Posts by Magnum

48

No more public WT & Awake?

by mikeflood in

have you guys noticed, this year 2023 no more public edition magazines...i wonder how they are gonna spin that fact.

Back in my day as a JW, we received 48 32-page mags per years and were instructed to read them cover-to-cover. I hate the fact that I wasted so much of my life reading such. I could have spent that time reading stuff that would benefit me now.

Back then, attending the Congregation Book Study and reading all the magazines were supposedly vital to our spirituality and survival. Now the Book Study is gone and the mags almost don't exist anymore. What happened? Also, pioneer hours are half of what I had to do.

At this point in time (the last minute of the last days), the org, the preaching work, etc. should be at their peak (think: Israelites marching around Jericho), yet they are weakening. The org might linger on in some small way, but I see it dying. The heyday is over.

48

No more public WT & Awake?

by mikeflood in

have you guys noticed, this year 2023 no more public edition magazines...i wonder how they are gonna spin that fact.

Magnum

WingCommander: "It's really hard to convey to anyone not alive during that time just how it was constantly drummed into our heads that we'd never get old, never even get to high school (much less graduate from it) and walk into the New Order waaaaaay before the year 2000 even."

So true! I was there; I know. I graduated almost two decades before you and prominent JWs in my area told my nonJW dad that I would never get a driver's license or graduate from high school in "this system."

Around the year 1990, I knew of a guy who was going to try to make money on the Olympics that were to be held in Atlanta in 1996 by selling T-shirts. A JW friend and I laughed at that because "this system" was to be gone by then. A few years ago, I had been sent to Florida to work for a few days. As I was driving North on I-95 from Florida to pass through Georgia, I saw a "Welcome to Georgia" sign right at the Fla/Ga border. In big letters on the sign was "Home of the 1996 Olympics." That was 2016 or later, so it was close to 30 years after we laughed at the thought of the Olympics' occurring in 1996, and it was at least (probably more than) 20 years since the Olympics occurred in Atlanta.

Seeing that sign hit me hard and reminded me of the JW mindset back in the 70's, 80's, and early 90's.

51

Is it mathematically posible for Noah and his sons to have populated the earth?

by Fisherman in

bible says flood occurred approximately 4000 years ago.

that is about *200 generations of breeding to get to the population on earth now.

keep in mind that the population increase is geometric.

Magnum

TD: "A JW veterinarian pointed out to them..."

Any way I can get more info about that? Is he still a JW?

The subject of animal predation and when animals started preying on each other was an issue that almost prevented me from getting baptized as a JW 40 years ago. I just never could accept the JW teaching that animals didn't start preying on each other until after the supposed rebellion in the Garden of Eden (or after the flood). There was just too much evidence that they had been preying on each other for millions of years. There are so many examples of offensive and defensive capabilities in nature that couldn't have just developed in a few thousand years. Every animal I can think of has some kind of offensive or defensive capability or both. And, the defenses indicate predation since such wouldn't be needed if there were no predation. Predation is a fundamental part of the workings of the whole of the biosphere.

6

End of preaching work is near and coming shortly...............

by BoogerMan in

......well it was 50 years ago!!

meanwhile, millions of jw's sing diana ross' song, "i'm still waiting.".

w70 12/15 p. 758 par.

Magnum

FFGhost: "The Most Boring Human On The Planet, Ken Cook".

OMG, the dude just needs to stop. He is off the charts boring.

FFGhost: ““Soon! Very soon!” as if it were the first time in recorded history that the WTS had used those words, instead of it being a repeat of their message for well over a literal century."

I cannot believe he would say that as if it were going to excite anybody. You are right; they've been saying that for over a century. I heard it as a small child five or six decades ago, and it was worn out then.

169

Are the statistics out yet?

by slimboyfat in

isn’t it about time they released the report for the service year?

or have they stopped publishing it?

did they released selected figures at the annual meeting as they usually do, such as the memorial attendance or record number of pioneers?

Magnum

Blotty: People are going to make surface level arguments to try and playdown or discredit them just because they don't like them for one reason or another
"Just because they don't like them for one reason or another?" Huh? You make the dislike some have for the org seem to be light and trivial. I hate the org. Allow me to briefly tell you why. I was strongly indoctrinated beginning at around age 5. When I was 11, I had to take to an aptitude/IQ test to get into a private school. I scored the highest grade ever scored and the school indicated that I could do whatever I wanted in life. HOWEVER, school officials had no idea I was strongly indoctrinated into an endtimes religion.
I had great potential that was stolen from me. I trusted the many older JW authority figures who strongly influenced me. The religion seemed to make sense back then. I was one who was concerned about suffering, injustice, and other issues. I was also one who was willing to sacrifice for what he believed in and thought was right.
Therefore, I lost the prime of my life to the religion and organization. I suffered and sacrificed and lived in misery and poverty for decades serving the org full-time, doing menial part-time secular work just to survive.
I feel that those who misled me back then, including many org leaders, were sincere. However, the org is today deceptive and cold and self-serving. It is still trying to steal lives as it did mine. Every day I am slapped in the face by the fact that I was a JW for decades. I will never escape the effects. I have zero contact with close relatives (all JWs) with whom I was once close, including my own mother. They think I'm either weak or evil or a combination of the two.
I have no children because I listened to the org. If I don't just drop dead, I will end up in an old dreary nursing home with no one to check on me or give a damn. I was promised that by now I would have long been in paradise.
I hate the org and want to see it crash and burn.
Link

76

Front row seats watching the collapse of watchtower

by Indoubtbigtime in

i’m a pimo ministerial servant and i won’t fade because i want to keep my front row seats watching what happens next few years.. my predictions are that this current governing body will slowly die off and the current younger helpers will be the next gb.

they will eventually have new light that they were wrong about 1914 and the overlapping generations.. the new light will be something on the lines of the last days are now because of king of north king of south pushing each other etc etc.

they will do their very best to burry old literature and try to change the past trying to make it sound like they were right all along just as they have done for 150 years now.

Magnum

In the minority, I know, but I think it quite possible the whole thing could collapse. JW theology does not allow for a weakening religion that is decreasing in membership. According to JW theology, there is supposed to be an increase in the end and a great shout of warning to the world. As JWdom grows weaker, it looks more and more wrong.

I view it kind of like the physiology of a lot creatures. There is a situation called "homeostasis" that is characterized by all body systems' working properly and working together in harmony. When one system starts to function improperly, it affects other systems. If the situation is not corrected, the whole overall system with its various feedback loops can get to a point of no return at which point the body crashes and death occurs.

I think JWdom is sort of like that. For example, lower attendance at meetings hurts the morale, spirit, and zeal of those in attendance. As they get weaker, some of them stop attending. That makes the situation even worse. In the meantime, donations dwindle, the preaching work weakens, etc. All of these phenomena are interconnected and feed back to each other. I believe there could be a crash and that JWdom can't exist as a small group as some say it could.

Things change. Look at how shopping has changed in the last few years (at least in the U.S.) I see a lot of brick and mortar retail businesses dying and at the same time, I see huge distribution centers being built all along interstate highways.

JWdom's time is up. The heydey is over. It is in survival mode. It is no longer proactive; it is simply reactive. It is flapping at the water trying to keep from drowning. Whether it crashes or just simply continues to weaken remains to be seen, but I hope for the crash and think it's possible.

Businesses and other organizations do crash.

28

Poor metabolic health increases your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

by was a new boy in

it’s all a big fat lie.

more precisely a big low-fat, high-carbohydrate lie.. 'it took dr. paul marik 12 weeks to prove that conventional wisdom about dieting is a lie, and that was just to himself.

he lost 35 pounds, and cured himself of type 2 diabetes.

Magnum

Oh my GOD!!! Cofty's still alive... and even healthy according to his post. Please stay this time. I so missed your contributions to this forum.

Oh, and your post is very interesting. I've been thinking a lot about such lately. And thanks for the Gary Taubes book recommendation. Just checked it out; had never heard of him.

7

Every religion should comply....

by BoogerMan in

...except of course jw's!.

g84 8/22 p. 28 - "the catholic church occupies a very significant position in the world and claims to be the way of salvation for hundreds of millions of people.

any organization that assumes that position should be willing to submit to scrutiny and criticism.".

Magnum

Damn, that's a good find. Thanks for posting. Putting in my files to use later. This will be really useful.

173

Is the tide turning against covid vaccines?

by slimboyfat in

have you seen this video about the covid vaccines?

have you got any views on the information?

i find it worrying at least.

Magnum

Seriously, it is time to start listening to the 99 % instead of the 1%. You are not special.

I strongly disagree. Your premise is that the majority are (or "is" if viewing majority as a singular entity) right. I disagree with that premise.

I went to the same public schools as hundreds of others in my area. 99% of them cannot manipulate simple fractions; for example, they can't figure what 2/3 of 1/6 is. 99% of them have no clue as to what a transitive verb is and what the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs is. They have no clue as to the fact that a nominative preceding a gerund should be in the possessive case and why. They don't know the difference between the active voice and the passive voice. That's all seventh grade stuff. Most don't even know the difference between adjectives and adverbs. They don't know the difference between the objective case and the nominative case. They are totally ignorant of simple trigonometry; "sin of 45deg" is totally meaningless to them even though they were introduced to trig in school. They cannot do simple algebra even though they were taught it. They are bad at logic, reasoning, writing, comprehension, etc.

There are some who are "special." The majority just go with the flow. I've seen it in many different areas of life for decades. I've found that often it's the minority who are right.

I will never "listen" to the majority in that I will automatically consider the majority to be right. I will "listen" to what the majority say in that I will consider the majority viewpoint, but I will also consider what the minority say and consider it equally.

I have a brother in law who is the Dean of Cardiac medicine at the University of Calgary/Foothills hospital, so I think he knows what he is talking about.

He doesn't necessarily 'know what he is talking about' in this specific matter.

20

What are the odds that Armageddon is soooo close?

by Vanderhoven7 in

well judging from past prophetic pronouncements....go figure.

"surely there is not the slightest room for doubt in the mind of a truly consecrated child of god that the lord jesus is present and has been since 1874;…" watchtower 1924 jan 1 p.5).

"the prophecy of the bible, fully supported by the physical facts in fulfillment thereof, shows that the second coming of christ dates from the fall of the year 1914.

Magnum

Vanderhoven7, thanks. I truly appreciate material like this. Adding to my files. Hopefully can share with my JW relatives in the future.

TonusOH, totally agree. Great post.