willyloman

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Posts by willyloman

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  56

  Is the Governing Body Guilty or not guilty of 1975 speculations going too far?

  by Terry in

  1. social
  2. humour

  the most disengenuous aspect of "official" pronouncements from the society can be identified.. it is in the positioning of the speaker/writer as a passive onlooker commenting on exterior happenings.. this bystander mode is clever by half.. why?

  it spoon feeds information without taking any active personal responsibility.. sort of an "oh gee, wow--look at all this going on" stance, while taking a stand-offish tone, is printed in the official magazines and books approved for publication by the governing body as mouthpiece of jehovah.. think about that.

  it is insidious incitement without responsibility.. the person (likely fred franz) who crafted these bulletins had gone through several previous incidents of failure and disappointment and was well aware of the effect of any speculations upon jehovah's witnesses in the past.. this makes what was printed all the more calculated and irresponsible in the extreme.. let us parse the language printed by the watchtower society with careful attention to what is said and left unsaid.. w68 8/15 p. 494 why are you looking forward to 1975?.

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  willyloman

  The missing link. The smoking gun. This thread.

  Great work.
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  10

  Need help confronting my father..sorry for the length

  by grewupjw1969 in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  i'm 42 and was a born-in although i have never been baptized.

  as a teenager i had a lot of problems and eventually ran away several times.

  at the age off eightteen i confronted my dad about an extra marital affair he was having.

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  willyloman

  Sometimes I wonder if it really is all worth it.

  It isn't. Give yourself permission to stop; start by reading this:

  http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Confront-Your-Toxic-Relationships
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  114

  StandFirm Says The Watchtower Society Has Never Lied!

  by LostGeneration in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  check it out:.

  http://stayawake-standfirm.blogspot.com/2011/04/watchtower-society-has-never-lied.html.

  standfirms disclaimer is that the definition of a lie is: "to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive"-emphasis added.. of course, other definitions of lie include: .

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  willyloman

  bttt to keep this in front of newbies/lurkers. It's that important.
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  37

  How is it that well educated and financially stable people become Jehovah's Witnesses?

  by 21stcenturywoman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  when i was growing up most of the jws around me were poor and lower middle class.

  some were middle class, but very few were upper middle class.

  only (maybe) about 1% were college educated.

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  willyloman

  Amongst JWs in the UK , there is something of a "middle class flight". Children of aspirational JWs don't take up the religion and the only people coming in are (to put it kindly) not always the best quality of people.

  This is also quite common in the U.S. these days and has been for a couple of decades.
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  31

  How the Watchtower corporation really works (beginning to end)

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in 1925, judge rutherford penned an article of extreme controversy titled the birth of the nation.. the editorial committee (russell had created) would not approve it.. .

  ruthford moved swiftly to remove them!

  he then hid his massacre cleverly:.

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  willyloman

  This pretty much explains everything. Good reasoning, accurate information.

  I would copy and paste the points I really liked but then I'd just be rerunning your entire essay and it speaks for itself.
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  40

  "Local Needs" Talks: The people who should really hear them are never there.

  by Open mind in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  my whole life as a jw i've heard this refrain.

  "too bad so-and-so wasn't here for that local needs talk.".

  as an elder i would have a hard time putting my heart into writing up a local needs talk that was targeting one or two congregation members, knowing full well they probably wouldn't be there to hear it.. .

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  willyloman

  open mind: good point, I noticed that too for many years.

  I've come to realize it's just another example of the poor communication skills exemplified by the WTS. They've created communications channels that are ineffective (door to door work is exhibit A) and continue to use them because they're uniquely theirs. If they were serious about communicating people's perceived "faults," they'd do what works: sit down with them face to face and have a frank talk.

  Everything they do is designed to create the impression they are "communicating" but in fact their methods are designed to put the responsibility for getting the message solely on the hearer, the intended target of their message. It's no skin off their nose if no one listens. An organization that was truly motivated by love and the desire to engaged in "a life-saving work" would be on top of this.
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  13

  In the next ten years the JW "history" will only extend back to 2000

  by sinis in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  given current statistics with regards to attrition in the jw ranks, it becomes appearant that we are seeing the unfolding of the early 20th century with regards to the teachings of the jw's late 19th century.

  with fewer and fewer old timers hanging on, and the influx of young or newbies, it is becoming quite clear that these newcomers ~5 maybe even ten years in... have no clue about the foundations of 1914, 1919 inspection, etc or the failed attempts of end of days, ie 1975, etc.

  i believe this is what the gb are banking on!!!

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  willyloman

  "The end" is a brilliant marketing concept: If it comes, you win. If it doesn't, you win. It survives because each generation embraces the concept as its own.
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  98

  The "WOW!!" moment...Theocratic Ministry School was a sham!

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just remembered something from long ago..... i moved to california in 1974 after i had been in "the truth" for 11 years, having full-time pioneered and also having served time in federal prison over the so-called christian neutrality issue.. i felt completely confident that my bible education was the best on planet earth.

  i had honed my skills by door to door preaching, discussion, arguments and attendance at the theocratic ministry school.. i began working as an artist in a huge company that manufactured all kinds of art, sculpture and wall hanging.

  the head of the artists was a wonderful young man, skilled artist and devout christian who took me under his wing.

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  willyloman

  Great topic, Terry. Brilliant analysis.

  Made me recall the Watchtower's most telling declaration: "No need to study, we've done all the research for you."
• 
  2

  knee replacement surgery

  by ssn587 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  friend in central usa is contemplating knee replacement surgery, any experiences from members of the board?.

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  willyloman

  All I can add to what the RN said, above, is:

  1. Get the best surgeon you can; you want someone who does 3 or 4 of these every day before breakfast!

  2. Do the physical therapy. In fact, start it before your surgery (ask your doctor for recommended exercises). You'll do better if you take the exercise program seriously because it will strengthen the muscles that help support your knee. You'll be amazed how much better you can get around!
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  43

  WT Is Losing Its Best and Brightest

  by snowbird in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  they are hemorrhaging the creme de la creme, as it were, and a lot of those thinking ones are coming to jwn.. no wonder there are so many warnings against surfing the 'net.. syl.

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  willyloman

  "It's always the smart ones who leave." --Nathan Knorr, former president, WTBTS