structure of the meetings exemplify the banal, the institutional, and lack of imagination. The focus is on considering the literature published by the WTBTS rather than the Bible. For an organisation which purports to be Christian, so little of Christ's teachings are actually considered. So the WTBTS is really responsible for the boring meetings and any consequent reduced or irregular attendances.

My scriptural thought on WTBTS meetings: "Better is the ending afterward of a matter than its beginning." From somewhere in Proverbs.