Simon Templar

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Posts by Simon Templar

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  18

  Do JWs ever doubt that the end is really coming?

  by dogon in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  as a former dubber i had many occasions to doubt that the end was coming.

  i was told it was ok to doubt but not to think about it too much and wait on jehovah.

  that bull shit lasted until they changed the meaning of generation in 95 and that was the end of that bull shit for me.

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  Simon Templar

  In my congregation, almost all of the people that have been involved over 30 years+ (and there are many) have great doubts about the end coming before they die, if at all. Some no longer care, and have told me that. Most are so old, they can't get out. It is ingrained in them, or they are connected in too many ways (marriage, family, friends, landlord, etc).
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  51

  What were you never going to do in "This system" But did it?

  by karter in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  finish school.. finish my apprenticeship (why are you doing that brother karter you will never finish it in this system).. buy a house.. pay the house off.. karter..

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  Simon Templar

  Get out of high school. Now I am a few years away from retirement.
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  19

  Could they make not donating a disfellowshipping offence?

  by purrpurr in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm wondering at how far the borg could go in begging for money?

  their halls are already resembling the"money changers in the temple".

  as they get sued more and more due to their pedophilic paradise their coffers will be ever more drained.

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  Simon Templar

  Nothing would surprise me at this point. Previously they have said for years that tithing is unscriptural. Decades really. That can all change in about two new Watchtower articles revealing new truth with some examples like David, Solomon, the Jews returning from exile, etc, and stretch it out to how it applies to us, and so-on. Most of the JWs don't have the resources to do a 10% tithe, so they will make it a lower amount, or one that the JW member selects, but it must be monthly and regular. I could see that happening.
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  11

  Use of Tablets During Meeting

  by Simon Templar in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  as i seem to remember, in april 2010 i bought one of the first ipads.

  i saw the virtue of using it immediately.

  it was wifi.

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  Simon Templar

  As I seem to remember, In April 2010 I bought one of the first iPads. I saw the virtue of using it immediately. It was WiFi. At around the same time watchtower.org and JW-media.org were made available to the public although a little bit later on as I recall. I would take hard copy publications or parts of them to work, scan them, get them into the Books app via email and use them at the meetings. The Congregation which we attended had many people attending which were poor. One of the Elders was a Bethelite. After I made it a habit (about a month or two) to attend the meetings with the iPad and use it (or at least look at it) rather than a publication, the Bethelite gave a Local Needs talk. He lambasted the use of "modern appliances" at the meeting rather than a book. He clearly stated that this was a "showy display" of one's wealth and background (I was one of the only ones there that was University educated),and it was "unloving" to conspicuously use these devices in the KH in front of the brothers or to even own them. I was the only person that owned one, and the entire talk was directed at me. My wife was fit to be tied. I felt sorry for the man really.

  About 2-3 weeks later the Bethelite was sitting up in the front of the KH with an iPad! They gave him one at Bethel. He used it for various purposes. One of them was to time talks and then turn around the iPad and hold it so the person on the platform could see it and know they are out of time. He made a comment at a meeting shortly thereafter that we need to "keep up with technology so we can further the preaching work". This is in direct conflict with what he had said from the platform 3-4 weeks before. I saw him after the meeting and asked him if it was now okay to use an iPad at the meetings and he told me it was. Like that was some kind of a green light.

  Right then I decided that I need to get out of there and fast.
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  31

  Fade question: New Cong or stay.

  by Darkknight757 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i have a question with regard to fading.

  the wife and i have plans to move to another hall and continue our fade from the organization.

  we are already missing quite a few meetings and we are not reporting time.

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  Simon Templar

  I strongly believe that moving to a location where nobody knows you is best. Don't tell the locals that you are moving. Leave your publisher record cards with your present congregation. Just move and be done with it. Go to the meeting just prior to the move. Keep everything normal.Then just go to your new home. Its easier. Believe me.
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  38

  Hard to Remember but Back in the Ninteen Fifies...

  by new boy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my writing a book about my strange life as a jw.

  i need some help.. does anyone remember when they used to get these charts out at the service meetings which had all the hours, "back calls" and bible studies on it?

  what did they call that?.

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  Simon Templar

  I remember this. I don't remember the name of the chart. It was mounted on the wall of the platform and would fold out so all could see. I believe it was a separate job (position) just to keep it in order. When it was updated monthly, it would be discussed during a Service Meeting. The Brother would discuss the changes and how the numbers reported compared to lat month's numbers and the national numbers. The idea was that you compare yourself to this and either keep up or surpass the local and national reporting.
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  29

  One Person Baptized at Circuit Assembly

  by Simon Templar in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i went to the circuit assembly with my wife yesterday.

  i have to keep peace in the family.

  there were less than 1,000 people for both the morning and the afternoon sessions.

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  Simon Templar

  ToesUp, they read the Accounts Report. There was a small deficit. A few thousand. They said they had to pay the Society $10,000 for the use of the Assembly Hall.
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  29

  One Person Baptized at Circuit Assembly

  by Simon Templar in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i went to the circuit assembly with my wife yesterday.

  i have to keep peace in the family.

  there were less than 1,000 people for both the morning and the afternoon sessions.

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  Simon Templar

  Pontoon, this was not the Newburgh Assembly Hall
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  29

  One Person Baptized at Circuit Assembly

  by Simon Templar in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i went to the circuit assembly with my wife yesterday.

  i have to keep peace in the family.

  there were less than 1,000 people for both the morning and the afternoon sessions.

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  Simon Templar

  I went to the Circuit Assembly with my wife yesterday. I have to keep peace in the family. There were less than 1,000 people for both the morning and the afternoon sessions. I remember 12-1300 people for this assembly just 5-7 years ago. The attendance is down by a third. Anyway, the last talk for the morning session is always the baptism. When the Brother gave the talk there was only one person there to be baptized! He mentioned that and called her by name (I didn't get the name because my mind was wandering-as usual). He spoke there, to her, calling her by her name several times. The 900 or so other people just sat there and listened. He asked her two questions which she answered aloud, there was a prayer and off to the pool she went. We all had lunch. That's it. Only one person! I remember baptisms at the Circuit Assembly of 30-40-50 people. It has been dwindling down for years. Now it is only one.

  I said to my Wife, with all these witnesses here, almost a thousand. They all go door-to-door (almost all), they all preach, they spend thousands of hours in the FS, and there is only one convert? Not even a child of believers being baptized. What's going on? My Wife didn't know what to say. I said, honey, this is the end of something. Either it's the end of the world as these people have been saying for over 100 years, or it's the beginning of the end of the religion at least in the developed, English-speaking world. The growth in the English speaking world has really ended. It's freaky! I don't know what to think.

  Note: We live in a suburb of an American east coast City. The Circuit mixes in congregations from inside the City also. In these poorer urban neighborhoods (I won't use the word "ghetto"), the FS was amazing. There was always growth. That's where most of the growth was. Now there is none. The WTB&TS is moving out of Brooklyn, this growth thing is now really manifesting, the attendance is off by hundreds of people at the Circuit Assembly, I honestly don't know what to say. Something's going on. I was amazed to see this happening.
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  30

  To those who attended, attendance up or down at your memorial?

  by Crazyguy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  interesting to see if there's a noticeable trend in memorial attendance.

  also did they talk more then usual about ones not to partake?

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  Simon Templar

  Down. I didn't note the exact count, but visibly less than in recent years