Posts by Magnum

10

How long before the Wt fully embraces the internet.

by joe134cd in

the way things are going i believe that wt will start encouraging its members to start setting up web sites.

i can certainly see them loosening their stand on it.

the example i will give is the video showing the dancing in the kh, and jw defender which i believe is wt in hiding.

Magnum

I agree with Vidiot & jgnat about the interaction, open discussion, etc. There's no way the org could ever allow for interaction and discussion. They have too many skeletons in their closets, too many failed doctrines and prophecies, too many doctrines they can't defend, etc. Info flow in JWland will always be one way. The "converstation" will always be one-sided.

Heck in the recent past, they even said in one of the publications (Watchtower? Kingdom Ministry?) to quit writing them and asking questions. Think about JW meetings. They are structured to allow for zero real interaction. Consider the Bible Highlights. Only a few minutes long and each comment is limited to a minute and it's only supposed to something positive - like some point that one could use to help him in the ministry. No one is allowed to ask honest questions, criticize, etc. during meetings.

26

Convention Hotel "list"- Free rooms for JW/WT "dignitaries"?

by Darth Fader The Sequel in

in all my years of being a jw, one of the more annoying aspects to me was each year sitting through the service meeting review part about what was expected (see: demanded) behavior and policies that the rest of us rank and file were ordered to comply with to attend a district convention.

the minutia in this part and the over-reaching set of rules were enough to drive me into a lather of rage at the audacity of these people thinking they could and should control every single aspect of my attendance to this "free" and voluntary convention.

from what clothing i can wear on my trip to and from the convention city, to what clothing i can wear before and after each day of the convention, to what i should be doing after each day instead of eating dinner and enjoying some good times with good friends, to insisting on wearing a ridiculous name badge, to what i should eat for lunch and where i should eat lunch and what is the appropriate container to keep my lunch in, to .................. the list is endless!!!!!!!!

Magnum

ducatijoe: Comp rooms are part of the hotel system. I travel 275 nights a year. My Company gets Comps all the time.

If some poor family wants to go to a JW Convention... Who cares.

I would rather go for a long ride on my time off. But if they get a free room... who cares

I don't think poor families are getting free rooms. In every case I've seen, rank and file JWs who got the comp rooms paid for them. The rooms are complimentary to the org; the org doesn't make them complimentary to the rank and file. Maybe in the case of real special needs they do, but I've never seen it. I remember that Special Needs form or whatever it was (or is) called, but I never had to process one, so I'm not sure whether those who were approved got free rooms.

36

New "Caleb and Sofia" video on JW.ORG....you have to see it!

by stuckinarut2 in

ok, so i dont want to be a negative bitter person...and we all love little kids, but i am just so torn about the new video just uploaded on jw.org.

if you havent watched it yet, have a look at it...."an animated series that touches hearts".

(yes, its well done...and they certainly like to do a lot of boasting about their technical skills etc...).

Magnum

No Apologies, I was thinking the same thing. Who does Tony think he is - Walt Disney? You're right about Knorr, Franz, et al spinning in their graves.

26

Convention Hotel "list"- Free rooms for JW/WT "dignitaries"?

by Darth Fader The Sequel in

in all my years of being a jw, one of the more annoying aspects to me was each year sitting through the service meeting review part about what was expected (see: demanded) behavior and policies that the rest of us rank and file were ordered to comply with to attend a district convention.

the minutia in this part and the over-reaching set of rules were enough to drive me into a lather of rage at the audacity of these people thinking they could and should control every single aspect of my attendance to this "free" and voluntary convention.

from what clothing i can wear on my trip to and from the convention city, to what clothing i can wear before and after each day of the convention, to what i should be doing after each day instead of eating dinner and enjoying some good times with good friends, to insisting on wearing a ridiculous name badge, to what i should eat for lunch and where i should eat lunch and what is the appropriate container to keep my lunch in, to .................. the list is endless!!!!!!!!

Magnum

Sir82, I appreciate your spirit of honesty and fairness. I don't know about the dist conventions, but one time there was a sister who didn't book a room for a circuit assembly, and those on the list were filled. I booked her one online significantly cheaper and better than the ones on the list. About the same time I heard an uber-elder say something like "I can get a room cheaper online". I realize that circuit assemblies are different in that hotel rates for them (if hotels are even needed at all) aren't negotiated by headquarters.

I'm curious about the dist conventions (RCs). I might try to do some checking this summer and see whether I can tell how the JW rates compare to the regular rates.

26

Convention Hotel "list"- Free rooms for JW/WT "dignitaries"?

by Darth Fader The Sequel in

in all my years of being a jw, one of the more annoying aspects to me was each year sitting through the service meeting review part about what was expected (see: demanded) behavior and policies that the rest of us rank and file were ordered to comply with to attend a district convention.

the minutia in this part and the over-reaching set of rules were enough to drive me into a lather of rage at the audacity of these people thinking they could and should control every single aspect of my attendance to this "free" and voluntary convention.

from what clothing i can wear on my trip to and from the convention city, to what clothing i can wear before and after each day of the convention, to what i should be doing after each day instead of eating dinner and enjoying some good times with good friends, to insisting on wearing a ridiculous name badge, to what i should eat for lunch and where i should eat lunch and what is the appropriate container to keep my lunch in, to .................. the list is endless!!!!!!!!

Magnum

I've seen the process. It has bothered me for a long time. If the org can guarantee a hotel that so many rooms will be booked, it (the org) will get a certain number of complimentary (free) rooms. I suppose it uses some of those rooms for JW bigshots, but I don't know; I can't verify that. I can verify, though, that the org rents out some of those rooms to convention attendees who need them (didn't make reservations, etc.). I have personally seen the checks.

So the org makes money on the hotel deals. That part they don't relate in the km articles. In the km, it's all about following instructions so the org will be able to negotiate good rates for all our "dear brothers and sisters". Yes, the org is so concerned about all of us out here. The GB and other higher-ups lose sleep over their concern for our welfare, how they can save us money, etc.

It's kind of similar to the disaster relief program. The org makes huge money on that, but we don't hear that part. All we hear about is how wonderful the org is for helping those in need and how quickly it responds.

21

"Thanks for showing an interest" - why I'd rather be completely shunned.

by Julia Orwell in

jw
friends

an old jw friend of mine died on saturday, and i used to be best friends with her jw husband.

we were close friends for 14 years.

i was like his daughter.

Magnum

I agree with some of the comments indicating that maybe he's emotionally drained, etc., but I'm not so sure he should be so quickly forgiven. According to your post, he's an older man and has been a JW for some time. He's been around long enough to have the same issues with the org that we have. The situation has become such in JWdom that I don't see how any honest, reasonable, intelligent, discerning person could not have serious questions and doubts about the org and the religion. Some might say "well maybe he does have doubts and he just suppresses them because he's older and he has nowhere else to go and he's given his life to JWs." Well, to me, that doesn't excuse him. JWs regularly condemn people, including older ones, in churches for not recognizing the wrongs of their religions, their doctrinal fallacies, etc.

I blame my own family members. I think one knows something's wrong, but loves the indirect glory she gets from her husband's position in the org. Another probably somewhere in the back of his mind knows something's wrong, but he keeps his doubts suppressed because he's a goody-goody people-pleaser who's looked up to and doesn't want to lose his status. Another is extremely ignorant about the Bible, JW history, the goings-on in JWdom, etc. yet she stubbornly thinks JWs have the one and only truth even though she can't begin to defend the org, JW theology, etc.

With every passing day I become less wiling to forgive JWs, and anybody who becomes one now with all the info available about them and all the craziness deserves to be one.

75

Party in the kingdom hall!

by StephaneLaliberte in

check it out and download before i am forced to take it down!.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf_rfrusa1c.

Magnum

whathehadas - you seem like a nice guy. I don't mean to argue with you in a mean-spirited way. I really am a nice guy, too. I really care about JWs and want to help them, but most are not helpable. They won't even consider the possiblity that they or their governing body could be wrong, yet they try to point out how all others are wrong. They're clueless, yet think they have all the answers.

I really don't intend to hate on their "party". I just find that dancing around the kingdom hall to be embararssingly and nauseatingly corny. I get kind of the same feeling when I see this commercial...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo6FHJ0DVvc

You know how blacks sometimes joke about whites not being able to dance. Well, I'm white, but I see why blacks say that. A lot of (not all) whites just look stupid dancing; they look corny.

If you don't think the dancing around the kingdom hall was corny and embarassing, then let's just say we disagree about it. I'm sure we agree about a lot of other things.

43

Pets aren't people, says speaker at Regional Convention. Fido and Mimi better watch out! And instead of drinking wine or beer go do some gardening or play golf.

by oppostate in

a big discussion driving back from the regional convention about what exactly was meant about pets.. the warning was obvious to me.

don't get pets, they cost time and money and you would do better to spend your time and money supporting the organization and going in field service.. as to the wine and beer, because the bro during his soliloquy admitted that the first thing he would like to do is relax after a hectic day at work with a glass of wine or beer, his conscience was traumatized.

however he came up with a perfect idea, he'd go tend the garden (obviously a solution for a married bro) or hit some golfballs at the driving range (maybe he's not married).. maybe jesus should have told the wine guzzlers at cana to sober up and go till the fields.. .

Magnum

This is a subject that can infuriate me. I have many animals, but I don't consider them pets. They were all homeless orphans who would have suffered immensely had I or my wife not rescued them. They are like family members to us, and we don't give a damn what JWs or any others think about it. It's true.

JWs have told me that all animals want from us is food. I know from vast experience that that is not true. There have been occasions when some were sick and I couldn't force them to eat, yet they would still want to curl up in my lap or sleep on my chest. They have been and are precious creatures to us. I cannot stand to refrain from helping one when I have the power and means to do so.

Some years ago, I saw a brown bag in the grass on the roadside and a kitten on its side by the bag. I figured somebody had put it out there. It looked dead, but I stopped to verify. It was; it was stiff and its eyes had been partially eaten by insects. I scanned around to make sure there weren't more of them, and I saw another where the grass met the woods. It was lying on its left side with all four legs sticking straight out. It was solid black and its fur was covered with white fly eggs that stood out against the black fur. The eggs would have hatched into maggots. There were ants streaming in its mouth and eyes. Figuring it was dead, I lightly kicked its back to make sure. To my sheer horror, its right front paw slightly curled; it was still alilve, but barely. I scooped it up and rushed home as fast as I could. To make a long story short, with much effort, I was able to revive him (found out was a boy), and he became a precious addition to our clan. Now, what the hell was I supposed to do - leave him there to be eaten alive by ants?

Having animals has put a lot of burden on me and my wife. We have actually prayed to Jah to keep us from finding more animals in need of homes or help, but he hasn't answered. We have never actively gone out and tried to acquire animals for pets even though we see nothing wrong with that at all. Why doesn't Jah take care of the animals that he supposedly created so I won't see them homeless and starving and be moved to take them home? Jesus indicated that he does take care of them (Mt 6:26), but I don't see it.

The org, to me , is cold, heartless, & cruel. JW higher-ups seem to view animals as objects that have no feelings. Well, if they do view them that way, they're wrong. Animals do have feelings. They can feel physical and emotional pain. They can be happy or sad. They can be depressed.

The org is in a position to do a lot to alleviate some of the animal suffering in the world, but it coudn't care less about it.

21

ENCOURAGING VISIT!?!?

by DATA-DOG in

about a week ago, i had my "encouraging visit!

" it was real last minute, and i said , "yes!

" they were not expecting that, and they missed their dinner.

Magnum

AlphaMan, I don't know how serious you are in saying that, but I've been saying that for a long time - that JWs worship the org and that it is an idol to them.

75

Party in the kingdom hall!

by StephaneLaliberte in

check it out and download before i am forced to take it down!.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf_rfrusa1c.

Magnum

whathehadas: They wouldn't have a religion then, if that was the case. The chances of that happening are way lower than them evolving into a more tolerant religion.

I'd rather they not have a religion than evolve into a more tolerant one. Even if they do become more tolerant, they're still going to have all the other problems we've mentioned on this site.

As for what's “corny” or “embarassing” in that vid. That's subjective. It wasn't fun for you but looks like they were enjoying themselves.

I'm not sure it is completely subjective; It's one of those things I know when I see, but I don't know how to measure it objectively. Watch a video of The Situation (Michael Sorrentino) at the Comedy Central roast of Donald Trump. I don''t know how to explain objectively why he bombed, but I know he did.

Also, I'm not sure they were really having fun. I've already said this earlier on this thread, but evidently some are posting without reading the whole thread, so I'll have to say it again. I think many just were going along because they saw others joining in - like a kind of peer pressure. JWs do that a lot. They just go with the flow and don't question. They think that since everybody else is doing it, it must be the thing to do, and they don't want to be different or stand out.

A lot of JWs don't know how to have fun. I know some who go from one hobby or interest to the next just seeking some kind of fulfillment in life, but not really enjoying anything.

I do think that the members of the group, "The Theocratic Revue" were having fun because they were eating up the attention they were getting and thought they were better than they were. They were doing that for themselves - not for their visitors. They had a captive audience.

A good thing you are out Magnum. I'm sure you were that no nonsense brother, who the laid back, and easy going witnesses tried to avoid.

Totally wrong. I was the one they sought out and wanted to be around. If you ever find out who I am, you will be able to verify that. I was the one who loved life and who all the JWs could approach. I was easy-going, non-judgmental, well-liked. I was extremely approachable. JWs always wanted be with and around me, wanted to work with me in service, etc. They approached me and confided in me. I was no-nonsense in that I thought JWs had the truth and everybody else's life was in immediate danger and I spent my life accordingly, suffering and sacrificing and putting the ministry first. But I was very laid back and I still am.

If I saw those people out wetbiking or hiking a mountain or just sitting around playing chess, I wouldn't fault them at all because I could genuinely believe they were having fun and it wouldn't be corny. But good God that dancing around the kingdom hall was corny and embarassing. Maybe I am wrong in my judgement, but right now I think I'm right. If I were still an active JW and knew of a level-headed interested person, I would try to keep him from seeing the video - esp the part of them getting all happy and dancing around the kingdom hall.