Magnum

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Posts by Magnum

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  14

  Eye-Opener

  by ElderStuckin in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  each eye-opener in my awakening had nothing to do with apostates.

  it was always by looking directly at the so-called spiritual food that helped me awaken.. in 2019 they changed the wording of the second of two baptismal questions which are answered aloud before the audience.

  now i realize that these questions have been adjusted over the years.

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  Magnum

  There's got to be some reason for the latest wording change (removing "spirit-directed"). Anybody know (or guess) why? I strongly feel the reason is self-serving.
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  41

  KH's Still All Closed- How Bad is WT doing Financially?

  by OnTheWayOut in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  most churches are back to in-person worship.

  not jehovah's witnesses.

  is watchtower still managing to fleece the flocks as the sheeple no longer get literature, no longer go to the kh, no longer walk past the donation box?

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  Magnum

  I think they are having high-level meetings analyzing the situation and trying to decide what to do - not because they care about the welfare of JWs, but because they care about what's best for the org.

  I've been thinking lately that they might not want to reopen because they are afraid of what the scenario might be... It might look bad because fewer JWs might come back and when the ones who do come back see how empty the buildings are and how weak and puny JWdom is looking, some of them might leave and a snowball effect could start.

  I think it would be less damaging for them to just go completely online. It would then be easier to hide their losses in numbers and the decline of the religion in general.
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  29

  The bus stop analogy

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  suppose we were naïve observers, given the following data, and asked to draw a conclusion.

  we see people gather at a busy bus stop several times a day.

  at first one person, then another, and another, until they form a group.

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  Magnum

  This is a subject in which I have extreme interest. I haven't had time to watch the video posted above (will watch later). But, just wanted to relate that I've had this question for decades: "Does consciousness, awareness, etc. answer solely to physics or is there something else - beyond or outside the realm of physics - going on?" In another words, will we ever be able to explain consciousness using physics and/or math?

  I think about how, ultimately, biology is physics. For example, a biologist studying plant nutrition will encounter photosynthesis. Explaining photosynthesis requires an understanding of how electrons move through the cycle involved and and an accounting of energy throughout the cycle (so, it requires chemistry). Then, going deeper and understanding electrons (their behavior, nature, etc.) requires physics (the fundamental science). Photosynthesis is well understood.

  I wonder whether we will ever be able to understand consciousness and explain it as we do photosynthesis. If we do ever get to that point, then there will be more evidence that we are just machines - answering to existing laws of physics as do all other machines.

  I personally hope/wish there is something more and that we're not just machines.
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  37

  What are your personal reasons for hating the Jehovah's Witnesses religion ?

  by Rocketman123 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  first thing comes to mind is that this organization through its leaders are not witnessing the true and honest version of the gospel teachings of jesus christ .. they are subjectively teaching/preaching a tainted version made up by the top controlling men of the organization, which i'm sure is connected to the proliferation and distribution of literature which these men publish themselves.

  .

  when jesus said that no one knows of the time not even he, he didn't say a select few will know .. the other thing that bothers me is this organization promotes human ignorance on many levels, admonishing education or knowledge that mankind needs for its very survival... there are many other religious organizations that do this as well but the jws is just one of these organizations.

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  Magnum

  "Hate" is not a strong enough word for me. I detest it. I served it in misery for decades. I was loyal. I defended it. It cheated me and deceived me and took my life. I was promised a reward that I should have been enjoying for, at the very least, 22 years, and, really, about 28 years now. I live an extremely difficult life now because of what it did to me. I have not even been able to post on this forum for weeks due to lack of time that results from my hard life.

  I lived it 24 hours a day. There were times when I was a regular pioneer that I would go to a meeting (school & service meeting) on a Thursday night after having worked and been in the ministry all day, and go back out in the ministry at night after the meeting (witnessing at convenience stores, putting mags in phone booths, etc.) just to meet my hours quota.

  I was exhausted, miserable, and poor the whole time. Yet, I could never do enough as a JW. I always heard about what I wasn't doing. I was nitpicked by self-righteous, glory-loving, dumb-ass elders. I was wrongly judged by many.

  The org's publications were awful - littered with grammatical wrongs, illogical reasoning, and just plain bad writing, yet I was supposed to praise them and look to them as being ideal. I suffered through decades of boring meetings with awful teachers - many who were outright ignorant, lacking in intelligence, and embarrassing.

  JWdom is self-righteous, goody-goody, deceptive, lying, selfish, self-serving, and cruel. Yeah, I HATE it, and I want to expose it for what it really it is. I want to see it go down. I want to see the eight chief buffoons suffer. I'd love to face them myself.

  footnote: It's not the really the religion (or teachings and system of worship) that I hate; it's the organization and a lot (but, not all) of the individuals who make it up. I have vast experience with church-going people and various denominations (such as Baptist, Methodist, Catholic), and I vastly prefer the JW religion over such. I have two non-JW, church-going friends whom I've known for decades and with whom I've reconnected in the past few years. I've discussed my disgust with JWdom with them and they both seem to think it's some sort of victory for them as if it validates their choice of religion. One asked me to go to his church and the other asked me to come speak at his church. I'm about to have a long talk with each and relate my extreme disgust with their choice of religion, too. I'm going to let them know that if I were forced to pick a religion and my choice was theirs or JWism, there would be no question to me. I'd choose the JW religion.

  These guys barely give up an hour or two on Sunday to go church and shake a few hands and then go out and eat. Their religions don't affect their lives at all. They do whatever they want whenever they want. They have no idea what's in that book that they take to church (when they choose to go). One of them didn't even know that the book of Luke is in the New Testament. I quoted him Lu 13:24. He didn't like the implication of the words and he asked me whether that was in the New Testament. I guess he was going to say it didn't apply anymore if it was not. They are both ignorant. They are both self-serving. At least JWs do practice their religion (more so in the past).
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  27

  With a whimper, not a bang

  by JeffT in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the thread about old timers got me thinking about trends i see with the watchtower.

  i've changed my opinion about where the organization stands.

  when i joined the religion in 1973 it was dynamic, even the small congregation i attended sent out three or four pioneers.

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  Magnum

  Bill Covert: The difference was the "oracle", Fred Franz.

  I 100% agree. There just hasn't been anybody to fill his shoes. It's not that he was really as smart as JWs made him out to be; he just had the right mix - some intelligence, some education, an element of mystery, an element of eccentricity, reclusiveness, etc. Also, he came along at the right time considering world events, the situation in the org, etc.

  It was easier back then for one person to be really influential because the GB did not have the power it has today. It would be difficult today for one individual to promote ideas and doctrines that the other members virtually have to accept. Today, it's more rule by committee. Franz would not have been as influential had he come along now in the org because all his ideas would have to be approved, whereas, back then, his stuff was just published (maybe checked by Knorr) and the others had to accept it.

  See this thread I started four years ago:

  https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/4821431932157952/what-if-fred-franz-had-never-existed
  
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  9

  7/16 OSB is selling for 60 bucks a sheet

  by mickbobcat in

  1. social
  2. current

  so in my area osb is up to 60 a sheet.

  this is bsc insane.

  from 10 to 12 bucks a year ago.

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  Magnum

  About 12 years ago, I got it for $5.97 a sheet at Home Depot. Then I thought it was expensive when it went up to between $7 and $8 per sheet. I looked online at Home Depot a couple of weeks ago, and saw it at $39.97/sheet (southeastern U.S.).

  Absolutely insane. I can't even build animal houses now. I used to think nothing of running to Home Depot and grabbing some 2x4's and a few sheets of plywood, but not now.
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  23

  Why haven't they re-started the 'cart witnessing'?

  by eyeslice in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  we are nearly 18 months into this pandemic and lot has been learned and our behaviour modified to make things safer for us, e.g.

  the wearing of face masks and social distancing.. many countries such as australia, new zealand, the uk and usa either have things under control or have vaccinated a large portion of the population.

  therefore, given the very passive nature of the 'cart witnessing', i can't see why this hasn't be re-started.

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  Magnum

  Diogenesister: I do wonder if this is their cue to go into full on "isolationist" cult mode

  Interesting. I have not thought about that. I could see them doing it. They could spin it by saying the preaching work has been accomplished and that it's time to "go into our "interior rooms" and wait on Jehovah".

  They have to know that there is too much knowledge against them now for them to ever be again as they once were. Those days are over.

  
  
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  11

  Has someone messaged me ?

  by jhine in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi folks .

  i haven't been on for a while and looked in today to see a notification that l had a pm .

  however l can't see anything newer than a couple of months ago , which l had already opened .

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  Magnum

  Congratulations!!!

  and... I've got the same situation with the message thing. I agree with what LoveUniHateExams said.
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  123

  1969 "fact": You will never grow old in this present system of things

  by Ding in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  awake!

  "if you are a young person, you also need to face the fact that you will never grow old in this present system of things.

  because all the evidence in fulfillment of bible prophecy indicates that this corrupt system is due to end in a few years... therefore, as a young person, you will never fulfill any career that this system offers.

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  Magnum

  zooooooo: I also think that it affected people who had faith in God and his word more than those who had weak faith, their lives were adversely affected

  I think that, too. I'm one who really believed it (though I always had nagging questions/doubts). I was ripe for the picking because I love justice, I am horrified by the suffering of sentient beings, I love the earth and want to see it protected, etc. Therefore, I gave the religion my all, not making any preparations for the future, etc. I have no retirement prospects and starting tomorrow at over 60 yrs old, I will be working two jobs - seven days a week. I will work out of town (about four hrs away) Mon-Fri full-time and then come on the weekends and work full days Sat & Sun in a neighboring city. Both jobs are difficult - both mentally & physically demanding. I have virtually no life.

  Thank you governing body. I'm so blessed for having been a JW. The pioneer work was such a great blessing. I'm so glad I did it. ----NOT
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  123

  1969 "fact": You will never grow old in this present system of things

  by Ding in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  awake!

  "if you are a young person, you also need to face the fact that you will never grow old in this present system of things.

  because all the evidence in fulfillment of bible prophecy indicates that this corrupt system is due to end in a few years... therefore, as a young person, you will never fulfill any career that this system offers.

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  Magnum

  Phizzy, you're thinking of the 1-1-89 Watchtower study article that indicated that the preaching work would end in the 20th century. The wording was changed in the bound volume from something like "in the twentieth century" to something like "in our day". [going from memory, so, somebody please correct any of that that needs correcting]

  It seems that fewer JWs & exJWs realize that there is an earlier (1971), more profound statement that was not changed (as far as I know).